METHOD OF ANALYSING AN AUDIO SIGNAL

• US 20110213614A1
• Filed: 09/11/2009
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NewSouth Innovations Pty Limited (University Of New South Wales)
• Original Assignee: NewSouth Innovations Pty Limited (University Of New South Wales)
• Inventors: Sen, Dipanjan, Lu, Wenliang
• Granted Patent: US 8,990,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/236
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/02 Feature extraction for speech recognition; Selection of recognition unit
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/02 Preprocessing operations, e.g. segment selection; Pattern representation or modelling, e.g. based on linear discriminant analysis [LDA] or principal components; Feature selection or extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/15 the extracted parameters being formant information
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/69 for evaluating synthetic or decoded voice signals

Abstract

A method of analysing an audio signal is disclosed. A digital representation of an audio signal is received and a first output function is generated based on a response of a physiological model to the digital representation. At least one property of the first output function may be determined. One or more values are determined for use in analysing the audio signal, based on the determined property of the first output function.

Claims

1. A method of analysing an audio signal, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a digital representation of an audio signal;

(b) generating a first output function based on a response of a physiological model to the digital representation;

(c) determining at least one property of the first output function; and

(d) determining one or more values for use in analysing the audio signal, based on the determined property of the first output function.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determination is made at step (d) in accordance with the first output function.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the physiological model is a one, two or three dimensional hydro-mechanical cochlear model, wherein the dimension refers to spatial dimensions.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the first output function includes a basilar membrane response.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the first output function includes an inner hair cell response.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein the first output function is a dimensional matrix comprising first and second dimensions, the first dimension corresponding to a temporal axis and the second dimension corresponding to a spatial axis.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (c) comprises the further steps of:

(ca) selecting a temporal variation of the first output function;

(cb) identifying a plurality of peaks from the selected temporal variation of the first output function;

(cc) determining whether one of the peaks of the plurality of peaks belongs to a neighbourhood; and

(cd) using the results of step (cc) to generate a track function.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises the further steps of:

(da) selecting a spatial range;

(db) determining a track center point by combining the first output function within the spatial range, the track center point belonging to the plurality of second output functions;

(dc) analysing a number of tracks for the track center point within the spatial range; and

(dd) determining a salient formant point by combining the number of tracks within the spatial range and the format place within the spatial range, wherein the salient formant point belongs to the plurality of the second output functions.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of determining an objective measure of speech quality based on the determined values extracted from the audio signal.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of matching a word based on the determined values extracted from the audio signal.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of identifying a speaker based on the determined values extracted from the audio signal.

12. An apparatus for analysing an audio signal, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a digital representation of an audio signal;

means for generating a first output function based on a response of a physiological model to the digital representation;

means for determining at least one property of the first output function; and

means for determining one or more values for use in analysing the audio signal, based on the determined property of the first output function.

13. A system for analysing an audio signal, the system comprising:

a memory comprising data and a computer program;

a processor coupled to the memory for executing the computer program, the computer program comprising instructions for;

(a) receiving a digital representation of an audio signal;

(b) generating a first output function based on a response of a physiological model to the digital representation;

(c) determining at least one property of the first output function; and

(d) determining one or more values for use in analysing the audio signal, based on the determined property of the first output function.