Audio Decoding With Tile-Based Tonal Component Coding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional audio coding technologies struggle to efficiently encode and reconstruct tonal components in high frequency bands of audio signals, leading to suboptimal quality in three-dimensional audio services due to the dissimilarity of tonal components between low and high frequency bands.

Innovation Solution

An audio decoding method that utilizes a configuration parameter for tonal component coding, allowing for flexible tile and subband division, and includes obtaining a second high frequency band signal based on tonal component parameters to enhance the reconstruction of tonal components, thereby improving audio quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If spectral band replication or bandwidth extension is used to generate high frequency band signal from low frequency band signal, then coding bit rate is reduced, but tonal components in high frequency band cannot be efficiently coded and reconstructed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoding bit rateVSAvoidreconstruction accuracy of tonal components
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The high frequency band is divided into multiple tiles, and each tile is further divided into subbands. This segmentation allows different processing strategies for different frequency regions, enabling efficient coding of tonal components while maintaining overall coding efficiency. The encoder can selectively apply tonal component coding to specific tiles based on their characteristics.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different coding methods are applied to different tiles and subbands based on their specific characteristics. Tonal components are identified and coded using specialized techniques in relevant frequency regions, while other regions use standard spectral band replication. This local differentiation optimizes both coding efficiency and reconstruction accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Device complexity

If conventional spectral band replication is used for coding, then coding complexity is reduced, but audio quality deteriorates due to inability to handle dissimilar tonal components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecoding complexityVSAvoidaudio quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The coding system dynamically adapts its behavior based on the characteristics of each tile and subband. The encoder identifies tonal components and adjusts coding parameters accordingly, while the decoder dynamically reconstructs signals based on the coded information. This dynamic adaptation enables high audio quality without excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes coding parameters based on the presence and characteristics of tonal components. When tonal components are detected in specific tiles, the encoder modifies coding parameters to preserve these components, while maintaining standard parameters for other regions. This parameter adaptation improves audio quality with minimal increase in complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4174851B1Audio decoding method, related apparatus and computer-readable storage medium
Publication Date: 2025.09.10 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4174851B1 patent drawingFigure 1-A
  • EP4174851B1 patent drawingFigure 1-B
  • EP4174851B1 patent drawingFigure 1-C~1-D

AI summary

Disclosed are an audio decoding method and a related apparatus. The audio decoding method includes: obtaining an encoded bitstream (401); performing bitstream demultiplexing on the encoded bitstream to obtain a first coding parameter of a current frame of an audio signal; performing bitstream demultiplexing on the encoded bitstream based on a configuration parameter for tonal component coding to obtain a second coding parameter of the current frame, where the second coding parameter of the current frame includes a tonal component parameter of the current frame (402); obtaining a first high frequency band signal and a first low frequency band signal of the current frame based on the first coding parameter (403); obtaining a second high frequency band signal of the current frame based on the second coding parameter and the configuration parameter for tonal component coding (404); and obtaining a decoded signal of the current frame based on the first high frequency band signal, the second high frequency band signal, and the first low frequency band signal (405). The audio decoding method and the related apparatus improve quality of decoding the audio signal.