Abstract: The spectral domain is efficiently used in order to parameterize the background noise using a background noise estimator configured to determine a parametric background noise estimate based on a spectral decomposition representation of an input audio signal so that the parametric background noise estimate spectrally describes a spectral envelope of a background noise of the input audio signal, thereby yielding a background noise synthesis which is more realistic and thus leads to a more transparent active to inactive phase switching.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the scalable improvement of the quality of an encoding method according to IT-U Recommendation G.722, including the following steps: —a digital error signal (E) derived from an input signal to be encoded and a prognosis signal is compared in sections to a number of M*LN different reference signals in an iterative process having a number of repeated steps depending on the scope of the expansion, and the reference signal having a minimum error signal of a prescribed error criteria is derived therefrom, —the reference signals are each made up of equidistant Dirac impulses ?(n) according to (I), wherein off=[0 . . . M?1], indicates the distance of the first impulse from a zero time point, ??{?, ?, . . . , ?} indicates the amplitude value, M the distance between the individual pulses, N the number of pulses, and L the number of different levels, —the information about the reference signal having the minimum error signal is transmitted.

Abstract: The spectral domain is efficiently used in order to parameterize the background noise thereby yielding a background noise synthesis which is more realistic and thus leads to a more transparent active to inactive phase switching.

Abstract: A parametric background noise estimate is continuously updated during an active or non-silence phase so that the noise generation may immediately be started with upon the entrance of an inactive phase following the active phase. In accordance with another aspect, a spectral domain is very efficiently used in order to parameterize the background noise thereby yielding a background noise synthesis which is more realistic and thus leads to a more transparent active to inactive phase switching.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the vector quantization of a feature vector, in particular with respect to a data compression of a signal to be transmitted or to be stored, particularly a voice signal or a video signal, wherein at least one codebook from a plurality of codebook vectors is searched for a code vector representing the feature vector. During the search, a sequence of codebook vectors is examined for the suitability thereof to represent the feature vector. In the course of the search for the code vector, a set of neighboring vectors is dedicated to at least one of the codebook vectors potentially to be examined, preferably prior to the search. The search for the code vector includes at least part of the neighboring vectors.

Abstract: A basic idea of the invention is to ascertain information on the course of the bit rate switching during an active speech phase. According to the invention, during the speech phase, information on the percentage proportion of broadband active speech frames in comparison to narrowband active speech frames is compiled on the part of the decoder. A high percentage proportion of broadband active speech frames indicates that a broadband use is preferred on the part of the codec and therefore a need exists for synthesizing noise information in broadband form during a DTX phase.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the vector quantization of a feature vector, in particular with respect to a data compression of a signal to be transmitted or to be stored, particularly a voice signal or a video signal, wherein at least one codebook from a plurality of codebook vectors is searched for a code vector representing the feature vector. During the search, a sequence of codebook vectors is examined for the suitability thereof to represent the feature vector. In the course of the search for the code vector, a set of neighboring vectors is dedicated to at least one of the codebook vectors potentially to be examined, preferably prior to the search. The search for the code vector includes at least part of the neighboring vectors.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for the scalable improvement of the quality of an encoding method according to IT-U Recommendation G.722, including the following steps:-a digital error signal (E) derived from an input signal to be encoded and a prognosis signal is compared in sections to a number of M*LN different reference signals in an iterative process having a number of repeated steps depending on the scope of the expansion, and the reference signal having a minimum error signal of a prescribed error criteria is derived therefrom,-the reference signals are each made up of equidistant Dirac impulses ?(n) according to (I), wherein off=[0 . . . M?1], indicates the distance of the first impulse from a zero time point, ??{?,?, . . . ,?} indicates the amplitude value, M the distance between the individual pulses, N the number of pulses, and L the number of different levels,-the information about the reference signal having the minimum error signal is transmitted.

Abstract: A basic idea of the invention is to ascertain information on the course of the bit rate switching during an active speech phase. According to the invention, during the speech phase, information on the percentage proportion of broadband active speech frames in comparison to narrowband active speech frames is compiled on the part of the decoder. A high percentage proportion of broadband active speech frames indicates that a broadband use is preferred on the part of the codec and therefore a need exists for synthesizing noise information in broadband form during a DTX phase.

Abstract: The inventive method provides for an encoder in a voice codec to be designed such that after a particular idle time (“Idle Period”) it recalculates the averaged energy and the autocorrelation function. Administrative points in the network inform the encoder about the idle time which has been set in the transmission network.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and means for encoding background noise information during voice signal encoding methods. A basic idea of the invention is to provide the scalability known for transmitting voice information in a similar manner when forming an SID frame. The invention provides encoding of a narrowband first component and of a broadband second component of a piece of background noise information and formation of an SID frame which describes the background noise with separate areas for the first and second components.

Abstract: A speech signal is processed for subsequent speech recognition. The speech signal is tainted by noise and represents at least one speech command. The following steps are executed: a) recording of the noise-tainted speech signal; b) use of noise reduction on the speech signal to generate a noise-reduced speech signal; c) normalization of the noise-reduced speech signal to a target signal value with the aid of a normalization factor, to generate a noise-reduced, normalized speech signal).