KR100861440B1 - Audio processing apparatus of USB VoIP - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a USB VoIP device, and more particularly, to a wired / wireless audio processing device for a USB VoIP device, which can easily process a low / high quality mono / stereo audio stream input by wire or wirelessly from a USB VoIP device.

An object of the present invention is to propose a device that can simultaneously use wired / wireless voice input / output means in a USB VoIP device, as well as a wire / wireless audio device that supports low / high sound quality and mono / stereo. By providing a connection means and using a wired and wireless audio device (wired ear microphone, Bluetooth hands-free / headset) selectively to use the VoIP service, the present invention also provides USB VoIP support information to the Windows audio driver The audio driver can select low-quality mono audio streams and high-quality stereo audio streams and provide the information, thereby simplifying the processing of low-quality mono audio streams and high-quality stereo audio streams without complicated DSP configuration.

VoIP, Internet Phone, Bluetooth Hands-free / Headset, Ear Microphone, USB VoIP

Description

Wired / wireless audio processing device of UBS BIO IP device {Audio processing apparatus of USB VoIP}

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wired and wireless audio processing device of the present invention USB VoIP device.

2 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the present invention, in which the USB audio device, the USB Bluetooth device, and the control unit for setting the audio path are integrated with the USB combo device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a USB VoIP device, and more particularly, to a wired / wireless audio processing device for a USB VoIP device, which can easily process a low / high quality mono / stereo audio stream input by wire or wirelessly from a USB VoIP device.

A USB Voice over IP (VoIP) device is a terminal connected to a PC (computer) through a USB port and installed with software for VoIP service.

The USB VoIP device should include a USB connector for interfacing with a PC, a controller and a flash memory, a microphone as a voice input means for receiving a user's voice, and a speaker as a voice output means for delivering a voice of the other party to the user.

In order to use the VoIP service, a wired ear microphone set or a wireless Bluetooth hands-free / headset is configured as the voice input / output means.

In general, a USB VoIP device provides either a wired ear microphone or a wireless Bluetooth handsfree / headset as voice input / output means.

Providing only a wired ear microphone set has the disadvantage that the user must be located in front of the PC, and cannot use the VoIP service wirelessly.

On the other hand, the wireless Bluetooth handsfree / headset only provides a disadvantage that a user must use a Bluetooth handsfree / headset and a relatively inexpensive and simple wired ear microphone.

Therefore, the user can use only a wired ear microphone or a wireless Bluetooth handsfree / headset according to the voice input / output means provided by the USB VoIP device.

In addition, since the conventional USB VoIP device focuses only on voice calls, most of them support only low-quality mono audio streams. In order to process CD-quality high quality stereo audio streams such as MP3, it is downsampled by a Windows driver. You have no choice but to use an audio stream.

That means users can only use low-quality mono audio streams, even if they have wired ear microphones or Bluetooth hands-free / headsets that support high-quality stereo audio streams.

In particular, it is expensive in USB VoIP devices to handle both low and high quality mono audio streams and high quality stereo audio streams, and incorporates complex Digital Signal Processing (DSP) or USB audio for low quality mono audio streams. You have to use a complex method, such as distinguishing a device from a USB audio device for a high-quality stereo audio stream.

This approach has the complexity of creating additional audio drivers for the operating system, such as Windows, and allowing the user to selectively use them.

As a result, without this process, even with wired ear microphones or Bluetooth hands-free / headsets that support high-quality stereo audio streams, you could not hear them.

Here, the low quality mono audio stream is digital voice data of the telephone voice level, which means sampling at about 8000 Hz, and pulse code modulation (PCM) in mono (one channel) format, and the high quality stereo audio stream is the digital quality of the CD sound level. Audio data was sampled at about 48000 Hz and pulse coded modulation (PCM) was performed in stereo (two channel) format.

The present invention is to propose a device that can use a wired / wireless audio input / output means at the same time in a USB VoIP device, as well as a wired / wireless audio device supporting a low-quality mono / high-quality stereo.

