Conference communication method and apparatus, cluster, medium and program product

Abstract

The present application provides a conference communication method, a conference communication apparatus, a computing device cluster, a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product. The conference communication method is applied to a conference control server, and comprises: receiving a call request sent by a calling terminal; creating a conference on the basis of the call request, and inviting the calling terminal and a called terminal to join the conference; and after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference on the basis of the invitation, starting the conference to perform conference communication. The present application can simplify the conference creation process, facilitating free switching between a two-party conference and a multi-party conference.

Description

Conference communication method, apparatus, cluster, medium, and program product

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411356958.4, filed on September 26, 2024, and entitled “Conference communication method, apparatus, cluster, medium, and program product”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communication technology, in particular to a conference communication method, a conference communication apparatus, a computing device cluster, a computer readable storage medium, and a computer program product. BACKGROUND

[0003] There are technologies in the art for holding online remote conferences over the Internet or a private network, such a remote conference including a conference with two or more parties participating. The conference communication technology in the prior art requires one of the two parties (usually the calling party) to additionally create a conference when switching from two-party communication to three-party or multi-party communication, in order to pull in the third party or the Nth party into the conference for multi-party conference communication. Such a conference creation method is very cumbersome and time-consuming, which reduces the user experience of the conference communication system. Therefore, there is an urgent need in the art for a conference communication technology that can simplify the conference creation process and facilitate free switching between two-party conference and multi-party conference. SUMMARY

[0004] To this end, the present application is committed to providing a conference communication method, a conference communication apparatus, a computing device cluster, a computer readable storage medium, and a computer program product, which can simplify the conference creation process and facilitate free switching between two-party conference and multi-party conference.

[0005] In one aspect, the present application provides a conference communication method applied to a conference control server, the method comprising: receiving a call request issued by a calling terminal; creating a conference according to the call request, and inviting the calling terminal and a called terminal to join the conference; starting the conference after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation, to perform conference communication.

[0006] According to this aspect, the conference control server creates a conference by itself after receiving the call request issued by the calling terminal, and invites the calling and called terminals to join, without the calling terminal issuing a command or request to create a conference. Such a conference creation method greatly simplifies the operation of the calling terminal, so that the calling terminal only needs to initiate a call to automatically create a conference, which is very convenient when more parties are to be pulled into the conference later, and other parties can directly join the conference without the need to additionally create a conference, thereby realizing free switching from two-party communication to multi-party communication.

[0007] In a possible implementation of the present application, the method for creating a conference according to a call request and inviting a calling terminal and a called terminal to join the conference comprises: performing media negotiation with the calling terminal to obtain media capability of the calling terminal; performing media negotiation with the called terminal using the media capability of the calling terminal to obtain media capability of the called terminal; and performing media negotiation with the calling terminal again using the media capability of the called terminal to determine media used by the conference.

[0008] According to the present implementation, by performing media negotiation between the calling terminal and the called terminal to determine media capability of both parties, the media form supported by both the calling party and the called party can be used in subsequent conference communication, direct conversion of media content is achieved without the need for encoding and decoding operation of media content, thereby greatly reducing communication delay and reducing consumption of computing resources.

[0009] In a possible implementation of the present application, after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation, the conference is started to perform conference communication, and the method further comprises: sending a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, the two-dimensional code being used for a user of the calling terminal to scan using a computing device to enter a conference control interface and perform control operation on the conference.

[0010] According to the present implementation, by providing the calling terminal with a two-dimensional code that can be scanned, the calling party can directly perform conference control operation through a computing device such as a smart phone without using the original conference control device (such as a remote controller), making conference control more convenient and more suitable for the operation habits of most people.

[0011] In a possible implementation of the present application, after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation, the conference is started to perform conference communication, and the method further comprises: receiving, by the calling terminal, a voice containing a wake-up word sent by a user; sending, by the calling terminal, the voice to a media gateway, and after the media gateway matches the wake-up word, entering a voice control mode; receiving, by the calling terminal, a voice control instruction sent by the user; and receiving the voice control instruction forwarded by the calling terminal to perform voice control.

[0012] According to the present implementation, the user (the calling party) of the calling terminal can directly perform voice control on the conference by sending a wake-up word. By setting a voice control mode, control and operation of the conference can be more convenient, and the use requirements of users in various application scenarios and environments can be better met, for example, providing a voice control option for users in a situation where the user cannot operate by hand, thereby improving user experience and expanding application scenarios.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the present application, before receiving the call request sent by the calling terminal, the method further comprises: the calling terminal registers to the first gateway. Wherein, receiving the call request sent by the calling terminal comprises: receiving the call request sent by the calling terminal after the registration succeeds. Wherein, creating the conference according to the call request and inviting the calling terminal and the called terminal to join the conference comprises: inviting the calling terminal to join the conference and sending a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, the two-dimensional code is used for the user of the calling terminal to scan by using a computing device to enter the conference control interface and invite the called terminal to join the conference.

[0014] According to the present implementation, the calling terminal automatically sends the call request when registering to the gateway, without the calling terminal operating additionally, further simplifying the conference creation process. And after creating the conference according to the call request, the calling terminal is provided with a two-dimensional code that can be scanned, so that the user of the calling terminal can use a computing device such as a smart phone to scan the two-dimensional code to control the conference and invite the called terminal to join the conference, further simplifying the operation mode of the calling terminal inviting the called terminal to join the conference, making the conference creation and calling more convenient and fast.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the present application, creating the conference according to the call request comprises: creating the conference and taking the name of the calling terminal as the conference name.

