JP2005286972A - Multi-point conference connection system and multi-point conference connection method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform the so-called screen division of simultaneously displaying pictures sent from a plurality of terminals on one screen even in the case that they are connected by a plurality of different communication systems. <P>SOLUTION: The multi-point conference connection system has; a plurality of transmission/reception units corresponding to video conference terminals provided at a plurality of conference sites; a screen division means which receives image data outputted from the plurality of transmission/reception units and generates and outputs image data of divided screen pictures; and a video switch means which receives image data of the divided screen pictures and image data outputted from the plurality of transmission/reception units and selectively outputs one of these image data. Each transmission/reception unit transmits image data outputted from the video switch means, to a corresponding video conference terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a multipoint conference connection system and a multipoint conference connection method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a multipoint that exchanges images and audio of each conference point using a transmission / reception unit corresponding to each of a plurality of conference points. The present invention relates to a conference connection system and a multipoint conference connection method.

In recent years, video conferencing systems have become popular due to the use of digital public networks. In such a video conferencing system, a video image and a voice are usually exchanged between a plurality of remote points, and a conference type one-to-one connection has been generally used so far. . On the other hand, recently, there has been an increasing demand for a video conference system between multiple points (multiple points) from companies and governments with geographically dispersed offices and departments. (For example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).
A conventional video conference system has a multipoint control device (Multipoint) at the center of a network in which a plurality of video conference terminals (hereinafter referred to as terminals) are connected in a star shape.
Control Unit) is installed, and this multipoint control apparatus performs line connection / disconnection control between a plurality of terminals, audio signal addition (mixing) processing, image signal switching / synthesis processing, data signal exchange, etc. .
In recent years, with the spread of Internet technology, a multipoint control apparatus generally performs connection / disconnection control between a plurality of terminals using an IP (Internet Protocol) network.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-59750 (FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-261615 (FIGS. 6, 8, and 9)

  The conventional multipoint control device has the following problems.

  (1) When a conventional multipoint control apparatus is connected to a plurality of terminals by a plurality of different communication methods, for example, when ISDN connection and IP connection are mixed, a screen sent from the plurality of terminals is displayed as one screen. There is a problem that it is difficult to display the image by dividing it so that it is simultaneously displayed.

  (2) In addition, even when a conventional multipoint control apparatus is connected to a plurality of terminals by the same communication method, if the communication speed of each line is different, an image frame transmitted from each terminal It was difficult to divide the screen and display it.

  (3) The conventional multipoint control device has to complete connection for each terminal at the time of multipoint connection, and it takes time to complete the connection at all points. In addition, when trying to connect to each terminal, if connection is not possible (line failure, terminal side power is not turned on, etc.) or even if connection with the terminal is possible, a lot of packet loss occurs, The multipoint control device repeatedly issues a connection request and a packet retransmission request, and there is a problem that it takes a great burden and takes time to complete the connection.

  The present invention has the following features as means for solving the above problems.

  The first aspect of the present invention is proposed as a multipoint conference connection system. The multipoint conference connection system receives a plurality of transmission / reception units and image data output from the plurality of transmission / reception units corresponding to the video conference terminal devices respectively provided at a plurality of conference points, and receives image data of divided screen images. And image dividing means for generating and outputting.

  According to the multipoint conference connection system according to this aspect, a plurality of transmission / reception units corresponding to the videoconference terminal devices respectively provided at a plurality of conference points are provided, and the connection with the videoconference terminal device is an individual transmission / reception unit. Since it is performed every time, the connection with one of the video conference terminal devices is not established, or even if it takes time to retransmit the packet, the connection with the other video conference terminal devices is not affected. It becomes possible to make connection between other points efficiently in time.

  The multipoint conference connection system further includes video switch means for receiving the image data of the split screen image and the image data output from the plurality of transmission / reception units, and selectively outputting any of these image data. The transmission / reception unit may transmit the image data output from the video switch means to the corresponding video conference terminal device.

  In the multipoint conference connection system, image data output from a plurality of transmission / reception units may be analog data. According to this configuration, it is easy to generate a screen split screen even if the transmission speed of image data sent from each video conference terminal device is different.

  In the multipoint conference connection system, each of the plurality of transmission / reception units may be capable of transmitting and receiving image data and audio data corresponding to a plurality of different communication methods. According to such a configuration, even in an environment in which each video conference terminal device transmits and receives image data and audio data using different communication methods (communication protocols), each transmission / reception unit independently supports the corresponding video conference. It is also possible to deal with a multipoint conference environment in which different communication methods are mixed, which can correspond to a communication method (communication protocol) used by a terminal device or a communication network.

  The second aspect of the present invention is proposed as a multipoint conference connection method.

  The method includes a step of individually receiving image data and audio data sent from each of a plurality of conference points, a step of generating and outputting image data of a divided screen image from the received image data, and an image of the divided screen image The image data sent from each of the data and the plurality of conference points are received, and the image data output in the step of selectively outputting any one of these image data and the step of selectively outputting the image data is transmitted to each of the plurality of conference points. And a step of transmitting.

