DEVICE AND METHOD FOR POSTPROCESSING A DECODED MULTI-CHANNEL AUDIO SIGNAL OR A DECODED STEREO SIGNAL

• US 20130236022A1
• Filed: 03/26/2013
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Virette, David, Lang, Yue, Miao, Lei, Wu, Wenhai
• Granted Patent: US 9,293,145 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/22
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/008 Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/025 Detection of transients or attacks for time/frequency resolution switching
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0364 for improving intelligibility

Abstract

According to the invention, a device (101, 101′) for postprocessing at least one channel signal of a plurality of channel signals of a multi-channel signal is described, the at least one channel signal being generated from a decoded downmix signal by a low-bit-rate audio coding/decoding system, the device comprising: a receiver (103; 103′) for receiving the at least one channel signal generated from the decoded downmix signal, a time envelope of the decoded downmix signal and a classification indication indicating a transient type of the at least one channel signal, wherein the classification indication is associated to the at least one channel signal, and a postprocessor (105; 105′) for postprocessing the at least one channel signal based on the time envelope of the decoded downmix signal weighted by a respective weighting factor and in dependence on the classification indication.

Claims

1. A device for postprocessing at least one channel signal of a plurality of channel signals of a multi-channel signal, the at least one channel signal being generated from a decoded downmix signal by a low-bit-rate audio coding/decoding system, the device comprising:

a receiver for receiving the at least one channel signal generated from the decoded downmix signal, a time envelope of the decoded downmix signal and a classification indication indicating a transient type of the at least one channel signal, wherein the classification indication is associated to the at least one channel signal; and

a postprocessor for postprocessing the at least one channel signal based on the time envelope of the decoded downmix signal weighted by a respective weighting factor and in dependence on the classification indication.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the receiver is adapted to receive the plurality of channel signals and a plurality of classification indications, wherein each of the classification indications is associated to a channel signal of the plurality of channel signals, and wherein each of the classification indications indicates a transient type of the channel signal it is associated to, and wherein the device further comprises:

a decider adapted to decide which one or ones of the plurality of channel signals are postprocessed, wherein the decider is configured to decide dependent on the classification indication indicating the transient type of the respective channel signal.

3. The device of one of the claims 1, wherein the device comprises a decider for deciding which one or ones of the plurality of channel signals are postprocessed, the decider being configured to decide dependent on the classification indication indicating the transient type of the channel signal and on a further classification indication indicating a transient type of the downmix signal.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the decider is configured to control the postprocessor to postprocess the at least one channel signal in case the further classification indication indicates that the downmix signal is downmix transient and the channel specific classification indication associated to the at least one multi-channel signal indicates that the at least one channel is not channel transient.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the decider is configured to control the postprocessor to postprocess the at least one channel signal in case the further classification indication indicates that the downmix signal is downmix transient, the channel specific classification indication associated to the at least one channel signal indicates that the at least one channel signal is channel transient, and an energy metric of the at least one channel signal is higher than a corresponding energy metric of a reference signal.

6. The device of one of the claims 3, wherein the decider is configured to control the postprocessor to postprocess the at least one channel signal in case the further classification indication indicates that the downmix signal is downmix transient, the channel specific classification indication associated to the at least one channel signal indicates that the at least one channel signal is channel transient, and a channel specific channel level difference CLD_m between a reference signal and the at least one channel signal is smaller than a predetermined threshold.

7. The device of one of the claims 3, wherein the decider is configured to control the postprocessor to not postprocess the at least one channel signal in case the further classification indication indicates that the downmix signal is downmix transient, the channel specific classification indication associated to the at least one channel signal indicates that the at least one channel signal is channel transient, and an energy metric of the at least one channel signal is lower than a corresponding energy metric of a reference signal.

8. The device of one of the claims 3, wherein the decider is configured to control the postprocessor to not postprocess the at least one channel signal by using the weighted time envelope in case the further classification indication indicates that the downmix signal is downmix transient, the channel specific classification indication associated to the at least one channel signal indicates that the at least one channel signal is channel transient, and a channel specific channel level difference CLD_m between the at least one channel signal and the at least one channel signal is greater than a predetermined threshold.

9. The device of one of the claims 3, wherein the decider is configured to determine the weighting factor, with which the time envelope of the downmix signal is to be weighted with for the postprocessing of the at least one channel signal, dependent on a received channel level difference (CLD) between the at least one channel signal and a reference signal.

10. The device of one of the claims 1, wherein the downmix signal forms a reference signal.

11. The device according to one of the claims 1, wherein the multi-channel signal is a stereo signal, the stereo signal comprising a first channel and a second channel.

12. A method for postprocessing at least one channel signal of a plurality of channel signals of a multi-channel signal, the at least one channel signal being generated from a decoded downmix signal by a low-bit-rate audio coding/decoding system, the method comprising the following steps:

receiving the at least one channel signal generated from the decoded downmix signal, a time envelope of the decoded downmix signal and a classification indication indicating a transient type of the at least one channel signal, wherein the classification indication is associated to the at least one channel signal; and

postprocessing the at least one channel signal based on the time envelope of the decoded downmix signal weighted by a respective weighting factor and in dependence on the classification indication.

13. A device for postprocessing at least one of a left and a right channel signals of a stereo signal, the left and right channel signals being generated from a decoded downmix signal by a low-bit-rate audio coding/decoding system, the device comprising:

a receiver for receiving the left channel signal and the right channel signal generated from the decoded downmix signal, a time envelope of the decoded downmix signal and a classification indication indicating a transient type of the stereo signal, and

a postprocessor for postprocessing at least one of the left and right channel signals based on the time envelope of the decoded downmix signal weighted by a respective weighting factor and in dependence on the classification indication.

14. The device of claim 13, further comprising a decider for deciding which one or ones of the left and right channel signals are postprocessed, said decider being configured to decide in dependence on the classification indication indicating a transient type of the stereo signal.

15. The device of claim 13, further comprising a decider for deciding which one or ones of the left and right channel signals are postprocessed, said decider being configured to decide in dependence on the classification indication indicating a transient type of the stereo signal and on a further classification indication indicating a transient type of the decoded downmix signal.

16. A method for postprocessing at least one of the left and right channel signals of a stereo signal, the left and right channel signals being generated from a decoded downmix signal by a low-bit-rate audio coding/decoding system, the method comprising:

receiving the left channel signal and the right channel signal generated from the decoded downmix signal, a time envelope of the decoded downmix signal and a classification indication indicating a transient type of the stereo signal; and

postprocessing at least one of the left and right channel signals based on the time envelope of the decoded downmix signal weighted by a respective weighting factor and in dependence on the classification indication.