IP Library Granted Patent US 12,032,628
Granted Patent B2
US 12,032,628 · App. 16/696,874 · Granted Jul 9, 2024

Methods and apparatus to fingerprint an audio signal via exponential normalization

Inventors: Alexander Berrian (Emeryville, CA); Matthew James Wilkinson (Emeryville, CA); Robert Coover (Orinda, CA)
Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
G06F16/683G10L25/21G10L25/51
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,032,628
App. No.
16/696,874
Granted
Jul 9, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and articles of manufacture are disclosed to fingerprint an audio signal via exponential normalization. An example apparatus includes an audio segmenter to divide an audio signal into a plurality of audio segments including a first audio segment and a second audio segment, the first audio segment including a first time-frequency bin, the second audio segment including a second time-frequency bin, a mean calculator to determine a first exponential mean value associated with the first time frequency bin based on a first magnitude of the audio signal associated with the first time frequency bin and a second exponential mean value associated with the second time frequency bin based on a second magnitude of the audio signal associated with the second time frequency bin and the first exponential mean value. The example apparatus further includes a bin normalizer to normalize the first time-frequency bin based on the second exponential mean value and a fingerprint generator to generate a fingerprint of the audio signal based on the normalized first time-frequency bins.

Claims (42)

1. An apparatus, comprising:

signal transformer circuitry to transform an audio signal into a frequency domain including a plurality of time-frequency bins, wherein each of the time-frequency bins corresponds to an intersection of a frequency bin and a time bin and contains a portion of the audio signal;

audio segmenter circuitry to divide the audio signal into a plurality of audio segments including a first audio segment and a second audio segment, the first audio segment including a second group of time-frequency bins having a first time-frequency bin, the second audio segment including a first group of time-frequency bins having a second time-frequency bin;

mean calculator circuitry to determine:

a first exponential mean value associated with the first time-frequency bin based on a first magnitude of the audio signal associated with the first time-frequency bin; and

a second exponential mean value associated with the second time-frequency bin based on a second magnitude of the audio signal associated with the second time-frequency bin and the first exponential mean value;

bin normalizer circuitry to normalize the first time-frequency bin based on the second exponential mean value;

fingerprint generator circuitry to generate a fingerprint of the audio signal based on normalized time-frequency bins, wherein the normalized time-frequency bins include the normalized first time-frequency bin;

subfingerprint circuitry to generate a subfingerprint by selecting energy extrema of the normalized time-frequency bins, wherein selecting the energy extrema comprises selecting a group of the normalized time-frequency bins with the highest normalized energy values, and the fingerprint including the subfingerprint; and

memory manager circuitry to, after the second exponential mean value is determined, discard the first group of the time-frequency bins from memory.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first time-frequency bin and the second time-frequency bin are in a same frequency band of the audio signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bin normalizer circuitry is further to normalize the first time-frequency bin based a third exponential mean value associated with a third time-frequency bin, the third time-frequency bin in the second audio segment and proximate to the second time-frequency bin.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the memory manager circuitry is further to, after the mean calculator circuitry determines the second exponential mean value, discard the first exponential mean value from the memory.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each time-frequency bin of the first group of time-frequency bins is a unique combination of (1) a time period of the audio signal and (2) a frequency band of the audio signal.

6. A method comprising:

transforming, via at least one processor, an audio signal into a frequency domain including a plurality of time-frequency bins, each of the time-frequency bins corresponding to an intersection of a frequency bin and a time bin and contains a portion of the audio signal;

dividing, via at least one processor, the audio signal into a plurality of audio segments, each audio segment including a plurality of time-frequency bins;

determining, via at least one processor, a first audio segment having a first group of time-frequency bins including a first time-frequency bin;

determining, via at least one processor, a first exponential mean value associated with the first time-frequency bin based on a first magnitude of the audio signal associated with the first time-frequency bin;

determining, via at least one processor, a second audio segment having a second group of time-frequency bins including a second time-frequency bin;

determining, via at least one processor, a second exponential mean value associated with the second time frequency bin based on a second magnitude of the audio signal associated with the second time frequency bin and the first exponential mean value;

normalizing, via at least one processor, the first time-frequency bin based on the second exponential mean value;

generating, via at least one processor, a fingerprint of the audio signal based on normalized time-frequency bins, wherein the normalized time-frequency bins include the normalized first time-frequency bin;

generating, via at least one processor, a subfingerprint by selecting energy extrema of the normalized time-frequency bins, wherein selecting the energy extrema comprises selecting a group of the normalized time-frequency bins with the highest normalized energy values, and the fingerprint including the subfingerprint; and

discarding, via at least one processor, from memory the first group of time-frequency bins in response to determination of the normalized the first time-frequency bin.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first time-frequency bin and the second time-frequency bin are in a same frequency band of the audio signal.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the normalization of the first time-frequency bin is further based a third exponential mean value associated with a third time-frequency bin, the third time-frequency bin in the second audio segment and proximate to the second time-frequency bin.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein each time-frequency bin of the first group of time-frequency bins is a unique combination of (1) a time period of the audio signal and (2) a frequency band of the audio signal.

