TWI816071B - Audio converting device and method for processing audio - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an audio converting device utilized for multimedia playing device and audio outputting device. The audio converting device comprises an input port, an audio processing unit, and an output port. The input port receives an audio channel signal having from the multimedia playing device. The audio processing unit converts the audio channel signal into audio information, and then converts the audio information into an audio outputting signal. The output port outputs the audio outputting signal to the audio outputting device. Alternatively, the present invention also provides a method for processing audio, in which the audio channel signal is converted into audio outputting signal that is compatible to the audio outputting device.

Description

Audio conversion device and audio processing method

The present invention is a multimedia signal control technology, particularly an audio conversion device and an audio processing method that can process audio signals.

Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a conventional multimedia system. In conventional technology, the multimedia system 1 includes an audio output device 10 , a display device 11 , a multimedia signal source device 12 and a sound output device 13 . The multimedia signal source device 12 outputs multimedia signals, such as HDMI signals or DP signals, to the audio output device 10, such as an amplifier. The audio output device 10 processes the multimedia signal into an image signal and an audio signal. The image signal is output to the display device 11 and the audio signal is output to the audio output device 13, such as a speaker, to play out the sound.

Under the framework of conventional technology, the multimedia signal output by the multimedia signal source device 12, especially the sound part, can be decoded by the audio output device 10 and then the sound signal is completely output, so that the speaker 13 can produce sound without loss. , allowing users to enjoy the immersiveness of multi-channel sound, such as 7.1 channels. However, with the advancement of network and storage technology, in FIG. 1 , the cloud server 14 can also transmit the multimedia signal 102 to the display device 11 through network streaming through a wireless or wired network. The display device 11 has a processor that processes network streams. In order to allow the sound to be played completely, recent audio and video transmission standards, such as HDMI standard version 1.4 or above, have the function of returning the sound information 100 from the display device to the audio output device 10 Communication specifications, such as audio return channel (ARC) or enhanced audio return channel (eARC), etc., enable the display device 11 to receive streaming signals from the cloud server 14. The multi-channel audio is transmitted to the audio output device 10 through the eARC or ARC communication channel.

In the conventional technology, for example: Chinese Patent Publication No. CN102098473 discloses an output control device connected to an audio output device that provides a method of controlling the output of audio data, including: a receiving unit configured to receive multi-channel audio data by encoding Obtained encoded data; a decoding unit configured to decode the encoded data; an output control unit configured to control the output of audio data of a predetermined number of channels among multi-channel audio data obtained by decoding; a transmitting unit configured to Send any one of the audio data and the encoded data different from the audio data output controlled by the output control unit among the multi-channel audio data obtained by decoding to at least the integrated video line, the audio line, and the control unit. The audio output device is connected to the integrated cable formed by the wire; and the control unit is configured to control the audio output device through the integrated cable. The audio output device (AV amplifier) in this technology has the function of receiving the ARC communication protocol, so the sound through the ARC channel can be played back without loss.

Nevertheless, for ordinary users, if the audio output device 10 does not have a corresponding upgrade, it will not be able to process the eARC or ARC protocol information transmitted from the display device 11, so that the user will not be able to fully enjoy the full audio experience. On-the-spot sound effects brought by sound information. To solve this problem, as far as the existing technology is concerned, the user can only replace the audio output device 10 with an updated one. However, such a processing method will impose an additional cost burden on the user.

Based on the above, an audio conversion device and its multimedia control device are needed to provide a low-cost design that allows the old architecture to support new sound return specifications to solve the shortcomings of conventional technologies.

The present invention is an audio conversion device and an audio processing method that detects the sound channel signal output by a multimedia playback device, such as a television, and converts it into a signal format that can be recognized by the audio output device (such as an amplifier). , so that old audio output devices can support new audio return specifications to achieve lossless sound output.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides an audio conversion device suitable for use between a multimedia playback device and an audio output device. The above-mentioned audio conversion device includes an input port, an audio processing unit and an output port. The input port receives the sound channel signal output by the above-mentioned multimedia playback device, and then the audio processing unit converts the sound channel signal into sound information, and converts the sound information into an audio output signal compatible with the audio output device, and then outputs the audio through the output port Output the signal to the audio output device.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an audio processing method, including the following steps: receiving a sound channel signal output by the multimedia player device; converting the sound channel signal into sound information; converting the sound information into phase information. an audio output signal contained in the audio output device; and outputting the audio output signal to the audio output device.

