US 8,554,551 B2 · Systems, methods, and apparatus for context replacement by audio level

Abstract

Configurations disclosed herein include systems, methods, and apparatus that may be applied in a voice communications and/or storage application to remove, enhance, and/or replace the existing context. Enhancing the context of a voice communication may first include suppressing an existing context component from the digital audio signal to obtain a context suppressed signal. This signal may then be mixed with a new context signal to create a context enhanced signal, which may then be encoded before transmission. When this new context enhanced signal includes a speech component, it may be encoded and transmitted at a particular bit rate. When the context enhanced signal does not include a speech component, it may also be encoded at a similar bit rate. However, depending on the state of a process control signal, portions of a digital audio signal that lack a speech component may also be transmitted at a lower bit rate.

Claims40

Dependent claims

A method of processing a digital audio signal according to a state of a process control signal, the digital audio signal including a speech component and a context component, said method comprising:

encoding frames of a part of the digital audio signal that lacks the speech component at a first bit rate when the process control signal has a first state;
and
when the process control signal has a second state different than the first state,
(A) suppressing the context component from the digital audio signal to obtain a context-suppressed signal,
(B) generating an audio context signal,
(C) mixing a first signal that is based on the generated audio context signal with a second signal that is based on the context-suppressed signal to obtain a context-enhanced signal,
(D) calculating a level of a third signal that is based on the context suppressed signal, wherein at least one among said generating and said mixing includes controlling, based on the calculated level of the third signal, a level of the first signal, and
(E) encoding frames of a part of the context-enhanced signal that lacks the speech component at a second bit rate that is higher than the first bit rate.

5 more elements

An apparatus for processing a digital audio signal according to a state of a process control signal, the digital audio signal including a speech component and a context component, said apparatus comprising:

a first frame encoder configured to encode frames of a part of the digital audio signal that lacks the speech component at a first bit rate when the process control signal has a first state;
a context suppressor configured to suppress the context component from the digital audio signal to obtain a context-suppressed signal;
a context generator configured to generate an audio context signal;
a context mixer configured to mix a first signal that is based on the audio context signal with a second signal that is based on the context-suppressed signal to produce a context-enhanced signal;
a gain control signal calculator configured to calculate a level of a third signal that is based on the context suppressed signal,
wherein at least one among said context generator and said context mixer is configured to control a level of the first signal based on the calculated level of the third signal;
and
a second frame encoder configured to encode frames of a part of the context-enhanced signal that lacks the speech component at a second bit rate when the process control signal has the second state, the second bit rate being higher than the first bit rate.

5 more elements

means for encoding frames of a part of the digital audio signal that lacks the speech component at a first bit rate when the process control signal has a first state;
means for suppressing the context component from the digital audio signal, when the process control signal has a second state different than the first state, to obtain a context-suppressed signal;
means for suppressing the context component from the digital audio signal to obtain a context-suppressed signal;
means for generating an audio context signal;
means for mixing a first signal that is based on the generated audio context signal with a second signal that is based on the context-suppressed signal to obtain a context-enhanced signal;
means for calculating a level of a third signal that is based on the context suppressed signal, wherein at least one among said means for generating and said means for mixing includes means for controlling, based on the calculated level of the third signal, a level of the first signal;
and
means for encoding frames of a part of the context-enhanced signal that lacks the speech component at a second bit rate when the process control signal has the second state, the second bit rate being higher than the first bit rate.

5 more elements

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for processing a digital audio signal according to a state of a process control signal, the digital audio signal including a speech component and a context component, which when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

encode frames of a part of the digital audio signal that lacks the speech component at a first bit rate when the process control signal has a first state;
when the process control signal has a second state different than the first state, suppress the context component from the digital audio signal to obtain a context-suppressed signal,
generate an audio context signal,
mix a first signal that is based on the generated audio context signal with a second signal that is based on the context-suppressed signal to obtain a context-enhanced signal,
calculate a level of a third signal that is based on the context suppressed signal, wherein at least one among (A) the instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to generate and (B) the instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to mix include instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to control, based on the calculated level of the third signal, a level of the first signal, and
encode frames of a part of the context-enhanced signal that lacks the speech component at a second bit rate that is higher than the first bit rate.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for context replacement by audio level

Life of this patent

Systems, methods, and apparatus for context replacement by audio level

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims40