Patent ID: 6990443

Claim:
A method for classifying signals comprising: dividing an input signal into blocks having a predetermined time length; extracting one or more than one characteristic quantities of a signal attribute from the signal of each block; and classifying the signal of each block into a category according to the characteristic quantities thereof, wherein said signal of each block is classified into any of the categories formed on the basis of types of signal sources, and wherein said signal of each block is classified into any of the categories formed on the basis of types structures that signals may have and do not depend on the types of signal sources, wherein said input signal is an audio signal; and the categories formed on the basis of structures that signals may have and do not depend on the types of signal sources for classifying the audio signal of each block include one or more than one of a silence structure where no significant sound exists in the block, a single sound source structure where only a sound related to a single sound source exists in the block, a double sound source structure where sounds related respectively to two sound sources exist in the block, a sound source change structure where a sound source including silence is switched only for one in the block, a multiple sound source change structure where a plurality of sound sources are switched simultaneously in the block, a sound source partial change structure where part of a plurality of sound sources are switched in the block and an extra structure pattern where none of the above patterns is applicable and are used for categorical classification based on the structures.