Digital adaptive transformation coding method

Claim 2

Digital adaptive transformation coding method for the transmission and/or storage of audio signals, specifically music signals, wherein N scanned values of the audio signal are transformed into M spectral coefficients, wherein N and M are non zero integers, which are subdivided into frequency groups and then quantitized and coded, characterized in that: a quantitized maximum value of the spectral coefficients of each frequency group is used to define the coarse variation of the spectrum; the same number of bits is assigned to all spectrum values of a frequency group, wherein the number of bits depend on the quantitized maximum value of the respective spectral coefficient; the number of bits assigned to each frequency group being adjusted to insure a minimum number of bits to each frequency group such that, in view of psycho-acoustic aspects, quantification noise is masked for that frequency group; and if available after the preceding step, any additional number of bits are assigned to the individual frequency groups in correspondence to the quantitized maximum value occurring in the particular frequency group.

Claim 3

Method according to claim 1, characterized in that a logarithmic value of the maximum value of each frequency group is subjected to linear quantization.

Claim 4

Method according to claim 2, characterized in that the quantization takes place by multiplication and comparison against a stored table.

Claim 5

Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the N scanned values are transformed into M spectral values by means of DFT, DCT or TDAC methods.

Claim 6

Multi-signal processor system, specifically for the transmission and/or storage of audio signals, specifically music signals, wherein N scanned values of the audio signal are transformed into M spectral coefficients, wherein N and M are non zero integers, which are subdivided into frequency groups and then quantitized and coded, characterized in that a quantitized maximum value of the spectral coefficients of each frequency group is used to define the coarse variation of the spectrum, that the same number of bits is assigned to all spectrum values of a frequency group, wherein the number of bits depend on the quantitized maximum value of the respective spectral coefficient, that the number of bits assigned to each frequency group being adjusted to insure a minimum number of bits to each frequency group such that, in view of psycho-acoustic aspects, quantification noise is masked for that frequency group, and that if available after the preceding step, any additional number of bits are assigned to the individual frequency groups in correspondence to the quantitized maximum value occurring in the particular frequency group, comprising several digital signal-processing modules (M1 . . . M4) which process a data flow, e.g. a flow of digitized audio signals, and a location communication channel which handles the data communication between two adjacent modules (M1 . . . M4), characterized in that additionally at least one global communication channel is provided via which system observation, system control, parameter adaptation and/or global data communication are realized.

Claim 7

Multi-signal processor system, specifically for the transmission and/or storage of audio signals, specifically music signals, wherein N scanned values of the audio signal are transformed into M spectral coefficients, wherein N and M are non zero integers, which are subdivided into frequency groups and then quantitized and coded, characterized in that a quantitized maximum value of the spectral coefficients of each frequency group is used to define the coarse variation of the spectrum, that the same number of bits is assigned to all spectrum values of a frequency group, wherein the number of bits depend on the quantitized maximum value of the respective spectral coefficient, that the number of bits assigned to each frequency group being adjusted to insure a minimum number of bits to each frequency group such that, in view of psycho-acoustic aspects, quantification noise is masked for that frequency group, and that if available after the preceding step, any additional number of bits are assigned to the individual frequency groups in correspondence to the quantitized maximum value occurring in the particular frequency group, comprising several digital signal-processing modules (M1 . . . M4) which process a data flow, e.g. a flow of digitized audio signals, and a location communication channel which handles the data communication between two adjacent modules (M1 . . . M4), characterized in that additionally at least one global communication channel is provided via which system observation, system control, parameter adaptation and/or global data communication are realized.

Claim 8

Multi-signal processor system according to claim 5, characterized in that two global communication channels are provided whereof the first one is a low-speed communication channel handling the system control and the parameter adaptation while the second one is a high-speed communication channel for data communication.

Claim 9

Multi-signal processor system according to claim 6, characterized in that a communication controller (KL) is provided which controls randomized data communication via the high-speed global communication channel.

Claim 10

Multi-signal processor system according to claim 7, characterized in that the communication controller (KL) operates as a local communication node.

Claim 11

Multi-signal processor system according to claim 7, characterized in that the communication controller (KL) controls data distribution via the high-speed global communication channel as a function of data and/or an algorithm.

Claim 12

Multi-signal processor system according to claim 6, characterized in that the high-speed global communication channel has precedence over the low-speed global communication channel in terms of priority.