CN104754284A

CN104754284A - Video conference live broadcast method, equipment and system

Info

Publication number: CN104754284A
Application number: CN201310733156.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张世俊; 张俭
Original assignee: China Mobile Communications Group Co Ltd
Current assignee: China Mobile Communications Group Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-12-26
Filing date: 2013-12-26
Publication date: 2015-07-01
Anticipated expiration: 2033-12-26
Also published as: CN104754284B

Abstract

The invention discloses a video conference live broadcast method, equipment and system. The method comprises the following steps: receiving a conference watching request specific to a specific video conference initiated by a watching client by a conference server; selecting a conference client satisfying a set condition from each online conference client of the specific video conference according to the conference watching request for serving as a live broadcast source of the watching client; and instructing the watching client to acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source for watching. In the scheme, the conference server can select a proper conference client from current online conference clients for serving as the live broadcast source of the watching client when the watching client applies to watch the conference in order that the watching client acquires corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source for watching, so that the current problems of limited video conference live broadcast capacity and poor live broadcast instantaneity are solved, and the effect of enhancing the live broadcast capacity and instantaneity of the video conference is achieved.

Description

Video conference live broadcasting method, device and system

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of multimedia, in particular to a video conference live broadcasting method, device and system.

Background

The video conference system is a system device which transmits audio, video and other data to each other through a transmission line and multimedia equipment by two or more individuals or groups in different places so as to achieve the purposes of real-time and interactive communication and further video conference.

With the continuous development of network technology, the application of video conference systems is more and more extensive, and a great deal of demands for video conferences to be live broadcast gradually appear. To address this need, the following methods are generally used in the industry: mixing data streams of a video conference through a video conference center server, sending the mixed data streams to a streaming media server, and sending a multicast stream by the streaming media server so that a corresponding user acquires the multicast stream from the streaming media server to realize watching of the corresponding video conference; or, the streaming media server records the current video conference, and the user requests the video conference from the streaming media server to watch the video conference.

However, when the above method is used to implement live broadcasting of a video conference, the capacity of the streaming media server is limited, so that a live video conference service cannot be provided for more users, and a data stream of the video conference needs to be sent to the streaming media server first, and then a user can obtain a corresponding video from the streaming media server in a manner of requesting or obtaining a multicast stream, so that a time delay of the conference is increased, real-time performance of live video conference is reduced, and an actual viewing effect of the user is affected.

That is, the existing video conference system has the disadvantages of limited live broadcast capacity and poor live broadcast real-time performance, and cannot meet the actual requirements of users, so a new video conference live broadcast method is urgently needed to solve the above problems.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a video conference live broadcasting method, device and system, which are used for solving the problems of limited live broadcasting capacity and poor live broadcasting real-time performance of a video conference at present.

The embodiment of the invention provides a video conference live broadcasting method, which comprises the following steps:

a conference server receives a conference watching request aiming at a specific video conference initiated by a watching client;

according to the conference watching request, selecting an online conference client meeting set conditions from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client; and are

And instructing the watching client to acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source for watching.

Specifically, the conference viewing request carries an intranet internet protocol address and/or a public network mapping address of the viewing client;

according to the conference watching request, selecting an online conference client meeting set conditions from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client, and the method comprises the following steps:

and selecting an online conference client in the same intranet with the watching client from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the watching client according to the intranet Internet protocol address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client carried in the conference watching request.

Further, after receiving a conference viewing request initiated by a viewing client, and before selecting an online conference client meeting a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client according to the conference viewing request, the method further includes:

acquiring the current live broadcast load of each online conference client of the specific video conference;

and selecting an online conference client which is in the same intranet with the watching client and the current live broadcast load of which is not more than a set threshold value from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client according to the intranet internet protocol address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client and the acquired current live broadcast load of each online conference client of the specific video conference.

and forwarding the conference viewing request to an online conference client with the identity of a conference host or a conference manager in the specific video conference, indicating the online conference client with the identity of the conference host or the conference manager to perform identity authentication on the viewing client, and receiving an authentication success response message returned by the online conference client with the identity of the conference host or the conference manager.

Further, instructing the viewing client to obtain corresponding conference data from the live source for viewing includes:

and instructing the watching client to send a conference live broadcast request to the live broadcast source so that the live broadcast source mixes corresponding video data or audio data according to the conference live broadcast request and sends the mixed video data or audio data to the watching client.

