Multipoint Control Unit Bit Stream Generation for Sound Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing multipoint control unit techniques for multipoint phone conferencing experience significant degradation in sound quality and increased operation processing and memory requirements due to the tandem connection of paired coding and decoding, especially when using high-compression schemes like those in mobile communication.
Innovation Solution
A multipoint control method that selects up to K points from M first communication network terminal apparatuses and N second communication network terminal apparatuses, generating and outputting bit streams that include monaural codes and extension codes to reduce the processing and memory demands, thereby minimizing sound quality degradation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If high-compression coding schemes are used in multipoint control unit, then compression ratio is improved, but sound quality significantly degrades and operation processing amount increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the multipoint control into multiple independent processing units, each handling specific coding tasks. Instead of one central unit performing all decoding and re-encoding operations, the system divides work across multiple terminals, where each terminal independently codes its own sound signal. This segmentation eliminates the tandem connection problem while maintaining compression efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the decoding function from the multipoint control unit and eliminates it entirely. Each terminal directly uses its own encoded sound signal without requiring the MCU to decode and re-encode. This removes the harmful tandem connection (decode-encode cycle) that causes sound quality degradation while preserving the compression benefits.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tandem connection of paired coding and decoding is used, then adaptability is improved, but sound quality significantly degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional approach by having each terminal code its own signal rather than the MCU decoding all signals and re-encoding them. This inversion eliminates the tandem connection that causes quality loss while maintaining adaptability through the embedded coding structure that supports both monaural and stereo configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
Each terminal serves itself by independently coding its own sound signal using embedded coding. The terminal that needs sound from another point receives already-coded signals and performs minimal processing, eliminating the need for the MCU to perform redundant decode-encode operations. This self-service approach maintains adaptability while preventing sound quality degradation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple decoding and coding processes are performed, then adaptability is improved, but operation processing amount increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the redundant decoding function from the system. Each terminal keeps its encoded signal and only performs necessary coding operations for its own sound input. This removes multiple unnecessary decode-encode cycles from the processing chain, significantly reducing operation processing amount while maintaining adaptability through the flexible embedded coding structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Each terminal independently codes its own sound signal without requiring the MCU to perform decoding and re-encoding. This self-service approach eliminates multiple processing steps at the MCU, reducing the overall operation processing amount while maintaining system adaptability through the embedded coding format that can accommodate different conference configurations.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique is provided that can reduce degradation of the sound quality due to a tandem connection of paired coding and decoding, and can reduce the operation processing amount and the required memory amount of a multipoint control unit. In multipoint connection between terminals of a plurality of communication networks (for example, a fixed phone line and a mobile phone line) having different communication capacities, when a multichannel coding including a monaural coding scheme of a communication network having a smaller communication capacity is used in a communication network having a larger communication capacity to transmit sounds of a plurality points to the communication network terminal having the larger communication capacity, control is exercised such that monaural codes of the plurality points are output.