SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUDIO CONFERENCING

• US 20150302865A1
• Filed: 04/18/2014
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Godavarti, Mahesh, Pilli, Sridhar
• Granted Patent: US 9,979,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/02 Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation reducing echo effects in line transmission systems H04B3/20; echo suppression in hands-free telephones H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/562 where the conference facilities are distributed
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/568 audio processing specific to telephonic conferencing, e.g. spatial distribution, mixing of participants echo suppression in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/02; sound field processing per se H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/569 using the instant speaker's algorithm speech detection per se G10L25/78

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed towards an audio conferencing method. Some embodiments may include receiving, at a first mixing device, an audio signal from a first user associated with an audio conference. Embodiments may further include processing the audio signal at the first mixing device to generate a processed audio signal and transmitting the processed audio signal to a second mixing device, wherein the first mixing device and the second mixing device are distributed over a network in a cascaded configuration. Embodiments may also include receiving, at the second mixing device, a third audio signal from a second user associated with the audio conference and processing the third audio signal at the second mixing device to generate a second processed audio signal.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for audio conferencing comprising:

receiving, at a first mixing device, an audio signal from a first user associated with an audio conference;

processing the audio signal at the first mixing device to generate a processed audio signal;

transmitting the processed audio signal to a second mixing device, wherein the first mixing device and the second mixing device are distributed over a network in a cascaded configuration;

receiving, at the second mixing device, a third audio signal from a second user associated with the audio conference; and

processing the third audio signal at the second mixing device to generate a second processed audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting at least one of the first processed audio signal and the second processed audio signal to a third mixing device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the third mixing device and the second mixing device are distributed over a network in a cascaded configuration.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ranking each user based upon, at least in part, one or more features associated with each user'"'"'s audio signal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more features includes at least one of frequency of user speech, quality of user speech and duration of user speech.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

dynamically updating the ranking based upon, at least in part, the received signals.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein processing includes applying a voice quality enhancement algorithm to at least one of the audio signals.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein applying a voice quality enhancement algorithm includes applying at least one of noise reduction, echo cancellation, and level control enhancements to at least one of the audio signals.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, from the second mixing device, at least one of a voice intelligibility and an adaptive level enhancement solution to each user'"'"'s listening environment.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein processing is based upon, at least in part, the ranking.

11. An audio conferencing system comprising:

a first mixing device configured to receive an audio signal from a first user associated with an audio conference, the first mixing device further configured to process the audio signal to generate a processed audio signal, the first mixing device further configured to transmit the processed audio signal; and

a second mixing device configured to receive the processed audio signal, wherein the first mixing device and the second mixing device are distributed over a network in a cascaded configuration, the second mixing device configured to receive a third audio signal from a second user associated with the audio conference and to process the third audio signal at the second mixing device to generate a second processed audio signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first mixing device and the second mixing device are configured to transmit at least one of the first processed audio signal and the second processed audio signal to a third mixing device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the third mixing device and the second mixing device are distributed over a network in a cascaded configuration.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

at least one processor configured to rank each user based upon, at least in part, one or more features associated with each user'"'"'s audio signal.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more features includes at least one of frequency of user speech, quality of user speech and duration of user speech.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to dynamically update the ranking based upon, at least in part, the received signals.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the mixing devices is configured to apply a voice quality enhancement algorithm to at least one of the audio signals.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein applying a voice quality enhancement algorithm includes applying at least one of noise reduction, echo cancellation, and level control enhancements to at least one of the audio signals.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the second mixing device is configured to transmit at least one of a voice intelligibility and an adaptive level enhancement solution to each user'"'"'s listening environment.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein processing is based upon, at least in part, the ranking.