Apparatus and Method for Decomposing an Audio Signal Using a Ratio as a Separation Characteristic

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention provides an apparatus and method to separate an audio signal into two parts: a background signal (such as ambient noise) and a foreground signal (such as distinct events or main audio elements). The separation is performed by analyzing short blocks of the audio signal to determine their characteristics (for example, energy or amplitude) and comparing each block's characteristic to the average characteristic of surrounding blocks. By using the ratio between a block's characteristic and the average, the system decides how much of each block belongs to background or foreground, even adapting thresholds based on signal variability.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Improve clarity in speech or music recordings by separating vocals or main instruments from background noise.
• Automatic enhancement of audience applause or event recordings by isolating distinct claps or cheers from crowd noise.
• Audio editing tools allowing users to independently process, amplify, or suppress either background or foreground signals.
• Live broadcasting to reduce unwanted ambient noise and focus on the main speaker or event.
• Measurement and restoration of signal characteristics, e.g., at the transmitter and receiver sides for reliable audio quality.
• Efficient audio coding and storage by separately encoding background and foreground components.
• Creation of immersive multi-channel audio experiences by distributing background and foreground sounds differently across speakers.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables fine-grained separation between foreground (distinct events) and background (ambient noise) without harsh thresholding, reducing artifacts and dropouts.
• Adapts to human perception by using signal characteristics and their variability for more natural-sounding results.
• Allows individual processing or manipulation of foreground and background, greatly enhancing post-processing flexibility.
• Supports both mono and multi-channel audio, making it suitable for a wide range of applications from simple recordings to spatial audio.
• Can improve efficiency in audio encoding/transmission by enabling component-wise processing.
• Facilitates advanced real-time noise suppression for live events or broadcasts, enhancing listener experience.
• Generalizable across different types of audio content (e.g., music, voice, environmental sounds).

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

An apparatus for decomposing an audio signal (100) into a background component signal (140) and a foreground component signal (150), comprises: a block generator (110) for generating a time sequence of blocks of audio signal values; an audio signal analyzer (120) for determining a block characteristic of a current block of the audio signal and for determining an average characteristic for a group of blocks, the group of blocks comprising at least two blocks; and a separator (130) for separating the current block into a background portion and a foreground portion in response to a ratio of the block characteristic of the current block and the average characteristic of the group of blocks, wherein the background component signal (140) comprises the background portion of the current block and the foreground component signal (150) comprises the foreground portion of the current block.