[0016] According to the present implementation, when creating the conference, the user of the calling terminal does not need to name the conference, but directly uses the name of the calling terminal as the conference name, further simplifying the conference creation process and improving the user experience.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the present application, before receiving the call request sent by the calling terminal, the method further comprises: the calling terminal registers to the first gateway of the first protocol; the called terminal registers to the second gateway of the second protocol. Wherein, after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation, starting the conference to conduct the conference communication comprises: the calling terminal and the called terminal conduct the conference communication through the third protocol.

[0018] According to the present implementation, the conference communication can be conducted through the third protocol between the calling terminal and the called terminal supporting different protocols, so that the application scenario of the present application is greatly expanded, the conference communication can be realized between devices supporting different protocols, so that more terminal devices can adopt the technical solution of the present application, improving the economic value and social benefits of the technical solution of the present application.

[0019] In another aspect, the present application provides a conference communication device, the device being configured to implement functions of a conference control server, the device comprising: a receiving module configured to receive a call request sent by a calling terminal; a creating module configured to create a conference according to the call request, and invite the calling terminal and a called terminal to join the conference; and a starting module configured to start the conference for conference communication after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the present application, the creating module is further configured to: perform media negotiation with the calling terminal to obtain media capability of the calling terminal; perform media negotiation with the called terminal using the media capability of the calling terminal to obtain media capability of the called terminal; and perform media negotiation with the calling terminal again using the media capability of the called terminal to determine media adopted by the conference.

[0021] In a possible implementation of the present application, the device is further configured to: send a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, the two-dimensional code being used for a user of the calling terminal to scan using a computing device to enter a conference control interface and perform a control operation on the conference.

[0022] In a possible implementation of the present application, the device is further configured to: receive a voice containing a wake-up word sent by a user through the calling terminal; send the voice to a media gateway through the calling terminal, the media gateway entering a voice control mode after matching the wake-up word; receive a voice control instruction sent by the user through the calling terminal; and receive the voice control instruction forwarded by the calling terminal to perform voice control.

[0023] In a possible implementation of the present application, the device is further configured to: register the calling terminal to a first gateway. Wherein, the receiving module is further configured to: receive a call request sent by the calling terminal after the calling terminal is registered successfully. Wherein, the creating module is further configured to: invite the calling terminal to join the conference, and send a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, the two-dimensional code being used for a user of the calling terminal to scan using a computing device to enter a conference control interface and invite the called terminal to join the conference.

[0024] In a possible implementation of the present application, the creating module is further configured to: create the conference, and use a name of the calling terminal as a conference name.

[0025] In a possible implementation of the present application, the device is further configured to: register the calling terminal to a first gateway of a first protocol; and register the called terminal to a second gateway of a second protocol. Wherein, the starting module is further configured to: perform conference communication by the calling terminal and the called terminal through a third protocol.

[0026] In another aspect, the present application provides a computing device cluster, comprising at least one computing device, each computing device comprising a processor and a memory; the processor of the at least one computing device is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory of the at least one computing device, so that the computing device cluster performs the conference communication method described above.

[0027] In another aspect, the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, the computer program being configured to perform the conference communication method described above.

[0028] In another aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, comprising a program code, which, when the computer runs the computer program product, causes the computer to implement the conference communication method described above.

[0029] Any of the conference communication apparatus, the computing device cluster, the computer readable storage medium or the computer program product provided above are configured to perform the conference communication method provided above, thus the beneficial effects achieved thereby can refer to the beneficial effects of the corresponding solutions in the corresponding method provided above, which will not be described herein again. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0030] Hereinafter, the specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0031] Fig. 1 shows an architecture schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Fig. 2 shows an architecture schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Fig. 3 shows an architecture schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Fig. 4 shows an architecture schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Fig. 5 shows an architecture schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig. 6 shows an architecture schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Fig. 7 shows a flow schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Fig. 8 shows a flow schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Fig. 9 shows a flow schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG. 10 shows a structural diagram of a conference communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG. 11 shows a structural diagram of a computing device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG. 12 shows a structural diagram of a computing device cluster according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] FIG. 13 shows a structural diagram of a computing device cluster according to another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to make the concept and thought of the present application more clearly understood by those skilled in the art, the present application is described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be understood that the embodiments given herein are only a part of all the embodiments that the present application can have. Those skilled in the art can make improvements, modifications, or replacements to some or all of the embodiments described below after reading the description of the present application, and these improvements, modifications, or replacements are also included in the scope of protection of the present application.

[0045] In this document, the terms "a", "an", and other similar terms are not intended to refer to an only one of the things, but are intended to refer to one or more of the things. In this document, the terms "comprises", "comprising", and other similar terms are intended to refer to a relationship between the elements in a logical sense, and cannot be considered as indicating a spatial relationship. For example, "A comprises B" is intended to mean that B logically belongs to A, and does not mean that B is located inside A in a spatial sense. In addition, the meaning of the terms "comprises", "comprising", and other similar terms should be considered as open, rather than closed. For example, "A comprises B" is intended to mean that B belongs to A, but B does not necessarily constitute all of A, and A can also include C, D, E, and other elements.

