Low latency audio circuit and intelligent conferencing system

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of low delay audio circuit and intelligent meeting system, the low delay audio circuit includes main control module, audio processing module and synchronous module;The input of the audio processing module is connected with the audio input module of the intelligent meeting system, another input of the audio processing module is connected with the main control module;The input of the synchronous module is connected with the output of the main control module, and the input of the synchronous module is also connected with the output of the audio processing module, for the video signal output by the main control module and the mixed audio signal output by the audio processing module are synchronously processed, the output of the synchronous module is connected with the audio and video output module of the intelligent meeting system.The utility model can reduce audio delay, improve meeting efficiency and user's use experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of audio technology, specifically to a low-latency audio circuit and an intelligent conference system. Background Technology

[0002] Intelligent conferencing systems typically integrate technologies such as audio and video encoding / decoding, AI noise reduction, and wireless screen projection, enabling a seamless one-click meeting experience, making them particularly suitable for large meetings accommodating 50 or more people. However, current intelligent conferencing systems suffer from high audio latency, which can lead to sound and image tearing—a phenomenon where sound lags behind lip movements. This not only reduces meeting efficiency but also diminishes the participants' sensory experience. Utility Model Content

[0003] This invention provides a low-latency audio circuit and an intelligent conferencing system, aiming to solve the problem of high audio latency in current intelligent conferencing systems.

[0004] In a first aspect, this utility model provides a low-latency audio circuit for use in an intelligent conference system. The low-latency audio circuit includes a main control module, an audio processing module, and a synchronization module. The input terminal of the audio processing module is connected to the audio input module of the intelligent conference system, and another input terminal of the audio processing module is connected to the main control module. The input terminal of the synchronization module is connected to the output terminal of the main control module, and the input terminal of the synchronization module is also connected to the output terminal of the audio processing module, for synchronizing the video signal output by the main control module and the mixed audio signal output by the audio processing module. The output terminal of the synchronization module is connected to the audio and video output module of the intelligent conference system.

[0005] Furthermore, the synchronization module includes an audio interaction module and a transceiver module; the audio interaction module is connected to the audio processing module, and the transceiver module is connected to the main control module.

[0006] Furthermore, the synchronization module also includes a control module, which is connected to both the audio interaction module and the transceiver module.

[0007] Furthermore, the synchronization module also includes a storage module, which is connected to the control module.

[0008] Furthermore, the audio processing module includes an audio processing chip, which is connected to the main control module via a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol. The audio processing chip is also connected to the audio interaction module via the first communication protocol.

[0009] Furthermore, the first communication protocol is the I2S protocol.

[0010] Furthermore, the second communication protocol is the USB protocol.

[0011] Furthermore, the main control module is connected to the synchronization module via a third communication protocol.

[0012] Furthermore, the third communication protocol is the HDMI protocol.

[0013] Secondly, this utility model also provides an intelligent conference system, which includes an audio input module, an audio / video output module, and the low-latency audio circuit described in any one of the above.

[0014] The intelligent conference system disclosed in this utility model includes an audio input module, an audio / video output module, and a low-latency audio circuit. The low-latency audio circuit includes a main control module, an audio processing module, and a synchronization module. The main control module is connected to both the audio processing module and the synchronization module, and can output video signals to the synchronization module. The audio processing module is connected to both the audio input module and the synchronization module, and can process the analog audio signals input from the audio input module, and then output the processed analog audio signals to the synchronization module. The synchronization module is connected to the audio / video output module, and can synchronously process the video signals and analog audio signals, and then output them to the audio / video output module. This reduces audio latency, avoids audio-visual disconnect, and thus improves conference efficiency and user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the low-delay audio circuit provided in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the low-delay audio circuit provided in the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the low-delay audio circuit provided in the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of the low-delay audio circuit provided in the fourth embodiment of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0021] It should be understood that, when used in this specification and the appended claims, the terms “comprising” and “including” indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0022] It should also be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this specification and the appended claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes such combinations.

[0023] Furthermore, the directional terms used in this invention, such as "up," "down," "front," "back," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," and "side," are only for reference to the accompanying drawings and the product's usage state. Therefore, the directional terms used are for explaining and understanding this invention, and not for limiting it. Additionally, in the accompanying drawings, structures that are similar or identical are indicated by the same reference numerals.

