Dynamic Range Control Gain Coding with Cross-Frame Node Shifting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for coding dynamic range control in audio signals result in bitrate peaks, leading to reduced audio quality due to variable node representation, which is undesirable in joint bitstream transmission.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves shifting nodes from one dynamic range control frame to the subsequent frame, allowing for efficient encoding and decoding by distributing node transmission across frames, thereby controlling peak bitrates without increasing errors in the reconstructed dynamic range control sequence.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If variable node representation is used in dynamic range control coding, then encoding flexibility is improved, but bitrate peaks occur leading to reduced audio quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveencoding flexibilityVSAvoidaudio quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The dynamic range control frame is divided into multiple nodes, where certain nodes are identified as shifted nodes and separated from regular nodes. This segmentation allows shifted nodes to be handled differently in the bitstream, enabling flexible encoding while controlling bitrate peaks by distributing node representations across frames.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If all nodes are encoded in the same frame, then decoding simplicity is improved, but peak bitrates increase reducing transmission efficiency

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedecoding simplicityVSAvoidtransmission efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Shifted nodes from the current frame are preliminarily identified and marked before bitstream generation. This preliminary action allows the encoder to prepare for bitrate distribution in advance, and the decoder can efficiently reconstruct the dynamic range control sequence by combining shifted nodes from the previous frame with regular nodes from the current frame.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If node transmission is concentrated in one frame, then encoding speed is improved, but bitstream quality becomes inconsistent

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveencoding speedVSAvoidbitstream quality consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The encoding approach dynamically adapts by identifying shifted nodes based on temporal correlations between frames. This dynamic segmentation allows the encoder to maintain high speed while distributing node transmissions to achieve consistent bitstream quality, as the decoder efficiently combines nodes from adjacent frames using temporal prediction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUSRE49107E1Audio encoder device and an audio decoder device having efficient gain coding in dynamic range control

Publication Date: 2022.06.14 FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV

AI summary

An audio encoder device includes an audio encoder configured for producing an encoded audio bitstream from an audio signal having consecutive audio frames; a dynamic range control encoder configured for producing an encoded dynamic range control bitstream from ana dynamic range control sequence corresponding to the audio signal and having consecutive dynamic range control frames, wherein each dynamic range control frame of the dynamic range control frames has one or more nodes, wherein each node of the one or more nodes has gain information for the audio signal and time information indicating to which point in time the gain information corresponds.