Further, after instructing the viewing client to obtain the corresponding conference data from the live source for viewing, the method further includes:

receiving feedback information which is returned by the watching client and used for representing a conference data acquisition result; and are

And when the received feedback information is determined to be a feedback message for indicating that the conference data cannot be acquired from the live source, selecting other online conference clients meeting set conditions from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a new live source of the watching client, and indicating the watching client to acquire corresponding conference data from the new live source for watching.

Correspondingly, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a conference server, including:

the receiving module is used for receiving a conference watching request which is initiated by a watching client and aims at a specific video conference;

the selection module is used for selecting an online conference client meeting set conditions from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the watching client according to the conference watching request received by the receiving module;

and the indicating module is used for indicating the watching client to acquire corresponding conference data from the live source selected by the selecting module for watching.

Specifically, the conference viewing request received by the receiving module carries an intranet internet protocol address and/or a public network mapping address of the viewing client;

the selection module is specifically configured to select, from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, an online conference client in the same intranet as the watching client as a live source of the watching client according to the intranet internet protocol address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client carried in the conference watching request.

Further, the conference server further comprises an obtaining module:

the acquisition module is used for acquiring the current live broadcast load of each online conference client of the specific video conference after receiving a conference watching request initiated by a watching client and before selecting an online conference client meeting set conditions from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client according to the conference watching request;

the selection module is specifically configured to select, from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, an online conference client that is in the same intranet as the watching client and has a current live load not greater than a set threshold as a live source of the watching client according to the intranet internet protocol address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client and the acquired current live load of each online conference client of the specific video conference.

Further, the conference server further comprises a sending module:

the sending module is used for forwarding the conference watching request to an online conference client end with the identity of a conference host or a conference manager in the specific video conference after receiving a conference watching request initiated by a watching client end and before selecting the online conference client end meeting set conditions from at least one online conference client end of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client end according to the conference watching request, and indicating the online conference client end with the identity of the conference host or the conference manager to perform identity authentication on the watching client end;

the receiving module is further configured to receive an authentication success response message returned by the online conference client whose identity is a conference host or a conference manager.

Further, the instruction module is specifically configured to instruct the viewing client to send a conference live request to the live source, so that the live source mixes corresponding video data or audio data according to the conference live request and sends the mixed video data or audio data to the viewing client.

Further, the receiving module is further configured to receive feedback information, which is returned by the viewing client and used for representing a conference data acquisition result;

the selection module is further configured to select, from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, another online conference client that meets a set condition as a new live source of the watching client when it is determined that the feedback information received by the reception module is a feedback message indicating that conference data cannot be acquired from the live source, and instruct the watching client to acquire a corresponding conference video from the new live source for watching.

Further, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a live video conference system, where the system includes a conference server, at least one online conference client, and at least one viewing client, where:

the conference server is used for receiving a conference watching request aiming at a specific video conference initiated by a watching client, selecting an online conference client meeting set conditions from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client according to the conference watching request, and indicating the watching client to acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source for watching.

The invention has the following beneficial effects:

in the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, when a watching user applies to watch the video conference through a corresponding watching client in the process of the video conference, a conference server can select a proper conference client from conference clients corresponding to all conference users currently online in the video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching user so that the watching user can obtain corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source to watch, thereby solving the problems of limited live broadcast capacity and poor live broadcast real-time performance of the video conference at present and achieving the effect of improving the live broadcast capacity and real-time performance of the video conference.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a video conference live broadcasting method according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart illustrating a video conference live broadcasting method according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of the conference server according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a video conference live broadcasting system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The embodiment of the invention provides a video conference live broadcasting method, equipment and a system, wherein the method comprises the following steps: the conference server receives a conference watching request aiming at a specific video conference initiated by a watching client, selects a conference client meeting set conditions from all online conference clients of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client according to the conference watching request, and instructs the watching client to acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source for watching. In the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, in the process of the video conference, when a watching user applies to watch the video conference through the corresponding watching client, the conference server can select a proper conference client from the conference clients corresponding to all the currently online conference users of the video conference as the live broadcast source of the watching user, so that the watching user can acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source to watch, thereby solving the problems of limited live broadcast capacity and poor live broadcast real-time performance of the video conference at present and achieving the effect of improving the live broadcast capacity and real-time performance of the video conference.

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The first embodiment is as follows:

as shown in fig. 1, which is a schematic flow chart of a video conference live broadcasting method according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the video conference live broadcasting method may include the following steps:

step 101: the conference server receives a conference viewing request initiated by a viewing client for a particular video conference.

