TW201501523A - Television system with communication function and television set-top box device - Google Patents

Abstract

A television system with communication function includes a set-top box device and a sound transmission apparatus. The television system with communication function can receive a television sound signal, a television image signal, and a sound signal of a user at a distal end via an internet. The television system with communication function may also transmit the sound signal of the user to another user at the distal end via the internet. The television system with communication function can eliminate or reduce the television playing sound and the echo produced by the user at the distal end by using the method for eliminating dual echo.

Description

Television system with communication function and set-top box device

The present invention relates to an apparatus for receiving television signals and voice signals.

The TV set-top device (sometimes called Set-Top Box in English) is almost a must-have for cable TV. The usual functions of the TV set-top device are, for example, decoding or controlling the television channel of the television signal, and some of the television set-top devices have the function of recording and managing the video.

At present, there is no communication function on the TV set-top device on the market. Therefore, if two users in different places are watching TV, the two parties need to communicate through a general telephone, mobile phone or Internet telephone.

If the TV box device can increase the communication function, it can be more convenient, such as adding a microphone and a speaker. However, if you add a microphone and a speaker, it will cause many echo problems, which need to be overcome.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a function of communication between a box device on a television set, and to eliminate or reduce the effect of echo.

In order to achieve the above object, the television system with communication function of the present invention comprises a television set box device and a sound transmitting device. The communication function television system can receive a television sound signal, a television image signal and a remote user voice signal through a network. The communication function TV system can also transmit the user's voice signal to the remote user through the network.

The television set-top device comprises a first control unit, a TV output interface module, a voice input and output interface module, a first communication module and a first echo cancellation module. The first echo cancellation module is used to eliminate the echo generated by the sound played by the television.

The sound transmission device is electrically connected to the box device of the television (both wired or wireless), and the sound transmission device comprises a second control unit, a second communication module, a speaker, a microphone and a second echo cancellation module. .

The user can talk to the remote user through the speaker and the microphone, and the second echo cancellation module is used to eliminate the echo generated by the remote user.

The television system with communication function of the invention eliminates or reduces the sound of the television playing and the echo generated by the user at the far end through the method of double echo cancellation.

1a, 1b‧‧‧TV system with communication function

10a, 10b‧‧‧TV set-top device

11‧‧‧First Control Unit

12‧‧‧TV output interface module

13‧‧‧Voice input and output interface module

14‧‧‧First Communication Module

15‧‧‧First Echo Cancellation Module

50a, 50b‧‧‧Sound transmission device

51‧‧‧Second control unit

52‧‧‧ Horn

53‧‧‧ microphone

54‧‧‧Second communication module

55‧‧‧Second Echo Cancellation Module

80a‧‧‧TV

80b‧‧‧TV

90‧‧‧Network

95‧‧‧TV supply system

99A‧‧‧ first user

99B‧‧‧ second user

TVa‧‧‧TV audio signal

TVv‧‧‧TV video signal

SA‧‧‧First user voice signal

SB‧‧‧Second user voice signal

SA1‧‧‧ first user voice

SB1‧‧‧Second user voice

TVa1‧‧‧ TV broadcast sound

SB1‧‧‧Second user plays the sound

TVa2‧‧‧TV echo sound signal

SB2‧‧‧second echo sound signal

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a use environment of a television system with communication function according to the present invention.

2 is a hardware structural diagram of a television set-top device according to the present invention.

Figure 3 is a hardware architecture diagram of the sound transfer device of the present invention.

In order to enable the reviewing committee to better understand the technical contents of the present invention, a preferred embodiment will be described below.

Please refer to FIG. 1 for a schematic diagram of the use environment of the television system 1a, 1b with communication function.

The following are two users. The first user 99A and the second user 99B respectively use the television systems 1a, 1b with communication functions and the televisions 80a, 80b as an example. The network 90 may be a wireless network (such as 3G, 4G, Wifi) or a wired network in this specification, and the network 90 may include more than one network, such as the network 90 including the Internet, a television network ( Such as cable) and so on.

The television system 1a with communication function includes a television set-top device 10a and a sound transmission device 50a; the same communication function television system 1b includes a television set-top device 10b and a sound transmission device 50b. The television supply system 95 transmits the television audio signal TVa and the television video signal TVv to the television set-top device 10a, 10b via the network 90, and the television set-top device 10a, 10b then transmits the television audio signal TVa and the television video signal TVv to the televisions 80a, 80b. The TV set-top device 10a, 10b is called Set-Top Box in English. The usual functions of the TV set-top device are, for example, decoding or controlling the television channel of the television signal, and some television set-top devices have video management. The function of the film.