Various exemplary embodiments may be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, some of which are shown. The inventive concepts may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplary embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. Similar numbers always indicate similar components. The audio conversion device and its multimedia control device will be described below with various embodiments and figures. However, the following embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 2A , which is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the audio conversion device of the present invention. In this embodiment, the audio conversion device 2 is electrically connected between the multimedia playback device 50 and the audio output device 51 . In this embodiment, the multimedia playback device 50 is a television, which is a display device that supports one of eARC, ARC, or both. The multimedia player device 50, in this embodiment, is electrically connected to the multimedia signal source device 52. The multimedia signal source device 52 may be a DVD player, a Blu-ray DVD player, or a computer or other equipment. The multimedia signal source device 52 can be electrically connected to the multimedia player device 50 through a multimedia interface such as HDMI, DVI or DP to receive multimedia information with eARC, ARC and other specifications output by the multimedia signal source device 52 .

In addition to the multimedia player device 50 being connected to the multimedia signal source device 52 in the above manner, in another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B , the multimedia player device 50 is electrically connected to the cloud server 53 through a wired or wireless network. Connect to receive multimedia streaming information with eARC, ARC and other specifications output from the cloud server. The audio output device 51 is an audio-visual (AV) amplifier in this embodiment. The audio output device 51 has an audio output terminal for electrical connection with the speaker 55 .

As shown in FIG. 2A , the audio conversion device 2 includes an input port 20 , an audio processing unit 21 and an output port 22 . In this embodiment, the input port 20 and the output port 22 are HDMI interfaces, but the invention is not limited to this. As long as it can support one of eARC and ARC, or a transmission interface that supports both, such as DisplayPort or DVI etc. In one embodiment, the ARC audio transmission protocol is used as an example for explanation. In the HDMI communication protocol version, for example: version 1.4 or above, there are communication specifications that define the ARC signal. When transmitting ARC signals, the multimedia playback device 50 will first communicate with the audio conversion device 2 through the first signal pin 200 to determine whether the audio conversion device 2 has a communication protocol that supports ARC. In this embodiment, the first signal pin 200 is a CEC pin, which is generally the 13th pin. CEC is consumer electronic control (CEC), a function of HDMI that allows users to command and control other devices connected through HDMI that support the CEC protocol. The ARC communication defined in HDMI version 1.4 performs handshaking communication through the CEC pin to determine whether the device connected to the multimedia playback device 50 supports the ARC mode.

Please refer to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2C . FIG. 2C is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the audio processing method of the present invention. The audio processing method 6 in this embodiment first includes step 60. The audio conversion device 2 receives the sound channel signal output from the multimedia playback device. In one embodiment of step 60, the sound channel signal is an ARC signal. The multimedia playback device 50 communicates with the audio processing unit 21 of the audio conversion device 2 through the first signal pin 200. After the multimedia playback device 50 determines that the audio conversion device 2 has the function of supporting ARC, the multimedia playback device 50 activates the ARC mode. After activating the ARC mode, the audio conversion device 2 can capture the sound channel signal 90 output from the multimedia playback device 50 that meets the ARC communication specification through the channel corresponding to the second signal pin 201 in the HDMI signal cable connected to the multimedia playback device 50 . In one embodiment, the second signal pin 201 is a utility pin, generally the 14th pin, and can be used to transmit HDMI Ethernet channel signals or ARC signals. It should be noted that the pin that transmits the ARC signal to the audio conversion device 2 is not limited to pin 14, and the user can define the transmission pin according to needs.

