JPH06303324A - Telephone conference speaking method, exchange and telephone set for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To conquer the limitation of conference speaking, for which the number of subscribed speakers is limited since the clearness of voice signals is lowered when the number of subscribed speakers is increased, by a prefetch measuring function. CONSTITUTION:The apparent limitation of the number of the subscribers is eliminated by selecting a telephone set to be added by a conference speaking trunk while providing the prefetch measuring function on the exchange. A VOX circuit 11 housed in a subscriber trunk 36 converts voice signals from respective telephone sets 9A-9C to speaking request signals, a prefetch decision circuit 14 housed in a prefetch decision trunk 10b selects (n) pieces of signals out of these speaking request signals in the order of arrival, the sending line of the telephone set corresponding to the (n) pieces of selected signals is selected by a TSW 2 and connected to a voice adder 4, and the output is transmitted to all the telephone sets. Thus, the apparent limitation in the number of subscribers to be participated in conference speaking is eliminated by providing the prefetch measuring function.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a conference call system in a telephone exchange system and its exchange and telephone.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A so-called telephone conference call method for making a call between three or more telephones at the same time is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No.
There is one disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 26156. Here, for convenience of explanation, a simplified system of the above conventional example will be described.

[0003]

FIG. 33 is a block diagram showing a connection between a telephone and a telephone conference call exchange, which is one of conventional telephone exchange services. In the figure, reference numeral 100 denotes an exchange including a telephone conference device, which includes the following: 1 is a central processing unit (hereinafter CC), which controls a time-sharing speech path 2 (hereinafter TSW), and various exchange services. To execute. Reference numeral 3 denotes a conference call trunk (hereinafter referred to as CFT). A call path highway (hereinafter referred to as highway) 5 is drawn into the conference call trunk 3 and a voice adder 4 of the conference call trunk 3 adds and synthesizes voice signals. 6 is a subscriber trunk (hereinafter referred to as LC), which is a digital ← → analog conversion circuit 7
(Hereinafter D / A) and 2-wire ← → 4-wire converter 8 ( ^4W /
_2W ) and accommodates the lines of telephones 9A, 9B, 9C. The telephones 9A, 9B and 9C are analog telephones for convenience of description. The exchange 100 also includes other devices necessary for performing the exchange, but here, for convenience of description, only the portion related to the conference call is shown. In the following description of each drawing, the same numbers indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Next, the operation will be described. Generally, a general exchange has a basic operation of setting a communication path between arbitrary two terminals (telephones), but as described above, a conference call is made between three or more parties. In this case, the exchange 100 sets a call path as shown in FIG. 33 to realize a conference call. FIG. 33 shows a minimum three-party conference. The CC1 controls the TSW2 between the telephones 9A, 9B, 9C and the CFT3 to set the communication path. A voice signal flows in the direction of the arrow indicated by the highway 5, and the voice from the telephones 9A, 9B and 9C is added by the adder 4 on the CFT 3.
Will be entered.

On the other hand, the output of the adder 4 is the sum of all input signals (A + B + C in the figure) divided by the number of signals (A +
B + C) / N (where N = 3 in this case), and this output signal flows in the direction of the arrow indicated by the highway 5 and reaches the telephones 9A, 9B, 9C as voice signals. is there. Thus, in the exchange,
It enables conference calls among three or more telephones. The exchange 100 referred to here may be a large one installed in a telephone office, but here, a plurality of terminals (telephones) that are not so many are switched under one representative telephone number. A small-scale so-called private branch exchange will be described. The time divisional switch TSW2 is also called a selection circuit.

Next, since it is necessary to explain the embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of a conventional digital telephone is shown in FIG.
4 will be described. FIG. 34 shows the configuration of a conventional digital telephone set disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-60365.

