Method for improving communication quality and cost of talkback equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a method for improving communication quality and cost of talkback equipment, which comprises the following steps of: S1, dividing a video code rate to be set into a high gear, a medium gear and a low gear, and setting a proper video code rate according to different requirements for an actual communication scene; the intercom device initiates a call request to one or more opposite-end devices through a sip protocol, and the multiple opposite-end devices can be called at the same time in a one-call-to-many scene. According to the method, the video code rate is divided into three gears of high, medium and low, and the dynamic code rate adjustment is performed according to the application scene, so that the video code rate can be dynamically adjusted according to specific requirements, and the method is more flexible compared with a general code rate adjustment mode, and on one hand, better picture quality can be provided for intranet equipment; and on the other hand, for the public network APP, the video fluency can be improved, the data communication cost is reduced, and the quality and the cost are kept balanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of improving the communication quality of intercom equipment, and in particular to a method for improving the communication quality and cost of intercom equipment. Background Art

[0002] In the VOIP-based video call scenario, since there are various forms of intercom equipment, the door phone, as the caller, supports calls with the LAN indoor phone device as the called party, and also supports video calls with the public network mobile phone APP. When the called party is the LAN (intranet) indoor phone, the network is relatively stable, and the image quality requirements are higher at this time; when the other end is the public network (extranet) mobile phone APP, due to the instability of the network, there are greater restrictions on the bandwidth; and in the scenario of one call to many, it is necessary to consider both image quality and bandwidth cost.

[0003] The current common solution is to control data bandwidth and picture quality by adjusting the video bit rate. The mainstream video bit rate adjustment modes include constant bit rate CBR, variable bit rate VBR, and average bit rate ABR. In CBR mode, the video bit rate remains unchanged during the entire playback process. VBR can dynamically adjust the bit rate according to the complexity of the video content. ABR is similar to VBR, but will try to keep the overall average bit rate close to the set value. However, these bit rate adjustment methods are too general and cannot be flexibly adjusted according to specific actual scenarios.

[0004] In the one-call-many usage scenario, when using the low-bitrate CBR communication method, although it can solve the problems of screen freeze and high cost caused by bandwidth limitations on the mobile phone APP side, it will cause the video quality of the indoor unit to deteriorate; similarly, when using the high-bitrate VBR, although it can meet the quality requirements of the indoor unit, it is easy to have freeze problems on the mobile phone APP side. These problems have a great impact on the user experience; in view of this, the present application proposes a method for improving the communication quality and cost of intercom equipment. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on the technical problems existing in the background technology, the present invention proposes a method for improving the communication quality and cost of intercom equipment.

[0006] A method for improving the communication quality and cost of an intercom device proposed by the present invention comprises the following steps:

[0007] S1: The video bitrate to be set is divided into three levels: high, medium and low. The appropriate video bitrate is set according to different requirements for actual communication scenarios. Call the peer device to establish a call: The intercom device initiates a call request to the peer device through the SIP protocol. The peer device may be one or more. In the scenario of one call to multiple devices, multiple peer devices will be called at the same time. That is, there are three situations: single intranet device, single extranet device, and mixed intranet and extranet devices.

[0008] S2: Check whether the peer device is a single external network device: Get the network type of the called intercom device. According to the design logic, the calling device has saved the peer device type. If the peer device is an external network device, set the bit rate to a low level and do not change it after the call is established. Otherwise, enter S3.

[0009] S3: Check whether the other end device is a single intranet device: if it is determined that the other end is an intranet device, the bit rate is set to a high bit rate and will not be changed after the call is established, otherwise enter S4;

[0010] S4: The peer device is a mixed intranet and extranet device: If the peer device includes both intranet and extranet devices, you need to set the bit rate of the video encoder to the middle level and keep it until the other party picks up the call;

[0011] S5: Entering the early media phase before the other end picks up: When the other end device has not picked up, the call enters the early media phase, and only needs to maintain the current bit rate and wait for the other end to pick up;

[0012] S6: Check whether the answering device is an external network device: After the call is answered, there is only one device on the other end. According to the design logic, the answering device is matched in the calling device list to obtain the device type;

[0013] S7: Switch to low bit rate when the connected party is an external network device: When the connected party is an external network device, it is necessary to switch from the medium bit rate in the early media stage to the low bit rate, and keep it unchanged during the call after the call is connected;

[0014] S8: Switch to high bitrate when the connected party is an intranet device: If the connected party is an intranet device, it is necessary to switch from the medium bitrate in the early media stage to the high bitrate and keep it unchanged during the call after the connection.