After step 60, step 61 is performed, in which the audio conversion device 2 converts the audio channel signal into audio information. In an embodiment of step 61 , the audio processing unit 21 receives the sound channel signal 90 from the second signal pin 201 and converts the sound channel signal 90 into sound information. The audio processing unit 21 further has a detection and converter 210 and a multimedia processor 211. In one embodiment of step 61, as shown in FIG. 2D, there is further step 610. The detection and conversion processor 210 detects the first signal pin 201 to determine whether the signal from the multimedia playback device 50 is in the ARC format, and Capture the sound channel signal 90 output by the second signal pin 201 (for example, ARC data packet). Next, step 611 is performed. The detection and converter 210 converts the audio channel signal 90 into audio information 91 (for example, decapsulating the ARC data packet to obtain the original format of the audio data, such as: SPDIF, but not limited to this, other Such as I ₂ S or LPCM can also be implemented).

After step 61, step 62 is performed to convert the sound information 91 into an audio output signal 92 compatible with the audio output device 51. In one embodiment of step 62, the multimedia processor 211 converts the sound information 91 into an audio output signal 92 that conforms to a specific audio and video format and outputs it, for example: packetizes the sound information 91 into an audio output signal 92 in HDMI format or DVI format, But this is not a limitation. The principle of step 62 is explained below. In the HDMI communication protocol, there are three sets of differential signals related to multimedia information and one set of differential signals related to clock information, all of which belong to Time Minimized Differential Signal (TMDS). In the embodiment of step 62, the audio output signal 92 is a differential signal of multimedia information that complies with the HDMI protocol, for example, a differential signal synthesized by audio information and image information, where the image information is a black screen or a blank screen. image. It should be noted that the format of the audio output signal 92 converted by the multimedia processor 211 is not limited to the HDMI format, for example, DVI is also acceptable, so the user can electrically connect the audio output device 51 according to the audio conversion device 2 The format of the audio output signal is determined by the interface specification. In this embodiment, the HDMI interface is used, and the audio output signal 92 is a TMDS signal, but the invention is not limited to this.

After step 62, step 63 is finally performed, and the audio conversion device 2 outputs the audio output signal 92 to the audio output device 51. In the embodiment, the output port 22 of the audio conversion device 2 is an HDMI interface and is electrically connected to the audio output device 51 through an HDMI cable. Since the audio output signal 92 is a signal that the audio output device 51 can recognize, such as a TMDS signal, the audio output device 51 can recognize and process the audio output signal 92 and then play the intact sound effect through the speaker 55 .

The foregoing embodiment is explained based on the ARC specification. In another embodiment, when the output of the multimedia playback device 50 complies with the eARC communication protocol, the following implementation will be used to illustrate. In HDMI protocol versions, such as version 2.1, the eARC signal is defined as a pair of differential channel signals, which are transmitted by two pins in the HDMI interface. In one embodiment, the 14th pin and the 19th pin are used to transmit eARC communication protocol information (eARC-, eARC+). In this embodiment, the 19th pin is the hot plug detection pin (HPD), and the 14th pin is a utility pin that can be used to transmit HDMI Ethernet channel signals or ARC or eARC signal.

The transmission method of the eARC signal is explained with reference to FIG. 2B, FIG. 2C and FIG. 3. In this embodiment, step 60 is first performed. The audio conversion device 2 receives the sound channel signal 90a output from the multimedia playback device 50. In this step, the sound channel signal is an eARC signal. Therefore, the second signal pin 201 in the input port 20 corresponds to the 14th pin, and the third signal pin 202 corresponds to the 19th pin, which is used to receive signals from the multimedia playback device 50 The output sound channel signal 90a with sound information that complies with the eARC communication protocol is composed of a pair of differential channel signals 902 and 903. The eARC standard sound channel signal 90a returned from the multimedia playback device 50 to the audio conversion device 2 passes through the second signal pin 201 (for example: HDMI pin 14) and the third signal pin 202 (for example: HHHDMI pin 19) of the input port 20 pins) are transmitted to the audio processing unit 21. Therefore, the audio processing unit 21 can detect the differential channel signals 902 and 903 of these two pins and perform related processing.