In the figure, a digital telephone 23 is a telephone digital communication circuit 66 connected to a digital communication circuit (not shown) of an exchange.
6, which is connected via a highway for transmitting 64 Kbps voice data, converts the digital signal from the exchange into voice information, and also converts the voice information from the microphone 69 into a digital signal, This D
A speaker 68 for converting the audio signal output from the A / A converter 7 into electric sound, a microphone 69 for converting sound into mechanical sound, and 16 Kb in the telephone digital communication circuit 66.
connected via a highway for ps image data transmission,
The input data from the keyboard 61 is processed and transmitted to the digital communication circuit 66, and the display information is displayed on the display 62.
CPU60 for telephone which controls to display to this CP
A keyboard 61 and a display unit 62 which are connected to the U60 and are used for various data input, command input, etc.
It is composed of

Here, the display 62 is a CRT or a liquid crystal display, and can display images and character information.

[0009]

The conventional conference call is performed by the above method, device or configuration, and therefore, there are the following problems.

(1) When adding a plurality of audio signals, the level of each audio signal must be lowered and added. Therefore, if the number of telephones participating in the conference is increased, the level reduction of each signal is increased. Since it must be done, the voice becomes so small that it is not practical, so there was a practical limit to the number of participants.

(2) Since there is no station having a function equivalent to the moderator in operating the conference and all participating stations are equal, everyone can speak freely and operate the conference smoothly. It was difficult to maintain order.

(3) Since the telephone types that participate in the conference are treated equally on either an analog type or a digital type,
The functions of digital telephones were not fully utilized in conference calls.

(4) In the conventional conference call method, since it is planned to use the telephone conventionally used, that is, the telephone produced on the premise that only one party can talk, There were many inconveniences when making conference calls with multiple parties.

(5) The talker tends to make a loud voice so that the voice of the talker is not erased by the voices of other talkers, and all the participants are greatly affected.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems and has the following objects.

(1) It is an object of the present invention to provide a conference call method in which it is not necessary to lower the added volume even when the number of participants is large, and therefore the number of participants is not limited, and an exchange or telephone for that purpose.

(2) It is an object of the present invention to provide a conference call system which facilitates smooth operation and order maintenance of a conference call, and an exchange or telephone for the conference call system.

(3) It is an object of the present invention to obtain a conference call system capable of fully utilizing the functions of a digital telephone, and an exchange or a telephone therefor.

(4) In making a conference call with a plurality of parties,
The purpose is to obtain a telephone that is more convenient than before.

(5) The purpose of the present invention is to obtain a conference call system and a switch or telephone for the conference call system, in which the talker does not tend to make a loud voice and the participants are less involved.

[0021]

Even if the conference call according to the present invention is a conference call in which hundreds of people participate, the number of talkers talking at the same time is several, at most 3.
Focusing on the fact that the "meeting" itself cannot be established if there are only ~ 4 persons, the above-mentioned problem is overcome by using this as a clue.

In the first, second and third inventions, as a means for selecting the above-mentioned several talkers, a call request signal is generated by using the VOX circuit, and the call is made by the means explained below. The above several persons are automatically selected from the request signal.
In the fourth, fifth and ninth inventions, another means is used to first select a moderator (chairman) for a conference call, and this moderator manually selects the above-mentioned several persons. . Also, the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, first
The fourth, fifteenth and sixteenth inventions are all inventions relating to the function of the moderator or the telephone structure to be used by the moderator. Hereinafter, the means will be described for each invention.

In the conference call method according to the first aspect of the present invention, the voice signals sent from the m (m ≧ 3) telephones participating in the conference are respectively detected and the call request is made for each telephone. The signal is converted into a signal, and n or less (1 ≦ n <m) signals are selected from the call request signal on a first-come-first-served basis.
The voice signals from the selected n or less telephones are added to each other while the call request signals are continued,
It is to be sent to each telephone.

The conference call exchange according to the second aspect of the present invention includes m VOX circuits accommodated in a subscriber trunk and provided for each telephone, one preemption determination circuit accommodated in a preemption determination trunk, and a time division switch. It has a selection circuit by (TSW) and a voice adder housed in a conference call trunk.

