Patents by Inventor Christian Helmrich

Christian Helmrich has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10839812
    Abstract: A multi-channel audio decoder for providing at least two output audio signals on the basis of an encoded representation is configured to perform a weighted combination of a downmix signal, a decorrelated signal and a residual signal, to obtain one of the output audio signals. The multi-channel audio decoder is configured to determine a weight describing a contribution of the decorrelated signal in the weighted combination in dependence on the residual signal. A multi-channel audio encoder for providing an encoded representation of a multi-channel audio signal is configured to obtain a downmix signal on the basis of the multi-channel audio signal, to provide parameters describing dependencies between the channels of the multi-channel audio signal, and to provide a residual signal. The multi-channel audio encoder is configured to vary an amount of residual signal included into the encoded representation in dependence on the multi-channel audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Sascha Dick, Christian Helmrich, Johannes Hilpert, Andreas Hoelzer
  • Publication number: 20200357418
    Abstract: An apparatus for decoding an encoded multichannel signal of a current frame to obtain three or more current audio output channels is provided. A multichannel processor is adapted to select two decoded channels from three or more decoded channels depending on first multichannel parameters. Moreover, the multichannel processor is adapted to generate a first group of two or more processed channels based on the selected channels. A noise filling module is adapted to identify for at least one of the selected channels, one or more frequency bands, within which all spectral lines are quantized to zero, and to generate a mixing channel using, depending on side information, a proper subset of three or more previous audio output channels that have been decoded, and to fill the spectral lines of frequency bands, within which all spectral lines are quantized to zero, with noise generated using spectral lines of the mixing channel.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Publication date: November 12, 2020
    Inventors: Sascha DICK, Christian HELMRICH, Nikolaus RETTELBACH, Florian SCHUH, Richard FUEG, Frederik NAGEL
  • Patent number: 10832694
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating an encoded signal includes: a window sequence controller for generating a window sequence information for windowing an audio or image signal, the window sequence information indicating a first window for generating a first frame of spectral values, a second window function and at least one third window function for generating a second frame of spectral values, wherein the first window function, the second window function and the one or more third window functions overlap within a multi-overlap region; a preprocessor for windowing a second block of samples corresponding to the second window function and the at least one third window functions using an auxiliary window function to acquire a second block of windowed samples, a spectrum converter for applying an aliasing-introducing transform; and a processor for processing the first frame and the second frame to acquire encoded frames of the audio or image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Christian Helmrich, Jérémie Lecomte, Goran Markovic, Markus Schnell, Bernd Edler, Stefan Reuschl
  • Publication number: 20200327896
    Abstract: The invention provides an audio encoder including a combination of a linear predictive coding filter having a plurality of linear predictive coding coefficients and a time-frequency converter, wherein the combination is configured to filter and to convert a frame of the audio signal into a frequency domain in order to output a spectrum based on the frame and on the linear predictive coding coefficients; a low frequency emphasizer configured to calculate a processed spectrum based on the spectrum, wherein spectral lines of the processed spectrum representing a lower frequency than a reference spectral line are emphasized; and a control device configured to control the calculation of the processed spectrum by the low frequency emphasizer depending on the linear predictive coding coefficients of the linear predictive coding filter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2020
    Publication date: October 15, 2020
    Inventors: Stefan DOEHLA, Bernhard GRILL, Christian HELMRICH, Nikolaus RETTELBACH
  • Publication number: 20200312338
    Abstract: An apparatus for decoding an audio signal includes a receiving interface, wherein the receiving interface is configured to receive a first frame and a second frame. Moreover, the apparatus includes a noise level tracing unit for determining noise level information being represented in a tracing domain.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2020
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Michael SCHNABEL, Goran MARKOVIC, Ralph SPERSCHNEIDER, Jérémie LECOMTE, Christian HELMRICH
  • Publication number: 20200294517
