JPH07327216A - Video conference terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the picture quality at the time of picture input by control ling an illuminator in accordance with communication of a video conference. CONSTITUTION:A picture input/output circuit 16 synthesizes and selects respective pictures from four picture decoding circuits 20 and applies the result to a picture display device 14. Then, the picture from the other party of the video conference is displayed on the screen of the picture display device 14. In this case, it is discriminated on an ISDN line by the out-band signal whether reception data includes picture data or not. When reception data doesn't include picture data, an illuminator 50 is operated if it is set that the illuminaire 50 should be used, but the illuminaire 50 is not operated if it is set that the illuminator 50 should not be used. The use or the non-use of the illuminator 50 is preliminarily set to a system control circuit 52 by an operation device 42. At the time of the end of the conference, the illuminator 50 is turned off, and the communication line is cut off.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video conference terminal device which simultaneously communicates with each other via a communication line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of a conventional video conference terminal device. The conventional example shown in FIG.
It can connect to a book communication line and can communicate with four terminals at the same time.

In FIG. 2, 10 is a camera for photographing conference participants, 12 is a document camera for photographing conference materials such as drawings, 14 is an image display device such as a CRT or liquid crystal display device, 16 is a camera 10, An image input / output circuit that selects 12 output images for transmission, selectively combines the output images of the cameras 10 and 12 and the received images and supplies them to the image display device 14.

Reference numeral 18 is an image encoding circuit for encoding the image signal to be transmitted, and 20 is an image decoding circuit for decoding the received encoded image signal. Here, the image coding circuit 18 uses intra-frame and inter-frame coding using discrete cosine transform (DCT), vector quantization and motion compensation,
In addition, the image data is band-compressed by dropping frames. I
As an encoding method capable of transmitting at the basic interface of the SDN line at 64 Kbps, ITU-T Recommendation H.264. 261
There is.

Reference numeral 22 is a handset including a microphone and a speaker, 24 is a microphone, 26 is a speaker, and 28 is a voice input / output interface for the handset 22, the microphone 24 and the speaker 26. The voice input / output interface 28 not only switches the voice input / output of the handset 22, the microphone 24, and the speaker 26, but also performs echo / cancel processing, dial tone, ring tone,
Tones such as busy tones and ring tones are generated.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a voice input / output interface 28.
Is a voice encoding circuit for encoding the voice signal to be transmitted from the device, and 32 is a voice decoding circuit for decoding the received encoded voice signal and outputting it to the voice input / output interface 28. The voice decoding circuit 32 appropriately decodes encoded voice information from a plurality of opponents, synthesizes a plurality of received voices from all the opponents, or selects a received voice from a designated opponent. , To the voice interface 28. As a voice encoding method, a 64 kbps PCM (A-
RAW), 64Kbps PCM (μ-law), 7K
Hz audio (SB-ADPCM), 32 Kbps ADPCM, 16 Kbps (for example, LD-CELP)
And 8 Kbps.

34 is a data terminal for data input / output,
Reference numeral 36 is an interface for connecting the data terminal 34.

Reference numeral 38 is a system control circuit for controlling the entire system,
Reference numeral 42 denotes an operating device for inputting various instructions to the system control circuit 38, such as a keyboard, a touch panel,
It consists of a digitizer and a pointing device such as a mouse.

Reference numeral 44 is a communication line (for example, ISDN line).
A line interface 46 for connecting to the H.V.C. transmits information to be transmitted from the image encoding circuit 18 and the audio encoding circuit 30 and control information from the system control circuit 38 to the H.264. 221, which is multiplexed and supplied to the line interface 44, and the line interface 14
The image, the voice, the data and the control signal are separated from the received information supplied from 4, and the image information is sent to the image decoding circuit 20.
A demultiplexing circuit for supplying voice information to the voice decoding circuit 32, data to the data interface 36, and control signals to the system control circuit 42. Both the line interface 44 and the demultiplexing circuit 46 are composed of a plurality of units (individually four) having the same function according to the number of lines.

The flow of image signals and audio signals in the conventional example shown in FIG. 2 will be briefly described. The input image from the camera 10 and the document camera 12 is selected by the image input / output circuit 16 and applied to the image encoding circuit 18. The image encoding circuit 18 encodes the input image signal in the encoding mode according to the control signal from the system control circuit 38 and the internal decision, and outputs it to the demultiplexing and multiplexing circuit 46.

On the other hand, the input voice signal from the microphone or the microphone 24 of the handset 22 is input to the voice encoding circuit 30 via the voice input / output interface 28, where it is encoded and input to the demultiplexing circuit 46.

The demultiplexing circuit 46 is the image coding circuit 1.
8 and coded signals and data from the voice coding circuit 30.
The data from the interface 36 and the control command from the system control circuit 38 are multiplexed and output to the line interface 44. Line interface 44
Outputs the signal from the demultiplexing circuit 46 to the connected communication line in a predetermined format.

The signal received from the communication line is supplied from the line interface 44 to the demultiplexing / multiplexing circuit 46. The demultiplexing circuit 46 separates the coded image signal, the coded audio signal, the data and the control command from the received signal, and outputs the image information to the image decoding circuit 20, the audio information to the audio decoding circuit 32 and the data. In the data interface 36,
Then, the control command is applied to the system control circuit 38.

The image decoding circuit 20 includes a demultiplexing circuit 4
The image input / output circuit 1 decodes the encoded image signal from
Supply to 6. The image input / output circuit 18 synthesizes and selects each image from the four image decoding circuits 20 to select the image display device 1.
6 is applied. As a result, the video from the other party in the video conference is displayed on the screen of the image display device 16.