The conference call exchange according to the third aspect of the present invention includes m differential VOX circuits accommodated in the subscriber trunk and provided for each telephone, one preemption judging circuit accommodated in the preemption judging trunk, and time division. It has a selection circuit by a switch (TSW) and a voice adder housed in a conference call trunk.

In the telephone conference call method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the telephone that first starts the conference call is a digital telephone, the number of this telephone is stored as the number of the moderator who conducts the conference. It is what is done.
And the number of participating telephones in this conference call is m (m ≧ 3)
From the digital telephone of this moderator to the number of telephones less than n (1 ≦ n <m) among the m telephones input with a specific identification code during the duration of this conference call. The voice signal from the corresponding telephone and the voice signal of the moderator are selectively added and transmitted to the m telephones.

Further, the telephone corresponding to the number inputted with a code different from the code from the moderator is excluded from the selection.

A conference call exchange according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is a terminal type determining means formed on a central processing unit, a moderator station number storing means, and a selection number receiving and storing circuit provided separately from the central processing unit. , A selection circuit by TSW, and a voice adder accommodated in the conference call trunk.

The conference call exchange according to the sixth aspect of the present invention is, in addition to the terminal type determination means, which is the means of the second or third aspect of the invention, and the moderator station number storage means for storing the number of the moderator station. In the central processing unit, a preemptive number changing means for changing the setting of the number n of telephones preempted by the judging circuit is constructed.

In the conference call exchange according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the means of the second or third aspect of the invention, a voice selection excluding means is formed in the central processing unit.

A conference call method according to an eighth aspect of the present invention is the same as the method according to the first aspect, except that the voice signal from each telephone is detected and used as a call request signal.
The conference call method uses a signal of a call request button provided on each telephone or a short hook signal transmitted from each telephone for a predetermined time or less as a call request signal.

The conference call exchange according to the ninth aspect of the present invention has a terminal type determining means, a moderator station number storing means and a telephone number data transmitting means, which are arranged in the central processing unit, and is provided outside the central processing unit. A selection number receiving and storing circuit, a selection circuit by TSW, and a voice adder accommodated in the conference call trunk.

In addition to the means of the second, third, or fifth invention, the conference call exchange according to the tenth invention of the present invention starts selection to issue a signal for generating a short-term acoustic signal from the receiver. The termination signal transmission circuit is provided outside the central processing unit.

The conference call exchange according to the eleventh invention of the present invention uses a two-input voice adder in place of the voice adder in the means of the second, third or fifth invention.

The conference call telephone set according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention is provided with either one or both of the selected display and the transmission enabled display.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, a method of displaying telephone numbers of a conference call moderator's telephone displays the telephone numbers of m telephones, and among the numbers, the telephone number selected is A symbol is added.

The telephone display method according to the fourteenth invention of the present invention is in addition to the means of the number display method of the thirteenth invention,
The number of total selections or the total selection time in this conference is displayed as a number or a bar graph for each number of all displayed telephones.

In addition to the means of the display method of the thirteenth invention, the display device of the telephone set according to the fifteenth invention of the present invention has a PTT push button or a hook as a willingness to indicate a telephone number other than the moderator telephone. The black and white display is reversed by operating the switch.

The conference call exchange according to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the fifth or sixth or seventh or ninth or eleventh aspect.
In addition to the means of the present invention, a moderator station number changing means is provided in the central processing unit.

The conference call exchange according to the seventeenth invention of the present invention has an erroneous transmission detection circuit in addition to the means of the second or third invention.

[0041]

In the conference call method according to the first aspect of the invention, n out of m (m ≧ 3) telephones that participated in this conference call.
Since the number (1 ≦ n <m) or less of telephones is selected and only the n or less voice signals are added, the volume and intelligibility of each voice signal after addition are less likely to decrease.