  According to the multipoint conference connection method according to this aspect, image data and audio data are transmitted and received for each video conference terminal device provided at each of a plurality of conference points. Even if connection is not established or it takes time to retransmit a packet, it is possible to connect between other points efficiently in a short time without affecting the connection with other video conference terminals. It becomes.

  In the multipoint conference connection method, the receiving step may include a step of outputting the received image data and audio data as analog data. According to such a method, even if the transmission speed of the image data sent from each video conference terminal device is different, it is easy to generate a screen split screen.

  According to the present invention, even in an environment in which a plurality of connection methods with a video conference terminal device are mixed or an environment in which the communication speed with each video conference terminal device is different, the multipoint that easily performs split screen display Connection technology can be provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the video conference system according to the present embodiment.
In this example, the conference points MP1 to MPN that are N conference points are connected to the conference point MPC that is the installation location of the multipoint connection system 10 that functions as a multipoint connection unit (MCU). A so-called video conference is performed between the point MP1 to the conference point MPN and the conference point MPC.

  A video conference terminal device 20 is installed at each of the conference points MP1 to MPN. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of the video conference terminal device 20. As shown in the figure, the video conference terminal device 20 includes a main unit 201, a camera unit 202 rotatably mounted on the main unit 201, and a microphone unit 203 installed on the side of the camera unit 202. Have. The main unit 201 has terminals for connecting to an external monitor (not shown) and an external speaker (not shown). Video output and audio output are performed by an external monitor (not shown) and an external speaker (not shown). Done.

  FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the video conference terminal device 20. The main unit 201 of the video conference terminal device 20 generates video data from a communication interface unit 301 for transmitting and receiving video data and audio data to and from the outside via a communication network, and an image captured from the camera unit 202, and performs communication. The video data received via the interface unit 301 is decoded, and the video processing unit 302 displays an image on the external monitor 303. The audio data is generated from the audio captured from the microphone unit 203. The audio processing unit 304 decodes the received audio data and causes the external speaker 305 to output the audio.

  The video conference terminal device 20 is connected to another video conference terminal device 20 via a communication network, and transmits and receives video data and audio data between the video conference terminal devices 20. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a conversation is performed between two points using the video conference terminal device 20. The video conference terminal device 20 transmits its own image and sound to the other video conference terminal device 20, and the other video conference terminal device 20 reproduces the image and sound transmitted from the monitor device 400 with a speaker.

Returning to FIG. 1, the description of the video conference system will be continued.
The video conference terminal device 20 provided at each conference point can be connected to the multipoint conference connection system 10 via a communication network. The communication network may be a data communication network, an ISDN communication network, a video signal communication network, or the like, and may be any communication network (communication protocol). Note that the communication system (communication protocol) is different in that the multipoint conference connection system 10 transmits / receives data in accordance with the video conference terminal device 20 provided at each conference point and the communication system (communication protocol) of the communication network used. Is absorbed. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the video conference terminal device 20 provided at the conference points MP1 and MP2 is connected to the multipoint conference connection system 10 via the communication network A (for example, IP network), while the conference point MPN is connected to the conference point MPN. The provided video conference terminal device 20 is configured to connect to the multipoint conference connection system 10 via a communication network B (for example, ISDN line network) different from the communication network A.

  The multipoint conference connection system 10 includes a router HUB 101, a video conference terminal corresponding unit 102 that is a transmission / reception unit provided corresponding to each conference point to be connected, an image segmentation device 103 that is an image segmentation unit, and a video switch A video matrix switcher 104 as a means, a system control device 105, an audio processing device 106, and a monitor 107, a video camera 108, a microphone 109, and a speaker 110 as audio and image input / output means at the meeting point MPC. doing.

  The router HUB 101 passes a packet received from the communication networks A and B to the corresponding video conference terminal compatible unit 102, and transmits a packet transmitted from the video conference terminal compatible unit 102 to the corresponding video conference terminal device 20. To do.

  The video conference terminal compatible unit 102 is a component equivalent to the main unit 201 of the video conference terminal device 20 and has a function of transmitting and receiving image data and audio data to and from the corresponding video conference terminal device 20.

  The image dividing device 103 receives the image data output from each video conference terminal compatible unit 102 and the image of the meeting point MPC taken by the video camera 108, generates and outputs image data of the divided screen image, and is necessary. In response to this, image data of a single screen image that is an image of each conference point is output. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a split screen image. In this example, all images of 16 conference points including the conference point MPC where the multipoint conference connection system 10 is installed are displayed on one screen. The layout in the divided screen image, that is, the size and position of each image in the divided image can be changed as appropriate. Further, it is not always necessary to display all the images of the conference points connected by the multipoint conference connection system 10, and it is sufficient that at least one of the conference points is displayed.

  A single screen image refers to an image in which image data output from any one of the video conference terminal compatible units 102 is displayed on a single screen. When a single screen image is displayed, only the image of any conference point is displayed on the display device. Note that the single screen image output by the image dividing device 103 does not have to be an image of all conference points connected by the multipoint conference connection system 10, and only an image of some conference points is output. It doesn't matter.

