Apparatus and method for merging geometry-based spatial audio coding streams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9484038-B2
Application number	US-201213445585-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2012
Priority date	Dec 2, 2011
Publication date	Nov 1, 2016
Grant date	Nov 1, 2016

Abstract

An apparatus for generating a merged audio data stream is provided. The apparatus includes a demultiplexer for obtaining a plurality of single-layer audio data streams, wherein each input audio data stream includes one or more layers, wherein the demultiplexer is adapted to demultiplex each one of one or more input audio data streams having one or more layers into two or more demultiplexed audio data streams having exactly one layer. Furthermore, the apparatus includes a merging module for generating the merged audio data stream based on the plurality of single-layer audio data streams. Each layer of the input data audio streams, of the demultiplexed audio data streams, of the single-layer data streams and of the merged audio data stream includes a pressure value of a pressure signal, a position value and a diffuseness value as audio data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for generating a merged audio data stream, wherein the apparatus is implemented using a hardware apparatus or a computer, wherein the apparatus comprises:
a demultiplexer for acquiring a plurality of single-layer audio data streams, wherein the demultiplexer is adapted to receive one or more input audio data streams, wherein each input audio data stream comprises one or more layers, wherein the demultiplexer is adapted to demultiplex each one of the input audio data streams comprising one or more layers into two or more demultiplexed audio data streams comprising exactly one layer, such that the two or more demultiplexed audio data streams together comprise the one or more layers of the input audio data stream, to acquire two or more of the single-layer audio data streams; and
a merging module for generating the merged audio data stream, comprising one or more layers, based on the plurality of single-layer audio data streams,
wherein each layer of the input data audio streams, of the demultiplexed audio data streams, of the single-layer data streams and of the merged audio data stream comprises a pressure value of a pressure signal, a position value and a diffuseness value as audio data, wherein the position value indicates a position of a sound source.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the audio data is defined for a time-frequency bin of a plurality of time-frequency bins.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the merging module furthermore comprises a pressure merging unit,
wherein the pressure merging unit is adapted to determine a first group comprising one or more single-layer audio data streams of the plurality of single-layer audio data streams and to determine a second group comprising one or more different single-layer audio data streams of the plurality of single-layer audio data streams,
wherein a cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the first group is greater than a cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the second group, or wherein the cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the first group is smaller than the cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the second group,
wherein the pressure merging unit is adapted to generate the one or more pressure values of the one or more layers of the merged audio data stream, such that each pressure value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the first group is a pressure value of one of the layers of the merged audio data stream, and such that a combination of the pressure values of the single-layer audio data streams of the second group is a pressure value of one of the layers of the merged audio data stream.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the merging module furthermore comprises a diffuseness merging unit,
wherein the diffuseness merging unit is adapted to determine a third group comprising one or more single-layer audio data streams of the plurality of single-layer audio data streams and to determine a fourth group comprising one or more different single-layer audio data streams of the plurality of single-layer audio data streams,
wherein a cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the third group is greater than a cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the fourth group, or wherein the cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the third group is smaller than the cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the fourth group,
wherein the diffuseness merging unit is adapted to generate the one or more diffuseness values of the one or more layers of the merged audio data stream, such that each diffuseness value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the third group is a diffuseness value of one of the layers of the merged audio data stream, and such that a combination of the diffuseness values of the single-layer audio data streams of the fourth group is a diffuseness value of one of the layers of the merged audio data stream.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the merging module furthermore comprises a position mixing unit,
wherein the position mixing unit is adapted to determine a fifth group comprising one or more single-layer audio data streams of the plurality of single-layer audio data streams,
wherein a cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the fifth group is greater than a cost value of any single-layer audio data streams not comprised in the fifth group of the plurality of single-layer audio data streams, or wherein the cost value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the fifth group is smaller than the cost value of any single-layer audio data streams not comprised in the fifth group of the plurality of single-layer audio data streams,
wherein the position value unit is adapted to generate the one or more position values of the one or more layers of the merged audio data stream, such that each position value of each of the single-layer audio data streams of the fifth group is a position value of one of the layers of the merged audio data stream.

6. An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the merging module furthermore comprises a sound scene adaption module for manipulating the position value of one or more of the single-layer audio data streams of the plurality of single-layer audio data streams.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the sound scene adaption module is adapted to manipulate the position value of the one or more of the single-layer audio data streams of the plurality of single-layer audio data streams applying a rotation, a translation or a non-linear transformation on the position value.

8. An apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the merging module comprises a cost function module for assigning a cost value to each one of the single-layer audio data streams, and
wherein the merging module is adapted to generate the merged audio data stream based on the cost values assigned to the single-layer audio data streams.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the cost function module is adapted to assign the cost value to each one of the single-layer audio data streams depending on at least one of the pressure values or the diffuseness values of the single-layer audio data stream.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the cost function module is adapted to assign the cost value to each audio data stream of the group of single-layer audio data streams by applying the formula:
f i (Ψ i ,P i )=(1−Ψ i )·| P i | 2

wherein P i , is the pressure value and Ψ i is the diffuseness value of the layer of an i-th audio data stream of the group of single-layer audio data streams.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the demultiplexer is adapted to modify a magnitude of one of the pressure values of one of the demultiplexed audio data streams by multiplying the magnitude by a scalar value.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the demultiplexer comprises a plurality of demultiplexing units, wherein each one of the demultiplexing units is configured to demultiplex one or more of the input audio data streams.

13. An apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the apparatus furthermore comprises an artificial source generator for generating an artificial data stream comprising exactly one layer,
wherein the artificial source generator is adapted to receive pressure information being represented in a time domain and to receive a position information,
wherein the artificial source generator is adapted to replicate t

Assignees

• Del Galdo Giovanni
• Thiergart Oliver
• Herre Juergen
• Kuech Fabian
• Habets Emanuel
• Craciun Alexandra
• Kuntz Achim
• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forschung E V

Inventors

• Del Galdo Giovanni
• Thiergart Oliver
• Herre Juergen
• Kuech Fabian
• Habets Emanuel
• Craciun Alexandra
• Kuntz Achim

Classifications

• G06F18/2134

  based on separation criteria, e.g. independent component analysis · CPC title

• G10L19/008 Primary

  Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing · CPC title

• H04R5/00

  Stereophonic arrangements (stereophonic pick-ups H04R9/16, H04R11/12, H04R17/08, H04R19/10) · CPC title

• H04S2420/11

  Application of ambisonics in stereophonic audio systems · CPC title

• G10L21/0272

  Voice signal separating · CPC title