Multi-rate digital voice coder apparatus

• US 4,890,327 A
• Filed: 06/03/1987
• Issued: 12/26/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ITT Corporation (ITT, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ITT Corporation (ITT, Inc.)
• Inventors: Noah, Matthew J., Bertrand, John
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Merecki, John A.
• Application Number:
  US07/057,474
• Time in Patent Office: 937 Days
• Field of Search: 381/36-40, 381/41, 381/29-32, 381/43-47, 364/513.5, 375/122
• US Class Current: 704/219
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/04 using predictive techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/24 Variable rate codecs, e.g. for generating different qualities using a scalable representation such as hierarchical encoding or layered encoding

Abstract

An analog to digital converter for a speech signal is implemented in modules to allow for changes in bit rate and changes in bit stream length according to requirements of the digital transmission system. A pre-emphasis circuit provides an array of pre-emphasized speech samples which are stored in memory. A linear predictive coder provides an array of reflection coefficients and an array of filter coefficients. A pulse processor receives the speech samples and filter coefficients and generates speech amplitude and location signals. These signals are multiplied to generate quantized speech samples. The quantized speech samples and reflection coefficients are provided to a buffer which provides an output signal of a proper bit stream length and bit rate for the digital transmission system.

Claims

1. Apparatus for converting analog speech into a digital signal for transmission of said digital signal over a conventional communications channel, comprising:

pre-emphasis means responsive to said analog speech at an input for providing at an output an array of pre-emphasized speech samples,

memory means coupled to said pre-emphasis means for storing said array of samples in contiguous storage locations,

linear predictive coder means coupled to the output of said memory means and responsive to said stored samples for providing a first array of reflection coefficients at a first output and a second array of filter coefficients at a second output,

pole broadening means coupled to said linear predictive coder means and responsive to said filter coefficient array for providing an array of filter coefficients having a broadened bandwidth including means for multiplying each of said filter coefficients in said array by a given factor,

a pre-emphasis correction means coupled to said pole broadening means for receiving at an input said array of broadened bandwidth filter coefficients for providing at an output an array of corrected filter coefficients,

pulse processing means coupled to said pre-emphasis means and said pre-emphasis correction means and responsive to said pre-emphasis speech samples and said corrected filter coefficients for providing at a first output a first series of pulses indicative of pulse amplitude and at a second output a second series of pulses indicative of pulse location,

encoder means coupled to said first and second outputs of said pulse processing means for providing a stream of pulses indicative of a product code of said first and second series of pulses, and

output buffer means having a first input coupled to said first output of said linear predictive coding means for receiving said reflection coefficients and a second input coupled to said encoder means for receiving said stream of pulses for providing at an output a digital signal of a given length bit stream having a bit rate determined according to said communications channel.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

a noise broadening means between said pre-emphasis correction means and said pulse processing means, said noise broadening means responsive to said corrected filter coefficients and including multiplier means for multiplying each corrected filter coefficient by a given multiplication factor and providing to said pulse processing means an array of noise broadened filter coefficients; and

said pulse processing means is responsive to said noise broadened filter coefficients for providing said first and second series of pulses.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said pulse processing means comprises:

a noise shaping means having one input for receiving said pre-emphasized speech samples, and having another input coupled to said pre-emphasis correction means for receiving said corrected filter coefficients and another input coupled to said noise broadening means for receiving said noise broadened filter coefficients to provide at an output an array of noise shaped speech samples according to a given pole-zero filter format.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said pulse processing means further comprises:

impulse response means coupled to said noise broadening means for providing at an output an impulse response according to said filter format.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said pulse processing means further comprises:

auto-correlation means coupled to said impulse response means for providing at an output the auto-correlation signal of said filter format.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said pulse processing means further comprises:

cross-correlation means coupled to said impulse response means and said noise shaping means for providing at an output the cross-correlation signal between said noise shaped speech and said impulse response.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said pulse processing means further comprises:

pick pulse means coupled to said cross-correlation means and including correlation update means coupled to said cross-correlation means to provide at an output an array indicative of pulse amplitude and location according to a search of the maximum cross-correlation for determining the location and amplitude of the next pulse, wherein said correlation update means scales said impulse response auto-correlation by a value related to pulse amplitude.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said pulse processing means further comprises:

an add pulse means having an input coupled to the output of said pick pulse means for providing a first array indicative of pulse location and a second array indicative of pulse amplitude and including means for storing said arrays.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said pulse processing means further comprises:

overhange processing means coupled to said impulse response means for providing at an output a signal indicative of the overlap between framed speech.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said pulse processing means further comprises:

receiving means coupled to said channel for receiving said digital signal as provided at said output of said buffer means, including;

input buffer means for storing said digital signal as a stored digital signal, means for reading said stored digital signal at a given bit rate for each frame, a linear predictive (LPC) decoder means coupled to said input buffer means for providing decoding filter coefficients from said stored digital signal, a pulse decoder means coupled to said input buffer for receiving said stored digital signal and for providing pulse amplitude and location signals to an excitation format means;

said excitation format means providing an excitation array indicative of pulse position and amplitude,

a linear predictive synthesis filter means for receiving said decoding filter coefficients and for receiving said excitation array for providing at an output an analog speech signal.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further including:

decoder pre-emphasis correction means for receiving said decoding filter coefficients and providing corrected decoding filter coefficients to said linear predictive synthesis filter means.

12. Apparatus for converting analog speech into a digital signal for transmission of said digital signal over a conventional communications channel, comprising:

an analog to digital converter for converting said analog speech into digitized speech,

pre-emphasis means responsive to said digitized speech for providing an array of pre-emphasized speech samples,

memory means coupled to said pre-emphasis means for storing said array of samples,

linear predictive coder means coupled to said memory means and responsive to said stored samples for providing a first array of reflection coefficients and a second array of filter coefficients,

pole broadening means coupled to said linear predictive coder means and responsive to said second array of filter coefficients for providing an array of filter coefficients having a broadened bandwidth, said pole broadeneing means including means for multiplying each of said filter coefficients in said second array of filter coefficients by a given factor, and

a pre-emphasis correction means coupled to said pole broadening means for receiving said array of broadened bandwidth filter coefficients for providing an array of corrected filter coefficients,

pulse processing means coupled to said pre-emphasis means and said pre-emphasis correction means and responsive to said array of pre-emphasized speech samples and said corrected filter coefficients for providing a first series of pulses indicative of pulse amplitude and a second series of pulses indicative of pulse location,

encoder means coupled to said pulse processing means for receiving said first and second series of pulses and for providing a stream of pulses indicative of a product code of said first and second series of pulses,

output buffer means coupled to said linear predictive coding means for receiving said reflection coefficients and coupled to said encoder means for receiving said stream of pulses for providing at an output a digital signal of a given length bit stream having a bit rate determined according to said communications channel.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, further including:

a noise broadening means responsive to said corrected filter coefficients for providing to said pulse processing means an array of noise broadened coefficients, said noise broadening means including multiplier means for multiplying each corrected filter coefficient by a given multiplication factor to provide said array of noise broadened coefficients.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said pulse processing means further comprises:

a noise shaping means for receiving said pre-emphasized speech samples, and for receiving said corrected filter coefficients and for receiving said noise broadened coefficients for providing an array of noise shaped speech samples according to a given pole-zero filter format.

15. Apparatus for converting an analog speech signal into a digital signal, comprising:

a pre-emphasizer to an analog speech input, said pre-emphasizer providing a digital speech sample array;

a linear predictive coder for receiving said digital speech sample array and providing a reflection coefficient digital signal and a filter coefficient digital signal;

a pole broadener for receiving said filter coefficient digital signal and providing a pole broadened filter coefficient signal;

a pre-emphasis corrector for receiving said pole broadened filter coefficient signal and providing a corrected filter coefficient signal;

a pulse processor for receiving said corrected filter coefficient signal and said digital speech sample array, said pulse processor generating a first pulse array of amplitude indicating pulses and a second pulse array of position indicting pulses and providing a digital product code indicative of the product of said first pulse array of amplitude indicating pulses and said second pulse array of position indicating pulses;

an output means for receiving said digital product code and said reflection coefficient digital signal, said output means providing a digital output signal of a given length bit stream and having a predetermined bit rate and representative of said analog speech signal.