The exchange of the second invention has m VOX circuits, and the m VOX circuits participate in a conference call (m ≧ m).
3) The voice signal from the telephone set is detected and a call request signal is generated for each telephone set, and the preemption determination circuit preempts n (1 ≦ n <m) or less of the call request signals on a first-come-first-served basis. . The transmission lines of the telephones corresponding to less than n preliminarily taken telephones are automatically selected by the selection circuit, and only the voice signals transmitted from this telephone are selectively added,
Since it is transmitted to the m telephones, the volume and intelligibility of the call after the addition are less likely to decrease than in the case where all the m voice signals are added.

The exchange of the third invention has m differential VOX circuits, and the differential VOX circuits participate in a conference call.
The start and end of voice signals from (m ≧ 3) telephones are detected, and a call request signal is generated at the start of voice for each telephone, and the pre-emption determination circuit transmits after there is a margin in the number of selections. N (1
≦ n <m) or less is preempted. A telephone corresponding to these n or less signals is selected by the selection circuit.

Since the voice adder adds only the voice signals sent from this telephone and transmits it to the m telephones, the volume of each voice signal is different from the case where all m voice signals are added. And the degree of clarity are less likely to decrease. Furthermore, even if there is a margin in the number of selections, a person who tries to obtain a voice selection by continuing to output a voice is differentiated by VOX.
It can be eliminated by the function of the circuit.

In the conference call method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the telephone that first starts this conference call is a digital telephone, it is stored as a station that hosts this conference,
The number of m (m
The number of telephones less than n (1 ≦ n <m) is selected from among the telephones of ≧ 3), designated by a method of inputting with a specific identification code. Also, this designation can be canceled by the same method.

The n specified by the manual operation is
Compared to the case where all m voices are added, since n or less signals are added together with the voice signals of less than the number of telephones and the voice signal of the above-mentioned moderator and transmitted to all m telephones. The degree of decrease in volume and intelligibility is small. Since the voice addition telephone is manually designated, the moderator has the authority to select the speaker, and the order of the conference call can be easily maintained.

In the exchange according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the terminal type determining means determines whether all the telephones participating in the conference call are digital telephones. Then, when the telephone that first starts this conference call is a digital telephone, the number is stored as the number of the moderator by the moderator station number storage means. Also, from the telephone of the moderator, less than n (1 ≦ n <m) telephone numbers of the m number input together with the specific identification code during the conference call are received by the selection number reception storage circuit. Remembered.

This memory can be deleted by the designation of the moderator in the same manner. In other words, less than n telephones are manually specified from among the m participating telephones by the designation of the moderator talker. The selection circuit selects n or less transmission lines including the designated less than n telephones and the moderator telephone. Then, the voice signals of the selected telephones are added and this is transmitted to the m telephones. Therefore, as compared with the case where all m audio signals are added, the volume and clarity of each audio signal to be added are less deteriorated. Further, since the moderator selects and designates the telephone to add the voice by the manual operation, the moderator has the authority to select, which is effective in maintaining the order of the conference.

In the conference call exchange according to the sixth invention,
In addition to the operation of the second or third invention, the terminal type determining means determines whether or not the type of the telephone that first started the conference call is a digital telephone. Then, when the telephone is a digital telephone, the moderator station number storing means recognizes the telephone as the moderator in the conference call and stores the number. Then, the number of telephones preempted by the preemption determination circuit is changed from n to N by the numerical data N input from the moderator (1 ≦ N). As a result, the number n of voice selection stations in the conference call can be arbitrarily changed according to the judgment of the moderator.
The meeting can be operated smoothly.

