Adaptive Bass Post-Filter Control for Speech and Music Quality

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing bass post-filter in speech coders can degrade audio quality when not optimally controlled, particularly for signals with useful anti-harmonic components like music or noisy speech, as it either enhances or spoils the listening experience.

Innovation Solution

An adaptive bass post-filter control parameter is generated on the encoder-side using both encoded and decoded signals, and the original signal, which is then transmitted to the decoder to set a controllable bass post-filter characteristic, optimizing the attenuation of anti-harmonic noise using a minimum mean square error estimator.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the bass post-filter is activated to enhance clean speech quality, then speech clarity is improved, but audio quality deteriorates for music or noisy speech with useful anti-harmonic components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespeech clarityVSAvoidaudio quality degradation
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The bass post-filter is made dynamically controllable through adaptive control parameters (alpha, beta, gamma) that adjust the filter's attenuation characteristics based on signal analysis. The filter transitions from a static on/off state to a dynamic system that adapts its behavior to match the input signal type, enabling it to enhance speech while preserving music quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameters controlling the bass post-filter from fixed pitch-based values to adaptive parameters (alpha, beta, gamma) that are optimized based on signal classification. By modifying these control parameters according to whether the input is speech or music, the system resolves the contradiction between speech enhancement and music preservation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of operation

If the bass post-filter is controlled by pitch information only, then implementation is simple, but audio quality optimization is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol simplicityVSAvoidaudio quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces feedback mechanisms where the output of the bass post-filter is analyzed and used to adjust control parameters. The minimum mean square error estimator uses the difference between original and filtered signals to adaptively optimize parameters alpha, beta, and gamma, creating a closed-loop control system that improves audio quality while maintaining manageable complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The invention replaces simple pitch-based mechanical control with a more sophisticated control mechanism based on minimum mean square error estimation. This substitution introduces signal analysis and adaptive parameter adjustment, achieving better audio quality optimization without excessive complexity increase.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If the bass post-filter is completely deactivated, then artifacts are avoided, but speech quality enhancement is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveartifact reductionVSAvoidspeech quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies local quality control by treating speech and music signals differently through adaptive parameter adjustment. For speech segments, the bass post-filter parameters are optimized for maximum enhancement, while for music segments, parameters are adjusted to preserve anti-harmonic components. This localized optimization resolves the contradiction by applying different filter characteristics to different signal types within the same audio stream.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2936484B1Apparatus and method for processing an encoded signal and encoder and method for generating an encoded signal
Publication Date: 2018.01.03 FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV
  • EP2936484B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2936484B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2936484B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An Apparatus for processing an encoded signal (110), the encoded signal comprising an encoded audio signal having information on a pitch delay or a pitch gain, and a bass post-filter control parameter (101), comprises: an audio signal decoder (110) for decoding the encoded audio signal using the information on the pitch delay or the pitch gain to obtain a decoded audio signal (103); a controllable bass post-filter (112) for filtering the decoded audio signal (103) to obtain a processed signal (113), wherein the controllable bass post-filter (112) has the variable bass post-filter characteristic controllable by the bass post-filter control parameter (101); and a controller (114) for setting the variable bass post-filter characteristic in accordance with the bass post-filter control parameter (101) included in the encoded signal (102).