JP2006216997A - Communication device connection apparatus, method, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable communication between three or more bases using a communication device capable of one-to-one communication.
SOLUTION: Connection device side communication devices 32, 34 which are connected to base side communication devices 12, 14, 16 and are respectively connected to the base side communication devices 12, 14, 16 in a one-to-one manner. , 36, and the signal received by the connection device side communication device 32 is transmitted to the base side communication devices 14, 16 other than the base side communication device 12 connected to the connection device side communication device 32. The communication device 34 receives the signal received by the communication device 34 and transmits the signal to the communication devices 12 and 16 other than the communication device 14 connected to the communication device 34, and the communication device 36 receives the communication device 36. The MCU 40 is provided that receives the received signal and transmits it to the base side communication devices 12 and 14 other than the base side communication device 16 connected to the connection device side communication device 36.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology that enables communication between three or more locations using a communication device capable of one-to-one communication.

Conventionally, a video conference system (for example, DVTS: Digital Video Transport System) is used to transmit and receive moving images and the like (peer to peer function) between one base and another base. (For example, refer nonpatent literature 1). In addition, according to DVTS, the multicast function which transmits from one certain base to other several bases is also realizable.
Yuichi Nakagami, “2003 Joint University Earth Science Education”, [online], June 2003, Internet <URL: http: // www. ep. sci. hokudai. ac. jp / ˜mosir / prepri / 2003 / goodou / chigaku / intro. HTML>

  However, according to the video conference system as in the prior art, transmission / reception between three or more locations cannot be performed. That is, according to the peer-to-peer function, communication can be performed only between two locations. According to the multicast function, if the three locations are A, B, and C, they can be transmitted from the location A to the locations B and C, but cannot be transmitted from the location B to the locations A and C. It cannot be transmitted from C to bases A and B.

  Then, this invention makes it a subject to enable communication between three or more locations using the communication apparatus in which one-to-one communication is possible.

  The communication device connection device according to the present invention is a communication device connection device that connects three or more communication devices that can transmit and receive in a one-to-one relationship, and is connected to the communication device and transmits and receives in a one-to-one relationship with the communication device. A connection device side communication device that is a communication device that performs communication, and a signal received by the connection device side communication device, the communication device other than the communication device connected to the connection device side communication device is connected to the connection device Communication control means for transmitting via the side communication device.

  According to the communication device connection device configured as described above, a communication device connection device that connects three or more communication devices capable of one-to-one transmission / reception is provided.

  The connection device side communication device is a communication device that is connected to the communication device and performs one-to-one transmission / reception with the communication device. The communication control means receives a signal received by the connection device side communication device and transmits the signal to the communication device other than the communication device connected to the connection device side communication device via the connection device side communication device. .

  The communication device connection apparatus according to the present invention is such that the communication control means receives the signal received by the connection device side communication device, and also connects the connection device to the communication device connected to the connection device side communication device. You may make it transmit via an apparatus side communication apparatus.

  A communication device connection method according to the present invention is a communication device connection apparatus that connects three or more communication devices that can transmit and receive in a one-to-one relationship, and is connected to the communication device and transmits and receives in a one-to-one relationship with the communication device. A communication apparatus is connected to a communication apparatus using a communication apparatus connection apparatus having a connection apparatus side communication apparatus that is a communication apparatus, and receives the signal received by the connection apparatus side communication apparatus. It is comprised so that the said communication apparatus other than the communication apparatus connected to may be provided with the communication control process transmitted via the said connection apparatus side communication apparatus.

  The present invention is a communication device connection apparatus that connects three or more communication devices that can transmit and receive one-to-one, and is a communication device that is connected to the communication device and performs one-to-one transmission and reception with the communication device. A program for causing a computer to execute processing for connecting a communication device using a communication device connection device having a connection device side communication device, and receiving the signal received by the connection device side communication device, It is a program for causing a communication device other than the communication device connected to the communication device to cause the computer to execute a communication control process to be transmitted via the connection device side communication device.

