Dynamic Audio Volume Control for Video Conference Clarity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current video conference systems lack the capability to dynamically control audio volume levels among participants, leading to speech collisions and difficulties in following conversations, as participants may not pick up on cues due to remote locations.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that determine and dynamically adjust audio volume levels based on participant roles, time, and predefined points in a conference, using a processor and server to control audio output, ensuring that higher-ranking participants or speakers maintain higher volume levels while lower-ranking participants or listeners have reduced volumes, especially when not speaking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If equal volume levels are used for all participants, then ease of operation is improved, but speech collisions increase and communication clarity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different volume levels to different participants based on their roles and speaking status. Key speakers receive higher volume levels while listeners receive lower levels, creating localized audio quality differences that prevent speech collisions and improve communication clarity without requiring complex manual control from users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts volume levels based on real-time speaking detection and participant roles. Volume levels are not fixed but continuously adapt during the conference, increasing for active speakers and decreasing for listeners, thereby maintaining optimal communication clarity throughout the interaction.
2Loss of information
If dynamic volume control is implemented, then speech collisions are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically detecting who is speaking and adjusting volume levels without requiring manual intervention from users. The conference system monitors audio streams, identifies speakers, and autonomously applies appropriate volume levels, reducing speech collisions while avoiding the complexity of user-controlled manual adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the audio parameter of volume levels dynamically based on speaking status and participant roles. By automatically modifying this key parameter in response to detected speaking conditions, the system reduces speech collisions through a relatively simple parameter adjustment mechanism rather than complex system reconfiguration.
3Loss of information
If volume levels are adjusted based on speaking status, then communication clarity is improved, but measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from audio analysis to determine speaking status and adjust volume levels accordingly. By continuously monitoring audio streams and using this feedback to identify speakers, the system can accurately control volume levels to improve communication clarity without requiring excessively complex detection mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, a device may include at least one processor and storage accessible to the at least one processor. The storage may include instructions executable by the at least one processor to facilitate a video conference and to determine different volume levels at which audio for different conference participants should be set. Each different volume level may be greater than zero. The instructions may also be executable to, based on the determination, control audio for the video conference according to the different volume levels. The determination may be based on something other than one of the conference participants specifying one or more of the different volume levels.