Specifically, the conference viewing request may generally carry information such as a conference identifier of the specific video conference, so that the conference server determines, according to the conference identifier, the video conference requested to be viewed by the viewing client.

That is to say, in the embodiment of the present invention, in the process of a video conference, when the viewing client needs to view a certain video conference, the viewing client may request to view the corresponding video conference by sending a conference viewing request carrying a conference identifier of the video conference that the viewing client needs to view to the conference server, which is not described in detail in the embodiment of the present invention.

Step 102: and according to the conference watching request, selecting an online conference client meeting set conditions from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the watching client.

Specifically, the online conference client of the specific video conference may generally include an online conference client identified as a conference host or a conference manager (which may be referred to as a conference host or a conference manager for short) and an online conference client identified as a general participant (which may be referred to as a general conference client for short), which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, the live source selected for the viewing client may be an online conference client identified as a conference host or a conference manager, or an online conference client identified as a common participant, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, after receiving a conference viewing request initiated by the viewing client, and before selecting, according to the conference viewing request, an online conference client meeting a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client, the method may further include:

That is to say, in the embodiment of the present invention, after receiving a conference viewing request initiated by each viewing client, a conference host or a conference manager in a specific video conference may perform identity authentication on each viewing client (or a viewing user corresponding to each viewing client), and after the authentication is successful, select a corresponding live broadcast source for providing a conference live broadcast service for each viewing client, so as to achieve the purpose of improving the security of the video conference.

Further, the conference viewing request may also carry information such as an intranet IP (Internet Protocol) address and/or a public network mapping address of the viewing client. Accordingly, selecting an online conference client satisfying a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client according to the conference viewing request may include:

and selecting an online conference client in the same intranet with the watching client from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the watching client according to the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client carried in the conference watching request.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the conference viewing request does not carry information such as the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address of the viewing client, the viewing client may report the address information in a manner of reporting the information such as the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address to the conference server after passing the identity authentication, so that the conference server selects, from the at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, an online conference client in the same intranet as the viewing client as a live source of the viewing client according to the information such as the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address reported by the viewing client, which is not described in detail in the embodiment of the present invention.

That is to say, in the embodiment of the present invention, when selecting a live broadcast source for a viewing client corresponding to each viewing user, the conference server may reasonably select, according to address information of the viewing client corresponding to each viewing user, an online conference client in the same intranet as the viewing client corresponding to each viewing user is preferentially selected as a live broadcast source of each viewing client, so as to achieve the purpose of effectively reducing a live broadcast time delay of a conference and further improving the live broadcast real-time performance of the conference.

Further, after receiving a conference viewing request initiated by a viewing client, and before selecting an online conference client meeting a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client according to the conference viewing request, the method may further include:

acquiring the current live broadcast load of each online conference client of the specific video conference; the current live load of any online conference client may be information such as the number of watching clients or the number of watching users currently corresponding to the online conference client.

Accordingly, selecting an online conference client satisfying a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client according to the conference viewing request may include:

according to the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client and the acquired current live broadcast load of each online conference client of the specific video conference, selecting an online conference client which is in the same intranet with the watching client and the current live broadcast load of which is not more than a set threshold value from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client; the set threshold may be adjusted and set according to actual conditions, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

That is to say, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the conference server selects a live broadcast source for each viewing client, each viewing client may be further distributed in a balanced manner according to the current live broadcast load of each online conference client, so as to further achieve the purposes of reducing the load of each online conference client and improving the balance of the conference system.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the conference server selects a corresponding live broadcast source for the watching client, an online conference client whose current live broadcast load is not greater than a set threshold may also be selected as a live broadcast source of the watching client from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference according to the obtained current live broadcast load of each online conference client of the specific video conference, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Step 103: and instructing the watching client to acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source for watching.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, after the conference server selects, according to the conference viewing request, an online conference client that meets a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client, the conference server may notify, in a manner of sending notification messages to the live source and the viewing client, the viewing client information corresponding to the live source and the viewing client information corresponding to the viewing client, which is not described in detail in the embodiment of the present invention.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, instructing the viewing client to obtain the corresponding conference data from the live source for viewing may include:

In the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, in the process of the video conference, when the watching client applies to watch the video conference, the conference server can select a proper conference client from all the currently online conference clients of the video conference as the live broadcast source of the watching client so that the watching client can obtain corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source to watch, thereby solving the problems of limited live broadcast capacity and poor live broadcast real-time performance of the video conference at present and achieving the effect of improving the live broadcast capacity and real-time performance of the video conference.

