System and method using blind change detection for audio segmentation

• US 7,991,619 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Omar, Mohamed Kamal, Chaudhari, Upendra V., Ramaswamy, Ganesh N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Jakieda R
• Application Number:
  US12/142,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20080255854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 704/278, 704/252, 704/253
• US Class Current: 704/278
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for performing blind change detection audio segmentation that combines hypothesized boundaries from several segmentation algorithms to achieve the final segmentation of the audio stream. Automatic segmentation of the audio streams according to the system and method of the invention may be used for many applications like speech recognition, speaker recognition, audio data mining, online audio indexing, and information retrieval systems, where the actual boundaries of the audio segments are required.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for blind change detection of audio segments comprising:

receiving an input audio stream to be segmented;

applying two or more change detection audio segmentation processes to said input audio stream and obtaining a set of candidate change points from each;

combining said sets of candidate change points of each said applied processes for audio segmentation change detection;

calculating values of measurements of each said two or more change detection audio segmentation processes at every candidate change point of the combined sets; and

,

removing invalid candidate change points based on said calculated values to thereby optimize valid audio segmentation change points of the audio stream,

wherein a programmed processor device performs said applying, combining, calculating and removing.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said removing includes applying a voting scheme to determine valid candidate change points.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said removing includes applying a likelihood ratio test to determine valid candidate change points.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein candidate change points are combined in like segments of said audio stream as a result of said applying.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising recording a start time for each remaining change point in the audio stream, said recording comprising:

for each segment, determining whether a candidate change point exists, and recording a corresponding start time.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a segment is of a predetermined time duration, said method further comprising:

determining whether a multiple number of audio segments have elapsed since recording a last start time of a change point, and advancing a start time commensurate with said multiple number of audio segments elapsed.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a change detection audio segmentation process comprises a Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) change detection test.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a change detection audio segmentation process comprises a CuSum algorithm change detection test.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a change detection audio segmentation process comprises a Kolmogorov-Smirnov change detection test.

10. A system for implementing blind change detection of audio segments comprising:

a memory;

a processor in communications with the memory, wherein the system performs a method comprising;

receiving an input audio stream to be segmented;

applying two or more change detection audio segmentation processes to said input audio stream and obtaining a set of candidate change points from each;

combining said sets of candidate change points of each said applied processes for audio segmentation change detection;

calculating values of measurements of each said two or more change detection audio segmentation processes at every candidate change point of the combined sets; and

,

removing invalid candidate change points based on said calculated values to thereby optimize valid audio segmentation change points of the audio stream.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said removing comprises applying a voting scheme to determine valid candidate change points.

12. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said removing comprises applying a likelihood ratio test to determine valid candidate change points.

13. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said combining combines candidate change points in like segments of said audio stream after said obtaining.

14. The system as claimed in claim 10, further comprising recording a start time for each remaining change point in the audio stream, said recording including determining, for each segment, whether a candidate change point exists, and recording a corresponding start time.

15. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein a segment is of a predetermined time duration, said system further comprising:

determining whether a multiple number of audio segments have elapsed since recording a last start time of a change point, and advancing a start time commensurate with said multiple number of audio segments elapsed.

16. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said applying comprises one or more of:

a Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) change detection test, a CuSum algorithm change detection test, or a Kolmogorov-Smirnov change detection test.

17. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium readable by a processing circuit and having a computer usable program code for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method of blind change detection of audio segments, said computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code for receiving an input audio stream to be segmented;

computer readable program code for applying at least two change detection audio segmentation processes to said input audio stream and obtaining a set of candidate change points from each;

computer readable program code for combining said sets of candidate change points of each said applied processes for audio segmentation change detection;

computer readable program code for calculating values of measurements of each said two or more change detection audio segmentation processes at every candidate change point of the combined sets; and

,

computer readable program code for removing invalid candidate change points based on said calculated values to thereby optimize valid audio segmentation change points of the audio stream.

18. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein said removing includes applying one of:

a voting scheme to determine valid candidate change points or a likelihood ratio test to determine valid candidate change points.

19. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, wherein said means for applying comprises one or more of:

a Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) change detection test, a CuSum algorithm change detection test, or a Kolmogorov-Smirnov change detection test.

20. The computer program product as claimed in claim 17, further comprising computer readable program code for recording a start time for each remaining change point in the audio stream, said recording comprising:

for each segment, determining whether a candidate change point exists, and recording a corresponding start time.