In this embodiment, the differential channel signal 902 has a positive control signal 900b, and the differential channel signal 903 has a negative control signal 901b, where the positive control signal 900b is the voltage level signal of the HPD, and the negative control signal 901b It is the voltage level signal of the reverse HPD, and the high level area of the forward control signal 900b and the low level area of the negative control signal 901b carry the forward sound channel signal 900a and the negative sound channel signal of the eARC respectively. 901a. The positive control signal 900b and the forward sound channel signal 900a are transmitted to the audio processing unit 21 through the third signal pin 202, and the negative control signal 901b and the negative sound channel signal 901a are transmitted to the audio processing unit through the second signal pin 201. Unit 21.

After step 60, step 61 is performed, and the audio conversion device 2 converts the audio channel signal 90a into audio information 91. In step 61 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2E, it further includes step 610a, in which the detection and conversion processor 210 acquires the differential channel signals 903 and 902 transmitted by the second signal pin 201 and the third signal pin 202. . Next, step 611a is performed. The detection and conversion processor 21 converts the differential channel signals 902 and 903 into audio information 91 (for example, decapsulating the eARC data packet to obtain the original format of the audio data, such as SPDIF, but this is not used as the (limited, others such as I ₂ S or LPCM can also be implemented).

After step 61, step 62 is performed to convert the audio information 91 into an audio output signal 92 that is compatible with the audio output device 51 (for example, packetizing the audio signal into a TMDS data packet). In this embodiment, the audio output signal 92 is a differential signal of multimedia information that complies with the HDMI protocol, for example, a differential signal synthesized by sound information and image information, where the image information is a black screen or a blank screen image. It should be noted that the format of the audio output signal converted by the multimedia processor 211 is not limited to the HDMI format, for example, DVI is also acceptable. Therefore, the user can electrically connect the audio conversion device 2 and the audio output device 5 according to the format. The interface specification determines the format of the audio output signal. In this embodiment, the HDMI interface is used, and the audio output signal 92 is a TMDS signal, but the invention is not limited to this.

After step 62, step 63 is finally performed, and the audio conversion device 2 outputs the audio output signal 92 to the audio output device 51. In the embodiment, the output port 22 of the audio conversion device 2 is an HDMI interface and is electrically connected to the audio output device 51 through an HDMI cable. Since the audio output signal 92 is a signal that the audio output device 51 can recognize, such as a TMDS signal, the audio output device 51 can successfully decode the audio output signal 92 and then play the complete sound effect through the speaker 55 .

Please refer to FIG. 4 , which is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the multimedia control device of the present invention. The multimedia control device 4 can be selected as a switch, a splitter, or a combination of the two. This embodiment is a switch, such as a KVM switch. The multimedia control device 3 in FIG. 4 has a plurality of first connection ports 30 , second connection ports 31 , third connection ports 33 and audio and video processing modules 32 . Each first connection port 30 can be electrically connected to a multimedia signal source device 52, such as a computer or a player, such as a DVD player or a Blu-ray player. The multimedia control device 3 has the function of a switch and can selectively electrically connect one of the first connection ports 30 to the second connection port 31 so that the multimedia playback device 50 can receive audio and video signals output from the multimedia signal source device 52 multimedia signals.