[0015] S9: After the other end picks up the call, a call is formally established: if the receiving party is an intranet device, the bit rate is kept at a low level until the call ends; if the receiving party is an extranet device, the bit rate is kept at a high level until the call ends.

[0016] Preferably, in S1, the three gears of high, medium and low are respectively high bit rate, medium bit rate and low bit rate;

[0017] High bit rate: high picture quality, but large data traffic and high costs;

[0018] Medium bitrate: average data traffic and cost, medium picture quality;

[0019] Low bit rate: data traffic is small and costs are reduced, but the picture quality is poor.

[0020] Preferably, the switching method of the three gear bit rates of high, medium and low is: in order to balance the quality and bit rate during the encoding process, some picture quality details will be sacrificed to maintain a fixed bit rate in complex scenes; in the encoding process of a single video stream, the current video bit rate is obtained through the video encoder query interface. If it is inconsistent with the target bit rate, the bit rate configuration interface of the video encoder is called to actively change the video bit rate. After the call is successful, the device will immediately use the new bit rate for subsequent encoding to achieve switching between different bit rates.

[0021] Preferably, in S1, the actual communication scenarios can be divided into the following four situations:

[0022] A: For scenarios where only LAN indoor units communicate, since there is no traffic cost, the video quality can be improved as much as possible, that is, a high bit rate can be used to establish a call;

[0023] B: For public network mobile phone APP scenarios, which are sensitive to bandwidth and traffic costs, the bit rate should be reduced as much as possible to reduce data traffic and control costs while ensuring the lowest quality. A low bit rate can be used to establish a call.

[0024] C: For scenarios where both LAN indoor units and public network mobile apps exist, a compromise needs to be made between quality and cost, that is, medium bitrate is used to establish calls;

[0025] D: For scenarios where a single device is connected to both the LAN and the public network, select a LAN with no traffic cost and try to improve the video quality. That is, use a high bit rate to establish a call through the LAN.

[0026] Preferably, the specific steps of dynamic bit rate adjustment of high bit rate, medium bit rate and low bit rate in the actual communication scenario according to each stage of the call process are as follows:

[0027] a: Before establishing a call: Before establishing a video call, the type of the called intercom device can be obtained in advance through interface design; if the call is only made with the intranet device, the bit rate is set to high to establish the call, and it will not be changed in the subsequent process; if the call is only made with the public network mobile phone APP, the bit rate is set to low to establish the call, and it will not be changed in the subsequent process; if the call object includes both the intranet intercom device and the public network mobile phone APP, the bit rate is set to medium to establish an early media call; if a single call object is connected to both the intranet and the public network, the intranet path is selected, and the bit rate is set to high to establish the call, and it will not be changed in the subsequent process;

[0028] b: Early media stage (color ringback tone): If a call is only established with the intranet intercom device, a high bit rate call is used in the early media stage; if a call is only established with the public network mobile phone APP, a low bit rate call is used in the early media stage; if the call object includes both the internal and external intercom devices and the public network mobile phone APP, the encoded data needs to be sent to both devices at the same time in the early media stage, and the call is established using a medium bit rate; if a single call object is connected to both the intranet and the public network, the intranet path is selected, and a high bit rate call is used in the early media stage;

[0029] c: After the call is connected: For calls only with intranet intercom devices, keep using high bit rate calls after entering the call stage; For calls only with public network mobile phone APPs, keep using low bit rate calls after entering the call stage; For calls with both internal and external intercom devices and public network mobile phone APPs, it is necessary to determine the bit rate change strategy according to the type of connected device. When the call is connected by the intranet intercom device, the bit rate needs to be switched to high-speed mode to provide better picture quality; and when the call is connected by the public network mobile phone APP, the bit rate needs to be switched to low-speed mode to reduce costs while ensuring picture smoothness; For a single call object connected to both the intranet and the public network, select the intranet path and keep using high bit rate calls after entering the call stage.

