Data processing: speech signal processing – linguistics – language – Speech signal processing – For storage or transmission
Patent
1997-09-05
2000-03-21
Hudspeth, David R.
Data processing: speech signal processing, linguistics, language
Speech signal processing
For storage or transmission
704501, 702 69, 702195, G01L 2102, H04B 1500
Patent
active
060412941
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
A BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for determining the quality of an output signal to be generated by a signal processing circuit with respect to a reference signal, which device is provided with a first series circuit having a first input for receiving the output signal and is provided with a second series circuit having a second input for receiving the reference signal and is provided with a combining circuit, coupled to a first output of the first series circuit and to a second output of the second series circuit, for generating a quality signal, which first series circuit is provided with first series circuit, for generating a first signal parameter as a function of time and frequency, and arrangement, for compressing a first signal parameter and for generating a first compressed signal parameter, which second series circuit is provided with generating a second compressed signal parameter, which combining circuit is provided with for determining a differential signal on the basis of the compressed signal parameters, and generating the quality signal by integrating the differential signal with respect to time and frequency.
Such a device is disclosed in the first reference: J. Audio Eng. Soc., Vol. 40, No. 12, Dec. 1992, in particular "A Perceptual Audio Quality Measure Based on a Psychoacoustic Sound Representation" by John G. Beerends and Jan A. Stemerdink, pages 963-978, more particularly FIG. 7. The device described therein determines the quality of an output signal to be generated by a signal processing circuit, such as, for example, a coder/decoder, or codec, with respect to a reference signal. The reference signal is, for example, an input signal to be presented to the signal processing circuit, although the possibilities also include using, as the reference signal, a pre-calculated ideal version of the output signal. The first signal parameter is generated as a function of time and frequency by means of the first signal processing arrangement, associated with the first series circuit, in response to the output signal, after which the first signal parameter is compressed by means of the first compressing arrangement associated with the first series circuit. In this connection, intermediate operational processing of the first signal parameter should not be ruled out at all. The second signal parameter is compressed by means of the second compressing arrangement, associated with the second series circuit, in response to the reference signal. In this case too, further operational processing of the second signal parameter should not be ruled out at all. Of both compressed signal parameters, the differential signal is determined by means of the differential arrangement associated with the combining circuit, after which the quality signal is generated by integrating the differential signal with respect to time and frequency by means of the integrating arrangement associated with the combining circuit.
Such a device has, inter alia, the disadvantage that the objective quality signal, to be assessed by means of the device, and a subjective quality signal, to be assessed by human observers, have a poor correlation with each other.
B SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is, inter alia, to provide a device in which the objective quality signal which is to be assessed by means of the device, and a subjective quality signal, which is to be assessed by human observers have an improved correlation with each other.
For this purpose, the device according to the invention has the characteristic that the differential arrangement is provided with an adjusting arrangement, for reducing the amplitude of the differential signal.
The invention is based, inter alia, on the insight that the poor correlation between objective quality signals, to be assessed by means of known devices, and subjective quality signals, to be assessed by human observers, is the consequence, inter alia, of the fact that certain distortions are found to be more objectionable by human observers than
REFERENCES:
patent: 4860360 (1989-08-01), Boggs
patent: 5588089 (1996-12-01), Beerends et al.
patent: 5687281 (1997-11-01), Beerends et al.
Beerends, et al, "A Perceptual Speech-Quality Measure Based on a Psychoacoustic Sound Representation", Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, vol. 42, No. 3, Mar. 1994, pp. 115-123.
Beerends, et al, "A Perceptual Audio Quality Measure Based on a Psychoacoustic Sound Representation", Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, vol. 40, No. 12, Dec. 1992, pp. 963-978.
Beerends, et al, "Modelling a Cognitive Aspect in the Measurement of the Quality of Music Codes", An Audio Engineering Society Preprint, presented at the 96.sup.th Convention, Feb. 26 -Mar. 1, 1994, pp. 1-13.
Hudspeth David R.
Koninklijke PTT Nederland N.V.
Lerner Martin
Michaelson Peter L.
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