IP Library Granted Patent US 11,017,797
Granted Patent B2
US 11,017,797 · App. 16/939,985 · Granted May 25, 2021

Methods and apparatus to reduce noise from harmonic noise sources

Inventor: Matthew McCallum (San Francisco, CA)
Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
G10L21/0232G10L19/018G10L21/0264
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,017,797
App. No.
16/939,985
Granted
May 25, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed to reduce noise from harmonic noise sources. An example apparatus includes a contour tracer to determine a first point of comparatively large amplitude of a frequency component in a frequency spectrum of an audio sample, determine a set of points in the frequency spectrum having amplitude values within an amplitude threshold of the first point, frequency values within a frequency threshold of the first point, and phase values within a phase threshold of the first point, increment a counter when a distance between (1) a second point in the set of points and (2) the first point satisfies a distance threshold, and when the counter satisfies a counter threshold, generate the contour trace, the contour trace including the set of points, and a subtractor to remove the contour trace from the audio sample when the amplitude values satisfy an outlier threshold.

Claims (36)

1. An apparatus to reduce harmonic noise, the apparatus comprising:

a contour tracer to:

determine a first point of comparatively large amplitude of a frequency component in a frequency spectrum of an audio sample;

determine a set of points in the frequency spectrum having amplitude values within an amplitude threshold of the first point, frequency values within a frequency threshold of the first point, and phase values within a phase threshold of the first point;

increment a counter when a distance between (1) a second point in the set of points and (2) the first point satisfies a distance threshold; and

when the counter satisfies a counter threshold, generate a contour trace, the contour trace including the set of points; and

a subtractor to remove the contour trace from the audio sample when the amplitude values of the set of points satisfy an outlier threshold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the distance threshold is satisfied when a complex distance between the first point and the second point is less than the distance threshold.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the contour tracer is to generate the contour trace by stepping forward and backward in time from the first point, the contour trace to terminate when the counter threshold is satisfied, the counter threshold corresponding to a maximum number of successive time frames during which a point is not found with amplitude satisfying the amplitude threshold, frequency satisfying the frequency threshold, and phase satisfying the phase threshold relative to another point of the contour trace.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the contour tracer is to determine points of comparatively large amplitude for a representative number of frequencies in the audio sample and to generate contours for a specified percentage of the points of comparatively large amplitude in the audio sample.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a classifier to determine if the contour trace is an outlier based on a statistical distance from a parameter of the contour trace.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including a domain converter to perform a short-time Fourier transform with a specified windowing length and window time frame on the audio sample.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the set of points of the contour trace occur in succession within the distance threshold of one another or the first point.

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

determine a first point of comparatively large amplitude of a frequency component in a frequency spectrum of an audio sample;

determine a set of points in the frequency spectrum having amplitude values within an amplitude threshold of the first point, frequency values within a frequency threshold of the first point, and phase values within a phase threshold of the first point;

increment a counter when a distance between (1) a second point in the set of points and (2) the first point satisfies a distance threshold;

when the counter satisfies a counter threshold, generate a contour trace, the contour trace including the set of points; and

remove the contour trace from the audio sample when the amplitude values of the set of points satisfies an outlier threshold.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the distance threshold is satisfied when a complex distance between the first point and the second point is less than the distance threshold.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to generate the contour trace by stepping forward and backward in time from the first point, the contour trace to terminate when the counter threshold is satisfied, the counter threshold corresponding to a maximum number of successive time frames during which a point is not found with amplitude satisfying the amplitude threshold, frequency satisfying the frequency threshold, and phase satisfying the phase threshold relative to another point of the contour trace.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to determine points of comparatively large amplitude for a representative number of frequencies in the audio sample and to generate contours for a specified percentage of the points of comparatively large amplitude in the audio sample.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to determine if the contour trace is an outlier based on a statistical distance from a parameter of the contour trace.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to perform a short-time Fourier transform with a specified windowing length and window time frame on the audio sample.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 13 , wherein the set of points of the contour trace occur in succession within the distance threshold of one another or the first point.

15. A method to reduce harmonic noise, the method comprising:

determining a first point of comparatively large amplitude of a frequency component in a frequency spectrum of an audio sample;

determining a set of points in the frequency spectrum having amplitude values within an amplitude threshold of the first point, frequency values within a frequency threshold of the first point, and phase values within a phase threshold of the first point;

incrementing a counter when a distance between (1) a second point in the set of points and (2) the first point satisfies a distance threshold;

when the counter satisfies a counter threshold, generating a contour trace, the contour trace including the set of points; and

removing the contour trace from the audio sample when the amplitude values of the set of points satisfies an outlier threshold.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the distance threshold is satisfied when a complex distance between the first point and the second point is less than the distance threshold.

17. The method of claim 15 , further including generating the contour trace by stepping forward and backward in time from the first point, the contour trace to terminate when the counter threshold is satisfied, the counter threshold corresponding to a maximum number of successive time frames during which a point is not found with amplitude satisfying the amplitude threshold, frequency satisfying the frequency threshold, and phase satisfying the phase threshold relative to another point of the contour trace.

18. The method of claim 15 , further including determining points of comparatively large amplitude for a representative number of frequencies in the audio sample and to generate contours for a specified percentage of the points of comparatively large amplitude in the audio sample.

19. The method of claim 15 , further including determining if the contour trace is an outlier based on a statistical distance from a parameter of the contour trace.

20. The method of claim 15 , further including performing a short-time Fourier transform with a specified windowing length and window time frame on the audio sample.

Assignments (4)
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 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 28, 2020
From: MCCALLUM, MATTHEW
To: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLC
Reel/Frame 053910/0333 →
Continuity (3)
Continuation 16298633 · Mar 11, 2019
Continuation 15794870 · Oct 26, 2017
Related Publication 20200357424A1 · Nov 12, 2020
Cited By (1)
US 12,217,766