10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising discarding the first exponential mean value in response to the determination of the second exponential mean value.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed, cause a processor to:

transform an audio signal into a frequency domain including a plurality of time-frequency bins, each of the time-frequency bins corresponding to an intersection of a frequency bin and a time bin and contains a portion of the audio signal;

determine a first audio segment having a first group of time-frequency bins including a first time-frequency bin;

determine a first exponential mean value associated with the first time-frequency bin based on a first magnitude of the audio signal associated with the first time-frequency bin;

determine a second audio segment having a second group of time-frequency bins including a second time-frequency bin;

determine a second exponential mean value associated with the second time-frequency bin based on a second magnitude of the audio signal associated with the second time-frequency bin and the first exponential mean value;

normalize the first time-frequency bin based on the second exponential mean value;

generate a fingerprint of the audio signal based on normalized time-frequency bins, wherein the normalized time-frequency bins include the normalized first time-frequency bin;

generate a subfingerprint by selecting energy extrema of the normalized time-frequency bins, wherein selecting the energy extrema comprises selecting a group of the normalized time-frequency bins with the highest normalized energy values, and the fingerprint including the subfingerprint; and

discard from memory the first group of time-frequency bins in response to determination of the normalized first time-frequency bin.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the first time-frequency bin and the second time-frequency bin are in a same frequency band of the audio signal.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the normalization of the first time-frequency bin is further based a third exponential mean value associated with a third time-frequency bin, the third time-frequency bin in the second audio segment and proximate to the second time-frequency bin.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to discard the first exponential mean value in response to the determination of the second exponential mean value.

Assignments (8)
RELEASE (REEL 054066 / FRAME 0064) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063605/0001 →
RELEASE (REEL 053473 / FRAME 0001) Recorded May 11, 2023
From: CITIBANK, N.A.
To: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC
Reel/Frame 063603/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 8, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: ARES CAPITAL CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063574/0632 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063561/0381 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 31, 2023
From: GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; GRACENOTE, INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.
Reel/Frame 063560/0547 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE PATENTS LISTED ON SCHEDULE 1 RECORDED ON 6-9-2020 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 053473 FRAME 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE SUPPLEMENTAL IP SECURITY AGREEMENT. Recorded Oct 7, 2020
From: A.C. NIELSEN (ARGENTINA) S.A.; A.C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A
Reel/Frame 054066/0064 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 1, 2020
From: BERRIAN, ALEXANDER; WILKINSON, MATTHEW JAMES; COOVER, ROBERT
To: GRACENOTE, INC.
Reel/Frame 053655/0724 →
SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jun 9, 2020
From: A. C. NIELSEN COMPANY, LLC; ACN HOLDINGS INC.; ACNIELSEN CORPORATION; ACNIELSEN ERATINGS.COM; AFFINNOVA, INC.; ART HOLDING, L.L.C.; ATHENIAN LEASING CORPORATION; CZT/ACN TRADEMARKS, L.L.C.; EXELATE, INC.; GRACENOTE, INC.; GRACENOTE DIGITAL VENTURES, LLC; GRACENOTE MEDIA SERVICES, LLC; NETRATINGS, LLC; NIELSEN AUDIO, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER INSIGHTS, INC.; NIELSEN CONSUMER NEUROSCIENCE, INC.; NIELSEN FINANCE CO.; NIELSEN FINANCE LLC; NIELSEN INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS, INC.; NIELSEN MOBILE, LLC; NIELSEN UK FINANCE I, LLC; NMR INVESTING I, INC.; TCG DIVESTITURE INC.; TNC (US) HOLDINGS, INC.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC; VIZU CORPORATION; VNU MARKETING INFORMATION, INC.; NMR LICENSING ASSOCIATES, L.P.; NIELSEN HOLDING AND FINANCE B.V.; THE NIELSEN COMPANY B.V.; VNU INTERNATIONAL B.V.
To: CITIBANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 053473/0001 →
Continuity (1)
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