Echo Detection in Co-located Online Meeting Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Echo effects occur during online meetings when participant devices are co-located, leading to unwanted sound duplication and interference, which existing technologies fail to effectively detect and mitigate.
Innovation Solution
A conferencing device detects potential echo effects by either emitting an echo test sound or using device location information to identify co-located devices, then groups them and designates one device as the active audio presenter to prevent echo, providing an echo warning to users and processing audio inputs to eliminate duplication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple participant devices are co-located in the same conference room, then the convenience of operation and accessibility are improved, but echo effects occur causing sound duplication and interference
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection by emitting test sounds from each participant device and capturing them with microphones before the actual meeting begins. This advance detection identifies which devices are co-located and likely to cause echo effects, allowing the system to proactively manage audio routing and notify users before the harmful effect occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes feedback loops where audio from each device is monitored and analyzed for echo characteristics. When echo is detected, the system provides real-time feedback to participants through notifications and automatically adjusts audio routing, creating a closed-loop control system that continuously prevents echo effects during the meeting
2Object-affected harmful factors
If echo detection and management systems are implemented, then echo effects are prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each participant device autonomously emits test sounds, captures them with its own microphone, and participates in the echo detection process without requiring complex centralized control. The devices self-identify their co-location status and work together to solve the echo problem, distributing the computational and operational complexity across multiple independent units rather than concentrating it in a single complex system
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a conferencing device detects a potential echo effect between two or more of a plurality of participant devices in an online conference the two or more participant devices being co-located. The conferencing device presents an echo warning to a user interface of a particular one of the co-located participant devices, in response to detecting the potential echo effect. The conferencing device groups the co-located participant devices into a group. The conferencing device provides audio data from a selected one of the co-located participant devices in the group for presentation by the plurality of participant devices as part of the online conference.