  The video matrix switcher 104 receives the split screen image and single screen image output from the image splitting device 103, and the image output from the video camera 108, and selectively outputs at least one of these image data. . The image data selected and output by the video matrix switcher 104 is supplied to each video conference terminal unit 102 and also to the monitor 107. The image data supplied to each video conference terminal compatible unit 102 is transmitted to the video conference terminal device 20 at each conference point MP1 to MPN via the router HUB 101 and the communication network A or B. Each video conference terminal device 20 displays the selected image data to a user (such as a conference attendee). The monitor 107 at the conference point MPC also displays the same selected image data. Therefore, users at all conference points MP1 to MPN and MPC can proceed with the conference while viewing the same screen.

  The control device 105 sets the correspondence between each video conference terminal device 20 and each video conference terminal compatible unit 102 (designation of an IP address) in the router HUB 101 and switches the output to the video matrix switcher 104 (image to be selected). For example, a computer equipped with software for performing these settings.

  The audio processing device 106 reproduces the audio data received from each video conference terminal compatible unit 102 from each video conference terminal device 20 and outputs it from the speaker 110, and the audio data of the conference point MPC captured from the microphone 109 and The audio data received from each video conference terminal unit 102 and synthesized from each video conference terminal device 20 is synthesized and supplied to each video conference terminal unit 102. The audio data supplied to each video conference terminal compatible unit 102 is transmitted to the video conference terminal device 20 at each conference point MP1 to MPN via the router HUB 101 and the communication network A or B. Each video conference terminal device 20 reproduces this audio data and provides the audio of each conference point to all users (conference attendees, etc.). Therefore, users at all conference points MP1 to MPN and MPC can proceed with the conference while listening to other users' remarks.

  In the present embodiment, transmission / reception of image data and audio data among the video conference terminal compatible units 102, the image dividing device 103, and the video matrix switcher 104 is preferably performed by analog data. With this feature, it is possible to construct a high-quality and high-quality sound system with no frame rate deterioration. In addition, the connection between the multipoint conference connection system 10 and each video conference terminal device 20 is made by the video conference terminal corresponding unit 102 corresponding to each video conference terminal device 20 by the success or failure of the connection with each other video conference terminal device 20. Therefore, the time required for connection between multiple points can be shortened, and the operation efficiency can be improved.

[Modification]
As an input to the video matrix switcher 104, data other than the image data and audio data, for example, data (document data, image data, spreadsheet, etc.) from a personal computer provided separately may be input. These inputs can be displayed on the video conference terminal device 20 or the monitor 107 as a split screen or a single screen. According to this configuration, it is possible to advance the conference while displaying the conference material on the screen.

[Advantages of this system]
(1) In a multi-point video conference by a conventional multi-point connection unit (MCU), there is an upper limit on the CPU processing capacity of the multi-point connection unit (MCU). Can be used without degrading the performance of the video conference terminal device. Since this system does not necessarily require a high CPU processing capacity compared to the conventional system, the price can be equal to or less than that of the conventional system.

  (2) Not only a simple TV conference system but also a data transmission system by RGB signal transmission can be used. For example, the present system can be used as a communication means for medical personnel who exchange diagnostic image data.

  (3) Since the connection time required for multi-point connection is relatively short, this system is also effective as a disaster communication means such as a disaster prevention center requiring urgency.

  (4) The system can also be used as a platform for all other transmission systems that require transmission / reception of image data and audio data.

The block diagram which shows the structural example of the video conference system concerning embodiment of invention External perspective view showing an example of a video conference terminal device Functional block diagram of a video conference terminal device The figure which shows a mode of having a conversation using a video conference terminal device between two points The figure which shows the example of a display of a split screen image

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multipoint conference connection system 20 ... Video conference terminal device 101 ... Router HUB
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 102 ... Video conference terminal corresponding unit 103 ... Image division apparatus 104 ... Video matrix switcher

Claims (6)

A plurality of transmission / reception units corresponding to video conference terminal devices respectively provided at a plurality of conference points;
Image dividing means for receiving image data output from the plurality of transmission / reception units, generating and outputting image data of a divided screen image;
A multipoint conference connection system characterized by comprising: In the multipoint conference connection system according to claim 1,
Video switch means for receiving the image data of the divided screen image and the image data output from the plurality of transmission / reception units, and selectively outputting any of these image data;
The multipoint conference connection system, wherein the transmission / reception unit transmits image data output from the video switch means to a corresponding video conference terminal device. 3. The multipoint conference connection system according to claim 2, wherein the image data output from the plurality of transmission / reception units is analog data. 4. The multipoint conference connection system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of transmission / reception units is capable of transmitting and receiving image data and audio data corresponding to a plurality of different communication methods. 5. Multipoint conference connection system. Individually receiving image data and audio data sent from each of a plurality of conference points;
Generating and outputting image data of a split screen image from the received image data;
The image data output in the step of receiving the image data of the divided screen image and the image data sent from each of the plurality of conference points, and selectively outputting any of these image data, and the step of selectively outputting Transmitting to each of a plurality of conference points. 6. The multipoint conference connection method according to claim 5, wherein the receiving step includes a step of outputting the received image data and audio data as analog data.

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