The present invention provides a connection means of a wired / wireless audio device, and enables the use of a VoIP service by selectively using a connected wired / wireless audio device (wired ear microphone, Bluetooth hands-free / headset).

In addition, the present invention provides USB VoIP support information to the Windows audio driver so that the audio driver can select a low quality mono audio stream and a high quality stereo audio stream and provide the information, thereby providing a low quality mono audio stream without complicated DSP configuration. It's designed to simplify the processing of high-quality stereo audio streams.

The present invention is a USB VoIP device,

Switching interface means for receiving and switching the audio stream provided from the PC to the audio processing means according to the ear microphone or the Bluetooth hands-free / headset as the audio input / output means, and the device to the audio driver program of the PC by USB communication with the connected PC. Control means for switching and controlling the switching interface means according to the set switching conditions, and the ear microphone audio processing means for processing the voice signal input through the ear microphone and the voice output through the ear microphone set. And Bluetooth hands-free / headset audio processing means for processing the input / output audio signal of the Bluetooth hands-free / headset according to the Bluetooth format.

The ear microphone audio processing means may include a USB audio device for processing an audio stream provided from a switching interface means or a voice signal converting means (ADC / DAC), and a voice signal to be micro-outputted from the audio stream provided from the USB audio device. And a voice signal conversion means for converting a user's voice signal provided from an audio microphone or an ear microphone set into an audio stream.

The Bluetooth hands-free / headset audio processing means, Bluetooth device for converting the audio signal output from the switching interface means or the voice signal of the Bluetooth hands-free / headset input via the Bluetooth transmission and reception according to the Bluetooth format, and audio stream information Switching control means for discriminating the sound quality of the audio stream input from the PC from the PC, and switching to the high quality transmission encoding means in the case of the high quality stereo audio stream according to the determined sound quality, and for the high quality stereo audio stream to be transmitted to the Bluetooth handsfree / headset. It characterized in that it comprises a high quality transmission encoding means for performing the encoding process, and Bluetooth transmission and reception means for transmitting and receiving the audio signal with the Bluetooth hands-free / headset,

The audio driver program of the PC for the USB VoIP device receives the support mode information from the USB VoIp device to fix the USB bandwidth and sample rate used for data transmission to the low quality mono audio stream and the high quality stereo stream, and to execute the audio application. And a process for switching a low quality mono audio stream and a high quality stereo stream in response to a request for setting a sampling frequency of the program and providing the information to the USB VoIP device.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiment shown in FIG.

USB VoIp device 100 of the present invention,

A USB hub 110 connected to a USB hub 110 that receives and switches an audio stream provided from the PC 300 and provides the audio processing means according to the ear microphone set 150 or the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210 as audio input / output means. USB communication with the 300 to provide the support mode information of the USB VoIP device 100 to the audio driver program of the PC (300) and control the USB hub 110 in accordance with the set switching conditions to control the ear microphone 150 or Controls the audio path according to the Bluetooth handsfree / headset 210 and controls the switching unit 170 according to the sound quality of the audio stream input from the audio stream information provided from the PC 300 (high quality stereo / low quality mono). The control unit 120 for controlling the audio stream path of the USB Bluetooth device 160 and the ear microphone 150 provided from the USB hub 110 or the signal conversion unit (ADC / DAC). USB audio device 130 for processing an audio signal, and the audio stream provided from the USB audio device 130 is converted into a voice signal to be output to the speaker unit of the ear microphone 150 or provided from the ear microphone 150 Signal converting means 140 for converting a user's voice signal into an audio stream, and an audio stream input from the USB hub 110 or a user's voice of the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210 input through the Bluetooth RF module 190. USB Bluetooth device 160 for converting the signal according to the Bluetooth format, and the switching unit 170 for switching the audio stream input from the PC 300 by switching according to the switching control of the controller 120 And an encoder 180 for performing an encoding process on a high quality stereo audio stream to be transmitted to the Bluetooth handsfree / headset 210, and a blue to Key for inputting a user setting value to the audio switching conditions of the Bluetooth RF module 190 and the ear microphone 150 or the Bluetooth handsfree / headset 210 for transmission and reception of the audio signal with the hands-free / headset 210. It is configured to include an input unit 200,

The audio driver program of the PC 300 for the USB VoIP device 100 receives the support mode information when the USB is connected from the USB VoIp device 100 to display the low-quality mono audio stream and the USB bandwidth and sample rate used for data transmission. Fixing to a high quality stereo stream, and switching the low quality mono audio stream and the high quality stereo stream with respect to the sampling frequency setting requirement of the audio application to be executed and providing the information to the USB VoIP device 100.