[0046] In this document, the terms "first", "second", and other similar terms do not imply any order, number, and importance, but are only used to distinguish different elements. In this document, the terms "embodiment", "the embodiment", "an embodiment", "one embodiment" do not mean that the description is only applicable to one specific embodiment, but means that the description can also be applicable to another one or more embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that any description made herein for a certain embodiment can be replaced, combined, or otherwise combined with the description of another one or more embodiments, and the new embodiments generated by the replacement, combination, or other combination are easy to be thought of by those skilled in the art, and belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0047] In embodiments of the present application, a conference can refer to an organized and purposeful gathering of multiple people, in which participants interact through communication, discussion, reporting, decision-making, and the like, in order to achieve the goals of information sharing, problem solving, planning, and opinion unification. The scale of a conference can be large or small, from a small conference of a few people to a large conference of hundreds or even thousands of people. Conferences can be held in various ways, either in person for offline conferences or online through the Internet or a dedicated network for remote conferences. Conference communication can refer to the process of information processing and interaction in a conference to achieve information flow and sharing.

[0048] In embodiments of the present application, a hardware video conference can refer to a conference form that relies on specialized hardware devices and specific network connections to achieve real-time audio and video communication among multiple parties. It usually includes professional devices such as high-definition cameras, microphones, speakers, and video codecs, which have high performance and stability and can provide clear images and high-quality audio effects. Hardware video conferences are generally suitable for scenarios that require high conference quality, a large number of participants, high reliability, and security, such as corporate executive meetings, government decision-making meetings, and large academic seminars. It allows participants at different locations to communicate and collaborate efficiently as if they were in the same conference room.

[0049] In traditional video conference systems, hardware terminals are registered to SIP servers or H.323 gatekeepers through SIP protocols and H.323 protocols. A commonly used point-to-point calling scenario is to input the SIP number / E164 number of other terminals on the terminal through a matching remote control, or to obtain the number from the address book or the local address book through protocols such as LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), and then forward the call request to other registered terminals of the same protocol through the server, complete media negotiation through protocol specifications, and establish audio and video communication between the two terminals. This call can only be made between two points, and generally does not support inviting a third party to join the call in point-to-point calling on a hard terminal. The problem with traditional conference systems is that some conference systems require input through remote control operation, which is very difficult to use, and although hard terminals support point-to-point calling, they generally do not support two-way calling to three-way calling. They also do not support calling terminals of different protocols (or related protocols). Some manufacturers can provide SIP and H.323 protocol conversion devices / modules, but current soft terminals generally do not register these traditional protocols.

[0050] The cloud conference system generally provides registration of SIP protocol or H.323 protocol, but can only dial a conference ID to join a conference. Two conference terminals need to interwork, a conference is created through a conference platform, and then both sides join the conference. The problem of the cloud conference system is that the cloud conference manufacturer generally only provides SIP or H.323 registration, and the hard terminal can only call to join a conference or be called by a conference, and has no ability to directly initiate a call to a terminal to establish communication.

[0051] To this end, in some embodiments of the present application, in the case that the current cloud manufacturer only supports a traditional protocol (only provides protocol registration, the terminal only communicates with the server, and the server does not provide protocol forwarding), a point-to-point call experience of a traditional conference system is provided, that is, a traditional protocol terminal is allowed to initiate a call to other terminals (including but not limited to terminals of the same protocol, terminals across protocols / terminals without protocol), and functions including directly inputting a number of a called terminal to make a call, a calling terminal waiting for a called terminal to answer, call result prompt, and the like are provided. FIG. 1 shows an architecture schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 1, a calling terminal first sends a call request to a conference control server, the conference control server automatically creates a conference after receiving the call request sent by the calling terminal. After the conference is created, the conference control server sends a conference invitation to the calling terminal and a called terminal, and invites the calling terminal and the called terminal to join the conference. The information of the called terminal can be notified to the conference control server at the same time when the calling terminal sends the call request (that is, the call request includes the information of the called terminal), or can be notified to the conference control server at a certain time after the calling terminal sends the call request (that is, the call request does not include the information of the called terminal). After receiving the conference invitation, the calling terminal and the called terminal can select to join the conference created by the conference control server. After joining the conference, the calling terminal and the called terminal can perform conference communication through the conference.

[0053] FIG. 2 shows an architecture schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 2, the calling terminal calls the called terminal (may call through a hard terminal number, a mobile phone number, a soft terminal virtual number, etc.), the conference control server matches the calling object, and after the authority is met, automatically creates a conference and lets the calling terminal access to the conference. The media server (for example, SFU (Selective Forwarding Unit, selective forwarding unit)) plays the picture in the calling, plays a ringback tone, etc., and lets the calling party feel the experience of being in the calling. After the calling terminal accesses the conference, the conference control server initiates an invitation to join the conference to the called terminal through the communication protocol gateway (for example, a SIP server or a H.323 gatekeeper) or a PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network, public switched telephone network) relay registered by the called terminal, and after the called terminal is connected, sends the pictures, audio and video of the opposite party to the calling terminal and the called terminal, simulates the effect of a point-to-point call. In addition, the media can be triggered to access the conference through an arbitrary key, a two-dimensional code picture is received, a method of supporting the binding of a calling terminal through a smart phone is realized, a remote control operation which is difficult to use is replaced, a point-to-point call is performed, and even a third party is added or a conference is directly convened. The two-dimensional code interface can still be maintained after the conference ends, and the quick access to the conference and the convenient conference control operation through scanning the code can be realized.

