Apparatus and method and computer program for generating a stereo output signal for providing additional output channels

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9913036-B2
Application number	US-201314078433-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 12, 2013
Priority date	May 13, 2011
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

An apparatus for generating a stereo output signal includes a manipulation information generator being adapted to generate manipulation information depending on a first signal indication value of a first input channel and on a second signal indication value of a second input channel, and a manipulator for manipulating a combination signal based on the manipulation information to obtain a first manipulated signal as a first output channel and a second manipulated signal as a second output channel. The combination signal is a signal derived by combining the first input channel and the second input channel. Furthermore, the manipulator is configured for manipulating the combination signal in a first manner, when the first signal indication value is in a first relation to the second signal indication value, or in a different second manner, when the first signal indication value is in a different second relation to the second signal indication value.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for generating a stereo output signal comprising a first output channel and a second output channel from a stereo input signal comprising a first input channel and a second input channel comprising:
a manipulation information generator being adapted to generate manipulation information depending on a first signal indication value of the first input channel and on a second signal indication value of the second input channel; wherein the manipulation information generator is configured to determine the manipulation information using the first signal indication value and using the second signal indication value for computing a first weighting mask; and wherein the manipulation information generator is configured to determine the manipulation information using the first signal indication value and using the second signal indication value for computing a second weighting mask, being different from the first weighting mask; and
a manipulator for generating the first output channel by applying the first weighting mask on a combination signal, wherein the combination signal is a signal derived by combining the first input channel and the second input channel; and
wherein the manipulator is configured to generate the second output channel by applying the second weighting mask on the combination signal, said combination signal being the combination signal on which the first weighting mask is applied to generate the first output channel.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the manipulation information generator is adapted to generate the manipulation information depending on a first energy value as the first signal indication value of the first input channel and on a second energy value as the second signal indication value of the second input channel; and
wherein the manipulator is configured for manipulating the combination signal in a first manner when the first energy value is in a first relation to the second energy value, or in a different second manner, when the first energy value is in a different second relation to the second energy value.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the manipulation information generator is adapted to generate the manipulation information depending on the first signal indication value of the first input channel and on the second signal indication value of the second input channel,
wherein the first signal indication value of the first input channel depends on an amplitude value of the first input channel;
wherein the second signal indication value of the second input channel depends on an amplitude value of the second input channel; and
wherein the manipulator is configured for manipulating the combination signal in a first manner when the first signal indication value is in a first relation to the second signal indication value, or in a different second manner, when the first signal indication value is in a different second relation to the second signal indication value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the apparatus furthermore comprises a signal indication computing unit being adapted to calculate the first signal indication value based on the first input channel, and being furthermore adapted to calculate the second signal indication value based on the second input channel.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the manipulator is adapted to manipulate the combination signal, wherein the combination signal is generated according to the formula
d ( t )= a·x L ( t )− b·x R ( t ),

wherein d(t) represents the combination signal, wherein x L (t) represents the first input channel, wherein x R (t) represents the second input channel and wherein a and b are steering parameters.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the manipulator is adapted to manipulate the combination signal, wherein the combination signal represents a difference between the first and the second input channel.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the apparatus furthermore comprises a transformer unit for transforming the first and the second input channel of the stereo input signal from a time domain into a frequency domain.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the manipulation information generator is adapted to generate the first weighting mask depending on the first signal indication value, and to generate the second weighting mask depending on the second signal indication value; and
wherein the manipulator is adapted to manipulate the combination signal by applying the first weighting mask to an amplitude value of the combination signal to acquire a first modified amplitude value, and to manipulate the combination signal by applying the second weighting mask to an amplitude value of the combination signal to acquire a second modified amplitude value.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the apparatus furthermore comprises a combiner being adapted to combine the first modified amplitude value and a phase value of the combination signal to acquire the first manipulated signal as the first output channel; and
wherein the combiner is adapted to combine the second modified amplitude value and a phase value of the combination signal to acquire the second manipulated signal as the second output channel.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the manipulation information generator is adapted to generate the first weighting mask G L (m, k) according to the formula

G
L

⁡

(

m
,
k

)

=

(

E
L

⁡

(

m
,
k

)

E
L

⁡

(

m
,
k

)

+

E
R

⁡

(

m
,
k

)

)

α

or wherein the manipulation information generator is adapted to generate the second weighting mask G R (m, k) according to the formula

G

Assignees

• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Stoecklmeier Christian
• Finauer Stefan
• Uhle Christian
• Prokein Peter
• Hellmuth Oliver
• Heise Ulrik

Classifications

• H04S1/007 Primary

  in which the audio signals are in digital form (data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02) · CPC title

• H04S2400/05

  Generation or adaptation of centre channel in multi-channel audio systems · CPC title

• H04S5/005

  of the pseudo five- or more-channel type, e.g. virtual surround · CPC title

• H04R5/00 Primary

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

• H04S5/02

  of the pseudo four-channel type, e.g. in which rear channel signals are derived from two-channel stereo signals · CPC title