Patents by Inventor Nikolaus Rettelbach

Nikolaus Rettelbach 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: 8751246
    Abstract: An audio encoder adapted for encoding frames of a sampled audio signal to obtain encoded frames, wherein a frame has a number of time domain audio samples, having a predictive coding analysis stage for determining information on coefficients of a synthesis filter and information on a prediction domain frame based on a frame of audio samples. The audio encoder further has a frequency domain transformer for transforming a frame of audio samples to the frequency domain to obtain a frame spectrum and an encoding domain decider for deciding whether encoded data for a frame is based on the information on the coefficients and on the information on the prediction domain frame, or based on the frame spectrum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V., Voiceage Corporation
    Inventors: Jeremie Lecomte, Philippe Gournay, Stefan Bayer, Markus Multrus, Nikolaus Rettelbach
  • Patent number: 8744863
    Abstract: A multi-mode audio signal decoder has a spectral value determinator to obtain sets of decoded spectral coefficients for a plurality of portions of an audio content and a spectrum processor configured to apply a spectral shaping to a set of spectral coefficients in dependence on a set of linear-prediction-domain parameters for a portion of the audio content encoded in a linear-prediction mode, and in dependence on a set of scale factor parameters for a portion of the audio content encoded in a frequency-domain mode. The audio signal decoder has a frequency-domain-to-time-domain converter configured to obtain a time-domain audio representation on the basis of a spectrally-shaped set of decoded spectral coefficients for a portion of the audio content encoded in the linear-prediction mode and for a portion of the audio content encoded in the frequency domain mode. An audio signal encoder is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Max Neuendorf, Guillaume Fuchs, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Tom Baeckstroem, Jeremie Lecomte, Juergen Herre
  • Patent number: 8731948
    Abstract: An audio signal synthesizer generates a synthesis audio signal having a first frequency band and a second synthesized frequency band derived from the first frequency band and comprises a patch generator, a spectral converter, a raw signal processor and a combiner. The patch generator performs at least two different patching algorithms, each patching algorithm generating a raw signal. The patch generator is adapted to select one of the at least two different patching algorithms in response to a control information. The spectral converter converts the raw signal into a raw signal spectral representation. The raw signal processor processes the raw signal spectral representation in response to spectral domain spectral band replication parameters to obtain an adjusted raw signal spectral representation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Frederik Nagel, Sascha Disch, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Max Neuendorf, Bernhard Grill, Ulrich Kraemer, Stefan Wabnik
  • Patent number: 8706510
    Abstract: An audio decoder for providing a decoded audio information includes a arithmetic decoder for providing a plurality of decoded spectral values on the basis of an arithmetically-encoded representation of the spectral values and a frequency-domain-to-time-domain converter for providing a time-domain audio representation using the decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder is configured to select a mapping rule describing a mapping of a code value onto a symbol code in dependence on a context state. The arithmetic decoder is configured to determine or modify the current context state in dependence on a plurality of previously-decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder is configured to detect a group of a plurality of previously-decoded spectral values, which fulfill, individually or taken together, a predetermined condition regarding their magnitudes, and to determine the current context state in dependence on a result of the detection. An audio encoder uses similar principles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Guillaume Fuchs, Vignesh Subbaraman, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Markus Multrus, Marc Gayer, Patrick Warmbold, Christian Griebel, Oliver Weiss
  • Patent number: 8706480
    Abstract: An audio encoder for encoding an audio signal includes an impulse extractor for extracting an impulse-like portion from the audio signal. This impulse-like portion is encoded and forwarded to an output interface. Furthermore, the audio encoder includes a signal encoder which encodes a residual signal derived from the original audio signal so that the impulse-like portion is reduced or eliminated in the residual audio signal. The output interface forwards both, the encoded signals, i.e., the encoded impulse signal and the encoded residual signal for transmission or storage. On the decoder-side, both signal portions are separately decoded and then combined to obtain a decoded audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Juergen Herre, Ralf Geiger, Stefan Bayer, Guillaume Fuchs, Ulrich Kraemer, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Bernhard Grill
  • Patent number: 8682681
    Abstract: An audio decoder has an arithmetic decoder for providing decoded spectral values on the basis of an arithmetically-encoded representation and a frequency-domain-to-time-domain converter for providing a time-domain audio representation. The arithmetic decoder selects a mapping rule describing a mapping of a code value onto a symbol code in dependence on a context state described by a numeric current context value which is determined in dependence on previously decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder obtains a plurality of context subregion values on the basis of previously decoded spectral values and derives a numeric current context value associated with one or more spectral values to be decoded in dependence on stored context subregion values. The arithmetic decoder computes the norm of a vector formed by a plurality of previously decoded spectral values in order to obtain a common context subregion value. An audio encoder uses a similar concept.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Guillaume Fuchs, Markus Multrus, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Vignesh Subbaraman, Oliver Weiss, Marc Gayer, Patrick Warmbold, Christian Griebel
  • Publication number: 20140081645
    Abstract: An audio decoder for providing a decoded audio information includes a arithmetic decoder for providing a plurality of decoded spectral values on the basis of an arithmetically-encoded representation of the spectral values and a frequency-domain-to-time-domain converter for providing a time-domain audio representation using the decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder is configured to select a mapping rule describing a mapping of a code value onto a symbol code in dependence on a context state. The arithmetic decoder is configured to determine or modify the current context state in dependence on a plurality of previously-decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder is configured to detect a group of a plurality of previously-decoded spectral values, which fulfill, individually or taken together, a predetermined condition regarding their magnitudes, and to determine the current context state in dependence on a result of the detection. An audio encoder uses similar principles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 18, 2013
    Publication date: March 20, 2014
    Inventors: Guillaume FUCHS, Vignesh SUBBARAMAN, Nikolaus RETTELBACH, Markus MULTRUS, Marc GAYER, Patrick WARMBOLD, Christian GRIEBEL, Oliver WEISS
  • Patent number: 8655670
    Abstract: An encoder, based on a combination of two audio channels, obtains a first combination signal as a mid-signal and a residual signal derivable using a predicted side signal derived from the mid signal. The first combination signal and the prediction residual signal are encoded and written into a data stream together with the prediction information. A decoder generates decoded first and second channel signals using the prediction residual signal, the first combination signal and the prediction information. A real-to-imaginary transform may be applied for estimating the imaginary part of the spectrum of the first combination signal. For calculating the prediction signal used in the derivation of the prediction residual signal, the real-valued first combination signal is multiplied by a real portion of the complex prediction information and the estimated imaginary part of the first combination signal is multiplied by an imaginary portion of the complex prediction information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V., Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Heiko Purnhagen, Pontus Carlsson, Lars Villemoes, Julien Robillard, Matthias Neusinger, Christian Helmrich, Johannes Hilpert, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Sascha Disch, Bernd Edler
  • Patent number: 8655669
    Abstract: An audio decoder has an arithmetic decoder for providing decoded spectral values on the basis of an arithmetically-encoded representation and a frequency-domain-to-time-domain converter for providing a time-domain audio representation. The arithmetic decoder selects a mapping rule describing a mapping of a code value onto a symbol code in dependence on a numeric current context value describing a current context state. The arithmetic decoder determines the numeric current context value in dependence on a plurality of previously decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder evaluates at least one table using an iterative interval size reduction to determine whether the numeric current context value is identical to a table context value described by an entry of the table or lies within an interval described by entries of the table, and derives a mapping rule index value describing a selected mapping table. An audio encoder also uses an iterative interval table size reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Guillaume Fuchs, Vignesh Subbaraman, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Markus Multrus, Marc Gayer, Patrick Warmbold, Christian Griebel, Oliver Weiss
  • Patent number: 8645145
    Abstract: An audio decoder includes an arithmetic decoder for providing a plurality of decoded spectral values on the basis of an arithmetically encoded representation of the spectral values, and a frequency-domain-to-time-domain converter for providing a time-domain audio representation using the decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder selects a mapping rule describing a mapping of a code value onto a symbol code in dependence on a context state described by a numeric current context value. The arithmetic decoder determines the numeric current context value in dependence on a plurality of previously decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder evaluates a hash table, entries of which define both significant state values and boundaries of intervals of numeric context values, in order to select the mapping rule. A mapping rule index value is individually associated to a numeric context value being a significant state value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhoffer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Vignesh Subbaraman, Guillaume Fuchs, Markus Multrus, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Marc Gayer, Oliver Weiss, Christian Griebel, Patrick Warmbold
  • Patent number: 8630862
    Abstract: An audio signal encoder includes a transform-domain path which obtains spectral coefficients and noise-shaping information on the basis of a portion of the audio content, and which windows a time-domain representation of the audio content and applies a time-domain-to-frequency-domain conversion. The audio signal decoder includes a CELP path to obtain a code-excitation information and a LPC parameter information. A converter applies a predetermined asymmetric analysis window in both if a current portion is followed by a subsequent portion to be encoded in the transform-domain mode or in the CELP mode. Aliasing cancellation information is selectively provided in the latter case.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Ralf Geiger, Markus Schnell, Jeremie Lecomte, Konstantin Schmidt, Guillaume Fuchs, Nikolaus Rettelbach
  • Patent number: 8612214
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating bandwidth extension output data for an audio signal has a noise floor measurer, a signal energy characterizer and a processor. The audio signal has components in a first frequency band and components in a second frequency band, the bandwidth extension output data are adapted to control a synthesis of the components in the second frequency band. The noise floor measurer measures noise floor data of the second frequency band for a time portion of the audio signal. The signal energy characterizer derives energy distribution data, the energy distribution data characterizing an energy distribution in a spectrum of the time portion of the audio signal. The processor combines the noise floor data and the energy distribution data to obtain the bandwidth extension output data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Max Neuendorf, Bernhard Grill, Ulrich Kraemer, Markus Multrus, Harald Popp, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Frederik Nagel, Markus Lohwasser, Marc Gayer, Manuel Jander, Virgilio Bacigalupo
  • Patent number: 8612240
    Abstract: An audio decoder for providing a decoded audio information includes an arithmetic decoder for providing a plurality of decoded spectral values on the basis of an arithmetically-encoded representation of the spectral values and a frequency-domain-to-time-domain converter for providing a time-domain audio representation using decoded spectral values. The arithmetic decoder is configured to select a mapping rule describing a mapping of a code value onto a symbol code in dependence on a context state. The arithmetic decoder is configured to determine a numeric current context value describing the current context state in dependence on a plurality of previously decoded spectral values and also in dependence on whether a spectral value to be decoded is in a first predetermined frequency region or in a second predetermined frequency region. An audio encoder provides an encoded audio information on the basis of an input audio information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Guillaume Fuchs, Vignesh Subbaraman, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Markus Multrus, Marc Gayer, Patrick Warmbold, Christian Griebel, Oliver Weiss
  • Publication number: 20130332153
    Abstract: An encoding concept which is linear prediction based and uses spectral domain noise shaping is rendered less complex at a comparable coding efficiency in terms of, for example, rate/distortion ratio, by using the spectral decomposition of the audio input signal into a spectrogram having a sequence of spectra for both linear prediction coefficient computation as well as spectral domain shaping based on the linear prediction coefficients. The coding efficiency may remain even if such a lapped transform is used for the spectral decomposition which causes aliasing and necessitates time aliasing cancellation such as critically sampled lapped transforms such as an MDCT.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2013
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Inventors: Goran MARKOVIC, Guillaume FUCHS, Nikolaus RETTELBACH, Christian HELMRICH, Benjamin SCHUBERT
  • Patent number: 8571858
    Abstract: For classifying different segments of a signal which has segments of at least a first type and second type, e.g. audio and speech segments, the signal is short-term classified on the basis of the at least one short-term feature extracted from the signal and a short-term classification result is delivered. The signal is also long-term classified on the basis of the at least one short-term feature and at least one long-term feature extracted from the signal and a long-term classification result is delivered. The short-term classification result and the long-term classification result are combined to provide an output signal indicating whether a segment of the signal is of the first type or of the second type.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Guillaume Fuchs, Stefan Bayer, Jens Hirschfeld, Juergen Herre, Jeremie Lecomte, Frederik Nagel, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Stefan Wabnik, Yoshikazu Yokotani
  • Publication number: 20130282389
    Abstract: An apparatus for decoding data segments representing a time-domain data stream, a data segment being encoded in the time domain or in the frequency domain, a data segment being encoded in the frequency domain having successive blocks of data representing successive and overlapping blocks of time-domain data samples. The apparatus includes a time-domain decoder for decoding a data segment being encoded in the time domain and a processor for processing the data segment being encoded in the frequency domain and output data of the time-domain decoder to obtain overlapping time-domain data blocks. The apparatus further includes an overlap/add-combiner for combining the overlapping time-domain data blocks to obtain a decoded data segment of the time-domain data stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: RALF GEIGER, MAX NEUENDORF, YOSHIKAZU YOKOTANI, NIKOLAUS RETTELBACH, JUERGEN HERRE, STEFAN GEYERSBERGER
  • Patent number: 8547255
    Abstract: In a method for encoding a symbol it is determined whether the symbol can be encoded by a codeword of a first codebook. In case this is true, the appropriate codeword for the symbol is selected from the first codebook. Otherwise, a codeword is selected from the first codebook indicating that the symbol cannot be encoded by a codeword of the first codebook and the symbol is split into a plurality of first sub-symbols and for at least one of the first sub-symbols a codeword is selected from a second codebook. Also a corresponding method for decoding is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Markus Multrus, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Stefan Bayer, Bernhard Grill, Manuel Jander
  • Patent number: 8484038
    Abstract: An audio signal decoder includes a transform domain path configured to obtain a time-domain representation of a portion of an audio content on the basis of a first set of spectral coefficients, a representation of an aliasing-cancellation stimulus signal and a plurality of linear-prediction-domain parameters. The transform domain path applies a spectrum shaping to the first set of spectral coefficients to obtain a spectrally-shaped version thereof. The transform domain path obtains a time-domain representation of the audio content on the basis of the spectrally-shaped version of the first set of spectral coefficients. The transform domain path includes an aliasing-cancellation stimulus filter to filter the aliasing-cancellation stimulus signal in dependence on at least a subset of the linear-prediction-domain parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V., Voiceage Corporation, Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Bruno Bessette, Max Neuendorf, Ralf Geiger, Philippe Gournay, Roch Lefebvre, Bernhard Grill, Jeremie Lecomte, Stefan Bayer, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Lars Villemoes, Redwan Salami, Albertus C. Den Brinker
  • Patent number: 8457975
    Abstract: An audio decoder for providing a decoded representation of an audio content on the basis of an encoded representation of the audio content comprises a linear-prediction-domain decoder core configured to provide a time-domain representation of an audio frame on the basis of a set of linear-prediction domain parameters associated with the audio frame and a frequency-domain decoder core configured to provide a time-domain representation of an audio frame on the basis of a set of frequency-domain parameters, taking into account a transform window out of a set comprising a plurality of different transform windows. The audio decoder comprises a signal combiner configured to overlap-and-add-time-domain representations of subsequent audio frames encoded in different domains, in order to smoothen a transition between the time-domain representations of the subsequent frames.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Max Neuendorf, Jeremie Lecomte, Markus Multrus, Stefan Bayer, Frederik Nagel, Guillaume Fuchs, Julien Robilliard, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Ralf Geiger, Bernhard Grill
  • Patent number: 8447620
    Abstract: An audio encoder for encoding an audio signal has a first coding branch, the first coding branch comprising a first converter for converting a signal from a time domain into a frequency domain. Furthermore, the audio encoder has a second coding branch comprising a second time/frequency converter. Additionally, a signal analyzer for analyzing the audio signal is provided. The signal analyzer, on the hand, determines whether an audio portion is effective in the encoder output signal as a first encoded signal from the first encoding branch or as a second encoded signal from a second encoding branch. On the other hand, the signal analyzer determines a time/frequency resolution to be applied by the converters when generating the encoded signals. An output interface includes, in addition to the first encoded signal and the second encoded signal, a resolution information identifying the resolution used by the first time/frequency converter and used by the second time/frequency converter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V., Voiceage Corporation
    Inventors: Max Neuendorf, Stefan Bayer, Jérémie Lecomte, Guillaume Fuchs, Julien Robilliard, Nikolaus Rettelbach, Frederik Nagel, Ralf Geiger, Markus Multrus, Bernhard Grill, Philippe Gournay, Redwan Salami