[0055] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the application.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 3, the conference control server includes a conference management module, a terminal access management module, a conference scheduling control module and a service signaling module. The conference management module is used to manage conference reservation, creation and terminal access to the conference. The terminal access management module is used to manage all registered user information, record online terminal access, and provide the location of the communication protocol gateway registered by the SIP and H.323 terminals when calling. The conference scheduling control module is used to manage the media resources used by the conference, allocate and schedule media resources for terminal access after the conference is started, and support the invitation and calling of the conference terminal access capability after the conference is activated. The service signaling module is used to manage the terminal access to the conference and media processing instructions on the media gateway and other network elements according to the conference scheduling needs.

[0057] The media server (for example, SFU) is used as the core media exchange server of the conference, and each terminal transmits audio and video media streams through it.

[0058] The media gateway comprises a signaling control module, a media transceiver module, an audio codec module and a video codec module. The signaling control module is configured to receive instructions of conference scheduling services, perform SDP (Session Description Protocol) capability negotiation with terminals, and can be a standard SIP signaling or a private protocol. Meanwhile, based on the information of in-conference control and terminal request, the signaling control module sends instructions to the media transceiver module, configures corresponding routes, and implements media stream flow; controls the audio codec module and the video codec module to perform sound mixing, video picture flow merging, picture flow (such as a two-dimensional code), special effect enhancement processing and the like. The media transceiver module is configured to receive and forward audio and video media of access terminals and SFUs. The audio codec module is configured to receive instructions from the signaling control module, pull specified audio streams from the media transceiver module for decoding, sound mixing and coding, or other additional processing, and can also send specified audio files to the terminal for playing through the media transceiver module. The video codec module is configured to receive instructions from the signaling control module, pull specified video streams from the media transceiver module for decoding, video picture flow merging and coding, special effect enhancement processing and the like, and can also send generated picture flow (such as a two-dimensional code) to the terminal for display through the media transceiver module.

[0059] The communication protocol gateway comprises an access module, a registration module, a call module and a signaling adaptation module. The access module is configured to be responsible for signaling transceiving of all SIP, H.323 and the like terminals, and distribute information to the registration and call modules as needed for subsequent processing, or receive signaling of the call module and forward the signaling to the terminal. The registration module is configured to manage all SIP, H.323 registered user session information, and report registered user information access location to the user management service. The call module is configured to be responsible for forwarding calls, hanging up and in-session control signaling. The signaling adaptation module is configured to convert SIP, H.323 signaling into an internal service interaction interface, which is generally a Rest interface.

[0060] FIG. 4 shows an architecture schematic diagram of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 4, the calling terminal registers to the communication protocol gateway and reports the access location to the conference control server, and the communication protocol gateway provides the location of the SIP / H.323 terminal registration when calling. The user of the calling terminal calls the called party (which can be a hard terminal, a mobile phone, a soft terminal virtual number) through a remote controller or a contact list. After receiving the call information, the communication protocol gateway reports the call information to the conference control server. The conference control server matches the call object, such as whether the called terminal is another terminal (a hard terminal or a soft terminal virtual number) or a mobile phone. If it is a call to another terminal, it is determined whether the permission meets the conditions, and then a conference is created. The automatically created conference takes the name of the calling party as the conference name, such as the displayName (display name) in the SIP protocol, the number, or the name created in advance when registering. The conference control server completes media negotiation with the calling terminal through the communication protocol gateway, and makes the calling terminal access to the conference. The media server plays the picture of the call in progress, plays a ringback tone, and the like, so that the calling party feels the experience of calling. After the calling terminal accesses the conference, the conference control server initiates an invitation to join the conference to the called terminal through the communication protocol gateway or a PSTN relay, and sends the pictures, audio and video of the opposite party to the calling terminal and the called terminal after the called terminal is connected.

[0062] FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 5, the calling terminal registers to the communication protocol gateway and reports the access location to the conference control server, and the user triggers call negotiation by dialing any number through a remote controller. The communication protocol gateway reports the call information to the conference control server. The conference control server creates a conference as long as it is not a conference ID. The conference control server completes media negotiation with the calling terminal through the communication protocol gateway, and makes the calling terminal access to the conference. The media server plays a two-dimensional code picture (refreshed at regular intervals). This step can record the media capability (SDP) of the calling party. The user of the calling terminal scans the two-dimensional code through a mobile phone APP or a browser, binds the identity of the calling party in this call, and enters the conference control page. Then, an invitation to the called terminal is initiated to the conference management service. The conference control server invites the called terminal to join the conference, and negotiates the media capability of the called terminal using the capability of the calling terminal when negotiating the media capability of the called terminal. After obtaining the media capability of the called terminal, the calling terminal is re-negotiated. In this way, the server only forwards the media streams of the calling terminal and the called terminal, without encoding and decoding processing, thereby reducing the computing consumption. After the terminal exits the conference, it can also return to the two-dimensional code interface through re-negotiation, and subsequent conferences do not need to dial any keys to trigger the entry into the conference.

[0064] FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of the architecture of a conference communication method according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 6, an operation mode of binding a terminal controller before a conference is provided, which can not only call a called terminal, but also convene a conference, conference control, etc. In addition, the screen displaying the two-dimensional code is not limited to the two-dimensional code, and can also be replaced by a mobile phone verification code to complete the binding. In addition, if the calling terminal is set to an automatic answering mode, a call can be triggered immediately after registration is successful, the calling terminal is automatically invited to the conference, and the service side dispatches media to send a low-resolution two-dimensional code interface (refreshed at a fixed time) to the calling terminal, which occupies less resources. When the user of the calling terminal really starts a conference, the user can directly scan the two-dimensional code by using the mobile phone (so that the operation process of dialing any number can be omitted), directly selects a conference that has been reserved to join, or invites a terminal to convene a point-to-point conference or a multi-party conference. The conference control service automatically triggers a re-negotiation with the calling terminal and invites the called terminal to join the conference. After the terminal exits the conference, the terminal returns to the two-dimensional code interface through re-negotiation.