In this embodiment, the multimedia playback device 50 is further connected to the cloud server 53 through a wired or wireless network, so that in addition to receiving multimedia signals from the multimedia signal source device 52, the multimedia playback device 50 can also Receive multimedia streaming signals from the cloud directly through wired or wireless networks. The audio and video processing module 32 is electrically connected to the first connection port 30, the second connection port 31 and the third connection port 33. The first, second and third connection ports 30, 31 and 33, in this embodiment, They are all HDMI interfaces, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The audio and video processing module 32 further includes a detection and converter 320 and a multimedia processor 321. Among them, the detection and converter 320 is electrically connected to the second connection port 31 for detecting and receiving the sound channel signal returned from the multimedia playback device 50 through the second input port 31, which may be of eARC standard. The sound channel signal 90a, or the sound channel signal 90 of the ARC standard, is converted into sound information 91 by converting the received sound channel signal 90 or 90a. The multimedia processor 321 is electrically connected to the detection and converter 320 to receive the sound information 91 and convert the sound information into an audio output signal 92, such as a TMDS signal or other signals that can be recognized by the audio output device 51. In this embodiment, the multimedia processor 321 integrates the functions of switch and signal conversion, and can select any multimedia signal source device 52 connected to the first connection port 30 to be electrically connected to the multimedia playback device 50, and its switching control is Commonly used technologies, such as KVM or matrix switchers, will not be described in detail here. It should be noted that the multimedia processor 321 in this embodiment is implemented by integrating the audio processing and switch into a single component, but the invention is not limited to this. In another embodiment, the multimedia processor 321 can be as follows: The aforementioned first embodiment also only performs the function of audio processing, and the switch part is implemented by different components.

According to the aforementioned first embodiment, if the audio channel signal 90 belonging to the ARC standard is input from the multimedia playback device 50 to the second connection port 31 , the detection and converter 320 detects the second connection port 31 via the second connection port 31 . The first signal pin 310 and the second signal pin 311 input signals. The first signal pin 310 corresponds to the CEC handshake signal, and the second signal pin 311 corresponds to the purpose pin that can be used to transmit HDMI Ethernet channel. ) signal or ARC. If the audio channel signal 90a of the eARC standard is input from the multimedia playback device 50 to the second connection port 31, the detection and converter 320 is used to detect the differential signal input through the second signal pin 311 and the third signal pin 312. Channel signal, the third signal pin 312 corresponds to the HPD channel signal, and the second signal pin 311 corresponds to the purpose pin. The second signal pin 311 and the third signal pin 312 can be used to transmit differential channel signals that comply with the eARC specification, as shown in Figure 3 .

The detection and converter 320 will periodically detect the first to third signal pins 310~312 to determine whether there is an ARC or eARC sound channel signal 90 or 90a. If so, if it is ARC, it will pass the second signal Pin 311 captures the voice channel signal 90, and in the case of eARC, captures the voice channel signal 90a in a differential form through the second and third signal pins 311 and 312. After that, the detection and converter 320 converts the captured sound channel signal 90 or 90a into sound information 91, such as SPDIF, and then transmits the sound information 91 to the multimedia processor 321 to convert it into an audio output signal 92 and sends it to the third party. The audio output device 51 is electrically connected to the three connection ports 33 . In one embodiment, the audio output signal 92 is a differential signal, such as a TMDS signal. The audio output device 51 analyzes the audio output signal 92 and outputs the sound signal to the speaker 55 so that it can play a lossless stereo sound effect.

In summary, the audio conversion device and audio processing method of the present invention detect the sound channel signal output by the multimedia playback device, such as a television, and then convert the received sound channel signal into an audio output device (such as: The signal format that can be recognized by the amplifier) allows the old audio output device to support the new audio return specification, achieving lossless sound output and saving hardware costs.

The above description only describes the preferred implementation modes or examples of the technical means used to solve the problems of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the patent implementation of the present invention. That is to say, all changes and modifications that are consistent with the literal meaning of the patent application scope of the present invention, or are made in accordance with the patent scope of the present invention, are covered by the patent scope of the present invention.

1:Multimedia system 10:Audio output device 11:Display device 12:Multimedia signal source device 13: Speaker 14:Cloud server 100: Sound information 102:Multimedia signals 2: Audio conversion device 20:Input port 200: First signal pin 201: Second signal pin 202: The third signal pin 21: Audio processing unit 210: Detection and Converter 211:Multimedia processor 22:Output port 90, 90a: Sound channel signal 91: Sound information 92: Audio output signal 902~903: Differential channel signal 900a: forward sound channel signal 900b: Forward control signal 901a: Negative sound channel signal 901b: Negative control signal 3:Multimedia control device 30: First connection port 31:Second port 310: First signal pin 311: Second signal pin 312: The third signal pin 32: Audio and video processing module 320: Detection and Converter 321:Multimedia processor 33:Third port 50:Multimedia player device 51:Audio output device 52:Multimedia signal source device 53:Cloud server 55: Speaker

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a conventional multimedia system architecture. FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B are respectively schematic diagrams of an embodiment of the audio conversion device of the present invention. FIG. 2C is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the audio processing method of the present invention. FIG. 2D is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of converting sound channel signals into sound information according to the present invention. FIG. 2E is a schematic flowchart of another embodiment of converting a sound channel signal into sound information according to the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the differential signals of the eARC signal specification. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the multimedia control device of the present invention.

2: Audio conversion device

20:Input port

200: First signal pin

201: Second signal pin

202: The third signal pin

21: Audio processing unit

210: Detection and Converter

211:Multimedia processor

22:Output port

90: Sound channel signal

91: Sound information

92: Audio output signal

50:Multimedia player device

51:Audio output device

52:Multimedia signal source device

55: Speaker

Claims (10)

An audio conversion device is provided between a multimedia playback device that is compatible with the protocol of a sound channel signal and an audio output device that is not compatible with the protocol of the sound channel signal. The audio conversion device includes: an input port, receiving The sound channel signal output from the multimedia playback device according to the protocol of the sound channel signal; an audio processing unit converts the sound channel signal into a sound information, and converts the sound information into an audio signal compatible with the audio output device An audio output signal, wherein the audio processing unit further has a detection and converter and a multimedia processor, wherein the detection and conversion processor captures the sound channel signal and converts the sound channel signal into a sound information, The multimedia processor converts the sound information into the audio output signal, wherein the audio output signal is a differential signal synthesized by sound information and image information; and an output port outputs the audio output signal to the audio output device. The audio conversion device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the input port further has a first signal pin and a second signal pin, wherein the first signal pin can conduct handshaking communication with the multimedia player device, and the second signal pin The pins carry the audio channel signal. The audio conversion device of claim 1, wherein the sound channel signal is a differential channel signal, and the input port has a second signal pin and a third signal pin for receiving the differential channel signal. The audio conversion device of claim 3, wherein the differential channel signal further includes a positive control signal carrying a positive sound channel signal, and a negative control signal carrying a negative sound channel signal. The audio conversion device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the audio processing unit further includes: a detection and converter that detects the sound channel signal and converts the sound channel signal into the sound information; and a multimedia processor, It is electrically connected to the detection and converter, receives the sound information, and packages the sound information into the audio output signal. An audio processing method is provided between a multimedia playback device that is compatible with the protocol of a sound channel signal and an audio output device that is not compatible with the protocol of the sound channel signal. The audio processing method includes the following steps: providing a The audio conversion device includes an audio processing unit, which has a detection and converter and a multimedia processor; the detection and conversion processor receives the sound channel output from the multimedia playback device according to the protocol of the sound channel signal. signal; the detection and conversion processor converts the sound channel signal into a sound information; the multimedia processor converts the sound information into an audio output signal compatible with an audio output device, wherein the audio output signal is a sound a differential signal synthesized by information and image information; and outputting the audio output signal to the audio output device. The audio processing method as described in claim 6, wherein the audio channel signal is an audio return channel signal. The audio processing method as described in claim 7, wherein converting the audio signal into the audio output signal compatible with the audio output device further includes the following steps: using the detection and converter to capture a second signal pin The input audio return channel signal; The detection and converter depackets the audio return channel signal to obtain the audio information; and uses the multimedia processor to receive the audio signal and packetize the audio information into the audio output signal. The audio processing method of claim 6, wherein the audio channel signal is an enhanced audio return channel signal. The audio processing method as claimed in claim 9, wherein converting the audio signal into the audio output signal compatible with the audio output device further includes the following steps: using the detection and converter to capture a second signal pin and the enhanced audio return channel signal with a differential signal format input by a third signal pin; the detection and converter depackets the enhanced audio return channel signal to obtain the sound information; and uses the multimedia processing The device receives the sound information and packetizes the sound information into the audio output signal.

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