[0030] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0031] The present invention divides the video bit rate into three levels of high, medium and low, and dynamically adjusts the bit rate according to the application scenario. It can dynamically adjust the video bit rate according to specific needs. Compared with the general bit rate adjustment method, it is more flexible. On the one hand, it can provide better picture quality for intranet devices, and on the other hand, it can improve the video fluency for public network APPs, while reducing data communication costs. In this way, the picture quality requirements of the intranet indoor unit and the network bandwidth requirements of the public network mobile phone APP can be met at the same time, maintaining a balance between quality and cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 The present invention is a flowchart of a method for improving the communication quality and cost of intercom equipment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention will be further explained below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0034] Example

[0035] Reference Figure 1 This embodiment proposes a method for improving the communication quality and cost of an intercom device, comprising the following steps:

[0036] S1: The video bitrate to be set is divided into three levels: high, medium and low. The appropriate video bitrate is set according to different requirements for actual communication scenarios. Call the peer device to establish a call: The intercom device initiates a call request to the peer device through the SIP protocol. The peer device may be one or more. In the scenario of one call to multiple devices, multiple peer devices will be called at the same time. That is, there are three situations: single intranet device, single extranet device, and mixed intranet and extranet devices.

[0037] S2: Check whether the peer device is a single external network device: Get the network type of the called intercom device. According to the design logic, the calling device has saved the peer device type. If the peer device is an external network device, set the bit rate to a low level and do not change it after the call is established. Otherwise, enter S3.

[0038] S3: Check whether the other end device is a single intranet device: if it is determined that the other end is an intranet device, the bit rate is set to a high bit rate and will not be changed after the call is established, otherwise enter S4;

[0039] S4: The peer device is a mixed intranet and extranet device: If the peer device includes both intranet and extranet devices, you need to set the bit rate of the video encoder to the middle level and keep it until the other party picks up the call;

[0040] S5: Entering the early media phase before the other end picks up: When the other end device has not picked up, the call enters the early media phase, and only needs to maintain the current bit rate and wait for the other end to pick up;

[0041] S6: Check whether the answering device is an external network device: After the call is answered, there is only one device on the other end. According to the design logic, the answering device is matched in the calling device list to obtain the device type;

[0042] S7: Switch to low bit rate when the connected party is an external network device: When the connected party is an external network device, it is necessary to switch from the medium bit rate in the early media stage to the low bit rate, and keep it unchanged during the call after the call is connected;

[0043] S8: Switch to high bitrate when the connected party is an intranet device: If the connected party is an intranet device, it is necessary to switch from the medium bitrate in the early media stage to the high bitrate and keep it unchanged during the call after the connection.

[0044] S9: After the other end picks up the call, a call is formally established: if the receiving party is an intranet device, the bit rate is kept at a low level until the call ends; if the receiving party is an extranet device, the bit rate is kept at a high level until the call ends.

[0045] Specifically, in S1, the three gears are high bit rate, medium bit rate and low bit rate respectively; high bit rate: high picture quality, but large data traffic and increased costs; medium bit rate: average data traffic and cost, medium picture quality; low bit rate: small data traffic and reduced costs, but poor picture quality.

[0046] Furthermore, the switching method of the three levels of bit rate, high, medium and low, is as follows: in order to balance the quality and bit rate during the encoding process, some picture quality details will be sacrificed to maintain a fixed bit rate in complex scenes; in the encoding process of a single video stream, the current video bit rate is obtained through the video encoder query interface. If it is inconsistent with the target bit rate, the video encoder bit rate configuration interface is called to actively change the video bit rate. After the call is successful, the device will immediately use the new bit rate for subsequent encoding to achieve switching between different bit rates.

[0047] Furthermore, the actual communication scenarios can be divided into the following four cases:

[0048] A: For scenarios where only the LAN indoor unit communicates, since there is no traffic cost, the video quality can be improved as much as possible, that is, a high bit rate can be used to establish a call; B: For public network mobile phone APP scenarios, which are sensitive to bandwidth and traffic costs, the bit rate can be reduced as much as possible to reduce data traffic and control costs while ensuring the lowest quality, that is, a low bit rate can be used to establish a call; C: For scenarios where both LAN indoor units and public network mobile phone APPs exist, a compromise needs to be made between quality and cost, that is, a medium bit rate should be used to establish a call; D: For scenarios where a single device is connected to both the LAN and the public network, a LAN with no traffic cost is selected to improve the video quality as much as possible, that is, a high bit rate should be used to establish a call through the LAN.

