Voice band expansion device, voice band expansion method, and communication apparatus

• US 8,280,727 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Endo, Kaori, Otani, Takeshi, Togawa, Taro, Ota, Yasuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Desir, Pierre-Louis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharma, Neeraj
• Application Number:
  US12/777,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 704/209
• US Class Current: 704/209
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/038 using band spreading techniques

Abstract

A voice band expansion device includes a time-frequency converter that calculates a frequency spectrum of a voice signal having a first frequency band; a separator that extracts, from the frequency spectrum, an envelope amplitude spectrum, a periodic amplitude spectrum, and a random amplitude spectrum; an envelope amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band to a second frequency band that is different from the first frequency band; a periodic amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band to the second frequency band; a random amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band of the random amplitude spectrum to the second frequency band; a broadband spectrum calculator that calculates a broadband frequency spectrum having the first frequency band and the second frequency band; and a frequency-time converter generates a voice signal having the first frequency band and the second frequency band.

Claims

1. A voice band expansion device comprising:

a time-frequency converter that calculates, using a processor, a frequency spectrum of a voice signal having a first frequency band, by performing time-frequency conversion on the voice signal every frame having a predetermined time length;

a separator that extracts, from the frequency spectrum, an envelope amplitude spectrum of the frequency spectrum, a periodic amplitude spectrum whose spectrum intensity periodically changes in response to frequency, and a random amplitude spectrum whose spectrum intensity randomly changes in response to frequency;

an envelope amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band of the envelope amplitude spectrum to a second frequency band that is different from the first frequency band;

a periodic amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band of the periodic amplitude spectrum to the second frequency band;

a random amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band of the random amplitude spectrum to the second frequency band;

a broadband spectrum calculator that calculates a broadband frequency spectrum having the first frequency band and the second frequency band, by combining the band-expanded envelope amplitude spectrum, the band-expanded periodic amplitude spectrum, and the band-expanded random amplitude spectrum; and

a frequency-time converter that generates a voice signal having the first frequency band and the second frequency band, by performing frequency-time conversion on the broadband frequency spectrum.

2. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the periodic amplitude spectrum band expander calculates an envelope of the periodic amplitude spectrum in the first frequency band, and expands the frequency band of the periodic amplitude spectrum so as to maintain the envelope also in the second frequency band.

3. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the periodic amplitude spectrum band expander weakens a periodicity of the band-expanded periodic amplitude spectrum with respect to a frequency as the frequency increases in the second frequency band.

4. The device according to claim 1,

wherein the random amplitude spectrum band expander calculates an envelope of the random amplitude spectrum in the first frequency band, and expands the frequency band of the random amplitude spectrum so as to maintain the envelope also in the second frequency band.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a phase spectrum band expander that expands, to the second frequency band, a frequency band of the phase spectrum that indicates a phase of the frequency spectrum with respect to each frequency included in the first frequency band,

wherein the broadband spectrum calculator synthesizes the broadband frequency spectrum by combining the band-expanded envelope amplitude spectrum, the band-expanded periodic amplitude spectrum, the band-expanded random amplitude spectrum, and the band-expanded phase spectrum.

6. The device according to claim 5,

wherein the phase spectrum band expander determines a phase of the frequency spectrum with respect to a predetermined frequency included in the second frequency band at a first frame, such that a phase of the frequency spectrum with respect to the predetermined frequency, which phase is determined at a second frame prior to the first frame, and a phase at start of the first frame, which phase is calculated from the predetermined frequency and the frame length, are continuous with each other.

7. A voice band expansion method comprising:

calculating, using a processor, a frequency spectrum of a voice signal having a first frequency band, by performing time-frequency conversion on the voice signal every frame having a predetermined time length;

extracting, from the frequency spectrum, an envelope amplitude spectrum of the frequency spectrum, a periodic amplitude spectrum whose spectrum intensity periodically changes in response to frequency, and a random amplitude spectrum whose spectrum intensity randomly changes in response to frequency;

expanding a frequency band of the envelope amplitude spectrum to a second frequency band that is different from the first frequency band;

expanding a frequency band of the periodic amplitude spectrum to the second frequency band;

calculating a broadband frequency spectrum having the first frequency band and the second frequency band, by combining the band-expanded envelope amplitude spectrum, the band-expanded periodic amplitude spectrum, and the band-expanded random amplitude spectrum; and

generating a voice signal having the first frequency band and the second frequency band, by performing frequency-time conversion on the broadband frequency spectrum.

