Method and apparatus for encoding signals

• US 20050240415A1
• Filed: 06/02/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digital Audio Encoding Systems, LLC (Equitable IP Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Detlef Wiese, Joerg Rimkus
• Inventors: Wiese, Detlef, Rimkus, Joerg
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,037 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/500
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/18 Vocoders using multiple modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/665 using psychoacoustic properties of the ear, e.g. masking effect

Abstract

The invention concerns a method of encoding signals, in particular digitised audio signals, with an encoding device for encoding the signal in an encoding format and a processing device for processing the encoded signal. Methods of that kind are known for example from European patent specification No 290 581. In that case, in the bit rate-reducing encoding of audio signals which are already present in digitized form, for example 48 kHz sampling frequency/16-bit resolution, psycho-acoustic phenomena of the perception of audio signals are used in such a way that the original bit rate of the audio signals is considerably reduced. Such methods are also familiar and standardised under the heading of ‘source encoding’ (ISO 11172 and 11318). The object of the invention is to provide a method of the kind set forth in the opening part of this specification, which resolves the above-indicated problems and in which re-coding operations, once encoding has been effected, are very substantially avoided.

Claims

1-36. -36. (canceled)

37. A method of encoding signals, in particular digitized audio signals, with an encoding device for encoding the signal in an encoding format and a processing device for processing of the encoded signal, comprising the steps of:

automatically selecting the encoding format dependent on the properties of the processing device; and

employing at least one of the following steps for determining the selected coding format.

ascertaining the properties of the processing device by a signal directed to the processing device; and

calling out the properties of the processing device from a storage means.

38. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the processing device includes at least one of a transmitting device for transmission of the encoded signal and a storage device for storage of the encoded signal and a decoding device for decoding of the encoded signal.

39. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the processing device is a transmission device for transmission of the encoded signal and that wherein transmission device is used for simultaneously transmitting and receiving the encoded signal.

40. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the processing device is a transmitting device for transmission of the encoded signal and wherein the transmission device has a decoding device for simultaneous decoding upon the reception of an encoded signal.

41. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein, prior to determining the encoding format, the properties of the processing device are ascertained a test signal directed to the processing device.

42. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the processor power of the processing device is referred to as the property thereof so that the encoding format is determined in such a way that it is processed by the processing device in real time.

43. The method as set forth in claim 42, wherein the processing device is a transmission device for transmission of the encoded signal and wherein the encoding format is determined in dependence on the power of the transmission device so that the transmission device can effect transmission in real time.

44. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the properties of the processing device are called up out of a storage means prior to encoding.

45. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein, prior to encoding of the signal, by a display/input device, the user of the encoding device is asked to do at least one of:

preset the desired encoding format and preset the properties of the selected processing device and encoding is effected in accordance with the presetting.

46. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the signal is digitized prior to the encoding operation.

47. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the signal is encoded in a bit rate-reduced encoding format.

48. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the signal is a digitized audio signal and the signal is source-encoded having regard to psycho-acoustic phenomena.

49. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein transmission and/or storage devices of varying capacity are available as processing devices and prior to transmission and/or storage of the signals, in the case of signals of higher quality, that is to say with a larger amount of data, a transmission device and/or storage device of larger capacity is selected and in the transmission and/or storage of signals of lower quality, that is to say with a smaller quantity of data, a transmission device and/or storage device of smaller capacity is selected.

50. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the signals to be sent are audio signals, wherein the audio signals are encoded in bit rate-reduced form by the encoding device, wherein a plurality of transmission channels and/or bit rates are available for transmission of the signal and wherein the transmission channel and/or the bit rate in the transmission are so selected that the signal can be transmitted in real time.

51. The method as set forth in claim 50, wherein a fixedly preset computing power is adopted for operation in real time.

52. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the processing device is a transmitting device for transmission of the encoded signal and wherein the transmission device has a decoding device for simultaneous decoding upon the reception of an encoded signal, and wherein a fixedly preset computing power is adopted for operation in real time and wherein with simultaneous transmission and reception in real time the encoding formats of the encoding and decoding devices are selected in accordance with the predetermined computing power.

53. The method as set forth in claim 52, wherein presetting in respect of the distribution of the computing power and thus the choice of the encoding format in regard to a preference for the encoding device or the decoding device or parity of the two is effected by an input device.

55. The method as set forth in claim 37, wherein the encoding format is determined by a control device.

54. In a method of encoding signals, in particular digitized audio signals, with an encoding device for encoding the signal in an encoding format and a processing device for processing of the encoded signal, said method including the step of determining the encoding format dependent on the properties of the encoding device.

56. Apparatus for encoding signals comprising:

a processing device; and

a control device which automatically presets the encoding format to be used for encoding dependent on the properties of said processing device for further processing of the signals;

said control device having a signal generator which emits a signal, by which the control device adjusts the properties of the connected processing device.

57. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, wherein, connected to the apparatus, is a transmission device connected to the control device, as a processing device for transmission of the signals to a receiver, wherein the encoding format is adapted by the control device to the properties of the transmission device.

58. Apparatus as set forth in claim 57, wherein the encoding format is adapted by the control device to the bit rate of the transmission device.

59. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, having a storage device connected to the control device, as a processing device, for storage of the signals, wherein the encoding format is adapted by the control device to the properties of the storage device.

60. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, having a decoding device connected to the control device, as a processing device, for decoding of the signals, wherein the encoding format is adapted by the control device to the properties of the decoding device.

61. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, including, connected to the control device, a transmission and/or storage and/or decoding device, wherein the control device has a test signal generator which emits a signal by which the control device detects the properties of the connected processing device and selects the encoding format in accordance with those properties.

62. Apparatus as set forth in claim 57, wherein the control device has a test signal receiver which receives a test signal by which the control device detects the properties of the connected processing device and selects the encoding format in accordance with those properties.

63. Apparatus as set forth in claim 61, wherein the test signal is an encoded audio signal.

64. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, wherein a display/input device which is connected to the control device and by which an encoding format to be used by the apparatus can be preset.

65. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, wherein a storage unit which is connected to the control device and in which at least one encoding format is stored.

66. Apparatus as set forth in claim 65, wherein, stored in the storage unit, are the properties of the processing device and the encoding formats corresponding to the properties.

67. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, wherein all settings can be implemented manually.

68. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, wherein there is provided a display which displays the current transmission time of the transmission device/storage time of the storage device and/or the remaining transmission time of the transmission device/storage time of the storage device.

69. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, wherein there is provided a mixing stage which prior to transmission with the transmission device and/or storage with the storage device mixes together a plurality of monophonic and/or stereophonic audio signals.

70. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, wherein the signal which is to be transmitted with the transmission device and/or stored with the storage device and/or which is received from the transmission device can be listened to in a listening device.

71. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, wherein the level of the signal which is to be transmitted with the transmission device and/or stored with the storage device and/or which is received from the transmission device can be displayed by a level display.

72. Apparatus as set forth in claim 56, wherein, provided for respective ones of various processing devices, is a respective control device, wherein the individual control devices exchange the properties of the processing device interrogated thereby with one or more of the other control devices.

73. Apparatus for encoding signals comprising:

a processing device; and

a control device which automatically presets the encoding format to be used for encoding dependent on the properties of said processing device for further processing of the signals;

said control device having a signal generator which emits a signal, by which the control device adjusts the properties of the connected processing device wherein the control device can be operated either cable-less or via a cabled interface.