[0066] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a conference communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0067] According to the present embodiment, the conference communication method is applied to a conference control server, and includes steps S710 to S730, which are described in detail below.

[0068] S710, receiving a call request sent by a calling terminal.

[0069] In the present embodiment, the calling terminal can refer to a conference terminal that initiates a call actively. Correspondingly, the called terminal can refer to a conference terminal that is called by the calling terminal and accepts the invitation of the calling terminal passively. In the present embodiment, the conference terminal can be hardware or software. As hardware, the conference terminal can be a conference device with a screen display function and a communication function, such as a traditional hardware conference device, a personal computer (PC), a smart phone, etc. As software, the conference terminal can be a software client installed on a computing device (PC, tablet computer, smart phone, etc.). The conference control server can refer to a server with a conference control function, and its physical entity can be a server or distributedly installed on multiple servers. The conference control server is mainly used to realize signaling control functions such as starting and ending a conference. In some embodiments, the conference control server is not used to transmit media streams (such as audio streams and video streams) in a conference communication, and the media streams are transmitted by a media server through a specific protocol.

[0070] S720, creating a conference according to the call request, and inviting the calling terminal and the called terminal to join the conference.

[0071] In this embodiment, the conference control server creates the conference directly according to the call request of the calling terminal, without the operation of the calling terminal to create the conference. In this way, as long as the calling terminal initiates the call, the conference system automatically creates the conference according to the call of the calling terminal, so that when the third party (or even the fourth party, the fifth party, etc.) is added for communication, it is no longer necessary to re-create the conference to add other parties to the conference, realizing the seamless conversion from two-party call to multi-party call.

[0072] As an example, in order to create the conference according to the call request and invite the calling terminal and the called terminal to join the conference, the conference control server can first perform media negotiation with the calling terminal to obtain the media capability of the calling terminal; then perform media negotiation with the called terminal using the media capability of the calling terminal to obtain the media capability of the called terminal; and finally perform media negotiation with the calling terminal again using the media capability of the called terminal to determine the media used by the conference.

[0073] In this example, the media capability can refer to the media transmission format or media content (such as video or audio, etc.) supported by the calling or called terminal. In this example, media negotiation can refer to obtaining the media capability of the calling or called terminal, and comparing the media capability with the media capability of the other party to negotiate the media capability that can be supported by both parties. In this example, through media negotiation, the communication between the calling terminal and the called terminal can use the media form and format that can be supported by both parties, so that the server only needs to forward the media content of the calling and called terminals, without the need for encoding and decoding processing, reducing the computing resource consumption of the server for encoding and decoding of both parties.

[0074] As an example, in order to create the conference according to the call request, the conference control server can create the conference and use the name of the calling terminal as the conference name.

[0075] In this example, the name of the calling terminal can refer to the name represented by the identity information (ID) of the calling terminal, or can refer to the name used by the calling terminal when registering to the gateway. Using the name of the calling terminal as the conference name can save the operation of naming the conference, improve the user experience, and facilitate the conference creation process.

[0076] S730, after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation, starting the conference to perform conference communication.

[0077] In this embodiment, after the conference control server creates a conference, the calling terminal is automatically invited to join the conference. For the called terminal, if the calling terminal inputs the information of the called terminal (such as a hard terminal number, a mobile phone number, a soft terminal virtual number, etc.) when initiating the call request, the conference control server will match the called terminal according to the information input by the user of the calling terminal, and then invite the called terminal to join the conference after matching the called terminal. If the calling terminal does not input the information of the called terminal when initiating the call request (for example, in the case of automatically initiating the call request after registration), the conference control server will wait for the calling terminal to select the appropriate called terminal for calling, and then invite the called terminal to join the conference after the selection is completed.

[0078] As an example, after S730, the conference control server can also send a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, and the two-dimensional code is used for the user of the calling terminal to scan the two-dimensional code using a computing device to enter the conference control interface and perform a control operation on the conference.

[0079] In this embodiment, the conference control server sends a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, so that the user of the calling terminal can scan the two-dimensional code through a computing device (such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc. portable electronic device), thereby binding the computing device to the calling terminal. After binding, the computing device can send conference control signaling to the conference control server, and the conference control server can control the conference interface of the calling terminal according to the control signaling, so that the user can control the conference interface of the calling terminal by operating the interface of the computing device, thereby facilitating the conference control operation of some traditional hardware terminals (such as only being able to be controlled through a remote controller, and being unable to be controlled through a touch screen or a mouse).

[0080] As an example, after S730, the voice containing the wake-up word issued by the user can also be received through the calling terminal; then, the voice is sent to the media gateway through the calling terminal, and the media gateway enters the voice control mode after matching the wake-up word; then, the voice control instruction issued by the user is received through the calling terminal; finally, the voice control instruction forwarded by the calling terminal is received to perform voice control.

