Audio Decoding with Selective Temporal Envelope Shaping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing audio decoding technologies suffer from significant distortion in the time domain for frequency bands encoded with a small number of bits, leading to quality degradation.

Innovation Solution

The audio decoding device and method shape the temporal envelope of frequency bands encoded with a small number of bits into a desired temporal envelope using selective temporal envelope shaping, which includes filtering with a linear prediction inverse filter and adjusting the temporal envelope based on decoding-related information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If a small number of bits are allocated for encoding a frequency band, then the bit rate is reduced, but the distortion in the time domain increases and quality degrades

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebit rateVSAvoidtime domain distortion
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by shaping the temporal envelope of the decoded signal in the frequency band before final output. The temporal envelope shaping unit pre-processes the decoded signal by adjusting its temporal envelope based on information from the encoder, ensuring that even with limited bits, the time domain representation maintains lower distortion and better quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes parameters by modifying the temporal envelope characteristics of the decoded signal. The temporal envelope shaping unit adjusts parameters such as the envelope shape and timing based on encoder information, transforming the decoded signal to reduce time domain distortion while maintaining low bit rate encoding.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Manufacturing precision

If transform coding with adaptive bit allocation is used, then high quality is achieved at low bit rate, but distortion remains significant in the time domain for frequency bands with very small allocated bits

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveencoding qualityVSAvoidtime domain distortion
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary element - the temporal envelope shaping unit - that acts as a mediator between the frequency domain decoding process and the final time domain output. This unit receives decoded signals from the transform coding process and applies temporal envelope shaping based on encoder information, bridging the gap between frequency domain efficiency and time domain quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The temporal envelope shaping is applied as a preliminary action to the decoded signal in frequency bands with very small allocated bits. By pre-shaping the temporal envelope before final reconstruction, the system compensates for information loss that would otherwise occur in the time domain.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4293667B1Audio decoding device and audio decoding method
Publication Date: 2026.04.22 NTT DOCOMO INC
  • EP4293667B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4293667B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4293667B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The purpose of the present invention is to reduce distortion a frequency band component encoded with a small number of bits in a time domain and improve quality. An audio decoding device (10) decodes an encoded audio signal and outputs the audio signal. A decoding unit (10a) decodes an encoded sequence containing an encoded audio signal and obtains a decoded signal. A selective temporal envelope shaping unit (10b) shapes a temporal envelope of a decoded signal in the frequency band on the basis of decoding related information concerning decoding of the encoded sequence.