[0024] See Figures 1 to 4 , Figure 1 This is a block diagram of the low-delay audio circuit 100 provided in the first embodiment of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the low-delay audio circuit 100 provided in the second embodiment of this utility model; Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the low-delay audio circuit 100 provided in the third embodiment of this utility model; Figure 4 This is a block diagram of the low-latency audio circuit 100 provided in the fourth embodiment of this utility model. Figure 1As shown, the low-latency audio circuit 100 includes a main control module 10, an audio processing module 20, and a synchronization module 30. The input terminal of the audio processing module 20 is connected to the audio input module 200 of the intelligent conference system, and the other input terminal of the audio processing module 20 is connected to the main control module 10. The input terminal of the synchronization module 30 is connected to the output terminal of the main control module 10, and the input terminal of the synchronization module 30 is also connected to the output terminal of the audio processing module 20. This synchronization module 30 is used to synchronously process the video signal output by the main control module 10 and the mixed audio signal output by the audio processing module 20. The output terminal of the synchronization module 30 is connected to the audio / video output module 300 of the intelligent conference system.

[0025] Specifically, the intelligent conference system may include an audio input module 200, an audio / video output module 300, and a low-latency audio circuit 100. The audio input module 200 is used to collect audio signals from the surrounding environment, such as participants' speeches; it can be a microphone or a device with voice input functionality. The audio / video output module 300 is used to output audio and video signals, such as the speeches of other participants and the live video feeds of other participants. It is understood that the intelligent conference system may also include a video input module, which is used to collect video signals from participants, such as live feeds. A smart conferencing system can have multiple participants, each of whom can be considered a participant. Each participant can act as a speaker or a viewer. When a participant acts as a speaker, the audio input module 200 will collect the audio signal from the speaker. At the same time, the video input module will collect the video signal from the speaker. The collected audio signal will be input to the low-latency audio circuit 100, where it will undergo low-latency processing. The video signal will also be input to the low-latency audio circuit 100. After the low-latency audio circuit 100 performs low-latency and synchronization processing on the audio and video signals, it will send them to the audio / video output module 300 to ensure audio and video synchronization.

[0026] The low-latency audio circuit 100 may include a main control module 10, an audio processing module 20, and a synchronization module 30. The main control module 10 is connected to both the audio processing module 20 and the synchronization module 30. Specifically, it may be a SOC module used to receive video information and then send it to the synchronization module 30. Simultaneously, it can also receive digital audio signals and send them to the audio processing module 20. The source of the digital audio signal can be audio from other formats or internal system audio. The main control module 10 can preprocess the digital audio signal, such as unifying the sampling rate, bit depth, and channel format, to avoid the audio processing module 20 consuming extra time for conversion due to format incompatibility during mixing. Furthermore, the video signal output by the main control module 10 can be the unencoded raw video signal to reduce latency caused by compression and decompression.

[0027] The audio processing module 20 is connected to both the audio input module 200 and the synchronization module 30. It can receive two types of audio signals: a digital audio signal output from the main control module 10 and an analog audio signal output from the audio input module 200. The audio processing module 20 performs layered and efficient processing (such as signal conversion and noise reduction) on the received multi-source audio signals and mixes them into a unified hybrid audio signal, avoiding the latency caused by SOC encoding / decoding and system scheduling in traditional links. Finally, the hybrid audio signal is output to the synchronization module 30. Alternatively, the audio processing module 20 can also be connected to the audio output module 400, allowing the hybrid audio signal to be output separately through the audio output module 400.

[0028] The synchronization module 30 is connected to the audio and video output module 300, and can also be connected to the video output module. After processing the received video signal and mixed audio signal synchronously, the synchronization module 30 outputs the synchronized audio and video signal to the back-end display system, namely the audio and video output module 300 and the video output module, and finally completes the coordinated output of audio and video to ensure the consistency of audio and video in time.

[0029] As a further embodiment, the synchronization module 30 includes an audio interaction module 31 and a transceiver module 32; the audio interaction module 31 is connected to the audio processing module 20, and the transceiver module 32 is connected to the main control module 10.

[0030] The synchronization module 30 may include an audio interaction module 31 and a transceiver module 32. The audio interaction module 31 is connected to the audio input module 200 and is used to receive the mixed audio signal. The transceiver module 32 is connected to the main control module 10 and is used to receive the video signal output by the main control module 10. After synchronizing the mixed audio signal and the video signal, it outputs the audio and video signals to the audio and video output module 300. On the one hand, the video signal is a low-latency signal, and the mixed audio signal, after being processed by the audio processing module 20, is also a low-latency signal. After being synchronized by the transceiver module 32, the synchronization of the audio signal and the video signal can be guaranteed, thereby ensuring audio-visual synchronization.

[0031] As a further embodiment, the synchronization module 30 also includes a control module 33, which is connected to the audio interaction module 31 and the transceiver module 32 respectively.