[0081] In the embodiment, the wake-up word can refer to a specific word or phrase used to activate a smart device or application, so that the user can control the device or obtain information through a simple command. After the calling terminal receives the voice containing the wake-up word issued by the user, it sends it to the media gateway for processing media information. After the media gateway matches the wake-up word in the voice, it notifies the conference control server to enter the voice control mode. Then, for the subsequent audio stream received by the calling terminal, the calling terminal sends it to the media gateway, which forwards it to the voice recognition module. After identifying the conference control instruction, it sends it to the conference control server, which controls the conference according to the received conference control instruction. In this example, voice conference control can be performed directly through the wake-up word. When the media gateway matches the wake-up word, it forwards the subsequent audio stream to the ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) engine for speech recognition and recognition. The text content is converted into a conference control instruction to directly operate the conference, which can further reduce the dependence on the phone.

[0082] FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of a conference communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0083] According to the embodiment, the conference communication method includes steps S810 to S840, which are described in detail below.

[0084] S810, the calling terminal registers with the first gateway.

[0085] In the embodiment, the gateway can refer to a network device in a computer network, which mainly functions to connect communication between different networks. It can convert the protocol format of one network into a protocol format that can be recognized by another network, realizing data transmission between different networks. The first gateway can refer to a gateway for connecting the calling terminal to the conference system communication network, which can be used for the communication protocol supported by the calling terminal, such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), H.323 protocol, etc. In the embodiment, the registration of the calling terminal with the first gateway can refer to the process of the calling terminal (hardware terminal device or software client) informing its own information to the first gateway. For example, the registration process can be the calling terminal registering its own IP address and port number with the first gateway, so that it can be correctly addressed in the subsequent call process.

[0086] S820, receiving a call request issued by the calling terminal after successful registration.

[0087] In the embodiment, the calling terminal sends a call request after successful registration, which means that the successful registration of the calling terminal automatically triggers the sending of the call request, so that the calling terminal does not need to perform additional operations to send the call request. At this time, the calling terminal can be set to an automatic answering mode, and the sending of the call request is completed as soon as the registration is successful, and the communication information of the called terminal is waited to be answered, so that more convenient operation is realized.

[0088] S830, creating a conference according to the call request, inviting the calling terminal to join the conference, and sending a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, the two-dimensional code being used for the user of the calling terminal to scan by using a computing device to enter a conference control interface and invite the called terminal to join the conference.

[0089] In the embodiment, the conference control server automatically creates a conference and accesses the calling terminal to the conference according to the call request of the calling terminal, and displays a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal in the conference. The two-dimensional code can be continuously displayed to the calling terminal device by the conference control server after the calling terminal is successfully registered, so that too many resources are not occupied. When the calling terminal decides to start the conference, the two-dimensional code can be scanned by using a computing device (such as a smart phone or a tablet computer) to enter a conference control interface to control the conference, and the calling terminal can join an already started conference or enter a new conference to invite the called terminal and / or other communication parties to join the conference. According to the embodiment, the calling terminal triggers a call as soon as the gateway is successfully registered, automatically invites the calling terminal to join the conference, and keeps displaying the two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, so that the user of the calling terminal can scan the two-dimensional code at any time to control the conference, the dialing process is saved, the joining operation of the conference is more convenient, too many media and communication resources are not occupied, and efficient starting of the conference is realized.

[0090] S840, starting the conference after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation to perform conference communication.

[0091] For details of S840, refer to the detailed description of S730 in the embodiment of FIG. 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0092] FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of a conference communication method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0093] According to the embodiment, the conference communication method includes steps S910 to S950, which are described in detail below.

[0094] S910, a calling terminal is registered to a first gateway of a first protocol.

[0095] In the embodiment, the first protocol can be a communication protocol supported by the calling terminal, which is used as a protocol dedicated to the calling terminal for information transmission between the calling terminal and the gateway. The first protocol can be, for example, a SIP protocol, an H.323 protocol, a TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) protocol, or the like. The first gateway of the first protocol can be a gateway dedicated to access a terminal device supporting the first protocol, and terminal communication devices supporting different communication protocols need to access a communication network through different gateways to realize communication functions.

[0096] S920, the called terminal registers to a second gateway of a second protocol.

[0097] In the embodiment, the second protocol can be a communication protocol supported by the called terminal, which is used as a protocol dedicated to the called terminal for information transmission between the called terminal and the gateway. The first protocol can be, for example, a SIP protocol, an H.323 protocol, a TCP protocol, or the like. The second gateway of the second protocol can be a gateway dedicated to access a terminal device supporting the second protocol.

[0098] S930, receiving a call request sent by the calling terminal.

[0099] For details of S930, refer to the detailed description of S710 in the embodiment of FIG. 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0100] S940, creating a conference according to the call request, and inviting the calling terminal and the called terminal to join the conference.

[0101] For details of S940, refer to the detailed description of S720 in the embodiment of FIG. 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0102] S950, starting the conference after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation, and the calling terminal and the called terminal communicate in the conference through a third protocol.

[0103] In the embodiment, the third protocol can refer to a protocol used by the calling terminal and the called terminal to send communication content (e.g., audio stream and / or video stream) to each other after the calling terminal and the called terminal access the conference system. In the embodiment, the calling terminal and the called terminal can communicate with each other through the third protocol, which means that the communication between the calling terminal and the called terminal can be performed through a protocol different from the protocols supported by the calling terminal and the called terminal. For example, the calling terminal and the conference system (e.g., a media server) can communicate through the third protocol, and the called terminal and the conference system can also communicate through the third protocol, so that the calling terminal and the called terminal can communicate through conference simulation, and the terminals only need to communicate with the conference system through a single protocol. In the embodiment, the calling terminal and the called terminal can be terminal devices supporting different protocols, which are accessed through a dedicated gateway for different protocols, and communicate with each other through the third protocol, so that the conference communication system in the embodiment can support communication between terminal devices supporting different protocols, and does not need a special protocol conversion device.