In the conference call exchange according to the seventh invention,
In addition to the function of the second or third invention, the moderator station number storage means stores the station that conducts this conference call, and during this conference call from this moderator station, other than this conference call other than this conference call If you enter the number of the participating station, the station corresponding to this number can be excluded from the voice selection target for a certain period of time thereafter, that is, it is possible to temporarily stop the speech. It will be easier to keep the order of the meeting.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, pressing of the call request button of each telephone or a short-time hook signal is regarded as a call request signal, so that useless voice for prefetching from each talker is generated. It is effective for smooth operation of the conference because there is no occurrence, the attendees are less likely to perform, and the contents of other people's remarks can be quietly heard.

In the exchange according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the terminal type determining means determines whether or not all the telephones participating in the conference call are digital telephones. Then, when the telephone that first starts this conference call is a digital telephone, the number is stored as the number of the moderator by the moderator station number storage means. Also, from the telephone of the moderator, less than n (1 ≦ n <m) telephone numbers of the m number input together with the specific identification code during the conference call are received by the selection number reception storage circuit. Remembered.

This memory can be deleted by the designation of the moderator in the same manner. In other words, less than n telephones are manually specified from among the m participating telephones by the designation of the moderator talker. The selection circuit selects n or less transmission lines including the designated less than n telephones and the moderator telephone. Then, the voice adder adds up the voice signals of the selected n or less telephones and transmits them to the m telephones. Further, the telephone number data transmitting means updates a part of the telephone number data of all m telephones participating in this conference call and the number data of n or less telephones currently voice-selected. Each time it is done, data is transmitted to the moderator's telephone. As a result, the moderator can know all the participants and the person who is selecting the voice, so that it becomes easy to specify the phone to be selected, and the effect that the conference can be smoothly operated can be obtained. .

In the conference call exchange according to the tenth aspect of the invention, in addition to the operation of the second, third or fifth aspect, the selection start / end signal transmitting circuit causes a telephone participating in this conference to select a voice. Sends a short acoustic signal to the selected phone when it is selected by the circuit and when it is no longer selected, confirming to the talker of this phone that voice has begun to be selected or that voice selection has ended. As a result, the speaker can know the status of voice selection, and there is no delay in speaking, which is effective for smooth operation of the conference. According to the eleventh aspect of the invention, the voice of the moderator telephone is added with a sound which is several dB louder than the others by the two-input voice adder.
Since it sounds particularly better than other voices during a conference call, it is very effective in keeping the order of the conference.

According to the twelfth aspect of the invention, the selected display provided on the telephone is lit while the voice of this telephone is selected, and the speaker indicates that the voice is currently selected. So that the talker can always check this while speaking. Further, the talk enable indicator informs the participants who are not talking about the timing of the talk, so that the participants can start speaking after confirming this. In this way, it is convenient as a telephone for conference calls and maintains the order of the conference.

According to the thirteenth aspect of the invention, the method of displaying the telephone number on the telephone for the moderator in a conference call conducted by using the exchange according to the ninth aspect is the transmitter of the moderator (hereinafter referred to as the moderator). Participating in is easy to grasp the numbers of all telephones and the current selection status, which is effective in smoothly operating conference calls.

The number display method according to the fourteenth invention is the thirteenth.
In addition to the function of the invention of the invention, the mode of displaying the telephone number on the telephone for the moderator makes it easy for the moderator of the moderator to grasp the past selection status of this conference on the telephone, so that the moderator can smoothly operate the conference. It is effective in doing

A display method of a telephone according to the fifteenth invention is as follows:
In addition to the operation of the thirteenth invention, that is, the numbers of all the participating stations are displayed, the numbers of the telephones issuing the call request signal are displayed in black and white in reverse, so that the moderator can easily find the desired station among all the telephones. This makes it easier for the moderator to grasp who wants to speak, and facilitates smooth operation of the conference.

In the conference call exchange according to the sixteenth invention, in addition to the fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth or eleventh operation, the moderator station number changing means stores the moderator station number stored in the moderator station number storage means. However, since it is changed to the number of another phone entered by this moderator, it is possible to change the moderator,
It facilitates smooth operation of meetings and maintenance of order.

