Electronic device and method for voice communication

Abstract

An electronic device and method for voice communication are provided, wherein the electronic device is one of a plurality of near-end devices in a first space. When the electronic device is taken as a master device, each of the other near-end devices is taken as a slave device. A network receiver of the master device acquires an original remote voice signal from a remote device in a second space through the Internet, and an audio processing circuit of the master device processes the original remote voice signal to generate a master-end voice signal and a slave-end voice signal, wherein a speaker of the master device plays a master-end output voice signal according to the master-end voice signal, and a speaker of the slave device plays a slave-end output voice signal according to the slave-end voice signal acquired from the master device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to voice conferencing or multi-person voice calls, and more particularly to an electronic device and method for conducting voice communication between a first space and a second space. Background Technology

[0002] During a conference call, participants in the same conference room use their individual laptops to connect and play audio, rather than sharing a common conference call speaker. Each laptop will have varying latency due to factors such as internet speed, system processing delays, and sound design, with these latency differences potentially reaching several seconds. When latency differences are too large, even though multiple laptops are playing the same sound, it can create an echo or reverberation effect, compromising the clarity of the audio message. Furthermore, when multiple laptops in the conference room are simultaneously playing and recording audio, the resulting loops can cause howling.

[0003] Therefore, there is a need for a novel mechanism and related methods to improve the broadcast / reception quality and overall user experience of teleconferences conducted by multiple portable computers in the same space with little or no side effects. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide an electronic device and method for voice communication between a first space and a second space, so as to improve the overall playback effect when multiple near-end devices play the same voice signal in the same space.

[0005] At least one embodiment of this application provides an electronic device for voice communication between a first space and a second space. A plurality of near-end devices are located in the first space, and at least one remote device is located in the second space, wherein the electronic device is one of the plurality of near-end devices. The electronic device includes: a network receiver, an audio processing circuit, and a speaker, wherein the speaker is coupled to the audio processing circuit. The network receiver is used to acquire an original remote voice signal from the at least one remote device via the Internet, the audio processing circuit is used to generate a processed voice signal based on a detection result corresponding to the original remote voice signal, and the speaker is used to play an output voice signal based on the processed voice signal. When the electronic device is selected as a master device, each of the other near-end devices is selected as a slave device. The audio processing circuit of the master device processes the original remote voice signal according to the detection result to generate a master voice signal and a slave voice signal. The master device transmits the slave voice signal to the slave device through a transmission interface, so that the speaker of the slave device plays a slave output voice signal according to the slave voice signal, and the speaker of the master device plays a master output voice signal according to the master voice signal.

[0006] At least one embodiment of this application provides a method for conducting voice communication between a first space and a second space, wherein a plurality of near-end devices are located in the first space, and at least one remote device is located in the second space. The method includes: selecting one of the plurality of near-end devices as a master device and each of the other near-end devices as a slave device, wherein each of the plurality of near-end devices includes a network receiver, an audio processing circuit, and a speaker; using the network receiver of the master device to acquire an original remote voice signal from the at least one remote device via the Internet; using the audio processing circuit of the master device to process the original remote voice signal according to a detection result corresponding to the original remote voice signal to generate a master-end voice signal and a slave-end voice signal; using the master device to transmit the slave-end voice signal to the slave device through a transmission interface, so that the speaker of the slave device plays a slave-end output voice signal according to the slave-end voice signal; and using the speaker of the master device to play a master-end output voice signal according to the master-end voice signal.

[0007] The electronic device and method provided in the embodiments of this application can process and distribute a voice signal to be played (e.g., a voice signal from a remote device) to other near-end devices using a main device. In particular, the voice signal can be processed according to the configuration of the speaker array formed by the other near-end devices, thereby improving the sound playback effect in the space where these near-end devices are located. Furthermore, the embodiments of this application do not significantly increase additional costs. Therefore, this application can solve the problems of related technologies without or with minimal side effects. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating voice communication between a plurality of near-end devices in a first space and at least one remote device in a second space, according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram illustrating how multiple near-end devices communicate via a point-to-point communication protocol or ultrasonic wave reception / transmission according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 2B This is a schematic diagram illustrating how communication interface circuits of multiple near-end devices, such as 110 and 120, communicate via ultrasonic wave reception / transmission according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the workflow of a method for conducting voice communication between a first space and a second space according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing a display screen of multiple users conducting a teleconference according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the correction of the frequency response of sound received by a plurality of near-end devices according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a directional loudspeaker implemented using multiple near-end devices according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0009] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram illustrating voice communication between multiple near-end devices (e.g., near-end devices 110, 120, and 130) in a first space and at least one remote device (e.g., remote device 20) in a second space, according to an embodiment of this application. The near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 can communicate with each other via transmission interface IF1, each of the near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 can communicate with each other via transmission interface IF2 to the Internet 15, and the remote device 20 can communicate with each other via transmission interface IF3 to the Internet 15. For example, the near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 can conduct teleconferences with the remote device 20 via the Internet 15, wherein the near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 can be multiple portable computers located in the same conference room, and the remote device 20 can be a portable computer located in another space. For example, near-end devices 110, 120, and 130... 120 and 130 can play online games with remote device 20 via Internet 15, of which near-end device 110, 120 and 130 can be multiple game consoles in the same space, and remote device 20 can be a game console located in another space. In this embodiment, when remote device 20 receives sound in the second space, remote device 20 can transmit an original remote voice signal corresponding to the sound to the Internet 15 through transmission interface IF3, wherein each of near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 can obtain the original remote voice signal output by remote device 20 from the Internet 15 through transmission interface IF2. When near-end device 120 is selected as a master device, such as a group owner (GO) device, other near-end devices such as 110 and 130 can be selected as slave devices, wherein the master device (e.g., near-end device 120) can process the original remote voice signal to generate a master voice signal and multiple slave voice signals. In particular, the master device (e.g., near-end device 120) can transmit a first slave voice signal from the plurality of slave voice signals to the slave device (e.g., near-end device 110), and transmit a second slave voice signal from the plurality of slave voice signals to the slave device (e.g., near-end device 130), wherein the slave device can discard the original remote voice signal obtained from the Internet 15 through the transmission interface IF2 (e.g., near-end device 110 can discard the original remote voice signal obtained from the Internet 15 through the transmission interface IF2, and near-end device 130 can discard the original remote voice signal obtained from the Internet 15 through the transmission interface IF2). In this configuration, near-end device 120 can play according to the master voice signal, near-end device 110 can play according to the first slave voice signal, and near-end device 130 can play according to the second slave voice signal.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the proximal device 120 is a plurality of proximal devices (e.g., proximal device 110, ...), When the first of 120 and 130) is a near-end device connecting the first space and the second space for voice communication, the near-end device 120 can be selected as the master device. For example, when Figure 1 When the shown near-end device 120 is the first of the near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 to connect to the online teleconference (meaning that near-end devices 110 and 130 are not yet connected to the online teleconference at this time), near-end device 120 can begin broadcasting ultrasonic messages (e.g., messages carrying conference-related information such as conference identification codes). At this time, near-end device 120 has not received ultrasonic messages from other near-end devices (e.g., ultrasonic messages in response to near-end device 120's broadcast reply), therefore near-end device 120 can be set as the master device. When other near-end devices, such as 110 and 130, connect to the online teleconference after near-end device 120 (or enter the first space after near-end device 120), near-end devices 110 and 130 can respectively send ultrasonic signals (e.g., messages carrying conference-related information such as conference identification codes). Since near-end device 120 has been set as the master device, it can respectively respond to the ultrasonic signals sent by near-end devices 110 and 130 with corresponding ultrasonic response messages. Furthermore, near-end devices 110 and 130 can receive ultrasonic messages from the master device, such as near-end device 120, and are thus set as slave devices. Through the aforementioned ultrasonic broadcasting and communication, near-end device 120 can determine whether other near-end devices exist in the same space (e.g., the first space), and can also use ultrasonic detection to determine the distance and angle between devices to establish the topology of microphone and speaker arrays. For example, when the near-end device 120 enters the first space and attempts to receive ultrasonic signals, if the near-end device 120 fails to receive ultrasonic signals from other near-end devices, the near-end device 120 can automatically be set as the master device and then begin periodically playing ultrasonic signals. Therefore, when near-end devices 110 and 130 enter the first space and attempt to receive ultrasonic signals, near-end devices 110 and 130 can receive ultrasonic signals from near-end device 120, and thus near-end devices 110 and 130 can be automatically set as slave devices.

[0011] In some embodiments, after all near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 are connected to the online teleconference, each of the near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 can test the stability of each near-end device's connection to the Internet 15. When a particular near-end device (e.g., near-end device 120) is the near-end device with the best network stability among the near-end devices 110, 120, and 130, that particular near-end device (e.g., near-end device 120) can be selected as the master device, while other near-end devices (e.g., 110 and 130) can be set as the slave devices.

[0012] In some embodiments, after the near-end devices 110, 120 and 130 are all connected to the online teleconference, each of the near-end devices 110, 120 and 130 will select the device in the best position (e.g. near-end device 120) as the master device according to the topology of the speaker and microphone array, while the other near-end devices (e.g. 110 and 130) can be set as the slave device.

[0013] In some embodiments, the proximal device acting as the master device can be dynamically switched. Assuming that initially proximal device 120 is set as the master device and other proximal devices such as 110 and 130 are set as slave devices, proximal device 120 acting as the master device can generate a master-end receiving signal based on sound received from a sound source in the first space by proximal device 120 (e.g., a microphone therein), and each of proximal devices 110 and 130 acting as slave devices can generate a slave-end receiving signal based on sound received from the sound source by that proximal device (e.g., a microphone therein). The master device (e.g., proximal device 120) can obtain the slave-end receiving signal from the slave device (e.g., each of proximal devices 110 and 130) via transmission interface IF1. When the near-end device 120 (e.g., its internal audio processing circuitry or controller) determines that the difference between a slave audio pointer (e.g., the intensity or quality of sound received by the microphone of near-end device 110) and a master audio pointer (e.g., the intensity or quality of sound received by the microphone of near-end device 120) of the master received signal generated by a specific near-end device (e.g., near-end device 110) reaches a predetermined threshold (e.g., the intensity of sound received by the microphone of near-end device 110 is greater than the intensity of sound received by the microphone of near-end device 120 and the difference between the two is greater than the predetermined threshold), the near-end device 120 can be switched to become the slave device, and the specific near-end device (e.g., near-end device 110) can be switched to become the master device via the transmission interface IF1. After the switch is completed, the work performed by the master device (e.g., generating the slave voice signal and transmitting the slave voice signal to other near-end devices) is instead performed by the near-end device 110. It should be noted that if someone is speaking in the first space while the near-end device 120 is acting as the master device, and the near-end device 110 is immediately switched to the master device, the speaker of the near-end device 110 will play the sound of the speech in the first space before the switch as remote sound due to network latency immediately after switching to the master device. Therefore, when the near-end device 120 needs to release the position of the master device, a delay is required after the release before notifying the near-end device 110 to take over the position of the master device. In some embodiments, to avoid the sound in the first space being interrupted due to the switch of the master device, the master device can determine whether the current time is a suitable time to switch based on whether the sound intensity in the first space is low enough.

[0014] Figure 2AThis is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between multiple near-end devices, such as 110 and 120, according to an embodiment of this application via a point-to-point communication protocol (e.g., Wi-Fi Direct) or ultrasonic reception / transmission. For ease of explanation, it is assumed that near-end device 120 is selected as the master device and near-end device 110 is selected as the slave device, wherein the remote device 20 and the Internet 15 are not shown. Figure 2AFor the sake of simplicity, in this embodiment, each of the near-end devices 110 and 120 may include a network receiver 210, a back-end processing circuit 221, a communication interface circuit 222, a calibration circuit 223, a delay compensation circuit 224, an audio processing circuit 220, and a speaker 230. The back-end processing circuit 221 is coupled to the network receiver 210, the communication interface circuit 222 is coupled to the back-end processing circuit 221, the calibration circuit 223 is coupled to the back-end processing circuit 221 and the communication interface circuit 222, the delay compensation circuit 224 is coupled to the back-end processing circuit 221 and the calibration circuit 223, the audio processing circuit 220 is coupled to the communication interface circuit 222 and the delay compensation circuit 224, and the speaker 230 is coupled to the audio processing circuit 220. In this embodiment, network receiver 210 is used to acquire the original remote voice signal from remote device 20 via Internet 15, and back-end processing circuit 221 can perform back-end processing on the original remote voice signal (which may cause system delay), wherein the original remote voice signal acquired by network receiver 210, which acts as the slave device, can be discarded. Additionally, audio processing circuit 220 is used to generate a processed voice signal based on a detection result corresponding to the original remote voice signal, and speaker 230 is used to play an output voice signal based on the processed voice signal. Specifically, when near-end device 120 is selected as the master device, each of the other near-end devices (e.g., near-end device 110) can be selected as the slave device, wherein the audio processing circuit 220 of near-end device 120 can process the original remote voice signal (e.g., the voice signal VM0 received by network receiver 210 of near-end device 120) based on the detection result to generate a master voice signal and a slave voice signal. In this embodiment, the near-end device 120 can transmit the slave voice signal (e.g., the voice signal VM0 transmitted from the back-end processing circuit 221 to the communication interface circuit 222) to the near-end device 110 (e.g., the communication interface circuit 222) through its internal communication interface circuit 222, so that the speaker 230 of the near-end device 110 can play a slave output voice signal according to the slave voice signal, and the speaker 230 of the near-end device 120 can play (e.g., after processing by the delay compensation circuit 224 and the audio processing circuit 220, for the speaker 230 to play) a master output voice signal according to the master voice signal (e.g., the voice signal VM0 transmitted from the back-end processing circuit to the delay compensation circuit 224).

[0015] In this embodiment, the communication interface circuit 222 in the near-end device 120 and the communication interface circuit 222 in the near-end device 110 can be an example of the transmission interface IF1. The communication interface circuit 222 in the near-end device 120 and the communication interface circuit 222 in the near-end device 110 can be Wi-Fi point-to-point transmission interfaces such as Wi-Fi Direct. The master device (e.g., the near-end device 120) can perform Wi-Fi point-to-point transmission with the slave device (e.g., the near-end device 110) through the Wi-Fi Direct transmission interface to transmit the slave voice signal, such as the voice signal VM1, to the slave device (e.g., the near-end device 110). In some embodiments, the master device (e.g., near-end device 120) may carry the slave-end voice signal on an ultrasonic signal so that the speaker of the master device (e.g., near-end device 120) plays the ultrasonic signal, and the microphone of the slave device (e.g., near-end device 110) receives the ultrasonic signal played by the speaker of the master device (e.g., near-end device 120) to allow the slave device (e.g., near-end device 110) to acquire the slave-end voice signal carried on the ultrasonic signal. That is, the transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves can be another example of the transmission interface IF1.

[0016] In this embodiment, the detection result corresponding to the original remote voice signal may include the delay in the transmission of the slave voice signal from the master device (e.g., the near-end device 120) to the slave device (e.g., the near-end device 110) via the transmission interface IF1 (e.g., the delay of the slave output voice signal relative to the master output voice signal). In some embodiments, the master device (e.g., the proximal device 120) can obtain timestamp information corresponding to the slave output voice signal from the proximal device 110 through its internal communication interface circuit 222. The audio processing circuit 220 of the proximal device 120 can control the delay of the master output voice signal based on the timestamp information (e.g., the correction circuit 223 in the proximal device 120 can compare the timestamp information corresponding to the slave output voice signal and the timestamp information corresponding to the master output voice signal, so that the delay compensation circuit 224 in the proximal device 120 can output a compensation result to the audio processing circuit 220 of the proximal device 120 based on the comparison result of the correction circuit 223 in the proximal device 120), so as to reduce or eliminate the delay of the slave output voice signal relative to the master output voice signal.

[0017] Figure 2BThis is a schematic diagram illustrating communication between multiple near-end devices, such as 110 and 120, according to an embodiment of this application via ultrasonic wave reception / transmission. Each of the communication interface circuits 222 of near-end device 110 and 120 may include a frequency up-amplification circuit 222U, a speaker 222SP, a microphone 222MIC, and a frequency down-amplification circuit 222D. In some embodiments, Figure 2A The speaker 230 of the near-end device 110 shown is... Figure 2B The speaker 222SP in the communication interface circuit 222 of the near-end device 110 shown can be the same speaker, and Figure 2A The speaker 230 of the near-end device 120 shown is... Figure 2B The speaker 222SP in the communication interface circuit 222 of the near-end device 120 shown may be the same speaker. In some embodiments, Figure 2A The speaker 230 of the near-end device 110 shown is... Figure 2B The speaker 222SP in the communication interface circuit 222 of the near-end device 110 shown can be different speakers, and Figure 2A The speaker 230 of the near-end device 120 shown is... Figure 2B The speaker 222SP in the communication interface circuit 222 of the near-end device 120 shown can be a different speaker. In addition, the near-end devices 110 and 120 can use the transmission / reception of ultrasound to estimate the delay of the slave output voice signal relative to the master output voice signal, and perform delay compensation accordingly. For example, after the slave device (e.g., proximal device 110) obtains the slave voice signal (e.g., the slave voice signal generated by down-converting the ultrasonic signal received by the microphone 222MIC of the proximal device 110 from the master device (e.g., proximal device 120) such as voice signal VM1 through the communication interface circuit 222 therein, the proximal device 110 can generate an ultrasonic signal VM2 based on the voice signal VM1 (e.g., the frequency generation circuit 221 in the audio processing circuit of the proximal device 110 up-converts a portion of the voice signal VM1 to the ultrasonic frequency band to generate the ultrasonic signal VM2), so that the slave output voice signal such as voice signal VM3 played by the speaker 222SP of the proximal device 110 includes the slave voice signal (e.g., voice signal VM1) and the ultrasonic signal VM2. After the microphone 222MIC of the master device (e.g., the near-end device 120) receives the voice signal output from the slave end, such as voice signal VM3, the down-frequency circuit 222D in the communication interface circuit 222 of the near-end device 120 can down-frequency the ultrasonic signal VM2 in the voice signal VM3 to generate voice signal VM4. Figure 2AThe correction circuit 223 of the near-end device 120 shown can estimate the delay of the slave-end output voice signal relative to the master-end output voice signal based on the voice signal VM4 (e.g., by comparing the voice signal VM4 with the voice signal VM0). In addition, the delay compensation circuit 224 can apply a corresponding delay amount to the master-end voice signal (or the original remote voice signal such as VM0) based on the delay estimation result to generate a master-end delayed voice signal (e.g., voice signal VM5) for the speaker 230 to play the master-end output voice signal such as voice signal VM6 based on the master-end delayed voice signal (e.g., the audio processing circuit 220 transmits the processing result to the speaker 230 for playback after performing front-end processing on the voice signal VM5), thereby reducing or eliminating the delay of the slave-end output voice signal relative to the master-end output voice signal.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the workflow of a method for conducting voice communication between a first space and a second space according to an embodiment of this application, wherein multiple near-end devices (e.g., Figure 1 The near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 shown are located in the first space, and at least one remote device (e.g., Figure 1 The remote device 20 shown is located in the second space, and the workflow can be... Figure 1 The system consisting of the proximal devices 110, 120, and 130 shown is used to perform this operation. It should be noted that... Figure 3 The workflow shown is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit this application. For example, one or more steps may be performed... Figure 3 The workflow shown has been added, deleted, or modified. Furthermore, these steps do not necessarily need to be followed exactly to achieve the same result. Figure 3 Execute in the order shown.

[0019] In step S310, the system may select one of the plurality of near-end devices (e.g., near-end device 120) as a master device and each of the other near-end devices (e.g., near-end devices 110 and 130) as a slave device, wherein each of the plurality of near-end devices includes a network receiver (e.g., Figure 2A The network receiver 210 shown), and an audio processing circuit (e.g. Figure 2A The audio processing circuit 220 shown) and a speaker (e.g. Figure 2A The speaker 230 shown.

[0020] In step S320, the system can use the network receiver of the master device to obtain an original remote voice signal from the at least one remote device via the Internet.

[0021] In step S330, the system can use the audio processing circuit of the master device to process the original remote voice signal according to a detection result corresponding to the original remote voice signal to generate a master voice signal and a slave voice signal.

[0022] In step S340, the system can use the master device to transmit the slave voice signal to the slave device through a transmission interface, so that the speaker of the slave device can play a slave output voice signal according to the slave voice signal.

[0023] In step S350, the system can use the speaker of the main device to play a main output voice signal based on the main voice signal.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a display screen of a teleconference conducted by multiple users (e.g., user #1, user #2, user #3, user #4, user #5, and user #6) according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 4As shown, the conference call display screen can show images of users #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6 participating in the conference call. To enable each user to identify which user is speaking, the speakers of each of the near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 and the remote device 20 can emit the current sound signal in the corresponding direction. For example, when a user in the second space (e.g., the user closest to the remote device 20, assuming user #1) speaks, the detection result may include sound source information corresponding to the original remote voice signal (e.g., sound source information output from the remote device 20 along with the original remote voice signal, which may indicate that the original remote voice signal is the voice of user #1 in the second space), and the audio processing circuit 220 of the master device (e.g., the near-end device 120) may control the master voice signal and the slave voice signal according to the sound source information, so that the speaker of the master device (e.g., the speaker of the near-end device 120) plays the master output voice signal in a direction corresponding to the sound source information (e.g., so that the user in front of the near-end device 120 feels that the master output voice signal is emitted from the upper left of the display screen), and so that the speaker of the slave device (e.g., the speaker of the near-end device 110 or 130) plays the slave output voice signal in the corresponding direction (e.g., so that the user in front of the near-end device 110 or 130 feels that the slave output voice signal is emitted from the upper left of the display screen). Furthermore, the display screens of the master device (e.g., near-end device 120) and the slave device (e.g., near-end device 110 or 130) may not be the same. For example, the position of user #1 on the display screen of the master device (e.g., near-end device 120) and the position of user #1 on the display screen of the slave device (e.g., near-end device 110 or 130) may be different. The slave device (e.g., near-end device 110 or 130) can process the playback direction of the voice signal output from the master device according to the position of user #1 on the display screen of the slave device (e.g., near-end device 110 or 130). That is, the user can perceive that the current sound signal is emitted from the corresponding user's position on the display screen, which helps to determine which user the current sound signal comes from. Similarly, when user #3 speaks and causes the speakers of other devices (e.g., near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 and remote device 20) to emit sound signals, the users in front of each device can perceive that the sound signal is emitted from the upper right corner of the display screen. Therefore, by controlling the direction of the sound signal emitted by the speaker, this application can widen the sound field of the display position on the software (e.g., the user's display position on teleconference software).

[0025] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram illustrating the correction of the frequency response of sound received by a plurality of near-end devices such as 110, 120, and 130 according to an embodiment of this application. When near-end device 120 is selected as the master device, each of near-end devices 110 and 130 can be configured as the slave device. In this embodiment, the detection result may include a master frequency response result generated by the audio processing circuit of the master device (e.g., the audio processing circuit 220 of the near-end device 120) based on the sound received by the microphone of the master device (e.g., the microphone 240 of the near-end device 120), and a slave frequency response result generated by the audio processing circuit of the slave device (e.g., the audio processing circuit 220 of the near-end device 110 and the audio processing circuit 220 of the near-end device 130) based on the sound received by the microphone of the slave device (e.g., the microphone 240 of the near-end device 110 and the microphone 240 of the near-end device 130). The master audio processing circuit (e.g., the audio processing circuit 220 of the near-end device 120) may adjust the master speech signal and the slave speech signal based on the master frequency response result and the slave frequency response result to flatten the master frequency response result and the slave frequency response result and make the master frequency response result and the slave frequency response result close to each other.

[0026] For example, the near-end device 120, acting as the main device, can send a test signal TEST0 to near-end devices 110 and 130. The speaker 230 of near-end device 110 can emit a voice signal OUT1 based on the test signal TEST0, the speaker 230 of near-end device 120 can emit a voice signal OUT2 based on the test signal TEST0, and the speaker 230 of near-end device 130 can emit a voice signal OUT3 based on the test signal TEST0. When near-end devices 110, 120, and 130 simultaneously send voice signals, near-end device 110 can generate a frequency response result RSP1 based on the sound received by its microphone 240, and near-end device 130 can generate a frequency response result RSP3 based on the sound received by its microphone 240. The sound received by the microphone 240 of near-end device 120 generates the main frequency response result, and near-end device 120 can transmit the signal via a transmission interface IF1 (e.g., a Wi-Fi direct transmission interface or an ultrasonic transmitter / export interface). The near-end device 120 receives the slave frequency response results (e.g., frequency response results RSP1 and RSP3) from near-end devices 110 and 130, respectively. Therefore, the near-end device 120 can obtain the frequency response results of different positions in the first space (e.g., the positions of near-end devices 110, 120, and 130), and adjust or control the gain, delay, and other parameters of the speech signals of each device (e.g., the master speech signal and the slave speech signal sent to different slave devices) based on these frequency response results (e.g., the master speech signal and the slave speech signal sent to different slave devices), thereby making the frequency response results of different positions in the first space (e.g., the positions of near-end devices 110, 120, and 130) flattened and tended to be consistent.

[0027] Figure 6 According to an embodiment of this application, multiple proximal devices (e.g., proximal device 110, ...) are used. A schematic diagram of multiple proximal devices (120 and 130) implementing directional loudspeakers. Specifically, the audio processing circuit 220 of the proximal device 120, acting as the master device, can upsample the master voice signal to a first ultrasonic frequency band (e.g., carried on ultrasonic frequency f1), so that the master output voice signal played by the loudspeaker 230 of the proximal device 120 falls within the first ultrasonic frequency band. Similarly, the audio processing circuit 220 of the proximal device 110 (and / or proximal device 130), acting as the slave device, can upsample the slave voice signal to a second ultrasonic frequency band (e.g., carried on ultrasonic frequency f2), so that the slave output voice signal played by the loudspeaker 230 of the proximal device 110 falls within the second ultrasonic frequency band. Depending on the transmission direction of the master output voice signal and the slave output voice signal, the first space may include multiple regions such as A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1, as... Figure 6As shown. Only users located in regions A1, C1, and A2 can receive the master output voice signal carried on ultrasonic frequency f1, and only users located in regions B1, C1, and B2 can receive the slave output voice signal carried on ultrasonic frequency f2. However, since ultrasonic frequencies f1 and f2 do not fall within an audible frequency range, users in regions A1, A2, B1, and B2 cannot hear the content of the master or slave output voice signals. However, the master output voice signal carried on ultrasonic frequency f1 and the slave output voice signal carried on ultrasonic frequency f2 can intersect and undergo parametric interaction in region C1, causing the master output voice signal and / or the slave output voice signal to be demodulated to (f1–f2), (f1+f2), (2×f1), and (2×f2), where (f1–f2) falls within the audible frequency range. Therefore, in this first space, the main output voice signal and the slave output voice signal are down-frequencyd to the audible frequency range only in an intersection area (e.g., region C1) between the main playback direction of the speaker 230 of the near-end device 120 and the slave playback direction of the speaker 230 of the near-end device 110. That is, only the user located in region C1 can hear the content of the main output voice signal or the slave output voice signal.

[0028] In summary, the embodiments of this application provide that multiple near-end devices in the same space transmit relevant information needed to optimize the overall playback quality of this space via Wi-Fi direct connection or ultrasonic transmission / reception. Furthermore, the near-end device acting as the master device processes this information to send the corresponding slave voice signals to other near-end devices, thereby avoiding problems caused by network latency, spatial location, or other factors affecting the overall playback quality of multiple near-end devices in the same space. Moreover, the embodiments of this application do not significantly increase additional costs. Therefore, this application can improve the overall playback effect when multiple near-end devices play the same voice signal in the same space without or with minimal side effects.

[0029] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application. All equivalent changes and modifications made within the scope of the claims of this application shall be covered by this application. [Symbol Explanation] 15: Internet 20: Remote device 110, 120, 130: Proximal devices IF1, IF2, IF3: Transmission interface 210: Network Receiver 220: Audio processing circuit 221: Back-end processing circuit 222: Communication Interface Circuit 223: Correction Circuit 224: Delay Compensation Circuit 230: Speaker 222U: Up-frequency circuit 222D: Frequency reduction circuit 222SP: Speaker 222MIC: Microphone VM0, VM1, VM2, VM3, VM4, VM5, VM6: Voice signals S310~S350: Steps TEST0: Test signal OUT1, OUT2, OUT3: Voice signals RSP1, RSP3: Frequency response results f1, f2: Ultrasonic frequencies A1, A2, B1, B2, C1: Areas

Claims

1. An electronic device for conducting voice communication between a first space and a second space, wherein a plurality of near-end devices are located in the first space, and at least one remote device is located in the second space, the electronic device being one of the plurality of near-end devices, characterized in that, The electronic device includes: A network receiver for acquiring a raw remote voice signal from the at least one remote device via the Internet; An audio processing circuit is used to generate a processed audio signal based on a detection result corresponding to the original remote audio signal; A speaker is coupled to the audio processing circuit to play an output audio signal based on the processed audio signal; When the electronic device is selected as a master device, each of the other near-end devices is selected as a slave device. The audio processing circuit of the master device processes the original remote voice signal according to the detection result to generate a master voice signal and a slave voice signal. The master device transmits the slave voice signal to the slave device through a transmission interface, so that the speaker of the slave device plays a slave output voice signal according to the slave voice signal, and the speaker of the master device plays a master output voice signal according to the master voice signal.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein when the electronic device is the first of the plurality of proximal devices to connect the first space and the second space for voice communication, the electronic device is selected as the master device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of proximal devices selects a proximal device with an optimal position as the master device according to the topology of the speaker and microphone array, while the other proximal devices are set as the slave devices.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the master device generates a master receiving signal based on sound received by the master device from a sound source in the first space, the slave device generates a slave receiving signal based on sound received from the sound source, the master device obtains the slave receiving signal from the slave device through the transmission interface, and when the electronic device determines that the difference between a slave audio pointer of the slave receiving signal generated by a specific near-end device among the plurality of near-end devices and a master audio pointer of the master receiving signal generated by the electronic device reaches a predetermined threshold, the electronic device is switched to the slave device, and the specific near-end device is switched to the master device.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the master device transmits Wi-Fi peer-to-peer data to the slave device via the transmission interface to transmit the slave voice signal to the slave device.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the master device carries the slave voice signal on an ultrasonic signal to cause the speaker of the master device to play the ultrasonic signal, and a microphone of the slave device receives the ultrasonic signal played by the speaker of the master device to allow the slave device to acquire the slave voice signal carried on the ultrasonic signal.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the detection result includes sound source information corresponding to the original remote voice signal, and the audio processing circuit of the master device controls the master voice signal and the slave voice signal according to the sound source information, such that the speaker of the master device plays the master output voice signal in a direction corresponding to the sound source information, and the speaker of the slave device plays the slave output voice signal in the corresponding direction.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the detection result includes a master frequency response result generated by the audio processing circuit of the master device based on the sound received by the microphone of the master device and a slave frequency response result generated by the audio processing circuit of the slave device based on the sound received by the microphone of the slave device, and the audio processing circuit of the master device adjusts the master speech signal and the slave speech signal based on the master frequency response result and the slave frequency response result to flatten the master frequency response result and the slave frequency response result and make the master frequency response result and the slave frequency response result approximate each other.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the audio processing circuit of the main device up-frequencys the main-end voice signal to a first ultrasonic frequency band such that the main-end output voice signal played by the speaker of the main device falls within the first ultrasonic frequency band, the audio processing circuit of the slave device up-frequencys the slave-end voice signal to a second ultrasonic frequency band such that the slave-end output voice signal played by the speaker of the slave device falls within the second ultrasonic frequency band, and the main-end output voice signal and the slave-end output voice signal are down-frequencyed to an audible frequency range only in an intersection region of a main-end playback direction of the speaker of the main device and a slave-end playback direction of the speaker of the slave device.

10. A method for conducting voice communication between a first space and a second space, wherein a plurality of near-end devices are located in the first space and at least one remote device is located in the second space, characterized in that, The method includes: One of the plurality of near-end devices is selected as a master device and each of the other near-end devices is selected as a slave device, wherein each of the plurality of near-end devices includes a network receiver, an audio processing circuit and a speaker. The network receiver of the main device is used to obtain an original remote voice signal from the at least one remote device via the Internet; The audio processing circuit of the main device processes the original remote voice signal according to a detection result corresponding to the original remote voice signal to generate a master voice signal and a slave voice signal; The master device transmits the slave voice signal to the slave device through a transmission interface, so that the speaker of the slave device plays a slave output voice signal according to the slave voice signal. as well as The speaker of the main device plays a main output voice signal based on the main voice signal.

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