Wireless Audio Slot Scheduling for Low-Latency Conferencing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless digital audio systems face challenges with high latency, inefficient bandwidth usage, and limited scalability due to protocols like Bluetooth Mesh and Connected Isochronous Group (CIG) that introduce unknown latency and inefficient bandwidth allocation, especially in conferencing systems with varying numbers of audio sources and sinks.
Innovation Solution
A centralized scheduling method is implemented, where a central unit determines a broadcasting time schedule with time slots, allowing audio sources to request and delegate time slots for broadcasting, reducing latency and optimizing bandwidth usage through isochronous operation and time-division multiplexing, while maintaining control over audio streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Bluetooth Mesh flooding mechanism is used for wireless audio streaming, then audio sinks and sources can easily join or leave the system, but large and unknown latency is introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The central unit pre-allocates time slots for audio broadcasting in a scheduled manner before audio transmission begins. This preliminary scheduling of time slots eliminates the need for flooding mechanisms and reduces latency by establishing a predetermined transmission schedule, while still allowing devices to join or leave the system flexibly.
2Reliability
If Connected Isochronous Group (CIG) symmetric time schedule is used, then isochronous audio streaming is enabled, but inefficient bandwidth usage occurs due to asymmetric audio stream requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces asymmetric time slot allocation within the isochronous group, where time slots are allocated based on the actual asymmetric requirements of audio streams. Instead of symmetric allocation, the central unit can assign different numbers of time slots to different audio sources/sinks based on their specific bandwidth needs, thereby improving bandwidth efficiency while maintaining isochronous streaming reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The time slot allocation is made dynamic rather than static. The central unit can adjust the number and distribution of time slots allocated to different audio streams based on real-time system conditions and varying audio requirements, allowing the system to adapt bandwidth allocation dynamically while maintaining reliable isochronous transmission.
3Extent of automation
If centralized audio stream management is implemented, then audio streams can be controlled and mixed, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments functionality by separating control functions (centralized in the central unit) from transmission functions (distributed among audio sources and sinks). This segmentation allows centralized management of audio streams for control and mixing while keeping the actual transmission mechanism simple and distributed, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining automated control capabilities.
Data Source
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AI summary
A computer-implemented method for scheduling audio streams (120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 130, 131) within a wireless digital audio system (1) comprising a central unit (100), audio sinks (115-117, 125-129) and audio sources (125-129); wherein the central unit is configured to determine a broadcasting time schedule (101) for isochronous operation of the wireless digital audio system, wherein the broadcasting time schedule comprises consecutive time intervals (102, 103, 104); wherein a time interval comprises a set of time slots (110, 111, 112); the method comprising: broadcasting, by the central unit, one or more audio streams in one or more time slots of the set of time slots; and delegating, by the central unit, upon request of an audio source (125), the broadcasting in a subset (111) of the set of time slots to the audio source.