8. The method according to claim 7,

wherein the frequency band of the periodic amplitude spectrum is expanded by calculating an envelope of the periodic amplitude spectrum in the first frequency band, and expanding the frequency band of the periodic amplitude spectrum so as to maintain the envelope also in the second frequency band.

9. The method according to claim 7,

wherein the frequency band of the periodic amplitude spectrum is expanded by weakening a periodicity of the band-expanded periodic amplitude spectrum with respect to a frequency as the frequency increases in the second frequency band.

10. The method according to claim 7,

wherein the frequency band of the random amplitude spectrum is expanded by calculating an envelope of the random amplitude spectrum in the first frequency band, and expanding the frequency band of the random amplitude spectrum so as to maintain the envelope also in the second frequency band.

11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

expanding a phase spectrum band to the second frequency band, a frequency band of the phase spectrum that indicates a phase of the frequency spectrum with respect to each frequency included in the first frequency band,

wherein the calculating a broadband frequency spectrum synthesizes the broadband frequency spectrum by combining the band-expanded envelope amplitude spectrum, the band-expanded periodic amplitude spectrum, the band-expanded random amplitude spectrum, and the band-expanded phase spectrum.

12. The method according to claim 11,

wherein the expanding a phase spectrum band determines a phase of the frequency spectrum with respect to a predetermined frequency included in the second frequency band at a first frame, such that a phase of the frequency spectrum with respect to the predetermined frequency, which phase is determined at a second frame prior to the first frame, and a phase at start of the first frame, which phase is calculated from the predetermined frequency and the frame length, are continuous with each other.

13. A communication apparatus comprising:

a communication unit that receives a coded voice signal having a first frequency band;

a baseband processor that decodes the voice signal;

a controller that expands the first frequency band of the voice signal, the controller comprising;

a time-frequency converter that calculate a frequency spectrum of the voice signal having the first frequency band, by performing time-frequency conversion on the voice signal every frame having a predetermined time length;

a separator that extracts, from the frequency spectrum, an envelope amplitude spectrum of the frequency spectrum, a periodic amplitude spectrum whose spectrum intensity periodically changes in response to frequency, and a random amplitude spectrum whose spectrum intensity randomly changes in response to frequency;

an envelope amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band of the envelope amplitude spectrum to a second frequency band that is different from the first frequency band;

a periodic amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band of the periodic amplitude spectrum to the second frequency band;

a random amplitude spectrum band expander that expands a frequency band of the random amplitude spectrum to the second frequency band;

a broadband spectrum calculator that calculates a broadband frequency spectrum having the first frequency band and the second frequency band, by combining the band-expanded envelope amplitude spectrum, the band-expanded periodic amplitude spectrum, and the band-expanded random amplitude spectrum; and

a frequency-time converter that generates a voice signal having the first frequency band and the second frequency band, by performing frequency-time conversion on the broadband frequency spectrum; and

a loudspeaker that reproduces the band-expanded voice signal.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the periodic amplitude spectrum band expander calculates an envelope of the periodic amplitude spectrum in the first frequency band, and expands the frequency band of the periodic amplitude spectrum so as to maintain the envelope also in the second frequency band.

15. The apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the periodic amplitude spectrum band expander weakens a periodicity of the band-expanded periodic amplitude spectrum with respect to a frequency as the frequency increases in the second frequency band.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the random amplitude spectrum band expander calculates an envelope of the random amplitude spectrum in the first frequency band, and expands the frequency band of the random amplitude spectrum so as to maintain the envelope also in the second frequency band.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising:

a phase spectrum band expander that expands, to the second frequency band, a frequency band of the phase spectrum that indicates a phase of the frequency spectrum with respect to each frequency included in the first frequency band,

wherein the broadband spectrum calculator synthesizes the broadband frequency spectrum by combining the band-expanded envelope amplitude spectrum, the band-expanded periodic amplitude spectrum, the band-expanded random amplitude spectrum, and the band-expanded phase spectrum.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17,

wherein the phase spectrum band expander determines a phase of the frequency spectrum with respect to a predetermined frequency included in the second frequency band at a first frame, such that a phase of the frequency spectrum with respect to the predetermined frequency, which phase is determined at a second frame prior to the first frame, and a phase at start of the first frame, which phase is calculated from the predetermined frequency and the frame length, are continuous with each other.