Audio Data Embedding via Auditory Masking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media communication systems require user intervention to establish connections between devices, which can be inconvenient and inefficient, especially for transmitting data through audio signals in a way that is imperceptible to humans.
Innovation Solution
A system that embeds data into media content items by identifying audio events with high amplitudes, such as drum beats, and superimposes the data as an audio signal with a lower amplitude, utilizing auditory masking principles to make the data undetectable to users, allowing devices to communicate without explicit connection configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If data is transmitted using traditional wired or wireless communication connections, then reliable data transfer is achieved, but user intervention is required to establish connections and configure communication hardware
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables devices to automatically exchange data through audio signals without requiring user configuration or connection establishment. The embedding device automatically encodes data into audio events, and the receiving device automatically detects and decodes the data from the played audio content.
2Loss of information
If data is embedded in media content using auditory masking, then data transfer becomes imperceptible to users, but the data amplitude must be lower than the masking audio event amplitude
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the amplitude parameter of the embedded data signal to be lower than the masking audio event, leveraging auditory masking principles. This parameter adjustment ensures the data remains imperceptible to human ears while still being detectable by the receiving device through signal processing.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If data is superimposed over high amplitude audio events like drum beats, then the embedded data becomes undetectable to human ears, but the receiving device must accurately detect the low amplitude embedded signal
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the high amplitude audio event as an intermediary masking agent. This intermediary sound wave conceals the embedded data from human perception while the receiving device uses signal processing techniques to extract the embedded information from the composite audio signal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient and user-transparent data transfer between devices by embedding information in media content, reducing the need for device configuration and processing power, while maintaining the quality of the media presentation.
Implementation Method 1
information is superimposed over portions of the media content item that correspond to the identified audio events. In this way, information embedded as an audio signal with an amplitude that is lower than the amplitude of the audio event is undetectable to the user due to the principles of auditory masking
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device determines a first audio event (406) of a first media content item and modifies the first media content item by superimposing a first set of data (408) over the first audio event. The first audio event has a first audio profile configured to be presented over a first channel (402; 404) for playback. The first set of data has a second audio profile configured to be presented over the first channel for playback. Playback of the second audio profile is configured to be masked by the first audio profile during playback of the first media content item. The electronic device transmits, to a second electronic device, the modified first media content item.