[0049] Furthermore, in actual communication scenarios, the dynamic bitrate adjustment of high bitrate, medium bitrate and low bitrate is carried out according to the specific steps of each stage of the call process as follows:

[0050] a: Before establishing a call: Before establishing a video call, the type of the called intercom device can be obtained in advance through interface design; if the call is only made with the intranet device, the bit rate is set to high to establish the call, and it will not be changed in the subsequent process; if the call is only made with the public network mobile phone APP, the bit rate is set to low to establish the call, and it will not be changed in the subsequent process; if the call object includes both the intranet intercom device and the public network mobile phone APP, the bit rate is set to medium to establish an early media call; if a single call object is connected to both the intranet and the public network, the intranet path is selected, and the bit rate is set to high to establish the call, and it will not be changed in the subsequent process;

[0051] b: Early media stage (color ringback tone): If a call is only established with the intranet intercom device, a high bit rate call is used in the early media stage; if a call is only established with the public network mobile phone APP, a low bit rate call is used in the early media stage; if the call object includes both the internal and external intercom devices and the public network mobile phone APP, the encoded data needs to be sent to both devices at the same time in the early media stage, and the call is established using a medium bit rate; if a single call object is connected to both the intranet and the public network, the intranet path is selected, and a high bit rate call is used in the early media stage;

[0052] c: After the call is connected: For calls only with intranet intercom devices, keep using high bit rate calls after entering the call stage; For calls only with public network mobile phone APPs, keep using low bit rate calls after entering the call stage; For calls with both internal and external intercom devices and public network mobile phone APPs, it is necessary to determine the bit rate change strategy according to the type of connected device. When the call is connected by the intranet intercom device, the bit rate needs to be switched to high-speed mode to provide better picture quality; and when the call is connected by the public network mobile phone APP, the bit rate needs to be switched to low-speed mode to reduce costs while ensuring picture smoothness; For a single call object connected to both the intranet and the public network, select the intranet path and keep using high bit rate calls after entering the call stage.

[0053] Distinction between network types: the identification of public network and intranet is based on IP address. If the IP is within the private address range, it is considered as intranet, otherwise it is public network; (the "public network" and "extranet" in the above description are equivalent to "local area network" and "intranet");

[0054] According to RFC1918, private IP addresses can be divided into three categories: Class A 10.0.0.0-10.255.255.255, Class B 172.16.0.0-172.31.255.255, and Class C 192.168.0.0-192.168.255.255.

[0055] In this embodiment, the solution can also be applied to the following scenarios:

[0056] 1. Weak network: This solution can be used in weak network environments similar to APP, such as when WiFi is affected by signal quality, resulting in low network stability; 2. Load: It can be implemented according to the device load. When the device load is too high, the bit rate can be reduced to reduce the consumption of CPU and memory resources; 3. Cost: When the network line traffic is too expensive, this solution can also be used to reduce costs; 4. Bandwidth: According to the specific situation of network bandwidth, when the bandwidth becomes low, switch to a lower bit rate, and when the bandwidth is sufficient, switch to a high bit rate; 5. Preset strategy: Adjust according to special scenarios or time, such as switching to the appropriate bit rate according to the peak and off-peak time periods of network usage.

[0057] This embodiment divides the video bit rate into three levels: high, medium and low, and dynamically adjusts the bit rate according to the application scenario. It can dynamically adjust the video bit rate according to specific needs. Compared with the general bit rate adjustment method, it is more flexible. On the one hand, it can provide better picture quality for intranet devices, and on the other hand, it can improve video fluency for public network APPs while reducing data communication costs.

[0058] The above description is only a preferred specific implementation manner of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can make equivalent replacements or changes according to the technical scheme and inventive concept of the present invention within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for improving the communication quality and cost of intercom equipment, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1: The video bitrate to be set is divided into three levels: high, medium and low. The appropriate video bitrate is set according to different requirements for actual communication scenarios. Call the peer device to establish a call: The intercom device initiates a call request to the peer device through the SIP protocol. The peer device may be one or more. In the scenario of one call to multiple devices, multiple peer devices will be called at the same time. That is, there are three situations: single intranet device, single extranet device, and mixed intranet and extranet devices. S2: Check whether the peer device is a single external network device: Get the network type of the called intercom device. According to the design logic, the calling device has saved the peer device type. If the peer device is an external network device, set the bit rate to a low level and do not change it after the call is established. Otherwise, enter S3. S3: Check whether the other end device is a single intranet device: if it is determined that the other end is an intranet device, the bit rate is set to a high bit rate and will not be changed after the call is established, otherwise enter S4; S4: The peer device is a mixed intranet and extranet device: If the peer device includes both intranet and extranet devices, you need to set the bit rate of the video encoder to the middle level and keep it until the other party picks up the call; S5: Entering the early media phase before the other end picks up: When the other end device has not picked up, the call enters the early media phase, and only needs to maintain the current bit rate and wait for the other end to pick up; S6: Check whether the answering device is an external network device: After the call is answered, there is only one device on the other end. According to the design logic, the answering device is matched in the calling device list to obtain the device type; S7: Switch to low bit rate when the connected party is an external network device: When the connected party is an external network device, it is necessary to switch from the medium bit rate in the early media stage to the low bit rate, and keep it unchanged during the call after the call is connected; S8: Switch to high bitrate when the connected party is an intranet device: If the connected party is an intranet device, it is necessary to switch from the medium bitrate in the early media stage to the high bitrate and keep it unchanged during the call after the connection. S9: After the other end picks up the call, a call is formally established: if the receiving party is an intranet device, the bit rate is kept at a low level until the call ends; if the receiving party is an extranet device, the bit rate is kept at a high level until the call ends.

