Expansion Techniques of Embedding Audio Watermark Data Rate for Constructing Ubiquitous Acoustic Spaces

Abstract

We are proposing “Ubiquitous Acoustic Spaces”, where each sound source can emit some address information with audio signals and make us automatically access to its related cyber space, using handheld devices such as cellphones. In order to realize this concept, we have considered three types of extraction methods, which were an acoustic modulation, an audio fingerprint, and an audio watermark technique. Then we have proposed a novel audio watermarking technique, which enables contactless asynchronous detection of embedded audio watermarks through speaker and microphone devices. However its embedding data rate was around 10 [bps], which was not sufficient for embedding generally used URL address texts.
Therefore, we have extended the embedding frequency range and proposed a duplicated embedding algorithm, which uses both previously proposed frequency division method and temporal division method together. By these improvements, possible embedding data rate could be extended to 61.5 [bps], and we could extract watermarks through public telephone networks, even from a cell phone sound source.
In this paper, we describe abstracts of our improved watermark embedding and extracting algorithms, and experimental results of watermark extraction precision on several audio signal capturing conditions.