Patent ID: 8041563

Claim:
An apparatus for coding a wideband audio signal, comprising: first dividing means for dividing the wideband audio signal into a plurality of frames; second dividing means for dividing each frame divided by the first dividing means into a plurality of frequency bands; detecting means, for each frequency band, for detecting whether there is activity in each frequency band, based on noise characteristics; first coding means for quantizing the frequency bands and variable length coding the quantized frequency bands; second coding means for transforming a spectrum of the frequency bands into a parameter; determining means for determining which one of the first coding means and second coding means each of the frequency bands is subject to based on the detected activity; calculating means for calculating a first characteristic of one frame and a second characteristic of all frequency bands subject to coding by the second coding means in the one frame; and adjusting means for adjusting a target code amount to be used by the first coding means based on a ratio of the first characteristic and the second characteristic.