Further, after instructing the viewing client to obtain the corresponding conference data from the live source for viewing, the method may further include:

Specifically, when a conference client (which may be referred to as a live source client) corresponding to a live source selected for the viewing client is in an offline state due to exiting a conference and thus cannot provide corresponding conference data for the viewing client, or when a conference client corresponding to a live source selected for the viewing client is in an online state but cannot provide corresponding conference data for the viewing client due to a network reason or other reasons, etc., a feedback message fed back by the viewing client and used for indicating that conference data cannot be obtained from the initial live source may be received, at this time, the conference server may select, from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, another online conference client satisfying a set condition as a new live source of the viewing client, and instruct the viewing client to obtain corresponding conference data from the new live source for viewing, until the viewing client can acquire the corresponding conference data.

It should be noted that, when the feedback information received by the conference server is a feedback message used for indicating that the conference data can be successfully acquired from the live source, an adjustment may be added to the current live load of the conference client corresponding to the live source, so that when the live source is subsequently selected for another watching client, a more accurate selection may be performed according to the adjusted live load of each conference client, so as to achieve the purpose of system balance.

In the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, in the process of the video conference, when a watching user applies to watch the video conference through a corresponding watching client, a conference server can select a proper conference client from conference clients corresponding to all conference users currently online in the video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching user, so that the watching user can acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source to watch, the problems of limited live broadcast capacity and poor live broadcast real-time performance of the video conference at present are solved, and the effects of improving the live broadcast capacity and real-time performance of the video conference are achieved.

In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, after receiving the conference watching request initiated by each watching user through the corresponding watching client, the conference host or the conference manager in the specific video conference can authenticate the identity of each watching user, and after the authentication is successful, the corresponding live broadcast source is selected for each watching user, so that the aim of improving the security of the video conference can be achieved.

In addition, in the embodiment of the present invention, when selecting a corresponding live broadcast source for each viewing user, the conference server can reasonably select the corresponding live broadcast source according to the address information of the viewing client corresponding to each viewing user and/or the current live broadcast load information of each online conference client, and preferentially select the online conference client which is in the same intranet as the viewing client corresponding to each viewing user and/or has the current live broadcast load not greater than a set threshold value as the live broadcast source of each viewing user, so that the purposes of effectively reducing the live broadcast time delay of the conference, further improving the live broadcast instantaneity of the conference, reducing the load of each online conference user, and further improving the balance of the conference system can be further achieved.

Example two:

the second embodiment of the invention provides a video conference live broadcasting method, which is a detailed description of the video conference live broadcasting method in the first embodiment of the invention. It should be noted that, in the video conference system, the conference client and the conference user, and the viewing client and the viewing user are usually in a one-to-one relationship, so for convenience of description, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the conference client may be referred to as the conference user, and the viewing client may be referred to as the viewing user.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 2, which is a schematic flow chart of a video conference live broadcasting method according to a second embodiment of the present invention, the video conference live broadcasting method may include the following steps:

step 201: a conference moderator or conference manager initiates a conference setup request to the conference server.

Specifically, the conference host or the conference manager may initiate a conference establishment request to the conference server through a web portal (web portal server) or a conference system client, so as to create a conference room with a unique conference identification number.

Step 202: the conference server applies for corresponding conference resources to an MCU (Multipoint control unit) according to the conference establishment request.

Step 203: and the conference server receives a conference resource application success response returned by the MCU.

Step 204: and after receiving the successful response of the conference resource application, the conference server returns a conference establishment response to the conference host to complete the establishment of the conference.

Step 205: the conference moderator or conference manager adds ordinary conference users to the created conference.

Specifically, a conference host or a conference manager may invite a user to participate in the conference actively, and may also receive a conference join request initiated by the user according to the conference identification number to add the user to the conference. Further, when a user joins the conference, the user usually needs to report information such as the corresponding intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address to the conference server.

Further, taking an example that a conference host or a conference manager actively invites the user a to participate in the conference, a specific process of adding the user a to the conference is briefly described, as shown in fig. 2: the conference host or the conference manager can initiate a request for inviting the user A to join the conference to the conference server, so that the conference server initiates a request for adding the user A to the MCU according to the request, initiates a call to the user A after obtaining an OK response message returned by the MCU for indicating that the user A is successfully added, and completes the joining of the user A after obtaining the call response of the user A.