The focus of the present invention is to add the functionality of a conventional television set-top device to allow users to talk through the television system 1a, 1b with communication functions. For example, for different users, the first user 99A and the second user 99B can discuss the story while watching TV.

The first user 99A sends the first user voice SA1 to the voice transmitting device 50a, and then the voice transmitting device 50a transmits the first user voice signal SA to the television set-top device 10a, and the television set-top device 10a re-transmits the network. 90 transmits the first user voice signal SA to the television set-top device 10b, and the television set-top device 10b transmits the first user voice signal SA to the voice transmitting device 50b, and the voice transmitting device 50b plays the first user voice. SA1 gives the sound to the second user 99B.

Similarly, the second user voice SB1 is converted to the second user voice signal SB via the voice transmitting device 50b, and the second user voice signal SB is finally transmitted to the voice transmitting device 50a through the network 90, and the voice transmitting device 50a plays the first The second user voice SB1 gives the voice to the first user 99A.

Because of the many sounds involved in the playback and delivery, there will be problems with echo. Please refer to Figure 2, 3 below. To understand how the TV system 1a, 1b with communication function solves the problem of echo. The following is a detailed explanation of the television system 1a having the communication function. Since the television system 1b having the communication function is the same as the television system 1a having the communication function, the television system 1b having the communication function will not be described.

The television set-top device 10a includes a first control unit 11, a television output interface module 12, a voice input and output interface module 13, a first communication module 14 and a first echo cancellation module 15.

The first control unit 11 is typically primarily a small processor (MPU). The first control unit 11 is electrically connected to the TV output interface module 12, the voice input and output interface module 13, the first communication module 14 and a first echo cancellation module 15.

The sound transmission device 50a is electrically connected to the set-top device 10a (wired or wireless). The sound transmission device 50a includes a second control unit 51, a second communication module 54, a speaker 52, a microphone 53 and A second echo cancellation module 55.

The second control unit 51 is typically primarily a small processor (MPU). The second control unit 51 is electrically connected to the second communication module 54, a speaker 52, a microphone 53 and a second echo cancellation module 55.

The procedure of the sound processing will be described in detail below, and the functions of the components or modules inside the set-top device 10a and the sound-transmitting device 50a will be described together.

TV output interface module 12 receives TV sound The audio signal TVa and the television video signal TVv transmit the television audio signal TVa and the television video signal TVv to the television 80a. The television 80a can thus play the television video signal TVv, and a television broadcast sound TVa1 is played through a speaker (not shown) of the television 80a, and since the sound transmitting device 50a has the microphone 53, the television broadcast sound TVa1 is transmitted to the microphone 53.

The microphone 53 additionally receives the first user sound SA1 and the second user sound SB1. The second user voice SB1 is generated as follows: the voice input and output interface module 13 receives the second user voice signal SB from the network 90, and the first communication module 14 transmits the second user voice signal SB to the second communication. The module 54 is such that the speaker 52 plays the second user sound SB1 to the first user 99A. Since the second user sound SB1 is played by the horn 52, the microphone 53 also receives the second user sound SB1. The microphone 53 receives the television broadcast sound TVa1, the first user sound SA1 and the second user sound SB1, and converts the sound into the television echo sound signal TVa2, the first user sound signal SA and the second echo sound signal SB2.

Since the sound transmission device 50a receives the second user voice signal SB, the second echo cancellation module 55 can receive the television echo sound signal TVa2, the first user voice signal SA, the second echo voice signal SB2, and the second. User voice signal SB. Therefore, the second echo cancellation module 55 can remove the second echo signal SB2 according to the second user voice signal SB, and only retain the first user voice signal SA and the television echo. Sound signal TVa2. Since the echo cancellation module is a known technology, it will not be described here.

The second communication module 54 finally transmits the first user voice signal SA and the television echo sound signal TVa2 to the first communication module 14. The first echo cancellation module 15 receives the first user audio signal SA, the television audio signal TVa and the television echo audio signal TVa2, and the first echo cancellation module 15 is configured according to the television audio device TVa. The television audio signal TVa can eliminate the television echo sound signal TVa2, so that the first echo cancellation module 15 can output only the first user voice signal SA.

Finally, the voice input and output interface module 13 transmits the first user voice signal SA to the network 90, so that the last second user 99B can hear the voice of the first user 99A.

In the television system 1a having the communication function of the present invention, the first echo canceling module 15 and the second echo canceling module 55 are respectively disposed in the television set box device 10a and the sound transmitting device 50a. This is the most characteristic feature of the present invention by eliminating the echo generated by the television playing sound TVa1 and eliminating the echo generated by the second user playing the sound SB1 by the technique of double echo cancellation.