  The present invention is a communication device connection apparatus that connects three or more communication devices that can transmit and receive one-to-one, and is a communication device that is connected to the communication device and performs one-to-one transmission and reception with the communication device. A computer-readable recording medium recording a program for causing a computer to execute processing for connecting a communication device using a communication device connection device having the connection device-side communication device, received by the connection device-side communication device A program for causing the communication device other than the communication device connected to the connection device side communication device to execute communication control processing to be transmitted via the connection device side communication device by the computer. The computer-readable recording medium.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a communication system using a communication device connection apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication device connection apparatus 1 is connected to the base side communication devices 12, 14, 16 via a network 20. The site-side communication device 12 is located at the site A, the site-side communication device 14 is located at the site B, and the site-side communication device 16 is located at the site C.

  The base side communication device 12 includes an image / sound acquisition unit 12a, an image / sound output unit 12b, and a PC (personal computer) 12c. The image / sound acquisition unit 12a captures a person at the base A and acquires the sound of the person. The image / sound acquisition unit 12a is, for example, a known video camera. The image / sound output unit 12b converts the received image signal and sound signal into an image and sound and outputs them, and allows a person at the site A to view. The image / sound output unit 12b is, for example, a known display and speaker.

  The PC (personal computer) 12 c is for communicating with the communication device connection apparatus 1. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the PC (personal computer) 12c. The PC 12c includes a transmission unit 120a, a reception unit 120b, and a screen setting transmission unit 120c.

  The transmission unit 120 a acquires an image signal and an audio signal from the image / sound acquisition unit 12 a and transmits them to the communication device connection apparatus 1 via the network 20.

  The receiving unit 120b gives the image signal and the audio signal received from the communication device connection apparatus 1 to the image / audio output unit 12b.

  The screen setting transmission unit 120 c is for transmitting the setting of the image display method in the image / sound output device 12 b to the communication device connection apparatus 1. The screen setting transmission unit 120c causes the image / audio output unit 12b to display a menu for setting an image display method. Then, a person at the site A selects an arbitrary item from the menu and inputs it using a remote controller or the like. Then, the screen setting transmission unit 120 c receives the input option and transmits it to the communication device connection apparatus 1. The screen setting transmission unit 120c can be implemented by a known user interface having a function as a web browser. The menu to be displayed on the image / sound output device 12b is received via the network 20 from an image switching setting unit 46 described later.

  Note that the menu for setting the image display method includes, for example, an option of which person's image is to be displayed. The options are, for example, (1) displaying a person at bases A, B, and C, (2) displaying a person at bases A and B, and (3) displaying a person at base C. Can be considered. That is, it is possible to select whether to display all three persons at bases A, B, and C, to display any two persons, or to display any one person.

  In addition, in order for the PC 12c to perform the above functions, software for a general video conference system is installed in advance. Note that a software called DVTS (Digital Video Transport System) may be installed. DVTS is a video distribution software developed by the WIDE project.

  The base-side communication device 14 includes an image / sound acquisition unit 14a, an image / sound output unit 14b, and a PC (personal computer) 14c. The image / sound acquisition unit 14a, the image / sound output unit 14b, and the PC (personal computer) 14c have the same configuration as the image / sound acquisition unit 12a, the image / sound output unit 12b, and the PC (personal computer) 12c, respectively. Is omitted.

  The base side communication device 16 includes an image / sound acquisition unit 16a, an image / sound output unit 16b, and a PC (personal computer) 16c. The image / sound acquisition unit 16a, the image / sound output unit 16b, and the PC (personal computer) 16c have the same configuration as the image / sound acquisition unit 12a, the image / sound output unit 12b, and the PC (personal computer) 12c, respectively. Is omitted.

  The communication device connection apparatus 1 includes connection device side communication devices 32, 34, and 36 and an MCU (communication control means) 40.

  The connection device side communication device 32 is connected to the base side communication device 12 via the network 20. The connection device side communication device 32 performs one-to-one transmission / reception with the base side communication device 12. Here, “one-to-one transmission / reception” means that the signal transmitted by the base side communication device 12 is received by the connection device side communication device 32 and the signal transmitted by the connection device side communication device 32 is the base side communication. It means that the device 12 receives. The signal transmitted by the base side communication device 12 is not received by the connection device side communication devices 34 and 36, and the signal transmitted by the connection device side communication device 32 is not received by the base side communication devices 14 and 16.

  The connection device side communication device 32 includes a PC (personal computer) 32a, a D / A converter 32b, and an A / D converter 32c.

  The PC (personal computer) 32a is a personal computer that communicates with the PC 12c. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of a PC (personal computer) 32a. The PC 32a includes a receiving unit 320a and a transmitting unit 320b.

  The receiving unit 320a receives the image signal and the audio signal transmitted from the transmitting unit 120a and supplies them to the D / A converter 32b.

  The transmission unit 320b receives an image signal and an audio signal from the A / D converter 32c, and transmits them to the PC 12c via the network 20.

  In addition, in order for the PC 32a to perform the above functions, software for a general video conference system is installed in advance. Note that a software called DVTS (Digital Video Transport System) may be installed. DVTS is a video distribution software developed by the WIDE project.

  The D / A converter 32 b receives an image signal and an audio signal (which are digital signals) from the receiving unit 320 a, converts them into analog signals, and gives them to the MCU (communication control means) 40.

  The A / D converter 32c receives an image signal and an audio signal (analog signal) from the MCU (communication control means) 40, converts them into digital signals, and gives them to the transmission unit 320b.

  The connection device side communication device 34 is connected to the base side communication device 14 via the network 20. The connection device side communication device 34 performs one-to-one transmission / reception with the base side communication device 14. The connection device side communication device 34 includes a PC (personal computer) 34a, a D / A converter 34b, and an A / D converter 34c. The PC (personal computer) 34a, the D / A converter 34b, and the A / D converter 34c have the same configurations as the PC (personal computer) 32a, the D / A converter 32b, and the A / D converter 32c, respectively, and will not be described.

  The connection device side communication device 36 is connected to the base side communication device 16 via the network 20. The connection device side communication device 36 performs one-to-one transmission / reception with the base side communication device 16. The connection device side communication device 36 includes a PC (personal computer) 36a, a D / A converter 36b, and an A / D converter 36c. The PC (personal computer) 36a, the D / A converter 36b, and the A / D converter 36c have the same configurations as the PC (personal computer) 32a, the D / A converter 32b, and the A / D converter 32c, respectively, and will not be described.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of an MCU (Multiple Control Unit) 40. An audio mixing unit 42, an image receiving unit 44, an image switching setting unit 46, and an image switch 48 are provided. In FIG. 4, the audio signal received from the site side communication device 12 is described as (1), the image signal is described as (P), the audio signal received from the site side communication device 14 is (2), and the image signal is expressed as (Q), an audio signal received from the base side communication device 16 (3), and an image signal (R).

  The audio mixing unit 42 receives audio signals (1), (2), and (3) from the D / A converter 32b, the D / A converter 34b, and the D / A converter 36b, respectively. The audio signal (1) is supplied to the A / D converter 34c and the A / D converter 36c, the audio signal (2) is supplied to the A / D converter 32c and the A / D converter 36c, and the audio signal (3) is supplied. To the A / D converter 32c and the A / D converter 34c.

  That is, the audio mixing unit 42 receives the audio signal (1) received by the connection device side communication device 32 via the D / A converter 32b, and other than the base side communication device 12 connected to the connection device side communication device 32. The base station side communication device 14 and the base side communication device 16 are connected to the connection device side communication device 34 (the A / D converter 34c, PC 34a) and the connection device side communication device 36 (the A / D converter 36c, PC 36a). Send through.

  The audio mixing unit 42 receives the audio signal (2) received by the connection device side communication device 34 via the D / A converter 34b, and is other than the base side communication device 14 connected to the connection device side communication device 34. The base station side communication device 12 and base point side communication device 16 are connected device side communication device 32 (A / D converter 32c, PC 32a) and connection device side communication device 36 (A / D converter 36c, PC 36a). Send through.

  Furthermore, the audio mixing unit 42 receives the audio signal (3) received by the connection device side communication device 36 via the D / A converter 36b, and other than the base side communication device 16 connected to the connection device side communication device 36. The base station side communication device 12 and the base side communication device 14 are connected to the connection device side communication device 32 (the A / D converter 32c, PC 32a) and the connection device side communication device 34 (the A / D converter 34c, PC 34a). Send through.

  The image receiving unit 44 receives image signals (P), (Q), and (R) from the D / A converter 32b, the D / A converter 34b, and the D / A converter 36b, respectively. Further, the image receiving unit 44 provides the image signals (P), (Q), and (R) to the image switch 48.

  The image switching setting unit 46 receives the setting of the image display method from the screen setting transmission unit 120 c of the base side communication device 12. Similarly, the image display method setting is also received from the site side communication device 14 and the site side communication device 16. Here, it is assumed that the base-side communication device 12 has a setting of “display people at bases A, B, and C” and the base-side communication device 14 has “display people at base A”. It is assumed that the setting is received from the base-side communication device 16 as “display people at bases A and B”. The image switching setting unit 46 gives the received setting to the image switch 48.

  The image switch 48 receives the image signals (P), (Q), and (R) received from the image receiving unit 44 according to the settings received from the image switching setting unit 46, and the A / D converter 32c, the A / D converter 34c, and The signal is supplied to the A / D converter 36c.

  That is, the image switch 48 receives the image signal (P) received by the connection device side communication device 32 via the D / A converter 32b, and other than the base side communication device 12 connected to the connection device side communication device 32. The base side communication device 14 and the base side communication device 16 are connected to the connection device side communication device 34 (the A / D converter 34c, PC 34a) and the connection device side communication device 36 (the A / D converter 36c, PC 36a). To send. Further, the image switch 48 sends the image signal (P) to the base side communication device 12 connected to the connection device side communication device 32 as well as the connection device side communication device 32 (A / D converter 32c, PC 32a). To send through.

  The image switch 48 receives the image signal (Q) received by the connection device side communication device 34 via the D / A converter 34 b, and other than the base side communication device 14 connected to the connection device side communication device 34. The base-side communication device 12 and the base-side communication device 16 are connected to the connection device-side communication device 32 (the A / D converter 32c, PC 32a) and the connection device-side communication device 36 (the A / D converter 36c, PC 36a). To send.

  Further, the image switch 48 receives the image signal (R) received by the connection device side communication device 36 via the D / A converter 36b, and other than the base side communication device 16 connected to the connection device side communication device 36. The data is transmitted to the base-side communication device 12 via the connection device-side communication device 32 (A / D converter 32c, PC 32a that the device has).

  Note that the display mode of the image / sound output units 12b, 14b, and 16b at this time is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the image / sound output unit 12b displays images of persons at locations A, B, and C corresponding to the image signals (P), (Q), and (R). The As shown in FIG. 5B, the image / sound output unit 14b displays an image of a person at the site A corresponding to the image signal (P). As shown in FIG. 5 (c), the image / sound output unit 16b displays images of persons at bases A and B corresponding to the image signals (P) and (Q).

  Moreover, although the example which displayed so that an image may not overlap was shown in FIG. 5, it is not necessarily limited to such a display mode. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a modification of the display mode of the image / sound output unit 12b. As shown in FIG. 6, images of persons at bases A, B, and C may be superimposed and displayed.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  First, the persons at the bases A, B, and C use the image / sound output devices 12b, 14b, and 16b, respectively, to set the image display method (selection of which person's image is displayed). And inputs the options to the PCs 12c, 14c, and 16c.

  The input option is transmitted to the image switching setting unit 46 of the communication device connection apparatus 1 via the network 20. The image switching setting unit 46 gives the image switch 48 the setting of the image display method.

  Thereafter, the image / sound acquisition unit 12a captures a person at the site A and acquires the sound of the person. The image / sound acquisition unit 14a images a person at the base B and acquires the sound of the person. The image / sound acquisition unit 16a captures a person at the base C and acquires the sound of the person.

  The PCs 12c, 14c, and 16c transmit the image signals and audio signals acquired by the image / audio acquisition units 12a, 14a, and 16a to the PCs 32a, 34a, and 36a of the communication device connection apparatus 1 via the network 20, respectively. .

  The PCs 32a, 34a, and 36a send the audio signals (1), (2), and (3) and the image signals (P), (Q), and (R) to the MCU (via the D / A converters 32b, 34b, and 36b. (Communication control means) 40.

  The voice mixing unit 42 of the MCU (communication control means) 40 gives the voice signal (1) to the A / D converter 34c and the A / D converter 36c, and sends the voice signal (2) to the A / D converter 32c and A / D. The audio signal (3) is supplied to the D converter 36c and the A / D converter 32c and the A / D converter 34c.

  Therefore, the audio signals (2) and (3) are transmitted to the base side communication device 12 via the PC 32a and the network 20. When receiving the audio signals (2) and (3), the PC 12c of the base side communication device 12 gives the audio signals (2) and (3) to the image / audio output unit 12b. As a result, the person at the site A can listen to the audio corresponding to the audio signals (2) and (3) (the audio of the person at the sites B and C) from the image / audio output unit 12b.

  Also, the audio signals (3) and (1) are transmitted to the base side communication device 14 via the PC 34a and the network 20. When receiving the audio signals (3) and (1), the PC 14c of the base side communication device 14 gives the audio signals (3) and (1) to the image / audio output unit 14b. Accordingly, the person at the base B can listen to the sound corresponding to the sound signals (3) and (1) (the sound of the person at the bases C and A) from the image / sound output device 14b.

  The audio signals (1) and (2) are transmitted to the base side communication device 16 via the PC 36a and the network 20. When receiving the audio signals (1) and (2), the PC 16c of the site side communication device 16 gives the audio signals (1) and (2) to the image / audio output unit 16b. Thereby, the person at the base C can listen to the sound corresponding to the sound signals (1) and (2) (the sound of the person at the bases A and B) from the image / sound output device 16b.

  The image receiving unit 44 of the MCU (communication control means) 40 receives the image signals (P), (Q), and (R) and supplies them to the image switch 48. The image switch 48 supplies the image signals (P), (Q), and (R) to the A / D converter 32c and the image signal (P) to the A / D converter 34c according to the setting received from the image switching setting unit 46. The image signals (P) and (Q) are supplied to the A / D converter 36c.

  Accordingly, the image signals (P), (Q), and (R) are transmitted to the base side communication device 12 via the PC 32a and the network 20. When receiving the image signals (P), (Q), and (R), the PC 12c of the base side communication device 12 gives the image signals (P), (Q), and (R) to the image / audio output unit 12b. As a result, the person at the base A views the images (images of the persons at the bases A, B, and C) corresponding to the image signals (P), (Q), and (R) from the image / sound output device 12b. (See FIG. 5A).

  In addition, the image signal (P) is transmitted to the base side communication device 14 via the PC 34 a and the network 20. When the PC 14c of the base side communication device 14 receives the image signal (P), the image signal (P) is given to the image / sound output device 14b. As a result, the person at the base B can view the image corresponding to the image signal (P) (the image of the person at the base A) from the image / sound output device 14b (see FIG. 5B).

  The image signals (P) and (Q) are transmitted to the base-side communication device 16 via the PC 36a and the network 20. When receiving the image signals (P) and (Q), the PC 16c of the site side communication device 16 gives the image signals (P) and (Q) to the image / sound output device 16b. As a result, the person at the base C can view the images (images of the persons at the bases A and B) corresponding to the image signals (P) and (Q) from the image / sound output device 16b (FIG. 5 ( c)).

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, if the base-side communication devices 12, 14 and 16 can transmit and receive one-to-one with the connection device-side communication devices 32, 34 and 36, respectively, the three bases A, Image and audio communication is possible between persons in B and C. That is, the person and person in the bases B and C can view the image and sound of the person in the base A, and the person and the person in the bases A and C can watch the image and sound of the person in the base B. A person at bases A and B can view images and sounds.

  Here, it is sufficient for the base-side communication devices 12, 14 and 16 to be able to perform transmission and reception with other communication devices on a one-to-one basis. There is no need to incorporate software, and communication between the three bases A, B, and C can be easily realized.

  Moreover, said embodiment is realizable as follows. A program for realizing each of the above-described parts (for example, MCU (communication control means) 40) on a computer media reader provided with a CPU, hard disk, and media (floppy (registered trademark) disk, CD-ROM, etc.) reader. Read the recorded media and install it on the hard disk. The above embodiment can also be realized by such a method.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the communication system which uses the communication apparatus connection apparatus 1 concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of PC (personal computer) 12c. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of PC (personal computer) 32a. 3 is a functional block diagram showing a configuration of an MCU (Multiple Control Unit) 40. FIG. It is a figure which shows the display mode of image and audio | voice output device 12b, 14b, and 16b. It is a figure which shows the modification of the display mode of the image and audio | voice output device 12b.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Communication apparatus connection apparatus 12, 14, 16 Base side communication apparatus 12a, 14a, 16a Image / audio acquisition device 12b, 16b, 16b Image / audio output device 32, 34, 36 Connection apparatus side communication apparatus 40 MCU (communication control means) )

Claims (5)

A communication device connection apparatus for connecting three or more communication devices capable of transmitting and receiving one-to-one,
A connection device side communication device which is a communication device connected to the communication device and performing one-to-one transmission and reception with the communication device;
A communication control means for receiving a signal received by the connection device side communication device and transmitting the signal to the communication device other than the communication device connected to the connection device side communication device via the connection device side communication device;
A communication device connection device. The communication device connection device according to claim 1,
The communication control means receives a signal received by the connection device side communication device, and transmits the signal to the communication device connected to the connection device side communication device via the connection device side communication device.
Communication equipment connection device. A communication device connection device that connects three or more communication devices that can transmit and receive in a one-to-one relationship, and is a communication device that is connected to the communication device and performs a one-to-one transmission and reception with the communication device. A method of connecting a communication device using a communication device connection device having a device,
A communication control step of receiving a signal received by the connection device side communication device and transmitting the signal to the communication device other than the communication device connected to the connection device side communication device via the connection device side communication device;
A communication device connection method comprising: A communication device connection device that connects three or more communication devices that can transmit and receive in a one-to-one relationship, and is a communication device that is connected to the communication device and performs a one-to-one transmission and reception with the communication device. A program for causing a computer to execute processing for connecting a communication device using a communication device connection apparatus having the device,
A communication control process for receiving a signal received by the connection device side communication device and transmitting the signal to the communication device other than the communication device connected to the connection device side communication device via the connection device side communication device;
A program that causes a computer to execute. A communication device connection device that connects three or more communication devices that can transmit and receive in a one-to-one relationship, and is a communication device that is connected to the communication device and performs a one-to-one transmission and reception with the communication device. A computer-readable recording medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute processing for connecting a communication device using a communication device connection apparatus having the device,
A communication control process for receiving a signal received by the connection device side communication device and transmitting the signal to the communication device other than the communication device connected to the connection device side communication device via the connection device side communication device;
A computer-readable recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute is stored.

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