[0104] Based on the method embodiment described in FIG. 7, the embodiment of the present application further provides a conference communication device, a structure diagram of which is shown in FIG. 10. The device is used to perform the steps in FIG. 7.

[0105] According to the embodiment, the conference communication device 1000 is used to implement the function of the conference control server, and the device includes a receiving module 1010, a creating module 1020, and a starting module 1030. The receiving module 1010 is used to receive a call request sent by a calling terminal. The creating module 1020 is used to create a conference according to the call request, and invite the calling terminal and the called terminal to join the conference. The starting module 1030 is used to start the conference after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation, so as to perform conference communication.

[0106] It should be noted that the information processing device 1000 provided by the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 only takes the above-mentioned division of the functional modules as an example when performing the conference communication method, and in actual application, the above-mentioned functions can be completed by different functional modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the device is divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. In addition, the information processing device 1000 provided by the above-mentioned embodiment and the conference communication method embodiment shown in FIG. 7 belong to the same concept, and the specific implementation process is described in detail in the method embodiment, which will not be described here.

[0107] The application also provides a computing device 1100. As shown in FIG. 11, the computing device 1100 includes a bus 1102, a processor 1104, a memory 1106, and a communication interface 1108. The processor 1104, the memory 1106, and the communication interface 1108 communicate through the bus 1102. The computing device 1100 can be a server or a terminal device. It should be understood that the number of processors and memories in the computing device 1100 is not limited.

[0108] The bus 1102 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one line is shown in FIG. 11, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus. The bus 1102 can include a path for transmitting information between various components (for example, the memory 1106, the processor 1104, the communication interface 1108) of the computing device 1100.

[0109] The processor 1104 can include any one or more of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor (MP), or a digital signal processor (DSP), etc.

[0110] The memory 1106 can include a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM). The processor 1104 can also include a non-volatile memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD).

[0111] The memory 1106 stores executable program code, and the processor 1104 executes the executable program code to respectively implement the functions of the aforementioned receiving module, creating module, and starting module, thereby implementing the conference communication method. That is, the memory 1106 has instructions for executing the conference communication method.

[0112] The communication interface 1108 enables communication between the computing device 1100 and other devices or communication networks using, for example, but not limited to, a transceiver module such as a network interface card, a transceiver, and the like.

[0113] The embodiments of the present application also provide a computing device cluster. The computing device cluster includes at least one computing device. The computing device can be a server, for example, a central server, an edge server, or a local server in a local data center. In some embodiments, the computing device can also be a terminal device such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer, or a smart phone.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 12, the computing device cluster includes at least one computing device 1100. The memory 1106 in one or more computing devices 1100 in the computing device cluster can store the same instructions for performing the conference communication method.

[0115] In some possible implementations, the memory 1106 in one or more computing devices 1100 in the computing device cluster can also respectively store partial instructions for performing the conference communication method. In other words, the combination of one or more computing devices 1100 can collectively execute the instructions for performing the conference communication method.

[0116] It should be noted that the memory 1106 in different computing devices 1100 in the computing device cluster can store different instructions for respectively performing partial functions of the information processing apparatus. That is, the instructions stored in the memory 1106 in different computing devices 1100 can implement the functions of one or more of the receiving module, the creating module, and the starting module.

[0117] In some possible implementations, one or more computing devices in the computing device cluster can be connected through a network. The network can be a wide area network, a local area network, or the like. FIG. 13 shows one possible implementation. As shown in FIG. 13, two computing devices 1100A and 1100B are connected through a network. Specifically, the communication interface in each computing device is connected to the network. In this type of possible implementation, the memory 1106 in the computing device 1100A stores instructions for performing the functions of the receiving module. Meanwhile, the memory 1106 in the computing device 1100B stores instructions for performing the functions of the creating module and the starting module.

[0118] The connection mode between the computing devices in the computing device cluster shown in FIG. 13 can be that, considering that the conference communication method provided in the present application needs to store a large amount of data, it is considered to assign the functions implemented by the creating module and the starting module to the computing device 1100B.

[0119] It should be appreciated that the functionality of the computing device 1100A shown in FIG. 13 can also be accomplished by a plurality of computing devices 1100. Likewise, the functionality of the computing device 1100B can also be accomplished by a plurality of computing devices 1100.

[0120] Embodiments of the present application also provide another computing device cluster. The connection relationship between the computing devices in the computing device cluster can be similar to the connection manner of the computing device cluster described with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. The difference is that the same instructions for performing the conference communication method can be stored in the memory 1106 of one or more computing devices 1100 in the computing device cluster.

[0121] In some possible implementation manners, partial instructions for performing the conference communication method can also be respectively stored in the memory 1106 of one or more computing devices 1100 in the computing device cluster. In other words, the combination of one or more computing devices 1100 can collectively execute the instructions for performing the conference communication method.

[0122] Embodiments of the present application also provide a computer program product containing instructions. The computer program product can be a software or program product containing instructions, which can run on a computing device or be stored in any available medium. When the computer program product runs on at least one computing device, the at least one computing device is caused to perform the conference communication method.

