Audio Stream Mixing via Frequency Sub-band Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current audio stream mixing technologies face challenges in reducing complexity while preserving high-frequency content for optimal listening comfort, especially in multi-party communications where various compression formats and networks are involved, leading to increased processing complexity and potential audio quality degradation.
Innovation Solution
A method for mixing audio streams involves decoding and summing streams over specific frequency sub-bands, detecting the presence of predetermined frequency bands, and selectively summing only streams with detected content, reducing the number of streams to be mixed and processed, thereby simplifying the mixing process and preserving high-frequency content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If all coded audio streams are decoded and mixed over all frequency sub-bands, then audio quality is preserved, but processing complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The audio frequency spectrum is segmented into multiple sub-bands (first frequency sub-band, second frequency sub-band, etc.), and processing is performed selectively on each sub-band based on the presence of relevant content. This allows the system to divide the overall mixing task into smaller, manageable segments that can be processed independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of processing all streams over all frequency sub-bands uniformly, the patent applies partial action by detecting the presence of predetermined frequency bands in each stream and selectively processing only those streams that contain relevant frequency content. This reduces unnecessary processing while maintaining audio quality where needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the number of participants in a conference is increased, then communication capability is improved, but processing complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by detecting the presence of predetermined frequency bands in each stream and selectively processing only those streams that contain relevant frequency content. This reduces unnecessary processing while maintaining audio quality where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Different processing approaches are applied to different frequency sub-bands based on the local characteristics of the audio content. The system detects which sub-bands contain relevant content and applies appropriate mixing operations only to those specific frequency regions, rather than uniformly processing the entire spectrum.
3Loss of information
If audio streams are decoded and mixed over all frequency sub-bands, then complete audio content is preserved, but listening comfort deteriorates due to processing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by detecting the presence of predetermined frequency bands in each stream and selectively processing only those streams that contain relevant frequency content. This reduces unnecessary processing while maintaining audio quality where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the processing parameters dynamically based on the detected frequency content. By adjusting which streams are processed in which frequency sub-bands according to the detected presence of relevant content, the system optimizes both audio quality preservation and processing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for mixing a plurality of audio streams coded according to a frequency sub-band coding, comprising the steps for decoding (E201) a part of the coded streams over at least a first frequency sub-band, for summing (E202) the streams thus decoded so as to form at least a first mixed stream. The method is such that it comprises the steps for detection (E203), over at least a second frequency sub-band different from the at least first sub-band, of the presence of a predetermined frequency band in the plurality of coded audio streams and for summing (E205) the decoded audio streams (E204) for which the presence of the predetermined frequency band has been detected, over said at least a second sub-band, so as to form at least a second mixed stream.The invention also relates to a mixing device implementing the method described and may be integrated into a conference bridge, a communications terminal or a communications gateway.