Polyphase Audio Resampling Filters for Low-Complexity Alias Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing audio resampling technologies face challenges in efficiently reducing computational complexity and minimizing audible artifacts when resampling audio signals at rational sampling rates, leading to unwanted imaging and aliasing artifacts.

Innovation Solution

A system and method for implementing anti-imaging/anti-aliasing filters using a polyphase structure with look-up tables to determine current subsets of filter coefficients, reducing computational complexity by exploiting the polyphase structure and eliminating unnecessary operations, and optimizing the determination of phase indexes and filter coefficients for efficient resampling.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If traditional anti-imaging/anti-aliasing filters are used for rational resampling, then imaging and aliasing artifacts are suppressed, but computational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimaging and aliasing artifactsVSAvoidcomputational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The filter is divided into multiple polyphase components (e.g., L phases for upsampling factor L), where each phase processes a subset of input samples. This segmentation allows the filter to operate at a lower effective rate, reducing computational complexity while maintaining artifact suppression performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Filter coefficients are pre-calculated and stored in look-up tables organized by phase index. The system pre-determines which coefficient subsets to use for each phase, eliminating the need for real-time coefficient calculation and reducing computational overhead during resampling operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If filter coefficients are calculated in real-time, then accuracy is maintained, but computational overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefilter coefficient accuracyVSAvoidcomputational overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

All filter coefficients are pre-calculated offline and stored in look-up tables. During runtime, the system only performs table lookups based on the current phase index, maintaining coefficient accuracy while reducing computational overhead from real-time calculations to simple memory access operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses look-up tables that store pre-computed coefficient subsets for each phase. Instead of recalculating coefficients, the system copies appropriate coefficient subsets from the look-up tables based on the current phase index, ensuring accuracy while minimizing computational effort.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Productivity

If polyphase structure is implemented without optimization, then resampling efficiency is improved, but memory access complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresampling efficiencyVSAvoidmemory access complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-determines and stores the sequence of phase indexes in a look-up table. This allows the polyphase filter to efficiently cycle through phases using simple table lookups rather than complex real-time phase sequence calculations, improving resampling efficiency while keeping memory access patterns simple and predictable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3044877B1System aspects of an audio codec
Publication Date: 2021.03.31 DOLBY LABORATORIES LICENSING CORP
  • EP3044877B1 patent drawingFigure 1a
  • EP3044877B1 patent drawingFigure 1b~3
  • EP3044877B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The present document relates to the design of anti-aliasing and/or anti-imaging filters for resamplers using rational resampling factors. In particular, the present document relates to a method for implementing such anti-aliasing and/or anti-imaging filters with reduced computational complexity. In addition, the present document relates to further aspects of an audio encoding and decoding system, such as the phase relation between the channels of a multi-channel audio signal and/or the structure of the bitstream of an encoded audio signal.