    Abstract: An apparatus for encoding an audio or image signal, includes: a controllable windower for windowing the audio or image signal to provide the sequence of blocks of windowed samples; a converter for converting the sequence of blocks of windowed samples into a spectral representation including a sequence of frames of spectral values; a transient location detector for identifying a location of a transient within a transient look-ahead region of a frame; and a controller for controlling the controllable windower to apply a specific window having a specified overlap length to the audio or image signal in response to an identified location of the transient, wherein the controller is configured to select the specific window from a group of at least three windows, wherein the specific window is selected based on the transient location.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 28, 2020
    Publication date: September 17, 2020
    Inventors: Christian HELMRICH, Jérémie LECOMTE, Goran MARKOVIC, Markus SCHNELL, Bernd EDLER, Stefan REUSCHL
  • Publication number: 20200286498
    Abstract: The coding efficiency of an audio codec using a controllable—switchable or even adjustable—harmonic filter tool is improved by performing the harmonicity-dependent controlling of this tool using a temporal structure measure in addition to a measure of harmonicity in order to control the harmonic filter tool. In particular, the temporal structure of the audio signal is evaluated in a manner which depends on the pitch. This enables to achieve a situation-adapted control of the harmonic filter tool so that in situations where a control made solely based on the measure of harmonicity would decide against or reduce the usage of this tool, although using the harmonic filter tool would, in that situation, increase the coding efficiency, the harmonic filter tool is applied, while in other situations where the harmonic filter tool may be inefficient or even destructive, the control reduces the appliance of the harmonic filter tool appropriately.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2020
    Publication date: September 10, 2020
    Inventors: Goran Markovic, Christian Helmrich, Emmanuel Ravelli, Manuel Jander, Stefan Doehla
  • Patent number: 10770080
    Abstract: An audio decoder for providing at least four bandwidth-extended channel signals on the basis of an encoded representation provides first and second downmix signals on the basis of a jointly encoded representation of the first and second downmix signals using a multi-channel decoding and provides at least first and second audio channel signals on the basis of the first downmix signal using a multi-channel decoding, and provides at least third and fourth audio channel signals on the basis of the second downmix signal using a multi-channel decoding. It performs a multi-channel bandwidth extension on the basis of the first and third audio channel signals, to obtain first and third bandwidth-extended channel signals, and performs a multi-channel bandwidth extension on the basis of the second and fourth audio channel signals, to obtain second and fourth bandwidth extended channel signals. An audio encoder uses a related concept.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung, e.V.
    Inventors: Sascha Dick, Christian Ertel, Christian Helmrich, Johannes Hilpert, Andreas Hoelzer, Achim Kuntz
  • Patent number: 10770084
    Abstract: A decoder for decoding a plurality of spectral-domain audio samples is provided. The decoder includes a first decoding module for generating a first group and a second group of time-domain intermediate audio samples from the spectral-domain audio samples. Moreover, the decoder includes an overlap-adder for overlap-adding the first group of time-domain intermediate audio samples with an overlap of more than 5% and at most 50% with the second group of time-domain intermediate audio samples. Furthermore, the decoder includes a second decoding module for generating a third group and a fourth group of time-domain intermediate audio samples from the spectral-domain audio samples. Moreover, the decoder includes an output interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Christian Helmrich, Bernd Edler, Tobias Schwegler, Florian Schuh
  • Patent number: 10755720
    Abstract: A multi-channel audio decoder for providing at least two output audio signals on the basis of an encoded representation is configured to perform a weighted combination of a downmix signal, a decorrelated signal and a residual signal, to obtain one of the output audio signals. The multi-channel audio decoder is configured to determine a weight describing a contribution of the decorrelated signal in the weighted combination in dependence on the residual signal. A multi-channel audio encoder for providing an encoded representation of a multi-channel audio signal is configured to obtain a downmix signal on the basis of the multi-channel audio signal, to provide parameters describing dependencies between the channels of the multi-channel audio signal, and to provide a residual signal. The multi-channel audio encoder is configured to vary an amount of residual signal included into the encoded representation in dependence on the multi-channel audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angwandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Sascha Dick, Christian Helmrich, Johannes Hilpert, Andreas Hoelzer
