Voice mixing method and multipoint conference server and program using the same method

• US 8,255,206 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Issued: 08/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ito, Hironori, Ozawa, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Albertalli, Brian
• Application Number:
  US12/438,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20090248402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,827 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 704/201
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/00 Speech or audio signals analysis-synthesis techniques for redundancy reduction, e.g. in vocoders; Coding or decoding of speech or audio signals, using source filter models or psychoacoustic analysis in musical instruments G10H
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/04 using predictive techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• 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

Abstract

The voice mixing method includes a first step for selecting voice information from a plurality of voice information, a second step for adding up all the selected voice information, a third step for obtaining a voice signal totaling the voice signals other than one voice signal, of the selected voice signals, a fourth step for encoding the voice information obtained in the second step, a fifth step for encoding the voice signal obtained in the third step, and a sixth step for copying the encoded information obtained in the fourth step into the encoded information in the fifth step.

Claims

1. A voice mixing method for mixing a plurality of voice information in a multipoint conference server, including:

a first step of selecting voice information from a plurality of voice information by a selector;

a second step of adding up all the selected voice information by an all signals adder;

a third step of obtaining a voice information by adding up the voice information other than one voice information, of said selected voice information by an adder;

a fourth step of encoding said voice information obtained in said second step, by a first encoder;

a fifth step of encoding said voice information obtained in said third step, by a second encoder; and

a sixth step of copying said encoded information obtained in said fourth step into said encoded information in said fifth step, by a switch.

2. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, wherein

in said sixth step, the encoded information stored in a memory of said first encoder which performs the coding of said fourth step is copied into said second encoder which performs the coding of said fifth step.

3. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, further including

a seventh step of switching and supplying said encoded information obtained in said fourth step or said encoded information obtained in said fifth step according to the selected result in said first step, by an output switch.

4. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, wherein

input encoded voice information is decoded by a decoder and the decoded voice information is used as the voice information in said first step.

5. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, wherein

in said first step, said selector selects voice information according to power of a voice signal of said voice information.

6. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, wherein

in said first step, said selector selects voice information according to whether the voice data of said voice information has sound or silence.

7. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, wherein

in said third step, said adder obtains the voice information obtained by totaling the voice information other than one voice information, of said selected voice information, is obtained by subtracting said selected voice information from said added voice information one by one.

8. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, wherein

said voice information is encoded data of a voice signal,

in said first step, said selector analyzes a plurality of said encoded data, selects encoded data for mixing, and decodes said selected encoded data and generating a decoded voice signal.

9. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, wherein

said voice information is encoded data of a voice signal,

in said first step, said selector analyzes said encoded data and decoded voice signals obtained by decoding said encoded data, and selecting selects the decoded voice signals for mixing.

10. The voice mixing method according to claim 8, wherein

in said second step, generating a voice signal totaling all said decoded voice signals,

in said third step, generating a voice signal totaling the decoded voice signals other than a decoded voice signal, of said selected decoded voice signals,

in said fourth step, differential-coding said voice signals generated by said second step in said first encoder,

in said fifth step, differential-coding said voice signals generated by said third step in said second encoder,

in said sixth step, making memory contents indicating a state of the second encoder of said fifth step equal to memory contents indicating a state of said first encoder of said fourth step when a selected result of said decoded voice signals for mixing is changed.

11. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, including

in said multipoint conference server, a step for adjusting the sound volume of the mixed voices so that a volume difference between the voice signals is less than a predetermined volume.

12. The voice mixing method according to claim 1, including

in said multipoint conference server, a step for adjusting the sound volume of the mixed voices to be equal to the largest volume of the voice in the voice signals for mixing or to be at a predetermined level.

13. A multipoint conference server which mixes a plurality of voice information, comprising:

a selector that selects voice information from said plurality of the voice information;

an all signals adder that adds up all the voice information selected by said selector;

an adder that obtains voice information by adding up the voice information other than one voice information, of said selected voice information;

a first encoder that encodes the voice information added by said all signals adder;

a second encoder that encodes the voice information added by said adder; and

a switch that copies said encoded information obtained by said first encoder into said second encoder.

14. The multipoint conference server according to claim 13, wherein

said switch copies the encoded information stored in a memory of said first encoder into said second encoder, according to the selected result of said selector.

15. The multipoint conference server according to claim 13, further comprising

an output switch that switches and supplies the encoded information obtained by said first encoder or the encoded information obtained by said second encoder according to the selected result by said selector.

16. The multipoint conference server according to claim 13, comprising

a decoder that decodes a plurality of input encoded voice information, wherein

said selector selects the voice information from the plurality of the voice information decoded by said decoder.

17. The multipoint conference server according to claim 13, wherein

said selector selects the voice information according to power of the voice signal of said voice information.

18. The multipoint conference server according to claim 13, wherein

said selector selects the voice information according to whether the voice data of said voice information has sound or silence.

19. The multipoint conference server according to claim 13, wherein

said adder obtains voice information totaling the voice information other than one voice information, of said selected voice information, by subtracting said selected voice information from the voice information added up by said all signals adder one by one.