2. A method for improving communication quality and cost of intercom equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the S1, the three gears are high bit rate, medium bit rate and low bit rate respectively; High bit rate: high picture quality, but large data traffic and high costs; Medium bitrate: average data traffic and cost, medium picture quality; Low bit rate: data traffic is small and costs are reduced, but the picture quality is poor.

3. A method for improving communication quality and cost of intercom equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The switching method of the three gear bit rates of high, medium and low is as follows: in order to balance the quality and bit rate during the encoding process, some picture quality details will be sacrificed to maintain a fixed bit rate in complex scenes; in the encoding process of a single video stream, the current video bit rate is obtained through the video encoder query interface. If it is inconsistent with the target bit rate, the video encoder bit rate configuration interface is called to actively change the video bit rate. After the call is successful, the device will immediately use the new bit rate for subsequent encoding to achieve switching between different bit rates.

4. A method for improving communication quality and cost of intercom equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that: In S1, the actual communication scenarios can be divided into the following four situations: A: For scenarios where only LAN indoor units communicate, since there is no traffic cost, the video quality can be improved as much as possible, that is, a high bit rate can be used to establish a call; B: For public network mobile phone APP scenarios, which are sensitive to bandwidth and traffic costs, the bit rate should be reduced as much as possible to reduce data traffic and control costs while ensuring the lowest quality. A low bit rate can be used to establish a call. C: For scenarios where both LAN indoor units and public network mobile apps exist, a compromise needs to be made between quality and cost, that is, medium bitrate is used to establish calls; D: For scenarios where a single device is connected to both the LAN and the public network, select a LAN with no traffic cost and try to improve the video quality. That is, use a high bit rate to establish a call through the LAN.

5. A method for improving communication quality and cost of intercom equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The specific steps of dynamic bit rate adjustment of high bit rate, medium bit rate and low bit rate in the actual communication scenario according to each stage of the call process are as follows: a: Before establishing a call: Before establishing a video call, the type of the called intercom device can be obtained in advance through interface design; if the call is only made with the intranet device, the bit rate is set to a high bit rate to establish the call, and it will not be changed in the subsequent process; If you only talk to a public network mobile phone APP, set the bit rate to a low level to establish the call, and it will not be changed in the subsequent process; if the call object includes both the intranet intercom device and the public network mobile phone APP, set the bit rate to a medium level to establish an early media call; if a single call object is connected to both the intranet and the public network, choose the intranet path, set the bit rate to a high level to establish the call, and it will not be changed in the subsequent process; b: Early media stage: Only establish calls with intranet intercom devices, and use high bit rate calls in the early media stage; Only establish calls with public network mobile phone APPs, and use low bit rate calls in the early media stage; the call objects include both internal and external intercom devices and public network mobile phone APPs. In the early media stage, the encoded data needs to be sent to both devices at the same time, and the call is established using a medium bit rate; if a single call object is connected to both the intranet and the public network, the intranet path is selected, and a high bit rate call is used in the early media stage; c: After the call is connected: For calls only with intranet intercom devices, high bit rate calls are maintained after entering the call phase; For calls only with public network mobile APPs, low bit rate calls are maintained after entering the call phase; For calls with both internal and external intercom devices and public network mobile APPs, the bit rate change strategy needs to be determined according to the type of connected device. When the call is connected by the intranet intercom device, the bit rate needs to be switched to high-bit mode to provide better picture quality; and when the call is connected by the public network mobile APP, the bit rate needs to be switched to low-bit mode to reduce costs while ensuring picture smoothness; When a single call partner accesses both the intranet and the public network, select the intranet path and keep using high bit rate calls after entering the call phase.

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