  • Publication number: 20200260083
    Abstract: Coding quantization parameter variation or adaptation is made more effective by basing the determination of a coding quantization parameter for a predetermined block of the picture on a dispersion of a statistical sample value distribution of a high-pass filtered version of the predetermined block. The usage of the high-pass filtered version of the predetermined block as a basis for the determination of the dispersion instead of using, for instance, the un-filtered or original version of the predetermined block assists in a better adaptation of the resulting coding quantization parameter variation across the picture to the human visual system. Alternatively or additionally, coding quantization parameter variation or adaptation across a picture is made more efficient by a control of coding quantization parameter variation/adaptation across a picture in a manner dependent on a prediction of the actual dispersion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 20, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Christian HELMRICH, Thomas WIEGAND, Adam WIECKOWSKI, Heiko SCHWARZ, Detlev MARPE, Sebastian BOSSE, Benjamin BROSS
  • Publication number: 20200258529
    Abstract: An apparatus for decoding an encoded audio signal to obtain a reconstructed audio signal includes a receiving interface for receiving one or more frames comprising information on a plurality of audio signal samples of an audio signal spectrum of the encoded audio signal, and a processor for generating the reconstructed audio signal. The processor is configured to generate the reconstructed audio signal by fading a modified spectrum to a target spectrum, if a current frame is not received by the receiving interface or if the current frame is received by the receiving interface but is corrupted, wherein the modified spectrum includes a plurality of modified signal samples, wherein, for each of the modified signal samples of the modified spectrum, an absolute value of the modified signal sample is equal to an absolute value of one of the audio signal samples of the audio signal spectrum.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Michael SCHNABEL, Goran MARKOVIC, Ralph SPERSCHNEIDER, Jérémie LECOMTE, Christian HELMRICH
  • Publication number: 20200258530
    Abstract: An apparatus for decoding an encoded audio signal to obtain a reconstructed audio signal is provided, having: a receiving interface for receiving one or more frames, a coefficient generator, and a signal reconstructor. The coefficient generator is configured to determine one or more first audio signal coefficients, and one or more noise coefficients. Moreover, the coefficient generator is configured to generate one or more second audio signal coefficients, depending on the one or more first audio signal coefficients and depending on the one or more noise coefficients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2020
    Publication date: August 13, 2020
    Inventors: Michael SCHNABEL, Goran MARKOVIC, Ralph SPERSCHNEIDER, Jérémie LECOMTE, Christian HELMRICH
  • Patent number: 10741188
    Abstract: An audio decoder for providing at least four audio channel signals on the basis of an encoded representation is configured to provide a first residual signal and a second residual signal on the basis of a jointly encoded representation of the first residual signal and of the second residual signal using a multi-channel decoding. The audio decoder is configured to provide a first audio channel signal and a second audio channel signal on the basis of a first downmix signal and the first residual signal using a residual-signal-assisted multi-channel decoding. The audio decoder is configured to provide a third audio channel signal and a fourth audio channel signal on the basis of a second downmix signal and the second residual signal using a residual-signal-assisted multi-channel decoding. An audio encoder is based on corresponding considerations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Sascha Dick, Christian Ertel, Christian Helmrich, Johannes Hilpert, Andreas Hoelzer, Achim Kuntz
  • Patent number: 10733999
    Abstract: An apparatus for decoding an encoded multichannel signal of a current frame to obtain three or more current audio output channels is provided. A multichannel processor is adapted to select two decoded channels from three or more decoded channels depending on first multichannel parameters. Moreover, the multichannel processor is adapted to generate a first group of two or more processed channels based on the selected channels. A noise filling module is adapted to identify for at least one of the selected channels, one or more frequency bands, within which all spectral lines are quantized to zero, and to generate a mixing channel using, depending on side information, a proper subset of three or more previous audio output channels that have been decoded, and to fill the spectral lines of frequency bands, within which all spectral lines are quantized to zero, with noise generated using spectral lines of the mixing channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Sascha Dick, Christian Helmrich, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Florian Schuh, Richard Fueg, Frederik Nagel