[0032] The control module 33 is connected to both the audio interaction module 31 and the transceiver module 32. It is used to configure the parameters of the audio interaction module 31 and the transceiver module 32, trigger their actions, and monitor their status. For example, it can set the sampling rate, sampling bit depth, and channel mapping; control the enabling / mute and reset of the audio channels; and read the register status of the audio interaction module 31 and the transceiver module 32.

[0033] As a further embodiment, the synchronization module 30 also includes a storage module 34, which is connected to the control module 33.

[0034] The storage module 34 is connected to the control module 33 and is used to store firmware programs and configuration parameters. For example, when the system starts, the program is loaded from the storage module 34 to initialize the format and audio parameters, so that the system can quickly enter the working state.

[0035] As a further embodiment, the audio processing module 20 includes an audio processing chip, which is connected to the main control module 10 via a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol. The audio processing chip is also connected to the audio interaction module 31 via the first communication protocol.

[0036] The audio processing module 20 may include an audio processing chip, a level conversion circuit, a data input and output circuit, a recording function circuit, and an analog audio input circuit. The level conversion circuit converts audio levels for connection to external systems. The data input and output circuit handles data input and output. The recording function circuit transmits the mixed audio signal back to the main control module 10 for recording. The analog audio input circuit receives analog audio signals. The specific structure of these circuits can be found in commonly used circuit structures in the art, and is not limited here. The audio processing chip may be a DSP chip, comprising multiple pins. These pins connect the audio interaction module 31 and the main control module 10. The audio processing chip processes analog audio signals and performs layered, efficient processing of digital and analog audio signals, mixing them into a unified mixed audio signal to shorten audio processing time and reduce audio latency. This mixed audio signal may be an embedded audio stream, ultimately output to the audio interaction module 31.

[0037] As a further embodiment, the first communication protocol is the I2S protocol.

[0038] As a further embodiment, the second communication protocol is the USB protocol.

[0039] The main control module 10 and the audio processing chip can be connected via a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol. The audio processing chip and the audio interaction module 31 can be connected via the first communication protocol. The first communication protocol can be the I2S protocol, and the second communication protocol can be the USB protocol. I2S (Inter-ICSound, Integrated Circuit Built-in Audio Bus) is a dedicated digital audio transmission bus standard used for high-fidelity, low-latency audio data transmission between chips (such as SOCs, DSPs, and audio codecs). I2S can include three basic lines and one optional line: a bit clock signal, a channel clock signal, a serial data signal, and a master clock signal. Connecting the main control module 10 to the audio processing chip and to the synchronization module 30 via the first communication protocol can further reduce latency.

[0040] The main control module 10 can transmit digital audio signals to the audio processing chip via the I2S protocol. The audio processing chip mixes the received digital and analog audio signals and then transmits them to the audio interaction module 31 via the I2S protocol. It can also transmit the signals back to the main control module 10 via the USB protocol, which is convenient for recording audio.

[0041] As a further embodiment, the main control module 10 is connected to the synchronization module 30 via a third communication protocol.

[0042] As a further embodiment, the third communication protocol is the HDMI protocol.

[0043] The main control module 10 can be connected to the synchronization module 30 via a third communication protocol, which can be the HDMI protocol. For example, the main control module 10 can be connected to the transceiver module 32 via the HDMI protocol. The transceiver module 32 receives the video signal output by the main control module 10 on the one hand, and performs synchronous processing on the video signal and the mixed audio signal on the other hand, and then outputs it to the back-end display system via the HDMI protocol.

[0044] This utility model provides an intelligent conference system, which includes an audio input module 200, an audio / video output module 300, and a low-latency audio circuit 100 as described in any of the above embodiments. The low-latency audio circuit 100 includes a main control module 10, an audio processing module 20, and a synchronization module 30. One input terminal of the audio processing module 20 is connected to the audio input module 200 of the intelligent conference system, and the other input terminal of the audio processing module 20 is connected to the main control module 10. The input terminal of the synchronization module 30 is connected to the output terminal of the main control module 10, and the input terminal of the synchronization module 30 is also connected to the output terminal of the audio processing module 20, for synchronizing the video signal output by the main control module 10 and the mixed audio signal output by the audio processing module 20. The output terminal of the synchronization module 30 is connected to the audio / video output module 300 of the intelligent conference system.

[0045] Specifically, the intelligent conference system may include an audio input module 200, an audio / video output module 300, and a low-latency audio circuit 100. The audio input module 200 is used to collect audio signals from the surrounding environment, such as participants' speeches; it can be a microphone or a device with voice input functionality. The audio / video output module 300 is used to output audio and video signals, such as the speeches of other participants and the live video feeds of other participants. It is understood that the intelligent conference system may also include a video input module, which is used to collect video signals from participants, such as live feeds. A smart conferencing system can have multiple participants, each of whom can be considered a participant. Each participant can act as a speaker or a viewer. When a participant acts as a speaker, the audio input module 200 will collect the audio signal from the speaker. At the same time, the video input module will collect the video signal from the speaker. The collected audio signal will be input to the low-latency audio circuit 100, where it will undergo low-latency processing. The video signal will also be input to the low-latency audio circuit 100. After the low-latency audio circuit 100 performs low-latency and synchronization processing on the audio and video signals, it will send them to the audio / video output module 300 and the video output module to ensure audio-visual synchronization.

[0046] The low-latency audio circuit 100 may include a main control module 10, an audio processing module 20, and a synchronization module 30. The main control module 10 is connected to both the audio processing module 20 and the synchronization module 30. Specifically, it may be a SOC module used to receive video information and then send it to the synchronization module 30. Simultaneously, it can also receive digital audio signals and send them to the audio processing module 20. The source of the digital audio signal can be audio from other formats or internal system audio. The main control module 10 can preprocess the digital audio signal, such as unifying the sampling rate, bit depth, and channel format, to avoid the audio processing module 20 consuming extra time for conversion due to format incompatibility during mixing. Furthermore, the video signal output by the main control module 10 can be the unencoded raw video signal to reduce latency caused by compression and decompression.

[0047] The audio processing module 20 is connected to both the audio input module 200 and the synchronization module 30. It can receive two types of audio signals: a digital audio signal output from the main control module 10 and an analog audio signal output from the audio input module 200. The audio processing module 20 performs layered and efficient processing (such as signal conversion and noise reduction) on the received multi-source audio signals and mixes them into a unified hybrid audio signal, avoiding the latency caused by SOC encoding / decoding and system scheduling in traditional links. Finally, the hybrid audio signal is output to the synchronization module 30. Alternatively, the audio processing module 20 can also be connected to the audio output module 400, allowing the hybrid audio signal to be output separately through the audio output module 400.

[0048] The synchronization module 30 is connected to the audio and video output module 300, and can also be connected to the video output module. After processing the received video signal and mixed audio signal synchronously, the synchronization module 30 outputs the synchronized audio and video signal to the back-end display system, namely the audio and video output module 300 and the video output module, and finally completes the coordinated output of audio and video to ensure the consistency of audio and video in time.

[0049] The main control module of the low-latency audio circuit disclosed in this utility model is connected to the audio processing module and the synchronization module respectively. It can output video signals to the synchronization module. The audio processing module is connected to the audio input module and the synchronization module respectively. It can process the analog audio signals input by the audio input module and then output the processed analog audio signals to the synchronization module. The synchronization module is connected to the audio and video output module. It can synchronize the video signals and analog audio signals and then output them to the audio and video output module. This can reduce audio latency, avoid audio-visual disconnect, and thus improve meeting efficiency and user experience.

[0050] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model, and these modifications or substitutions should all be covered within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A low latency audio circuit, characterized by, The low-latency audio circuit, used in intelligent conferencing systems, includes: Main control module; An audio processing module, one input terminal of which is connected to the audio input module of the intelligent conference system, and the other input terminal of which is connected to the main control module; A synchronization module is provided, the input of which is connected to the output of the main control module and the output of the audio processing module. The synchronization module is used to synchronize the video signal output by the main control module and the mixed audio signal output by the audio processing module. The output of the synchronization module is connected to the audio and video output module of the intelligent conference system.

2. The low latency audio circuit of claim 1, wherein, The synchronization module includes an audio interaction module and a transceiver module; The audio interaction module is connected to the audio processing module, and the transceiver module is connected to the main control module.

3. The low latency audio circuit of claim 2, wherein, The synchronization module also includes a control module, which is connected to both the audio interaction module and the transceiver module.

4. The low latency audio circuit of claim 3, wherein, The synchronization module also includes a storage module, which is connected to the control module.

5. The low latency audio circuit of claim 2, wherein, The audio processing module includes an audio processing chip, which is connected to the main control module via a first communication protocol and a second communication protocol. The audio processing chip is also connected to the audio interaction module via the first communication protocol.

6. The low latency audio circuit of claim 5, wherein, The first communication protocol is the I2S protocol.

7. The low latency audio circuit of claim 5, wherein, The second communication protocol is the USB protocol.

8. The low latency audio circuit of claim 1, wherein, The main control module is connected to the synchronization module via a third communication protocol.

9. The low latency audio circuit of claim 8, wherein, The third communication protocol is the HDMI protocol.

10. An intelligent meeting system, characterized by The intelligent conference system includes an audio input module, an audio / video output module, and a low-latency audio circuit as described in any one of claims 1-9.

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