Audio Signal Decoding with SBR Smoothing for High-Range Accuracy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing audio decoding methods using SBR (Spectral Band Replication) result in auditory degradation due to energy depressions in the low-range signal, leading to inaccuracies in generating high-range components, which affects the quality of the audio output.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that includes a smoothing process to flatten energy depressions in the low-range signal, followed by frequency shifting and gain adjustment to generate high-range signals, ensuring the energy levels match the original high-range signal, thereby preventing auditory degradation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If SBR (Spectral Band Replication) is used to generate high-range components from low-range signals, then audio quality is improved by expanding the frequency band, but energy depressions in the low-range signal cause auditory degradation in the generated high-range signal

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaudio qualityVSAvoidaccuracy of high-range component generation
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing smoothing processing on the low-range signal before using it to generate high-range components. The smoothing section pre-processes the low-range signal to eliminate energy depressions, ensuring that when the signal is later used for high-range generation through frequency shifting, the resulting high-range signal does not contain auditory degradation artifacts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary element - the smoothing section - that acts as a mediator between the low-range signal and the high-range signal generation process. This intermediary processes the low-range signal to remove energy depressions before the signal is used to generate high-range components, thereby preventing the transmission of degradation artifacts to the final output.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Manufacturing precision

If gain adjustment is performed to match energy levels between frequency-shifted signals and target high-range signals, then energy matching is achieved, but energy depressions are transferred to the high-range signal causing auditory degradation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy level matching accuracyVSAvoidauditory degradation
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs gain adjustment as a preliminary action before frequency shifting. By calculating the appropriate gain based on the ratio between average energy and target energy, and applying this gain to the low-range signal before frequency shifting, the patent ensures that energy matching is achieved without transferring energy depression patterns to the high-range signal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by selectively adjusting the gain of specific frequency components in the low-range signal. Rather than uniformly processing all frequencies, the gain adjustment is applied specifically to components that will be frequency-shifted to the high-range, with the gain value carefully calculated to achieve energy matching while avoiding the transfer of energy depression artifacts.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP4478361B1Signal processing apparatus and method, and program
Publication Date: 2025.09.17 SONY GROUP CORP
  • EP4478361B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4478361B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4478361B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

A method, system, and computer program product for processing an encoded audio signal is described. In one exemplary embodiment, the system receives an encoded low-frequency range signal and encoded energy information used to frequency shift the encoded low-frequency range signal. The low-frequency range signal is decoded and an energy depression of the decoded signal is smoothed. The smoothed low-frequency range signal is frequency shifted to generate a high-frequency range signal. The low-frequency range signal and high-frequency range signal are then combined and outputted.