  • Publication number: 20200227058
    Abstract: An encoder for encoding an audio signal is configured to encode the audio signal in a transform domain or filter-bank domain, is configured to determine spectral coefficients of the audio signal for a current frame and at least one previous frame, and is configured to selectively apply predictive encoding to a plurality of individual spectral coefficients or groups of spectral coefficients which are separated by at least one spectral coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2020
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: Bernd EDLER, Christian HELMRICH, Max NEUENDORF, Benjamin SCHUBERT
  • Publication number: 20200227059
    Abstract: An apparatus for selecting one of a first encoding algorithm having a first characteristic and a second encoding algorithm having a second characteristic for encoding a portion of an audio signal to obtain an encoded version of the portion of the audio signal has a first estimator for estimating a first quality measure for the portion of the audio signal, which is associated with the first encoding algorithm, without actually encoding and decoding the portion of the audio signal using the first encoding algorithm. A second estimator is provided for estimating a second quality measure for the portion of the audio signal, which is associated with the second encoding algorithm, without actually encoding and decoding the portion of the audio signal using the second encoding algorithm. The apparatus has a controller for selecting the first or second encoding algorithms based on a comparison between the first and second quality measures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 31, 2020
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: Emmanuel RAVELLI, Stefan DOEHLA, Guillaume FUCHS, Eleni FOTOPOULOU, Christian HELMRICH
  • Patent number: 10706864
    Abstract: A schematic block diagram of a decoder for decoding an encoded audio signal is shown. The decoder includes an adaptive spectrum-time converter and an overlap-add-processor. The adaptive spectrum-time converter converts successive blocks of spectral values into successive blocks of time values, e.g. via a frequency-to-time transform. Furthermore, the adaptive spectrum-time converter receives a control information and switches, in response to the control information, between transform kernels of a first group of transform kernels including one or more transform kernels having different symmetries at sides of a kernel, and a second group of transform kernels including one or more transform kernels having the same symmetries at sides of a transform kernel. Moreover, the overlap-add-processor overlaps and adds the successive blocks of time values to obtain decoded audio values, which may be a decoded audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Christian Helmrich, Bernd Edler
  • Patent number: 10692513
    Abstract: The invention provides an audio encoder including a combination of a linear predictive coding filter having a plurality of linear predictive coding coefficients and a time-frequency converter, wherein the combination is configured to filter and to convert a frame of the audio signal into a frequency domain in order to output a spectrum based on the frame and on the linear predictive coding coefficients; a low frequency emphasizer configured to calculate a processed spectrum based on the spectrum, wherein spectral lines of the processed spectrum representing a lower frequency than a reference spectral line are emphasized; and a control device configured to control the calculation of the processed spectrum by the low frequency emphasizer depending on the linear predictive coding coefficients of the linear predictive coding filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Stefan Doehla, Bernhard Grill, Christian Helmrich, Nikolaus Rettelbach
  • Patent number: 10685662
    Abstract: An apparatus for encoding an audio or image signal, includes: a controllable windower for windowing the audio or image signal to provide the sequence of blocks of windowed samples; a converter for converting the sequence of blocks of windowed samples into a spectral representation including a sequence of frames of spectral values; a transient location detector for identifying a location of a transient within a transient look-ahead region of a frame; and a controller for controlling the controllable windower to apply a specific window having a specified overlap length to the audio or image signal in response to an identified location of the transient, wherein the controller is configured to select the specific window from a group of at least three windows, wherein the specific window is selected based on the transient location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der andewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Christian Helmrich, Jérémie Lecomte, Goran Markovic, Markus Schnell, Bernd Edler, Stefan Reuschl