The received voice signal decoded by the voice encoding circuit 32 is applied to the speaker of the handset 22 and / or the speaker 26 via the voice input / output interface 28. As a result, the voice from the communication partner can be heard.

[0016]

Even in such a video conference terminal device, the decoding unit is being developed year by year, and the terminal itself is becoming smaller. However, the image quality at the time of inputting a video is particularly neglected. Absent. That is, there is a drawback that the image quality of the input image from the camera 10 differs depending on the brightness of the room where the terminal device is used. For this reason, there are many aspects that rely on external lighting equipment, and a configuration is desired in which the video input state can be controlled on the terminal.

It is an object of the present invention to present a video conference terminal device that meets such demands.

[0018]

A video conference terminal device according to the present invention is a video conference terminal device for performing a video conference by connecting a plurality of points with a communication line, and at least an input field of view of an image input means. Lighting means for illuminating, the adjusting means for operating the illuminating means according to an operator's instruction to adjust the brightness and direction thereof, the first control means for controlling the adjusting means, and the illuminating according to the operator's instruction. And a second control means that does not operate the means.

The video conference terminal device according to the present invention also includes
A video conference terminal device for performing a video conference by connecting a plurality of points with a communication line, wherein a determination means for determining whether or not received data includes image data, and a reception result based on the determination result of the determination means. Lighting control means for outputting a control signal for operating the lighting device of the partner terminal when the data includes image data.

[0020]

With the above means, the operator can operate the lighting means on the terminal. Further, when the received data includes image data, the illumination device on the image transmitting side can be activated. This improves the quality of the received image.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals. Reference numeral 50 denotes a lighting device that illuminates the photographing range of the camera 10, and reference numeral 52 denotes a system control circuit that has a function of controlling the lighting device 50 in addition to the function of the system control circuit 38.

FIG. 3 shows a terminal having the configuration shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 shows the procedure of data reception by the ISDN line.
The control flowchart of the illuminating device 50 is shown.

In the ISDN line, as shown in FIG. 2, an outband signal (that is, Dch) is used for call setting.
Based on this Dch, it is determined whether the received data includes image data (S1, S2). When the received data does not include image data (S2), the lighting device 50 is set to be used (S3), the lighting device 50 is operated (S4), and the lighting device 50 is not used. Sometimes, the lighting device 50 is not activated. Whether or not to use the lighting device 50 is set in advance in the system control circuit 52 from the operation device 42.

When the conference is started (S5) and ended (S5)
6) The lighting device 50 is turned off (S7), and the communication line is cut off (S8). Lighting device 50 after disconnecting the communication line
Of course, you may turn off.

FIG. 5 is a control flowchart for controlling the lighting device 50 more finely.

When there is an incoming call, it is judged by the out-band signal (that is, Dch) whether or not the received data includes image data (S11, S12). When it is set to use the illumination device 50 (S13), the illumination device 50 is used.
Is turned on (S14).

When the conference starts (S15) and ends (S15)
16) The operator is made to select ON / OFF of the lighting device 50 (S17). In response to the selection to keep the lighting device 50 on (S17), the communication is ended (S18), and the operator turns off the lighting device 50 (S17).
19), the system control circuit 52 turns off the lighting device 50 (S20). After the conference is over (S16), if the operator selects to turn off the illumination device 50 (S17), the illumination device 50 is turned off (S21), and the communication is terminated (S2).
2).

When the received data does not include an image (S1
2) The lighting device 50 is turned off (S21), and the communication ends (S22).

Turning on / off of the lighting device 50 according to the received data
Obviously, it is preferable that the off control can be set even during communication. It is convenient that the operation of the illumination device 50 can be set on the screen of the image display device 14 with a mouse or the like. Further, when the lighting device 50 is turned on before the start of communication, it is preferable that the lighting device 50 remains on regardless of whether the received data includes image data, that is, regardless of communication. In this way, it can be used as a general lighting device.

If the ON / OFF, brightness and direction of the illumination device 50 of the other terminal can be controlled as described above via the communication line, the image quality of the received image can be adjusted on the image receiving side, and a more preferable effect can be obtained. can get.

[0032]

As can be easily understood from the above description, according to the present invention, since the lighting device is controlled in association with the communication of the video conference, the image quality at the time of image input can be improved. it can. Further, by similarly controlling the illumination device of the partner terminal, it becomes possible to receive an image with better image quality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a conventional example.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a D channel procedure between a line and a terminal.

FIG. 4 is an example of a control flowchart of the lighting device 50 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is another example of a control flowchart of the lighting device 50 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a D channel procedure between terminals.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: camera 12: document camera 14: image display device 16: image input / output circuit 18: image encoding circuit 20: image decoding circuit 22: handset 24: microphone 26: speaker 28: voice input / output interface 30: voice encoding Circuit 32: Speech decoding circuit 34: Data terminal 36: Data interface 38: System control circuit 42: Operating device 44: Line interface 46: Separation / multiplexing circuit 50: Lighting device 52: System control circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A video conference terminal device for conducting a video conference by connecting a plurality of points with a communication line, and illuminating means for illuminating at least an input visual field of an image input means.
Operate the lighting means according to the operator's instruction,
It is characterized by comprising an adjusting means for adjusting its brightness and direction, a first controlling means for controlling the adjusting means, and a second controlling means for not operating the illuminating means in accordance with an instruction from an operator. Video conference terminal device. 2. A video conference terminal device for performing a video conference by connecting a plurality of points with a communication line, the determining means determining whether the received data includes image data, and the determining means. According to the determination result, when the received data includes image data, a lighting control unit that outputs a control signal for operating the lighting device of the partner terminal is provided, and the video conference terminal device is provided.