In addition, the general television set-top device 10a is equipped with a remote controller for controlling the television set-top device 10a, such as recording or viewing a recorded program, or selecting a station. Since these functions are not the focus of the improvement of the present invention, they will not be described again. The first user 99A and the second user 99B can cancel the conversation while watching the TV. In addition to the trouble of echo, of course, a phone book or the like is also displayed on a television screen, and the user can select which one or more users to chat with by the phone book, for example, as Skype, due to the present invention. The focus is on eliminating echoes, so the interface on how to select a user's chat is not the focus of the present invention, and is also a prior art, and therefore will not be described again.

It should be noted that the above is only an embodiment, and is not limited to the embodiment. Therefore, those who do not depart from the basic structure of the present invention should be bound by the scope of the patent, and the scope of the patent application shall prevail. For example, the TV output interface module 12 and the voice input interface module 13 may be implemented as a dual-function integrated module, especially when the signal transmission is the same (for example, using the Internet specifications), or The network transmission line (such as the cable cable used for cable TV) is the same. In addition, it should be noted that the echo cancellation according to the present invention refers to the general industry saying that the echo can be eliminated or reduced, and it is not necessary to eliminate the echo by 100%.

1a, 1b‧‧‧TV system with communication function

10a, 10b‧‧‧TV set-top device

50a, 50b‧‧‧Sound transmission device

80a, 80b‧‧‧ TV

90‧‧‧Network

95‧‧‧TV supply system

TVa‧‧‧TV audio signal

TVv‧‧‧TV video signal

SA‧‧‧First user voice signal

SB‧‧‧Second user voice signal

SA1‧‧‧ first user voice

SB1‧‧‧Second user voice

Claims (6)

A television system having a communication function, which can receive a television audio signal, a television video signal and a second user voice signal through a network, and the communication function television system receives a first user voice, and A first user voice signal can be transmitted through the network, the communication function television system can be connected to a television such that the television plays a television playing sound, and the communication function television system comprises a television set box device And a sound transmission device, wherein: the television set-top device comprises: a first control unit; a television output interface module, receiving the television audio signal and the television video signal, and the television audio signal and the television The video signal is transmitted to the television, and the television output interface module is electrically connected to the first control unit; a voice input and output interface module receives the second user voice signal; and a first communication module The second user voice signal is transmitted to the voice transmitting device, and the first communications module is electrically connected to the first control unit; The sound cancellation module is configured to eliminate the echo generated by the sound of the television, and the first echo cancellation module is electrically connected to the first control unit; the sound transmission device is electrically connected to the set-top device of the television. The sound transmission device includes: a second control unit; a second communication module for receiving the second user voice signal; the second communication module is electrically coupled to the second control unit; and a speaker for the second use The sound signal is played by a second user, and the speaker is electrically connected to the second control unit; a microphone for receiving the first user sound; and a second echo cancellation module for eliminating The second echo cancellation module is electrically coupled to the second control unit because the second user plays the echo generated by the sound. The television system with communication function according to claim 1, wherein the microphone is further configured to receive the television playing sound and the second user playing sound, and process the first user sound signal, a television Echo sound signal and a second echo sound signal. A television system having a communication function as described in claim 2, wherein the second echo cancellation module is configured to receive the first user voice signal, a television echo sound signal, a second echo sound signal, and The second user sound signal and canceling the second echo sound signal to output the first user sound signal and a television echo sound signal. The television system having the communication function as described in claim 3, wherein the second communication module outputs the first user voice signal and a television echo sound signal to the first communication module; The echo cancellation module receives the first user voice signal, a television echo sound signal and a television sound signal, and eliminates the television echo sound signal to output the first user voice signal; the voice input and output interface module outputs the The first user voice signal to the network. A television set-top box device for receiving a television sound signal, a television image signal and a second user sound signal through a network, the television set-top device and the sound transmitting device being electrically connected to receive a first a user voice signal, and a first user voice signal can be transmitted through the network, and the television set-top device can be connected to a television such that the television plays a television playing sound, and the television set-top device includes a first control unit; a television output interface module, receiving the television audio signal and the television video signal, and transmitting the television audio signal and the television video signal to the television, the television output interface module and The first control unit is electrically connected; a voice input and output interface module receives the second user voice signal, and transmits the first user voice signal to the network; a first communication module, the first Two user voice signals are transmitted to the sound transmitting device, and the sound transmitting device is received The first communication module is electrically connected to the first control unit, and the first echo cancellation module is configured to eliminate the echo generated by the television playing sound. The first echo cancellation module is electrically coupled to the first control unit. The television set-top device of claim 5, wherein the first communication module further receives a television echo sound signal transmitted by the sound transmitting device, so that the first echo cancellation module receives the first use The voice signal, the television echo sound signal and the television sound signal, and eliminate the television echo sound signal to output the first user voice signal.