PCM Audio Router for Multi-Device Format Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing client applications struggle with dynamically routing pulse-code modulated (PCM) audio streams to multiple audio devices with inconsistent format, sample rate, and channel requirements, leading to synchronization issues and audio artefacts.
Innovation Solution
A software-implemented PCM router that dynamically routes PCM audio subchannels to multiple sink devices by configuring conversion paths with sample rate converters, channel converters, and format converters based on device characteristics, using a routing matrix to manage audio routing and buffer management to ensure seamless playback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a client application opens and configures multiple connections to simultaneously target multiple audio devices, then the ability to play audio on multiple devices is improved, but the complexity of handling inconsistent format, sample rate, and channel requirements increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a software-based PCM router as an intermediary component between the audio source and multiple sink devices. This router receives PCM audio streams and dynamically routes them to multiple audio devices, handling format conversion, sample rate adjustment, and channel mapping centrally. This eliminates the need for client applications to directly manage multiple complex connections, thereby improving adaptability while reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the complex audio routing and format conversion logic from client applications and places it in a dedicated software-based PCM router component. This separation allows client applications to simply specify target devices without dealing with format inconsistencies, sample rate mismatches, or channel requirements, thereby reducing application complexity while maintaining multi-device capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the client application closes existing connections and opens new connections to re-route audio streams, then the ability to switch audio devices is improved, but the latency and synchronization issues worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The software-based PCM router pre-configures conversion paths and maintains buffered audio data for multiple target devices simultaneously. When routing changes are requested, the router can immediately switch to pre-prepared conversion configurations without closing and reopening connections, thereby reducing switching latency and avoiding synchronization issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous audio streaming through the software router with maintained buffer connections to multiple sink devices. The router continuously processes and forwards audio data through active conversion paths, ensuring uninterrupted audio playback during device switching operations and eliminating gaps or synchronization errors that would occur with connection closure and reopening.
3Productivity
If the client application attempts to synchronously write data to multiple audio devices with inconsistent requirements, then multi-device playback capability is improved, but audio artefacts and synchronization errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The software-based PCM router applies local quality adaptation by implementing device-specific conversion paths for each sink device. Each audio device receives customized audio processing tailored to its specific format, sample rate, and channel requirements through dedicated conversion modules. This ensures optimal audio quality for each device while maintaining synchronized playback across all devices, eliminating audio artefacts caused by forced uniform processing.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for dynamically routing pulse-code modulated (PCM) audio subchannels to one or more sink devices using a software-based router. The PCM router may set a pre-conversion buffer in the conversion path to a sink device for a particular subchannel if the source PCM fragment size differs from the sink fragment size. It may also compare characteristics of the audio subchannel to the sink device to identify a mismatch and, on that basis, configure the conversion path to include a sample rate converter, a channel converter, or a format converter, as needed. Subchannels can be dynamically routed to two or more sink devices and routing may be changed during playback.