It should be noted that, after the conference is successfully established, the conference users may directly transmit the conference data among each other, or may transmit the conference data in an MCU transfer manner, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention. Further, if the conference users send the conference data in a direct sending manner, the conference users also need to mix the received conference data with the local conference data before sending the conference data, which is not described in detail in the embodiment of the present invention.

Step 206: when the watching user needs to watch the conference, a conference watching request carrying the conference identifier of the conference can be sent to the conference server so as to request to watch the corresponding conference.

Specifically, the conference viewing request may also generally carry information such as an intranet IP address and/or a public network mapping address of the viewing user, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Step 207: after receiving the conference viewing request, the conference server forwards the conference viewing request to a conference host or a conference manager, and the conference host or the conference manager performs identity authentication on the viewing user.

Step 208: and after the authentication is successful, the conference host or the conference manager returns an authentication success response message to the conference server.

Step 209: and after receiving the authentication success response message, the conference server selects an online conference user meeting set conditions from at least one online conference user of the conference as a live broadcast source of the watching user according to a conference watching request initiated by the watching user.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, the selected live source may be a conference host or a conference manager, or may be an ordinary conference user, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the live source selected for the first time is taken as an example of a general conference user, and the description is given.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, selecting, according to the conference viewing request, an online conference user meeting a set condition from at least one online conference user of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing user may include:

according to the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching user, selecting an online conference user in the same intranet with the watching user from at least one online conference user of the current conference as a live broadcast source of the watching user; or,

according to the current live broadcast load of each online conference user of the conference, selecting an online conference user with the current live broadcast load not greater than a set threshold value from at least one online conference user of the conference as a live broadcast source of the watching user; or,

according to the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching user and the current live broadcast load of each online conference user of the conference, selecting an online conference user, which is in the same intranet as the watching user and has the current live broadcast load not greater than a set threshold value, from at least one online conference user of the conference as a live broadcast source of the watching user.

Step 210: the conference server sends notification messages to the live broadcast source and the watching users to inform the watching users of the corresponding information of the live broadcast source and the corresponding information of the live broadcast source of the watching users.

Step 211: and the watching user acquires corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source for watching.

Specifically, the watching user may send a conference live request to the live source, so that the live source mixes corresponding video data or audio data according to the conference live request and sends the mixed video data or audio data to the watching user, thereby realizing watching of corresponding conference data.

Step 212: and the conference server receives feedback information which is returned by the viewing user and used for representing the conference data acquisition result.

Specifically, when the feedback information received by the conference server is a feedback message used for indicating that the conference data can be successfully acquired from the live source, an adjustment may be performed on the current live load of the live source, so that when the live source is subsequently selected for other watching users, more accurate selection may be performed according to the adjusted live load, and the purpose of system balance is achieved.

Further, when the feedback information received by the conference server is a feedback message indicating that the conference data cannot be obtained from the live source (for example, when a conference user corresponding to an initial live source selected for the viewing user is in an offline state due to exiting the conference and thus cannot provide corresponding conference data for the viewing user, or when a conference user corresponding to the initial live source is in an online state but cannot provide corresponding conference data for the viewing user due to a network reason or other reasons, etc.), the conference server may further select, from at least one online conference user of the conference, another online conference user that satisfies a set condition as a new live source of the viewing user (in the second embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that the selected new live source is a conference host or a conference manager), and instructing the viewing user to acquire corresponding conference data from the new live source for viewing (specifically, as shown in fig. 2), until the viewing user can acquire the corresponding conference data, which is not described in detail in the embodiment of the present invention.

It should be noted that, when it is determined that there is a conference user (a live source user for short) whose identity is a live source that exits the conference midway, before the conference server provides a new live source for a viewing user corresponding to the live source user, the conference server may also delete user information of the live source user that exits the conference through an MCU (specifically, as shown in fig. 2), which is not described in detail in the embodiment of the present invention.

In the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, in the process of the video conference, when a watching user applies to watch the video conference, a conference server can select a proper conference user from all the currently online conference users of the video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching user so that the watching user can acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source to watch, thereby solving the problems of limited live broadcast capacity and poor live broadcast real-time performance of the video conference at present and achieving the effect of improving the live broadcast capacity and real-time performance of the video conference.

