IP Library Granted Patent US 10,236,006
Granted Patent B1
US 10,236,006 · App. 15/671,090 · Granted Mar 19, 2019

Digital watermarks adapted to compensate for time scaling, pitch shifting and mixing

Inventors: Aparna R. Gurijala (Port Coquilam, CA); Brett A. Bradley (Portland, OR); Ravi K. Sharma (Portland, OR)
Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
G10L19/018G10L19/02G10L19/06G10L21/04G10L21/043
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,236,006
App. No.
15/671,090
Granted
Mar 19, 2019
Kind
B1
Abstract

Pre-processing modules are configured to compensate for time and pitch scaling and shifting and provide compensated audio frames to a watermark detector. Audio frames are adjusted for time stretching and shrinking and for pitch shifting. Detection metrics are evaluated to identify candidates to a watermark detector. Various schemes are also detailed for tracking modifications made to audio stems mixed into audio tracks, and for accessing a history of modifications for facilitating identification of audio stems and audio tracks comprised of stems. Various approaches address interference from audio overlays added to channels of audio after embedding. One approach applies informed embedding based on phase differences between corresponding components of the channels. A detector extracts the watermark payload effectively from either additive or subtractive combination of the channels because the informed embedding ensures that the watermark survives both types of processing. Other approaches applies different polarity patterns, watermark mappings, or protocol keys to the channels. These techniques enable the watermark to survive ambient mixing, conversion to mono, as well as channel differencing to reduce interference from voice-overs and other audio overlays.

Claims (37)

1. A method for compensating for time or pitch scaling for audio watermark detection, the method comprising:

receiving an audio watermarked signal;

for each of plural streams of the audio watermarked signal, performing a candidate time adjustment to an input frame of watermarked audio, and a candidate pitch shift adjustment to the input frame to produce a compensated audio frame;

for the compensated audio frame, measuring a detection metric; and

based on the detection metric, selecting compensated audio frames to provide for watermark detection.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the candidate time adjustment is performed by zero padding the input frame.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the candidate pitch shift adjustment is performed by interpolating frequency components of the input frame.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the detection metric is a repetitive structure metric based on repetition of a generator polynomial of an error correction encoder used to encode a watermark signal in a tile mapped to embedding locations in an audio frame.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the detection metric is a repetitive structure metric based on repetition of a watermark element state encoded in a watermark signal in a tile, and repeated in tiles mapped to embedding locations in audio frames.

6. An audio watermark detector configured to compensate for time or pitch scaling, the detector comprising:

memory for storing an audio watermarked signal;

means for generating a candidate time adjustment to an input frame of watermarked audio, and a candidate pitch shift adjustment to the input frame to produce a compensated audio frame, for each of plural streams of the audio watermarked signal;

means for computing a detection metric for the compensated audio frame; and

means for selecting compensated audio frames to provide for watermark detection based on the detection metric.

7. The detector of claim 6 wherein the candidate time adjustment is performed by zero padding the input frame.

8. The detector of claim 7 wherein the candidate pitch shift adjustment is performed by interpolating frequency components of the input frame.

9. The detector of claim 6 wherein the detection metric is a repetitive structure metric based on repetition of a generator polynomial of an error correction encoder used to encode a watermark signal in a tile mapped to embedding locations in an audio frame.

10. The detector of claim 6 wherein the detection metric is a repetitive structure metric based on repetition of a watermark element state encoded in a watermark signal in a tile, and repeated in tiles mapped to embedding locations in audio frames.

11. The audio watermark detector of claim 6 , further comprising:

a pre-processor configured to receive first and second channels of audio and compute a difference signal; and

a detector configured to receive the difference signal, and configured to receive an additive combination of the first and second channels, the detector operable to extract a watermark signal that has been encoded into both the first and second channels from the difference signal and the additive combination of the first and second channels.

12. The detector of claim 11 wherein the watermark signal is embedded in the first and second audio channels by:

evaluating phase differences between corresponding components of first and second audio channels;

based on the evaluating, adapting gain applied to a watermark applied to at least one of the corresponding components; and

inserting the watermark in the first and second audio channels, wherein the watermark signal is retained in both a conversion of the first and second channels to a mono signal by an additive combination or a subtractive combination.

13. The detector of claim 11 , wherein the watermark signal has been encoded in the first and second channels by evaluating phase differences between corresponding components of first and second audio channels, adapting gain applied to a watermark applied to at least one of the corresponding components based on the evaluating, and inserting the watermark in the first and second audio channels, wherein the watermark signal is retained in both a conversion of the first and second channels to a mono signal by an additive combination or a subtractive combination.

14. The detector of claim 11 wherein the watermark signal has been encoded in the first and second channels by encoding a watermark tile transformed by different protocol keys in the first and second channels.

15. The detector of claim 11 wherein the watermark signal has been encoded in the first and second channels by encoding a watermark tile transformed by a different polarity pattern in the first and second channels, the polarity pattern in the first channel being offset relative to the polarity pattern in the second channel.

16. The detector of claim 11 wherein the watermark signal has been encoded in the first and second channels by encoding a watermark tile transformed by a different embedding location mapping in the first and second channels.

17. The detector of claim 16 wherein the mapping comprises a different watermark resolution for the watermark tile in the first and second channels.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which is stored instructions, the instructions configured to execute a method for compensating for time or pitch scaling for audio watermark detection, the method comprising:

receiving an audio watermarked signal;

for each of plural streams of the audio watermarked signal, performing a candidate time adjustment to an input frame of watermarked audio, and a candidate pitch shift adjustment to the input frame to produce a compensated audio frame;

for the compensated audio frame, measuring a detection metric; and

based on the detection metric, selecting compensated audio frames to provide for watermark detection.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 comprising instructions configured to perform the candidate time adjustment by zero padding the input frame.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 wherein the candidate pitch shift adjustment is performed by interpolating frequency components of the input frame.

Assignments (3)
ARTICLES OF CONVERSION Recorded Jun 19, 2026
From: DIGIMARC CORPORATION
To: DIGIMARC LLC
Reel/Frame 075863/0211 →
ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT OFTHE ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION OF DIGIMARC LLC Recorded Jun 19, 2026
From: DIGIMARC LLC
To: DMRC LLC
Reel/Frame 075863/0266 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 27, 2018
From: GURIJALA, APARNA R.; BRADLEY, BRETT A.; SHARMA, RAVI K.
To: DIGIMARC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 046488/0685 →
Continuity (1)
Provisional Application 62371693 · Aug 5, 2016
Cited By (21)
US 12,211,252 US 12,242,532 US 12,260,866 US 12,283,287 US 12,287,853 US 12,341,931 US 12,347,459 US 12,380,893 US 12,388,539 US 12,393,629 US 12,436,993 US 12,468,759 US 12,573,412 US 12,580,586 US 12,586,606 US 12,602,446 US 12,651,607 US 12,687,624 US 12,718,797 US 12,738,281 US 12,738,282