Such a present invention,

The audio driver program of the PC 300 includes two types of support mode information of the connected USB VoIP device 100 when the USB VoIP device 100 is connected to the PC 300, that is, a high quality stereo audio stream and a low quality mono audio stream. The process of setting the USB bandwidth and sample rate required for USB data transfer to low quality mono / high definition stereo, and the low sound quality depending on the application when the user uses an audio related application. The process includes setting up mono / high quality stereo.

That is, the low-quality mono / high-quality stereo is switched according to the sampling frequency required by the application program (sampling frequency SET / GET request of the audio streaming class) and the information is loaded into the audio stream to be transmitted to the USB VoIP device 100. .

For example, if you are running an Internet phone (softphone) application, set the low-quality mono audio in this regard, and set it to high-quality stereo when running an audio application such as Winamp.

The USB VoIP device 100 is comprised of means for processing an audio signal relating to the ear microphone 150 and means for processing an audio signal relating to the Bluetooth handsfree / headset 210.

The USB hub 110 is a switching means for the audio stream input and output to and from the PC 300 connected to the USB communication.

USB audio device 130 is a means for processing a low quality mono audio stream associated with ear microphone 150.

The signal converter 140 includes an analog / digital converter (DAC / DAC), and converts a digital audio stream into an analog signal for voice output or an analog voice signal input from an ear microphone 150. To convert to a digital signal.

The USB Bluetooth device 160 converts the input / output audio signal according to the Bluetooth format, and converts the input / output audio stream with the PC 300 or the audio signal with the Bluetooth handsfree / headset 210 according to the Bluetooth format. It is a means for.

The encoder 180 may be configured as an SBC codec and is a means for compressing and encoding a high quality stereo audio signal.

The switching unit 170 is a means for routing the high quality stereo audio signal to the encoder 180, and control thereof is performed through the control unit 120.

The controller 120 determines a first process for determining the path of the audio stream input from the PC 300 to the ear microphone 150 or the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210, and determines the audio stream information to provide a high quality stereo audio stream. And a second process for determining an audio stream path to encoder 180 which is an encoding means for high quality audio processing.

In the case of the first process, the path of the audio stream input from the PC 300 is set according to the state and setting values of the connected voice input / output means, the user's operation (operation state), and the like.

The USB VoIP device 100 includes means for determining whether the ear microphone 150 is connected or whether the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210 is connected, and the controller 120 recognizes this and executes the following Table 1. Has a configuration to carry out the process.

Table 1 below shows an example of setting a path of an audio stream in the controller 120.

TABLE 1

Priority Switching condition of ear microphone and Bluetooth handsfree / headset One Currently connected device between ear microphone and Bluetooth handsfree / headset 2 The device on which the user pressed the hook button when both the ear microphone and Bluetooth handsfree / headset were connected 3 User settings when both the ear microphone and Bluetooth handsfree / headset are connected 4 Device baseline values (both Bluetooth handsfree / headsets are prioritized) when both the ear microphone and Bluetooth handsfree / headset are connected

The control unit 120 may store such switching conditions in the internal memory as table information, and configure a separate memory unit to record and store the above information.

According to this, the currently connected device is preferentially switched.

On the other hand, when all are connected, the user sets the USB VoIP device 100 to the device operation state of the user, that is, the device in which the user operates the hook button during the ear microphone 150 or the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210. If there is no value and a user setting value, the device switches according to the reference value set in the USB VoIP device 100.

Here, the reference value is determined as the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210 in the connected state in consideration of the user's convenience.

The key input unit 200 is a user input means for the user to set the switching conditions as described above.