In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, after receiving the conference watching request initiated by each watching user, the conference host or the conference manager in the specific video conference can authenticate the identity of each watching user, and after the authentication is successful, the corresponding live broadcast source user is selected for each watching user, so that the aim of improving the security of the video conference can be achieved.

In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, when the conference server selects the corresponding live broadcast source for each watching user, the conference server can reasonably select the corresponding live broadcast source according to the address information of each watching user and/or the current live broadcast load information of each online conference user, and preferentially select the online conference user, which is in the same intranet with each watching user and/or the current live broadcast load of which is not more than the set threshold value, as the live broadcast source of each watching user, so that the aims of effectively reducing the live broadcast time delay of the conference, further improving the live broadcast instantaneity of the conference, reducing the load of each online conference user and further improving the balance of the conference system can be further achieved.

Example three:

a third embodiment of the present invention provides a conference server that can be used to implement the method according to the first embodiment or the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in fig. 3, which is a schematic structural diagram of the conference server according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In particular, the conference server may comprise a receiving module 11, a selecting module 12 and an indicating module 13, wherein:

the receiving module 11 may be configured to receive a conference viewing request initiated by a viewing client for a specific video conference. The conference viewing request may generally carry information such as a conference identification number of the specific video conference.

The selecting module 12 may be configured to select, according to the conference viewing request received by the receiving module 11, an online conference client that meets a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client.

The instructing module 13 may be configured to instruct the viewing client to obtain a corresponding conference video from the live source selected by the selecting module 12 for viewing. Specifically, the instruction module 13 may be configured to instruct the viewing client to send a conference live request to the live source, so that the live source mixes corresponding video data or audio data according to the conference live request and sends the mixed video data or audio data to the viewing client.

Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, the conference viewing request received by the receiving module 11 may further carry information such as an intranet IP address and/or a public network mapping address of the viewing client.

Correspondingly, the selection module 12 may be specifically configured to select, from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, an online conference client in the same intranet as the watching client as a live source of the watching client according to the intranet internet address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client carried in the conference watching request.

Further, the conference server may further include an obtaining module 14, wherein:

the obtaining module 14 may be configured to obtain a current live broadcast load of each online conference client of the specific video conference after receiving a conference viewing request initiated by a viewing client and before selecting, according to the conference viewing request, an online conference client that meets a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the viewing client.

Correspondingly, the selection module 12 may be specifically configured to select, from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, an online conference client that is in the same intranet as the watching client and whose current live load is not greater than a set threshold as a live source of the watching client according to the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client and the acquired current live load of each online conference client of the specific video conference.

That is to say, in the embodiment of the present invention, when selecting the corresponding live broadcast source for each viewing client, the conference server may reasonably select, according to the address information of each viewing client and/or the current live broadcast load information of each online conference client, an online conference client that is in the same intranet as each viewing client and/or has a current live broadcast load not greater than a set threshold is preferentially selected as the live broadcast source of each viewing client, so as to further achieve the purpose of effectively reducing the live broadcast time delay of the conference, further improving the live broadcast instantaneity of the conference, reducing the load of each online conference client, and further improving the balance of the conference system.

Further, the conference server may further comprise a sending module 15, wherein:

the sending module 15 may be configured to, after receiving a conference viewing request initiated by a viewing client, and before selecting, according to the conference viewing request, an online conference client that meets a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client, forward the conference viewing request to an online conference client that is a conference host or a conference manager in the specific video conference, and instruct an online conference client that is the conference host or the conference manager to perform identity authentication on the viewing client;

the receiving module 11 may be further configured to receive an authentication success response message returned by the online conference client whose identity is a conference host or a conference manager.

That is to say, in the embodiment of the present invention, after receiving the conference viewing request initiated by each viewing client, the conference host or the conference manager in the specific video conference may authenticate the identity of each viewing client, and after the authentication is successful, select the corresponding live source client for each viewing client, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the security of the video conference.

Further, the receiving module 11 may also be configured to receive feedback information returned by the viewing client and used for representing a conference video acquisition result.

The selecting module 12 may be further configured to, when it is determined that the feedback information received by the receiving module 11 is a feedback message indicating that the conference video cannot be acquired from the live source, select, from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, another online conference client that meets a set condition as a new live source of the watching client, and instruct the watching client to acquire a corresponding conference video from the new live source for watching.

