Parameter-Domain Audio Mixing for Real-Time Stream Combination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio coding techniques lack the ability to efficiently combine multiple parametrically coded audio streams without requiring decoding and re-encoding, leading to high computational complexity and delay, especially in real-time scenarios like teleconferencing.
Innovation Solution
An audio signal generator that combines parametrically coded audio signals by directly mixing down-mix channels and associated parameters within the parameter domain, using simple arithmetic operations such as summation and weight calculations, without reconstructing the individual audio signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple parametrically coded audio streams are combined by decoding and re-encoding, then audio quality is preserved, but computational complexity and processing delay increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential parametric information (spatial parameters, energy parameters, and downmix signals) from the original multi-channel audio, rather than processing the full audio signals. This extraction allows combination operations to be performed on compact representations, significantly reducing computational complexity while maintaining audio quality through selective parameter manipulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the domain of operation from time-domain audio signals to parameter-domain representations. By performing combination operations on spatial parameters, energy parameters, and downmix signals rather than on the full audio waveforms, the system achieves efficient real-time processing with reduced computational burden while preserving audio quality through parameter-based synthesis.
2Reliability
If multiple parametrically coded audio streams are combined by decoding and re-encoding, then audio quality is preserved, but processing delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary encoding of audio sources into parametric representations (spatial parameters, energy parameters, downmix signals) before the combination operation. This preliminary action allows the combination to be performed directly on the compact parameter sets without requiring full decoding, thereby reducing processing delay while maintaining audio quality through the preserved parametric information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical process of decoding and re-encoding audio waveforms with a more efficient parameter-based combination system. Instead of manipulating full audio signals through complex decoding and re-encoding operations, the system manipulates compact parametric representations, significantly reducing processing delay while preserving audio quality through parameter-based synthesis.
3Productivity
If multiple parametrically coded audio streams are combined using simple mixing, then computational effort is reduced, but audio quality and spatial accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal combination framework that handles multiple audio streams with different channel configurations (e.g., 5.1, 7.1, stereo) using a unified parametric approach. The system processes spatial parameters, energy parameters, and downmix signals in a consistent manner regardless of the specific input configuration, achieving both computational efficiency and high audio quality through this multi-functional parameter-based synthesis approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs parameter changes to adapt the input parametric representations to a unified output format. By manipulating spatial parameters for position, energy parameters for level, and downmix signals for content, the system transforms multiple different audio stream formats into a coherent combined output, maintaining audio quality while achieving computational efficiency through parameter-domain operations rather than full signal processing.
4Loss of time
If multiple audio streams are combined without parameter-based processing, then processing delay is reduced, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential parametric components (spatial parameters, energy parameters, downmix signals) from the audio streams, discarding redundant information. This extraction enables efficient combination operations on compact data structures, reducing both processing delay and energy consumption by avoiding the computation-intensive operations of full decoding and re-encoding while preserving the critical information needed for high-quality audio synthesis.
Data Source
AI summary
According to the present invention, multiple parametrically encoded audio signals can be efficiently combined using an audio signal generator, which generates an audio output signal by combining the down-mix channels and the associated parameters of the audio signals directly within the parameter domain, i.e. without reconstructing or decoding the individual input audio signals prior to the generation of the audio output signal. This is achieved by direct mixing of the associated down-mix channels of the individual input signals. It is one key feature of the present invention that the combination of the down-mix channels is achieved by simple, computationally inexpensive arithmetic operations.