Referring to the operation of the present invention having such a configuration as follows.

When the USB VoIP device 100 is connected to the PC 300, the control unit 120 of the USB VoIP device 100 transmits information necessary for USB communication and registers it with the audio driver of the PC 300 to provide low-quality mono audio. Support mode information indicating that only two 'discrete sampling frequencies' of the stream and the high quality stereo audio stream are supported is transmitted to the PC 300.

The audio driver of the PC 300 distinguishes the audio stream according to the registered support mode information and transmits the audio stream according to the support format of the USB VoIP device 100.

When the user executes the Internet phone (softphone) application, the audio driver of the PC 300 converts the low-quality mono audio stream and transmits it to the USB VoIP device 100, and an application requiring high sound quality such as Winamp When the program is executed, the high-quality stereo audio stream is converted and transmitted to the USB VoIP device 100.

The USB VoIP device 100 receives the audio stream input as described above, and is switched by the USB hub 110 to switch the path to the ear microphone 150 or the Bluetooth handsfree / headset 210 to transfer the audio stream. .

The control unit 120 switches the USB hub 110 according to the switching condition information of the switching condition table.

As shown in Table 1, the corresponding path is set according to the currently connected device ear microphone 150 or the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210. When both devices are connected, the user's device operation state (hook button), The USB hub 110 is controlled with the switching priority in the order of the user's set value and the device reference value.

When the switching path determined by the controller 120 is the ear microphone 150, the audio stream input from the PC 300 is transferred to the USB audio device 130, and then the analog signal is converted through the signal converter 140. The signal is converted into a signal and transferred to the ear microphone 150 to output a voice.

Meanwhile, in the case of the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210, the audio stream input to the USB hub 110 is transferred to the USB Bluetooth device 160, converted into a Bluetooth format, and then transferred to the switching unit 170.

Thereafter, the switching unit 170 outputs the audio signal controlled and controlled by the controller 120 to the Bluetooth RF module 190 or the encoder 180.

The controller 120 reads the audio stream information to determine whether it is a high quality stereo audio stream or a low quality mono audio stream, and controls the switching unit 170 accordingly.

The control unit 120 outputs the low-quality stereo audio stream to the Bluetooth RF module 190 as it is, and in the case of the high-quality stereo audio stream, encodes the high-quality compression through the encoder 180 to output to the Bluetooth RF module 190. do.

The Bluetooth RF module 190 converts the input audio signal into an RF signal and transmits the converted audio signal to the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210.

In addition, the user's voice input through the microphone unit of the ear microphone 150 is converted into a digital audio signal through the signal converter 140, and is connected to the PC through the USB audio device 130 and the USB hub 110. The voice of the user transmitted to the 300 and input through the Bluetooth hands-free / headset 210 is received through the Bluetooth RF module 190 and is reversed, the switching unit 170, the USB Bluetooth 160, and the USB hub. It is transmitted to the PC 300 through 110.

Here, when the user uses the Internet telephony service (VoIP service), two methods may be applied to block the output of audio signals other than the sound sources related to the internet telephony service.

First, since the audio format of the sound source used for VoIP service is PCM (Pulse Code Modulation), 8000Hz, Mono (mono) method, to determine the audio format of the audio stream transmitted from the PC 300 to classify the sound source Control unit 120 of the USB VoIP device 100 or a separate control means for blocking a sound source other than the audio format PCM (pulse code modulation), 8000 Hz, and mono type used for the VoIP service while using the VoIP service. Method of blocking by the USB VoIP device 100 by configuring as a control means,

Second, as a method of blocking from the PC 300, a method of blocking audio output of an audio related application other than the VoIP service related application in the audio driver of the PC 300 may be applied.

According to this, when a user uses an Internet phone, only the low audio quality audio stream can be processed in the USB VoIP device 100, and only the audio stream related to the VoIP service selected in advance from the PC 300 is the USB VoIP device. The audio stream inputted to the device 100 or inputted from the PC 300 in the USB VoIP device 100 may be processed by blocking it.

Meanwhile, FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention, in which the USB audio device 130, the USB Bluetooth device 160, and the control means 120 for setting the audio path are integrated with the USB combo device 220. The configured example is shown.

When the present invention is applied, the user's convenience is increased by selectively using the wired / wireless device as needed compared to the method using only the wired ear microphone and the method using only the wireless Bluetooth handsfree / headset.

In addition, wired and wireless audio supports low-quality mono / high-quality stereo without adding expensive and complex DSPs to recognize both 'low-quality mono audio stream' and 'high-quality stereo audio stream' or recognizing two audio devices. The device can provide a USB VoIP device that can be used.

In addition, by allowing only audio signals related to VoIP services to be processed to various audio outputs, users can receive stable VoIP services.

Claims (7)

In the USB Voip device, USB switching means for receiving and switching the audio stream provided from the PC to the audio processing means according to the ear microphone or Bluetooth hands-free / headset as an audio input and output means, and It provides USB mode support information of the USB VoIP device to the audio driver program of the PC through USB communication with the connected PC, and controls the audio path by switching and controlling the USB switching means according to the set switching conditions, and inputted from the audio stream information provided from the PC. Control means for determining the sound quality of the audio stream (high-quality stereo / low sound mono) and controlling the switching unit according to the determined result to control the audio stream path of the USB Bluetooth device; A USB audio device for processing audio signals related to the ear microphone set, Signal conversion means for converting an audio stream provided from the USB audio device into a voice signal to be output to the ear microphone set or converting a user's voice signal provided from the ear microphone set into an audio stream; A USB Bluetooth device for converting an audio stream input from a USB switching means or a user's voice signal of a Bluetooth hands-free / headset input through a Bluetooth RF module according to a Bluetooth format; A switching unit which switches according to the switching control of the control unit to switch the path of the audio stream input from the PC; Encoding means for performing an encoding process on a high quality stereo audio stream to be transmitted to a Bluetooth handsfree / headset; And a Bluetooth RF module for transmitting and receiving audio signals to / from the Bluetooth handsfree / headset, and key input means for inputting a user setting value of the audio switching condition of the ear microphone or the Bluetooth handsfree / headset. PC audio driver program for USB VoIP device receives USB mode information (high quality stereo stream / low quality mono audio stream) from USB VoIp device 100 to support USB bandwidth and sample rate used for data transmission. It is fixed to the mode information and converted to the support mode (low quality mono audio stream or high quality stereo stream) according to the sampling frequency setting request of the audio application running on the PC, and transmitted to the USB VoIP device. A wired / wireless audio processing apparatus of a USB BIP apparatus, comprising a process provided to a control means of the apparatus. 2. The wired / wireless audio processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the USB audio device, the USB Bluetooth device, and the control means for setting the audio path are integrally formed in a USB combo device. 2. The wired / wireless audio processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the switching condition of the control means further comprises a memory means for storing the switching condition as separate information. . The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control means includes a switching condition for switching control of the USB switching means as table information. Switching control of the control means according to the switching conditions registered as the table information, The primary basic switching control is performed according to the connection between the ear microphone and the Bluetooth handsfree / headset device. If both the ear microphone and the Bluetooth hands-free / headset device are connected, the operation status of the ear microphone and the Bluetooth hands-free / headset are determined, the registered switching setting value set by the user, and the switching reference value initially registered in the control means. A wired / wireless audio processing apparatus of a USAB VIO IP device, comprising the steps of controlling the switching means. The audio format according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control means classifies a sound source by discriminating an audio format of an audio stream transmitted from a PC while the VoIP service is in use, and an audio format other than the sound source used for the VoIP service while using the VoIP service. A wired / wireless audio processing apparatus of a USB VIO IP device, characterized in that it comprises a control means for blocking a sound source. 6. The wired / wireless audio processing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the audio format of the sound source used for VoIP is PCM (pulse code modulation), 8000 Hz, Mono (mono) method. 2. The audio driver program of claim 1, wherein the audio driver program of the PC includes a process for blocking audio output of an audio related application except when a VoIP service related application is in operation. Wired and wireless audio processing device.

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