Apparatus and Method for Converting a Spectral Resolution

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This patent describes an apparatus and method for transforming the spectral resolution of audio signals, particularly those with multiple subframes or blocks having different time and frequency resolutions. The process enables combining spectral values from various subframes using distinct techniques (such as addition and subtraction or filtering) to achieve a new spectral representation with a different balance of time and frequency detail, ultimately supporting efficient downmixing and audio processing (like stereo to mono conversion) without high computational cost or added delay.

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• Stereo-to-mono downmixing for mobile devices with only a single speaker.
• Downmixing and processing of multichannel audio in communication codecs, streaming, and teleconferencing.
• Enhancing audio playback quality in devices where original channel configurations cannot be reproduced.
• Efficient real-time audio processing in battery-constrained or latency-sensitive environments.
• Improved audio compression and transcoding for music streaming or broadcasting services.

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• Reduces computational complexity and processing delay when converting between spectral resolutions, which is essential for real-time applications.
• Maintains high audio quality during downmixing by preventing artifacts like phase cancellation or energy loss.
• Allows flexible adaptation to varying time and frequency resolutions in different audio channels (e.g., in modern codecs with block switching).
• Enables individual processing of channels before final mixing, supporting advanced audio features and personalization.
• Supports energy-efficient and scalable implementations in both software and hardware platforms.

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Patent Abstract

An apparatus for converting a spectral resolution of a spectral domain representation of a channel comprising at least two subframes, wherein each subframe comprises a plurality of spectral values representing a time bin size and a frequency bin size, comprises: a spectral value calculator (160) for combining (170) spectral values belonging to the same frequency bin from each sub- frame of the spectral domain representation in a first manner to obtain a first group of combined spectral values, and for combining (180) spectral values belonging to the same frequency bin from each subframe of the spectral domain representation in a second manner to obtain a second group of combined spectral values, the second manner being different from the first manner, wherein the first group of combined spectral values and the second group of combined spectral values represent a combined spectral domain representation having a different time bin size and a different frequency bin size.