# US 9,437,198 B2 · Decoding device, decoding method, encoding device, encoding method, and program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,437,198 B2 - Document ID: US9437198B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/239,574 - Filed: 2013-06-24 - Published: 2014-07-31 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2012-07-02 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Mitsuyuki Hatanaka; Toru Chinen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9437198B2 ## CPC - G10L 19/008: Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing - G10L 19/167: {Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes} - G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING ## Abstract The present technique relates to a decoding device, a decoding method, an encoding device, an encoding method, and a program which can obtain a high-quality realistic sound. The encoding device stores speaker arrangement information in a comment region in a PCE of an encoded bit stream and stores a synchronous word and identification information in the comment region such that other public comments and the speaker arrangement information stored in the comment region can be distinguished from each other. When an encoded bit stream is decoded, it is determined whether the speaker arrangement information is stored on the basis of the synchronous word and the identification information stored in the comment region. Audio data included in the encoded bit stream is output according to the arrangement of the speakers corresponding to the determination result. The present technique can be applied to an encoding device. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A decoding device comprising circuitry configured to: decode audio data of a plurality of channels included in an encoded bit stream; read information indicating whether to use the audio data of a specific channel for downmixing and downmix information indicating any one of a plurality of downmixing methods from the encoded bit stream; and downmix the decoded audio data to the audio data of a first number of channels by using the information indicating whether to use the audio data of a specific channel for downmixing and further downmix the audio data of the first number of channels to the audio data of a second number of channels by using the downmixing method indicated by the downmix information, wherein each of the plurality of downmixing methods calculates the audio data for the second number of channels based on the audio data of the first number of channels in accordance with a different mathematical expression. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The decoding device according to claim 1, wherein the circuitry is further configured to: adjust a gain of the audio data which is obtained by downmixing to the first number of channels and further downmixing from the first number of channels to the second number of channels based on the downmix information, on the basis of a combined gain value which is calculated from a first gain value for gain adjustment during the downmixing to the first number of channels and a second gain value for gain adjustment during the further downmixing from the first number of channels to the second number of channels based on the downmix information. ### Claim 3 A decoding method comprising: decoding audio data of a plurality of channels included in an encoded bit stream; reading information indicating whether to use the audio data of a specific channel for downmixing and downmix information indicating any one of a plurality of downmixing methods from the encoded bit stream; and downmixing the decoded audio data to the audio data of a first number of channels by using the information indicating whether to use the audio data of a specific channel for downmixing and further downmixing the audio data of the first number of channels to the audio data of a second number of channels by using the downmixing method indicated by the downmix information, wherein each of the plurality of downmixing methods calculates the audio data for the second number of channels based on the audio data of the first number of channels in accordance with a different mathematical expression. ### Claim 4 A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a process comprising: decoding audio data of a plurality of channels included in an encoded bit stream; reading information indicating whether to use the audio data of a specific channel for downmixing and downmix information indicating any one of a plurality of downmixing methods from the encoded bit stream; and downmixing the decoded audio data to the audio data of a first number of channels by using the information indicating whether to use the audio data of a specific channel for downmixing and further downmixing the audio data of the first number of channels to the audio data of a second number of channels by using the downmixing method indicated by the downmix information, wherein each of the plurality of downmixing methods calculates the audio data for the second number of channels based on the audio data of the first number of channels in accordance with a different mathematical expression. ### Claim 5 An encoding device comprising circuitry configured to: encode audio data of a plurality of channels and downmix information for downmixing the audio data to a first number of channels and indicating any one of a plurality of downmixing methods; and store the encoded audio data and the encoded downmix information in a non-transmitory computer-readable medium and generate an encoded bit stream that includes information indicating whether to use the audio data of a specific channel for downmixing the audio data to the first number of channels and further indicating the downmixing method to be used, after downmixing the encoded audio data to the audio data of the first number of channels, to further downmix the audio data of the first number of channels to the audio data of a second number of channels, wherein each of the plurality of downmixing methods calculates the audio data for the second number of channels based on the audio data of the first number of channels in accordance with a different mathematical expression. ### Claim 6 An encoding method comprising: encoding audio data of a plurality of channels and downmix information for downmixing the audio data to a first number of channels and indicating any one of a plurality of downmixing methods; and storing the encoded audio data and the encoded downmix information in a non-transitory computer-readable medium and generating an encoded bit stream that includes information indicating whether to use the audio data of a specific channel for downmixing the audio data to the first number of channels and further indicating the downmixing method to be used, after downmixing the encoded audio data to the audio data of the first number of channels, to further downmix the audio data of the first number of channels to the audio data of a second number of channels, wherein each of the plurality of downmixing methods calculates the audio data for the second number of channels based on the audio data of the first number of channels in accordance with a different mathematical expression. ### Claim 7 A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a process comprising: encoding audio data of a plurality of channels and downmix information for downmixing the audio data to a first number of channels and indicating any one of a plurality of downmixing methods; and storing the encoded audio data and the encoded downmix information and generating an encoded bit stream that includes information indicating whether to use the audio data of a specific channel for downmixing the audio data to the first number of channels and further indicating the downmixing method to be used, after downmixing the encoded audio data to the audio data of the first number of channels, to further downmix the audio data of the first number of channels to the audio data of a second number of channels, wherein each of the plurality of downmixing methods calculates the audio data for the second number of channels based on the audio data of the first number of channels in accordance with a different mathematical expression. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The decoding device of claim 1, wherein the circuitry comprises a central processing unit. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The decoding method according to claim 3, further comprising: adjusting a gain of the audio data which is obtained by downmixing to the first number of channels and further downmixing from the first number of channels to the second number of channels based on the downmix information, on the basis of a combined gain value which is calculated from a first gain value for gain adjustment during the downmixing to the first number of channels and a second gain value for gain adjustment during the further downmixing from the first number of channels to the second number of channels based on the downmix information. ### Claim 10 (depends on 4) The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 4, wherein the process further comprises: adjusting a gain of the audio data which is obtained by downmixing to the first number of channels and further downmixing from the first number of channels to the second number of channels based on the downmix information, on the basis of a combined gain value which is calculated from a first gain value for gain adjustment during the downmixing to the first number of channels and a second gain value for gain adjustment during the further downmixing from the first number of channels to the second number of channels based on the downmix information. ### Claim 11 (depends on 5) The encoding device of claim 5, wherein the circuitry comprises a central processing unit.