[0123] Embodiments of the present application can also be a computer readable storage medium, which stores computer program instructions. When the computer program instructions are run by a processor, the processor is caused to perform the steps in the knowledge base construction method according to various embodiments of the present application described in the foregoing of the present specification.

[0124] The computer readable storage medium can take the form of any combination of one or more of the following: a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium can include, but is not limited to, for example, an electrical, a magnetic, an optical, an electromagnetic, an infrared, or a semiconductor system, device or apparatus, or any combination of the above. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable disc, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or a flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0125] The concepts, principles and ideas of the present application are described in detail above in combination with specific implementation manners (including examples and instances). It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the implementation manners of the present application are not limited to the above-mentioned forms, and those skilled in the art can make any possible improvements, replacements and equivalent forms to the steps, methods, devices and components in the above-mentioned implementation manners after reading the present application file, and these improvements, replacements and equivalent forms should be considered to fall within the scope of the present application. The protection scope of the present application is only subject to the claims.

Claims

1. A conference communication method characterized by, The method applied to a conference control server comprises: receiving a call request sent by a calling terminal; creating a conference according to the call request and inviting the calling terminal and a called terminal to join the conference; starting the conference after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation to conduct conference communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The step of creating a conference according to the call request and inviting the calling terminal and a called terminal to join the conference comprises: carrying out media negotiation with the calling terminal to obtain media capability of the calling terminal; carrying out media negotiation with the called terminal using the media capability of the calling terminal to obtain media capability of the called terminal; re-carrying out media negotiation with the calling terminal using the media capability of the called terminal to determine media adopted by the conference.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the step of starting the conference after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation to conduct conference communication, the method further comprises: sending a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, the two-dimensional code being used for a user of the calling terminal to scan using a computing device to enter a conference control interface and perform a control operation on the conference.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, After the step of starting the conference after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation to conduct conference communication, the method further comprises: receiving a voice containing a wake-up word sent by a user through the calling terminal; sending the voice to a media gateway through the calling terminal, the media gateway entering a voice control mode after matching the wake-up word; receiving a voice control instruction sent by a user through the calling terminal; receiving the voice control instruction forwarded by the calling terminal to perform voice control.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before the step of receiving a call request sent by a calling terminal, the method further comprises: the calling terminal is registered to a first gateway; wherein the step of receiving a call request sent by a calling terminal comprises: receiving a call request sent by the calling terminal after successful registration; wherein the step of creating a conference according to the call request and inviting the calling terminal and a called terminal to join the conference comprises: inviting the calling terminal to join the conference and sending a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, the two-dimensional code being used for a user of the calling terminal to scan using a computing device to enter a conference control interface and invite the called terminal to join the conference.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, The step of creating a conference according to the call request comprises: creating the conference and taking a name of the calling terminal as a conference name.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before the step of receiving a call request sent by a calling terminal, the method further comprises: the calling terminal is registered to a first gateway of a first protocol; the called terminal is registered to a second gateway of a second protocol; wherein the step of starting the conference after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation to conduct conference communication comprises: the calling terminal and the called terminal conduct conference communication through a third protocol.

8. A conference communication device, characterized by The device is used to realize functions of a conference control server, and the device comprises: a receiving module configured to receive a call request sent by a calling terminal; a creating module configured to create a conference according to the call request, and invite the calling terminal and the called terminal to join the conference; a starting module configured to start the conference for conference communication after the calling terminal and the called terminal join the conference according to the invitation.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The creating module is further configured to: perform media negotiation with the calling terminal to obtain media capability of the calling terminal; perform media negotiation with the called terminal using the media capability of the calling terminal to obtain media capability of the called terminal; re-perform media negotiation with the calling terminal using the media capability of the called terminal to determine media adopted by the conference.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The apparatus is further configured to: send a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, the two-dimensional code being used for a user of the calling terminal to scan using a computing device to enter a conference control interface and perform a control operation on the conference.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The apparatus is further configured to: receive a voice containing a wake-up word issued by a user through the calling terminal; send the voice to a media gateway through the calling terminal, the media gateway entering a voice control mode after matching the wake-up word; receive a voice control instruction issued by a user through the calling terminal; receive the voice control instruction forwarded by the calling terminal to perform voice control.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The apparatus is further configured to: The calling terminal is registered to a first gateway; The receiving module is further configured to: receive a call request issued by the calling terminal after the calling terminal is successfully registered; The creating module is further configured to: invite the calling terminal to join the conference, and send a two-dimensional code to the calling terminal, the two-dimensional code being used for a user of the calling terminal to scan using a computing device to enter a conference control interface and invite the called terminal to join the conference.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The creating module is further configured to: create the conference, and use a name of the calling terminal as a conference name.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The apparatus is further configured to: The calling terminal is registered to a first gateway of a first protocol; The called terminal is registered to a second gateway of a second protocol; The starting module is further configured to: The calling terminal and the called terminal perform conference communication through a third protocol.

15. A cluster of computing devices, characterized in that, The at least one computing device includes a processor and a memory, and the processor of the at least one computing device is configured to execute instructions stored in the memory of the at least one computing device to cause the computing device cluster to perform the conference communication method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program for performing the conference communication method of any one of claims 1 to 7.

17. A computer program product comprising a program code for causing a computer to implement the conference communication method of any one of claims 1 to 7 when the computer runs the computer program product.

Images