That is to say, in the embodiment of the present invention, when the conference client corresponding to the initial live source selected for the viewing client is in an offline state due to exiting a conference and thus cannot provide corresponding conference data for the viewing client, or when the conference client corresponding to the initial live source is in an online state but cannot provide corresponding conference data for the viewing client due to a network reason or other reasons, and the like, the conference server may further select, from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, another online conference client that meets a set condition as a new live source of the viewing client, and instruct the viewing client to obtain corresponding conference data from the new live source for viewing until the viewing client can obtain corresponding conference data, the video conference live broadcast experience of the user is further improved, and details are not repeated in the embodiment of the invention.

In the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, when the conference server receives a conference watching request which is initiated by a watching client and aims at a specific video conference, a proper conference client can be selected from all the currently online conference clients of the specific video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client according to the conference watching request, so that the watching client can acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source for watching, the problems of limited live broadcast capacity and poor live broadcast real-time performance of the video conference at present are solved, and the effects of improving the live broadcast capacity and real-time performance of the video conference are achieved.

In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, after receiving the conference watching request initiated by each watching client, the conference host or the conference manager in the specific video conference can authenticate the identity of each watching client, and after the authentication is successful, the corresponding live broadcast source is selected for each watching client, so that the aim of improving the security of the video conference can be achieved.

In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, when the conference server selects the corresponding live broadcast source for each watching client, the conference server can reasonably select the corresponding live broadcast source according to the address information of each watching client and/or the current live broadcast load information of each online conference client, and preferentially select the online conference client which is in the same intranet with each watching client and/or the current live broadcast load of which is not more than the set threshold value as the live broadcast source of each watching client, so that the aims of effectively reducing the live broadcast time delay of the conference, further improving the live broadcast instantaneity of the conference, reducing the load of each online conference client and further improving the balance of the conference system can be further fulfilled.

Example four:

the fourth embodiment of the invention provides a video conference live broadcast system which can be used for realizing the method in the first embodiment or the second embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 4, which is a schematic structural diagram of a video conference live system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, the video conference live system may include a conference server 21, at least one online conference client 22, and at least one viewing client 23, where:

the conference server 21 may be configured to receive a conference viewing request initiated by a viewing client 23 for a specific video conference, select, according to the conference viewing request, an online conference client 22 that meets a set condition from at least one online conference client 22 of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client 23, and instruct the viewing client 23 to obtain a corresponding conference video from the live source for viewing.

Specifically, the online conference client 22 of the specific video conference may generally include an online conference client 22 identified as a conference host or a conference manager (which may be referred to as a conference host or a conference manager for short) and an online conference client 22 identified as a general participant (which may be referred to as a general conference client for short), which is not limited in any way by the embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, the live source selected for the viewing client 23 may be an online conference client 22 identified as a conference host or a conference manager or an online conference client 22 identified as a common participant, which is not limited in any way by the embodiment of the present invention.

For example, in the system shown in fig. 4, a conference host or a conference manager is the live sources of the viewing client 1 and the viewing client 2, the ordinary conference client 1 is the live source of the viewing client 3, and the ordinary conference client 2 is the live source of the viewing client 4.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, the conference server 21 is specifically configured to select, from at least one online conference client 22 of the specific video conference, an online conference client 22 located in the same intranet as the watching client 23 as a live source of the watching client according to the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client 23;

or, specifically, the method may be configured to select, according to the current live load of each online conference client 22 of the specific video conference, an online conference client 22 whose current live load is not greater than a set threshold from at least one online conference client 22 of the specific video conference, as a live source of the watching client 23; or,

specifically, the method and the device for processing the live broadcast of the video conference may be configured to select, from at least one online conference client 22 of the specific video conference, an online conference client 22 that is in the same intranet as the watching client 23 and has a current live broadcast load not greater than a set threshold as a live broadcast source of the watching client 23 according to the intranet IP address and/or the public network mapping address of the watching client 23 and the current live broadcast load of each online conference client 22 of the specific video conference, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

That is to say, in the embodiment of the present invention, when selecting a corresponding live source client for each viewing client 23, the conference server 21 may reasonably select, according to the address information of each viewing client 23 and/or the current live load information of each online conference client 22, an online conference client 22 that is in the same intranet as each viewing client 23 and/or has a current live load not greater than a set threshold is preferentially selected as a live source of each viewing client 23, so as to further achieve the purpose of effectively reducing the live conference delay, further improving the live conference real-time performance, reducing the load of each online conference client, and further improving the conference system balance.

