Audio watermark encoding with reversing polarity and pairwise embedding

• US 9,305,559 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
• Inventors: Sharma, Ravi K., Bradley, Brett A., Thagadur Shivappa, Shankar, Kamath, Ajith, Cushman, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Abebe, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/054,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20140142958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 704/500, 713/176
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/02 using spectral analysis, e.g. transform vocoders or subband vocoders

Abstract

Audio watermark encoding methods employ reversing polarity and pairwise embedding. A watermark signal is generated, mapped to pairs of embedding locations and inserted in the members of the pair with reverse polarity. The pairs of embedding locations correspond to adjacent regions or frames in time or frequency domains. A method for controlling an audio output device captures audio from the device, extracts its identity from a watermark, and modifies the operation of the device, e.g. varying watermark strength or audio loudness.

Claims

1. A method of embedding a watermark in an electronic audio signal, the method comprising:

generating a watermark signal;

mapping the watermark signal to pairs of embedding locations;

in a pair of embedding locations, inserting the watermark signal in a first member of the pair, and inserting the watermark signal in a second member of the pair with reverse polarity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the pairs of embedding locations are adjacent time domain regions in the audio signal.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the watermark signal comprises a modulated carrier signal of watermark signal elements, and the watermark signal elements have corresponding pairs of embedding locations in which the element is embedded with reverse polarity.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein inserting comprises modifying time domain samples according to a bump that has varying shape across the time domain region.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the pairs of embedding locations are frequency domain locations of adjacent frames of the audio signal.

6. The method of claim 5 including analyzing the audio signal to detect a harmonic, and structuring the watermark signal within frames to be masked by the harmonic.

7. The method of claim 1 including inserting a first layer watermark in a time domain with reverse polarity embedding of bumps in pairs of time domain regions, and a second layer watermark in a frequency domain with reverse polarity embedding of bumps in pairs of frequency domain locations.

8. A method of controlling audio output by an audio output device, the audio output device configured to generate sound upon receipt of an electronic signal applied by an audio output control device, the method comprising:

capturing an audio signal from the ambient environment, the audio signal being output by the audio output device, the audio signal including an audio watermark signal identifying the audio output device;

detecting the audio watermark signal and extracting the identity of the audio output device; and

by reference to the identity of the audio output device, modifying at least one attribute of the audio output by the audio output device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the captured audio signal further includes a host audio signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying at least one attribute of the audio output by the audio output device comprises modifying at least one attribute of the audio watermark signal.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying the at least one attribute of the audio watermark signal comprises modifying a strength of the audio watermark signal relative to the host audio signal.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying at least one attribute of the audio output by the audio output device comprises modifying at least one attribute of the host audio signal.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying at least one attribute of the host audio signal comprises modifying a loudness of the host audio signal.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein modifying comprises automatically modifying the at least one attribute of the audio output upon detecting the audio watermark signal.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling audio output by audio output devices within a group such that the same audio watermark signal is randomly swept across different audio output devices within the group.

16. A system for encoding a digital watermark in an electronic audio signal, the system comprising:

one or more processors configured to;

transform a digital message into a digital watermark signal;

map the digital watermark signal to pairs of adjacent frames of the electronic audio signal;

encode the watermark signal in a first member of each pair;

encode the watermark signal in a second member of each pair with reverse polarity; and

provide an output electronic audio signal with the digital watermark signal encoded in plural pairs of adjacent frames of the audio signal.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the watermark signal in the first member has reverse polarity in a frequency domain relative to the watermark signal in the second member.

18. The system of claim 17 comprising:

a processor configured to transform the digital message into a digital watermark signal by modulating the digital message onto a carrier to produce a modulated carrier; and

a processor configured to map the modulated carrier to the pairs of adjacent frames.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the carrier comprises an OFDM carrier.

20. The system of claim 18 comprising a processor configured to map the modulated carrier to bump locations in a frequency domain of adjacent frames;

and a processor configured to encode elements of the modulated carrier in corresponding bump locations within the adjacent frames.