Audio Bitstream Frame Element Positioning Configuration

Solution Overview

Problem

Current audio coding technologies, such as the USAC codec, face challenges in efficiently conveying frame element type information within bitstreams, leading to increased compression rate and decoding complexity due to the need for frame element type indication, which restricts flexibility and increases buffering overhead.

Innovation Solution

A configuration block with a type indication syntax portion is introduced in the bitstream, indicating the type of each frame element, allowing for flexible ordering of frame elements while minimizing buffering overhead by enabling decoders to skip unsupported elements and maintain a consistent sequential order.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If frame element type indication is added to convey element type information within bitstreams, then flexibility in frame element positioning is improved, but compression rate deteriorates due to increased bitstream overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility in frame element positioningVSAvoidbitstream overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the frame element type indication from each individual frame and consolidates it into a separate configuration block that is transmitted once. This allows the bitstream to carry element type information without repeating it in every frame, thereby reducing overall bitstream overhead while maintaining flexibility in frame element positioning.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The configuration block with frame element type indications is prepared and transmitted in advance before the actual audio data frames. This preliminary action allows decoders to be pre-configured with the element type information, enabling efficient processing of subsequent frames without needing to carry this information in each frame.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If frame element type indication is added to convey element type information within bitstreams, then flexibility in frame element positioning is improved, but decoding complexity deteriorates due to increased processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflexibility in frame element positioningVSAvoiddecoding complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The configuration block with frame element type indications is prepared and transmitted in advance before the actual audio data frames. This preliminary action allows decoders to be pre-configured with the element type information, enabling efficient processing of subsequent frames without needing to carry this information in each frame.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The configuration block acts as an intermediary that carries frame element type information separately from the audio data frames. This intermediary structure allows decoders to read the element type indications once and use them to efficiently process multiple frames, reducing the complexity of processing each individual frame.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Quantity of substance

If frame elements are arranged in consistent sequential order, then buffering overhead is reduced, but flexibility in element positioning is restricted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebuffering overheadVSAvoidflexibility in frame element positioning

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a configuration block that dynamically defines the order and types of frame elements. This allows the system to adapt the element positioning according to different requirements while maintaining a consistent sequential structure in the bitstream, thereby reducing buffering overhead without completely sacrificing flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The configuration block with frame element type indications is prepared and transmitted in advance before the actual audio data frames. This preliminary action allows decoders to be pre-configured with the element type information, enabling efficient processing of subsequent frames without needing to carry this information in each frame.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10290306B2Frame element positioning in frames of a bitstream representing audio content

Publication Date: 2019.05.14 FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV

AI summary

A better compromise between a too high bitstream and decoding overhead on the one hand and flexibility of frame element positioning on the other hand is achieved by arranging that each of the sequence of frames of the bitstream has a sequence of N frame elements and, on the other hand, the bitstream has a configuration block having a field indicating the number of elements N and a type indication syntax portion indicating, for each element position of the sequence of N element positions, an element type out of a plurality of element types with, in the sequences of N frame elements of the frames, each frame element being of the element type indicated, by the type indication portion, for the respective element position at which the respective frame element is positioned within the sequence of N frame elements of the respective frame in the bitstream.