Further, the conference server 21 may be further configured to, after receiving a conference viewing request initiated by the viewing client 23 and before selecting, according to the conference viewing request, an online conference client 22 meeting a set condition from at least one online conference client 22 of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client 23, forward the conference viewing request to the online conference client 22 in the specific video conference whose identity is a conference host or a conference manager, instruct the online conference client 22 whose identity is the conference host or the conference manager to perform identity authentication on the viewing client 23, and receive an authentication success response message returned by the online conference client 22 whose identity is the conference host or the conference manager.

That is to say, in the embodiment of the present invention, after receiving the conference viewing request initiated by each viewing client 23, the conference host or the conference manager in the specific video conference may authenticate the identity of each viewing client, and after the authentication is successful, select a corresponding live broadcast source for each viewing client 23, so that the purpose of improving the security of the video conference may also be achieved.

It should be noted that the video conference live broadcasting system may further include units such as an MCU (where the conference server 21 and the MCU may be located in a conference service layer of the video conference live broadcasting system) to complete transfer of messages or conference data streams between each online conference client 22 or each viewing client 23 in the video conference live broadcasting system, which is not described in detail herein in this embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that the specific structure and the specific functions of the conference server 21 in the video conference live system may be the same as those of the conference server in the third embodiment of the present invention, and further description thereof is omitted in this embodiment of the present invention.

In the technical scheme of the embodiment of the invention, in the process of the video conference, when a watching client applies to watch the video conference, a conference server can select a proper conference client from all the currently online conference clients of the video conference as a live broadcast source of the watching client so that the watching client can acquire corresponding conference data from the live broadcast source to watch, thereby solving the problems of limited live broadcast capacity and poor live broadcast real-time performance of the video conference at present and achieving the effect of improving the live broadcast capacity and real-time performance of the video conference.

In addition, in the embodiment of the invention, when the conference server selects the corresponding live broadcast source client for each watching client, the conference server can reasonably select the corresponding live broadcast source client according to the address information of each watching client and/or the current live broadcast load information of each online conference client, and preferentially select the online conference client which is in the same intranet with each watching client and/or the current live broadcast load of which is not more than the set threshold value as the live broadcast source of each watching client, so that the aims of effectively reducing the live broadcast time delay of the conference, further improving the live broadcast instantaneity of the conference, reducing the load of each online conference client and further improving the balance of the conference system can be further fulfilled.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, apparatus (device), or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present invention has been described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (devices) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, additional variations and modifications in those embodiments may occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basic inventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claims be interpreted as including preferred embodiments and all such alterations and modifications as fall within the scope of the invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A video conference live broadcasting method is characterized by comprising the following steps:

2. The live video conference method according to claim 1, wherein the conference viewing request carries an intranet internet protocol address and/or a public network mapping address of the viewing client;

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein after receiving a conference viewing request initiated by a viewing client, and before selecting an online conference client satisfying a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client according to the conference viewing request, the method further comprises:

4. The live video conference method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein after receiving a conference viewing request initiated by a viewing client, and before selecting an online conference client satisfying a set condition from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference as a live source of the viewing client according to the conference viewing request, the method further comprises:

5. A live video conference method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein instructing the viewing client to obtain corresponding conference data from the live source for viewing comprises:

6. A method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein after instructing the viewing client to obtain corresponding conference data from the live source for viewing, the method further comprises:

7. A conference server, comprising:

8. The conference server according to claim 7, wherein said receiving module receives said conference viewing request with an intranet internet protocol address and/or a public network mapping address of said viewing client;

9. The conference server of claim 8, wherein said conference server further comprises an acquisition module:

10. The conference server according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein said conference server further comprises a sending module:

11. Conference server according to one of the claims 7 to 9,

the indication module is specifically configured to instruct the viewing client to send a conference live request to the live source, so that the live source mixes corresponding video data or audio data according to the conference live request and sends the mixed video data or audio data to the viewing client.

12. Conference server according to one of the claims 7 to 9,

the receiving module is further configured to receive feedback information, which is returned by the viewing client and used for representing a conference data acquisition result;

the selection module is further configured to select, from at least one online conference client of the specific video conference, another online conference client that meets a set condition as a new live source of the watching client when it is determined that the feedback information received by the reception module is a feedback message indicating that conference data cannot be acquired from the live source, and instruct the watching client to acquire corresponding conference data from the new live source for watching.

13. A live video conference system, the system comprising a conference server, at least one online conference client, and at least one viewing client, wherein: