A method and system for realizing global broadcast conference

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method and system for realizing a global broadcast conference. The method comprises the following steps: creating a global broadcast conference during a group conference; after the global broadcast conference is successfully established, adding a first virtual member to the global broadcast conference and adding a second virtual member to each group conference; using the first virtual member and the second virtual member to cascade each group conference respectively; using the cascaded group conference to conduct a global broadcast conference. The present invention saves system resources when conducting a global broadcast conference in an existing conference system by adding a cascade relationship to the group conference, and at the same time does not affect the existing conference structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for realizing a global broadcast conference, and also relates to a corresponding global broadcast conference system, belonging to the technical field of multimedia communication. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the working scenario of the IP multimedia integrated command and control system in the prior art. Figure 1 As shown, when a group conference is held, the control terminal needs to control each group conference separately. When a global broadcast conference is required, the chairman of the conference needs to use the control terminal to create and initiate a new session, add the global conference members to the conference one by one, and form a new multi-party session composed of global members. The above scheme has the following defects: 1. When the number of members in the global area is large, it is necessary to apply for more system resources to form a conference with too many people, which will exceed the specifications and capabilities that the conference system can bear. 2. If a super-large conference is created, the system needs to synchronize the status and other information between members, and the complexity of the system processing the conference also increases exponentially. 3. In some scenarios, when a global broadcast conference is initiated, the original group conference still needs to remain open, but if the conference terminal does not have multi-channel voice capabilities, the original group conference must be stopped and a new conference must be initiated.

[0003] In the Chinese invention patent with patent number ZL 201610228313.1, a conference control method is disclosed. The conference control method includes the following steps: when receiving conference data sent by a conference terminal in a cascaded conference venue, obtaining the level of the conference terminal and the conference group to which the conference terminal belongs; determining the conference terminal that receives the conference data according to the obtained level and the conference group; and sending the conference data to the determined conference terminal. The invention can realize the cascading of multiple remote conference venues and conduct cascade conferences. When conducting cascade conferences, the conference group and the level of the conference group in which different conference terminals are located are determined according to the identity information of different conference terminals, and the conference data received from other conference terminals are selectively sent to the conference terminal according to the conference group of the conference terminal in the cascaded conference and its level in the conference group.

[0004] In addition, in the Chinese patent application with application number 202010093682.0, a video conferencing system and a multi-level cascade communication method are disclosed, in which the main control server controls the establishment of a cascade communication relationship between the video conferencing servers. For the video conferencing server, no matter which level it is at, the complexity of related business processing is the same; for the main control server, the increase in the number of levels is just to send a few more messages, and the business complexity will not increase too much, which reduces the business complexity in the video conference and reduces the limit on the number of cascade levels. Summary of the invention

[0005] The primary technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a method for realizing a global broadcast conference.

[0006] Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a global broadcast conference system.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a method for implementing a global broadcast conference is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0009] During the group meeting, create a global broadcast meeting;

[0010] After the global broadcast conference is successfully established, add the first virtual member to the global broadcast conference and add the second virtual member to each group conference;

[0011] Utilizing the first virtual member and the second virtual member, cascading each of the group meetings respectively;

[0012] Use cascaded group conferences to conduct global broadcast conferences.

[0013] Preferably, a session is established between the first virtual member and the second virtual member through signaling interaction.

[0014] Preferably, a session is established between the first virtual member and the control terminal through signaling interaction, and a session is established between the second virtual member and a member of a group conference through signaling interaction.

[0015] Preferably, the method further includes releasing the virtual members in the broadcast conference after the global broadcast conference ends.

[0016] Preferably, the method further includes adding a discrete member to the global broadcast conference, and establishing a session between the discrete member and the first virtual member.

[0017] Preferably, the signaling is sent by negotiating in a unidirectional manner.

[0018] Preferably, the request sent when adding a member includes the conference type, user number, and media direction information; the request sent when cascading includes the cascading operation type and the ID identification list information of the group conferences participating in the cascading.

[0019] According to a second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a global broadcast conference system is provided, including a control terminal and a background server; wherein:

[0020] The background server is used to create a global broadcast conference during the process of the group conference; after the global broadcast conference is successfully established, add a first virtual member to the global broadcast conference and add a second virtual member to each group conference; and use the first virtual member and the second virtual member to cascade each group conference respectively; and use the cascaded group conference to conduct a global broadcast conference and establish a session between the control terminal and the first virtual member.

[0021] Preferably, the background server enables the first virtual member and the second virtual member to establish a session through signaling interaction.

[0022] Preferably, the background server enables the first virtual member to establish a session with the control terminal through signaling interaction, and the second virtual member to establish a session with a member of a group conference through signaling interaction.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention connects the audio channels of the original group conferences by adding a cascade relationship to the group conferences, and can initiate a new global broadcast conference without increasing the system burden and changing the original conference group. The present invention can save system resources when conducting a global broadcast conference, and will not affect the existing conference structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the working scene of the IP multimedia integrated command and control system in the prior art;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a usage scenario of the global broadcast conference system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a flow chart of a method for implementing a global broadcast conference provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The technical content of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] like Figure 2As shown, the global broadcast conference system provided by the embodiment of the present invention is an integrated command and control system based on IP streaming media technology. Multiple group conferences have been established in the global broadcast conference system, namely group conference 1, group conference 2 and group conference 3. Group conference 1 includes conference members A, B and C (first members), group conference 2 includes conference members E, F and G (first members), and group conference 3 includes conference members H, J and K (first members). At the same time, the system also includes discrete members N and P (second members) who have partially logged in but have not actually joined the meeting. The first member refers to the conference member who has joined the group conference; the second member refers to the member waiting to join the conference.

[0029] In different embodiments of the present invention, the global broadcast conference system includes a control terminal, a creation module, an addition module, and a release module. In this embodiment, a global conference is initiated when the control terminal does not join a group conference. However, in fact, regardless of whether the control terminal joins or not, a group conference can initiate a global conference.

[0030] The control terminal may be a terminal independent of the group conference, which is only responsible for maintaining the organization of the conference and has no control function. It may also have both control function and joining function, or it may be an existing member of the original group conference. There is no specific restriction here.

[0031] <First Embodiment>

[0032] The method flow of the global broadcast conference system provided by the present invention to realize the global broadcast conference (hereinafter referred to as global conference) is as follows (refer to Figure 3 ):

[0033] S1. During the group conference, the control terminal creates a global broadcast conference, which is a brand new conference.

[0034] When the control terminal initiates a global broadcast conference, the audio negotiation is unidirectional, that is, only voice can be input, and audio cannot be output. The broadcast conference is a new conference different from any of the group conferences established in the global broadcast conference system.

[0035] The control terminal creates a conference by sending a "conference creation request" message, which is transmitted based on the HTTP protocol and carries private JSON-formatted fields, including conference type, user number, media (such as audio) direction and other necessary information. The global broadcast conference system can create different modes of media according to different conference types. For example, when broadcasting a conference, the control terminal of the global broadcast conference system provides a one-way media session for the specified user number, that is, the user can only speak and will not hear the sound output by the global broadcast conference system.

[0036] In a media session, for example, a call between terminal X and terminal Y participating in a broadcast is performed. Audio data is sent between terminal X and terminal Y to transmit sound. The data is a data stream called a media stream. The channel for sending the media stream between terminal X and terminal Y is the media channel.

[0037] There are many directions of media streams. For terminal X and terminal Y, they can both send and receive streams (that is, they can speak and listen), and the direction mark is sendrecv; they can only send streams but not receive streams (that is, they can speak but not listen), and the direction mark is sendonly; they cannot send streams but can receive streams (that is, they can listen but not speak), and the direction mark is recvonly; they can neither send nor receive streams (that is, they cannot speak or listen), and the direction mark is inactive.

[0038] The above states are completed through signaling negotiation between terminal X and terminal Y during the process of establishing a session. Because the terminal that needs to broadcast only retains the ability to speak, the terminal that broadcasts only needs to send streams and does not need to receive streams. That is, for the system, the capability identifier of the terminal that broadcasts is sendonly, while the global broadcast conference system is recvonly relative to the terminal that broadcasts.

[0039] S2. After the global broadcast conference is successfully established, a first virtual member is added to the global broadcast conference, and a second virtual member is added to each group conference.

[0040] After the global broadcast conference is successfully established, the control terminal initiates a request to add a conference cascade. It is assumed that the group conferences that need to be added in the global broadcast conference system are group conference 1, group conference 2, and group conference 3. The control terminal cascades with group conference 1, group conference 2, and group conference 3 respectively, and cascades in the form of virtual members.

[0041] Cascade with group conference 1, group conference 2 and group conference 3 respectively. In the cascading process, virtual members are created respectively, such as global broadcast conference virtual member 1Y (first virtual member) and group virtual member 1X (second virtual member). A session is established through signaling interaction between virtual members to realize the connection of audio channels, where 1X represents a seat in group conference 1 and 1Y represents a seat in the global conference.

[0042] The cascade request message involved in the embodiment of the present invention is a customized private message, which is transmitted based on HTTP and carries a control message in json format, mainly including the cascade operation type and a list of ID identifiers of each meeting that needs to participate in the cascade. The control terminal sends the cascade message to the service port preset by the global broadcast conference system to broadcast it to each conference member.

[0043] Cascading breakout sessions involve the following steps:

[0044] S21. Add a second virtual member in each group conference.

[0045] like Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , before the global broadcast conference is conducted, the global broadcast conference system has created at least two group conferences ( Figure 2 For example, by creating a request for group conference 1, group conference members A, B, and C of group conference 1 are added to group conference 1, and a conversation is conducted between the conference members of group conference 1 through signaling. In addition, members E to G are added to group conference 2 and members H to K are added to group conference 3 in the same way. The creation of each group conference 1 to 3 is completed.

[0046] The backend server adds virtual members to each group conference, for example, adds virtual member 1X to group conference 1, so that the conference members in group conference 1 are A, B, C and 1X. Virtual conference member (second virtual member) 1X establishes media channels with each member in group conference 1.

[0047] Similarly, the background server adds a virtual member to the group conference 2. Specifically, a second virtual member 2X is added to the group conference 2 (the members of the group conference 2 become E, F, G and 2X). A second virtual member 3X is added to the conference group 3.

[0048] S22. Add a first virtual member to the global broadcast conference.

[0049] The background server adds the first virtual member 1Y in the global conference, and establishes a session connection between the first virtual member 1Y and the second virtual member 1X. In addition, preferably, it also includes adjusting the media direction of the media channel between the first virtual member and the second virtual member according to the position of the speaker of the global broadcast conference. For example, if the speaker in the global broadcast conference is A, the direction is set from the second virtual member to the first virtual member (1X->1Y). If the speaker is not A, the direction can be set from the second virtual member to the first virtual member (1Y->1X).

[0050] The corresponding first virtual member and the second virtual member can realize the conference

[0051] Similarly, first virtual members 2Y and 3Y are added to the global broadcast conference, and a session is established between the second virtual member 2X and the first virtual member 2Y; a session is established between the second virtual member 3X and the first virtual member 3Y. In this way, sessions are established between the corresponding first virtual members and second virtual members respectively.

[0052] S3. Cascade each group conference separately by using the first virtual member and the second virtual member.

[0053] A session is established between the first virtual member and the corresponding second virtual member. For example, a global broadcast conference virtual member 1Y (first virtual member) and a group virtual member 1X (second virtual member) establish a session through signaling interaction between virtual members, and establish a multimedia (such as audio) channel, where 1X represents a virtual member in group conference 1, and 1Y represents a virtual conference member in the global conference.

[0054] Specifically, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the second virtual member 1X in group conference 1 and the first virtual member 1Y; there is a one-to-one correspondence between the second virtual member 2X in group conference 2 and the first virtual member 2Y; there is a one-to-one correspondence between the second virtual member 3X in group conference 3 and the first virtual member 3Y. In this way, a media channel is established between the first virtual member 1Y in the global broadcast conference and the second virtual member 1X in the group conference; a media channel is established between the first virtual member 2Y in the global broadcast conference and the second virtual member 2X in the group conference; and a media channel is established between the first virtual member 3Y in the global broadcast conference and the second virtual member 3X in the group conference.

[0055] In other words, each group conference has a newly added second virtual member, and in the global broadcast conference there are first virtual members corresponding to each second virtual member, and a session is established between the corresponding first virtual members and the second virtual members.

[0056] In this way, by utilizing the one-to-one channel between the second virtual members 1X, 2X and 3X in the group conference and the first virtual members 1Y, 2Y and 3Y in the global broadcast conference, the conference members of each group conference participating in the meeting are converted into virtual members of the global broadcast conference.

[0057] Thus, multiple first virtual members (1Y, 2Y, 3Y) are added to the global broadcast conference, and a first conference connection is established between these first virtual members, so that the first virtual members can interact with each other through streaming media; then the second conference connection between the first virtual member and its corresponding second virtual member (a session connection has been established between the two), and the second virtual member establishes a third conference connection with each member in each group conference. Therefore, in the global broadcast conference, multiple group conferences (group conference 1 and group conference 2) are cascaded using these three-level conference connections.

[0058] The cascade request is transmitted based on the HTTP protocol and carries a private field in a preset format, including the cascade operation type and the ID identification list information of the group conferences participating in the cascade. The cascade request is sent to the preset service port of the background server.

[0059] S4. Use the cascaded group conferences to conduct global broadcast conferences.

[0060] This multi-level conference connection method allows multiple members (1Y, 2Y, 3Y, etc.) in a global broadcast conference to cascade a group conference (group conference 1, group conference 2, group conference 3, etc.). By increasing the number of members in the global broadcast conference, the number of group conferences in the global broadcast conference can be increased. Therefore, it can be more efficient, reduce the business complexity in video conferencing, and reduce the limit on the number of cascade levels.

[0061] S5. After the global broadcast ends, the cascade relationship between the global broadcast conference and each group conference is disconnected.

[0062] After the global broadcast ends, the control terminal can disconnect the cascade relationship of each group conference one by one and restore to the state before the global broadcast conference is started.

[0063] Specifically, the conference connection between the first virtual member and the second virtual member is disconnected. In addition, the second virtual member in each group conference is deleted from the group conference.

[0064] <Second Embodiment>

[0065] The first embodiment discusses that before the global broadcast conference is conducted, the global broadcast conference system has created at least two group conferences ( Figure 2 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , group meeting 1, group meeting 2, and group meeting 3 are shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, a global broadcast conference is conducted simultaneously with members of multiple group conferences and discrete members N and P outside the group conferences.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, discrete members N and P do not participate in any group conference. That is, discrete members are members independent of group conferences. Therefore, the following steps are required to implement a global broadcast conference between multiple group conference members and discrete members.

[0067] S1', during the group conference, the control terminal creates a global broadcast conference, which is a brand new conference.

[0068] S2': After the global broadcast conference is successfully established, a first virtual member is added to the global broadcast conference, and a second virtual member is added to each group conference.

[0069] S3', cascading each group conference respectively by using the first virtual member and the second virtual member.

[0070] S4', add discrete members to the global broadcast conference.

[0071] The control terminal initiates a request to add a member, adds the discrete member to the global broadcast conference, and establishes a session between the discrete member and the first virtual member; and establishes a session between the discrete member and the second virtual member.

[0072] When the control terminal adds conference members (such as discrete members or group members) in the global broadcast conference, the method is similar to the above method of adding members in the group conference. The control terminal sends an "add member" request, which is transmitted based on the HTTP protocol and carries a control message in json format. Figure 2 The conference members P and N shown in are discrete members, so they do not affect the group conferences 1 to 3.

[0073] Because the global broadcast conference system records and updates the user status of all users who log in to the system, the control terminal can obtain the user status through the user status query function in the system, including whether they are logged in online, whether they have joined the conference, etc. When the conference organization is created and after the creation and activation, the control terminal can add specific users as conference members through the "Add Member" message.

[0074] S5', use the cascaded group conference to conduct a global broadcast conference.

[0075] S6': After the global broadcast ends, the cascade relationship with each group conference is disconnected and the discrete members are released.

[0076] All group conference members and dispersed members are restored to the state before the global broadcast conference was started. Therefore, group conference members can continue the group conference; dispersed members end the conference.

[0077] When a global broadcast conference cascades group conferences and adds discrete users, the signaling process uses one-way media transmission, that is, the sendonly mode of negotiation, to achieve one-way transmission of sound from the global conference to the group conference. If feedback is required from the group conference during the global broadcast process, the signaling re-negotiation method can be used to dynamically adjust the group conference media to two-way transmission and reception, that is, the sendrecv mode.

[0078] In order to solve the shortcomings of the existing global broadcasting solution, under the requirement of minimizing the impact on the original group conferences, the embodiment of the present invention is designed to initiate a new global session, and connect the audio channels of the original group conferences through inter-conference cascading, and at the same time control the direction of the original group conference media session to ensure that the new global conference achieves the broadcasting effect.

[0079] Because in the above usage scenario, the global conference initiation and conference cascading process are implemented through the background server, the terminals in the original group conference cannot perceive the changes in the conference. Even if the conference terminal is a single-channel IP phone, it will not affect the access of the new session. After the global broadcast conference ends, the original group conference can continue.

[0080] For the backend that provides broadcast conference services, since the conference specifications will not be expanded, the system can be transformed and incrementally developed based on the existing conference specifications. The development method is more flexible and has lower hardware requirements.

[0081] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the order of the aforementioned steps can be adjusted or combined. For example, the second virtual member can be added to the group conference first, and then the first virtual member can be added to the global broadcast conference; the first virtual member can be added to the global broadcast conference first, and then the second virtual member can be added to the group conference; or even the first virtual member can be added to the global broadcast conference and the second virtual member can be added to the group conference at the same time. For another example, after adding the second virtual member to the group conference, the discrete member and the first virtual member can be added to the global broadcast conference at the same time; or the discrete member can be added to the global broadcast conference first, and then the first virtual member can be added. Similarly, the order of releasing members can also be changed.

[0082] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the members may include computers, mobile phones and other communication devices with voice functions, and the control terminal may be a computer, server, mobile phone and other network devices that can process voice requests and communicate.

[0083] The present invention can achieve the following technical effects by adding a conference cascade relationship to the existing conference system: 1. For scenarios with a large number of members in the system domain, the successful creation of a global broadcast conference is guaranteed; 2. For terminals with only one voice service capability in the conference, the original conference does not need to be exited or closed, and the impact on the original business is minimal; 3. No major modifications are required to the original conference of the system, and no additional related resources need to be reserved.

[0084] The present invention also provides a global broadcast conference system. Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the system includes a control terminal and a background server. The background server includes a processor and a memory, and the processor executes the program module stored in the memory to implement the corresponding function. The processor includes a kernel, and the kernel retrieves the corresponding program unit from the memory. One or more kernels can be set, and the initiation and termination of the global broadcast conference service can be guaranteed by adjusting the kernel parameters, and the existing services of the various group conference terminals in the system are not affected. The present invention improves the specification of the number of concurrent members of the system conference through incremental modification, without requiring a major modification of the system or reserving a large amount of system resources.

[0085] The background server creates a global broadcast conference during the group conference; after the global broadcast conference is successfully established, it adds a first virtual member to the global broadcast conference and adds a second virtual member to each group conference; and uses the first virtual member and the second virtual member to cascade each group conference respectively; and uses the cascaded group conferences to conduct a global broadcast conference.

[0086] A session is directly established between the control terminal and the first virtual member.

[0087] Compared with the prior art, the present invention connects the audio channels of the original group conferences by adding a cascade relationship to the group conferences, and can initiate a new global broadcast conference without increasing the system burden and changing the original conference group. The present invention can save system resources when conducting a global broadcast conference, and will not affect the existing conference structure.

[0088] The above is a detailed description of the method and system for realizing global broadcast conference provided by the present invention. For those skilled in the art, any obvious changes made to it without departing from the essence of the present invention will constitute an infringement of the patent right of the present invention and will bear corresponding legal responsibilities.

Claims

1. A method for implementing a global broadcast conference, characterized in that The steps include: During the group meeting, create a global broadcast meeting; After the global broadcast conference is successfully established, a first virtual member is added to the global broadcast conference, and a second virtual member is added to each group conference; Utilizing the first virtual member and the second virtual member, cascading each of the group meetings respectively; Use the cascaded group conference to conduct a global broadcast conference. The cascade request message is a customized private message, which is transmitted based on HTTP and carries a control message in json format, including the cascade operation type and the ID list of each conference that needs to participate in the cascade. The control terminal sends the cascade message to the service port preset by the global broadcast conference system to broadcast it to each conference member; when the global broadcast conference cascades the group conference and adds discrete users, the media is sent unidirectionally during the signaling process, and the sendonly mode is negotiated to achieve unidirectional transmission of sound from the global conference to the group conference; After the global broadcast ends, the control terminal disconnects the cascade relationship of each group conference one by one, restores to the state before the global broadcast conference is started, disconnects the conference connection between the first virtual member and the second virtual member, and deletes the second virtual member in each group conference from the group conference; The global conference initiation and conference cascading process are implemented through the background server, and the terminals in the group conference cannot perceive the changes in the conference.

2. The method for implementing a global broadcast conference as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A session is established between the first virtual member and the second virtual member through signaling interaction.

3. The method for implementing a global broadcast conference as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: A session is established between the first virtual member and the control terminal through signaling interaction, and a session is established between the second virtual member and a member of a group conference through signaling interaction.

4. The method for implementing a global broadcast conference as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that: After the global broadcast conference ends, the virtual member in the broadcast conference is released.

5. The method for implementing a global broadcast conference as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that The following steps are also included: A discrete member is added to the global broadcast conference, and a session is established between the discrete member and the first virtual member.

6. The method for implementing a global broadcast conference as claimed in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that: Negotiate the sending of signaling in a one-way media transmission mode.

7. The method for implementing a global broadcast conference as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that: The request sent when adding a member includes the conference type, user number, and media direction information; the request sent when cascading includes the cascading operation type and the ID identification list information of the group conferences participating in the cascading.

8. A global broadcast conference system, characterized in that Including control terminal and background server; The backend server is used to create a global broadcast conference during the group conference; after the global broadcast conference is successfully established, add a first virtual member to the global broadcast conference and add a second virtual member to each group conference; and use the first virtual member and the second virtual member to cascade each group conference respectively; and use the cascaded group conference to conduct a global broadcast conference. A session is established between the control terminal and the first virtual member. The control terminal and the background server are used to implement the method for implementing a global broadcast conference as described in any one of claims 1 to 5.

9. The global broadcast conference system according to claim 8, characterized in that: The background server enables the first virtual member and the second virtual member to establish a session through signaling interaction.

10. The global broadcast conference system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The background server enables the first virtual member to establish a session with the control terminal through signaling interaction, and the second virtual member to establish a session with a member of a group conference through signaling interaction.

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