In addition to the operation of the invention of the second or third aspect, the conference call exchange according to the seventeenth invention provides an alarm to the telephone which the erroneous transmission detection circuit continues to emit a voice even though the voice is not selected. Since the call is emitted, it is possible to prevent a speaker from continuing to speak while assuming that the voice has been selected, and it is easy to smoothly manage the conference and maintain order.

[0061]

EXAMPLES Example 1. Examples of the first invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the first invention. In the figure, 101 is an exchange used in the conference call method of the first invention. In the figure, 1 to 9 are the same as the conventional ones. 10a is a pre-determination trunk (PTT) and includes a voice detection circuit 11 (hereinafter, referred to as VOX circuit) and an I / O port 12 (hereinafter, I / O) to CC1. 13 is CC
One of the buses is connected to the I / O 12 on the PTT 10a, and the output state of the VOX circuit 11 can be read.

The VOX circuit 11 includes telephones 9A-9C ...
That is, one telephone is provided for each telephone connected to the exchange 101. Also in this case, there are a large number of telephones 9A ... (For example, M, but M ≧ 3), but FIG. 1 shows only four telephones. Now assume that m (M ≧ m ≧ 3) of the M phones participate in the conference call. That is, among the M telephones, some telephones do not participate in the conference.

CC1 commands TSW2 to connect the output signal of CFT3 to all m LCs 6 which house the telephones participating in this conference call. CFT
The voice signal input to 3 is the PTT10 of the m telephones.
Among the voices detected in a, n or less (1
Only LC6 accommodating the lines of ≦ n ≦ m) (for example, three telephones 9A to 9C) is selected and connected as an input signal to the CFT3 at each detection. As a result, any n persons, for example, three persons, who simultaneously talk are automatically selected, and all the participants hear the synthesized voices of the selected three persons. Therefore, a conference call in which m persons can participate at the same time can be realized. The CFT 3 has the ability to add n voice signals and the ability to output this to m telephones. The output of the voice adder 4 is (A + B + C + ...) / n.

Regarding the mechanism of selecting the first n people,
Explain in detail. The telephones 9A ... Connect two lines for pressing to the PTT 10a separately from two lines for communication.
Press means "call request", and here,
As a first procedure, the VOX circuit 11 provided on the PTT 10a realizes a procedure of detecting a voice signal from a telephone and setting it as a call request signal of each telephone. Phone 9A
... V in PTT10a
The sound pressure is detected by the OX circuit 11, and the call request signals are input to the CC 1 via the I / O 12 in the order of transmission.

When the telephones not participating in this conference call are talking to each other, the VOX circuit 11 outputs the same, but CC1 indicates the VOX circuit 11 of the telephones participating in this conference call. Read output only. Then, as a second procedure, that is, as a procedure of automatically prefetching n or less from the call request signal in the first-come-first-served basis, the CC1 selects n stations, for example, three stations, which are predetermined in the first-come-first-served order of input. Next, the third procedure is realized by setting a communication path between the input of the CFT 3 and the LC 6 accommodating the pre-taken telephone, for example, the lines of 9A to 9C. That is, the TSW 2 is instructed to connect. Then, by adding and transmitting the connected (selected) signals, the conference call of m persons, which selects the first n persons as described above, is started.

The method of first-come-first-served basis will be described in more detail with reference to the time chart of FIG. 2 for explanation. A) to D) of FIG. 2 show a common time axis and 20 of A).
1 and 205 are voice signals of the telephone 9A, 202 is the telephone 9
In B, 203 is a voice signal of the telephone 9C, and 204 is a voice signal of the telephone 9D. Audio signal 201 is at time t
_{Between 0 and} t ₄ , the audio signal 202 is between time t _{1 and} t ₇ ,
The audio signal 203 is the audio signal 204 during the time t _{2 to} t _5.
Is between time t _{3 and} t ₆ , and the audio signal 205 is at time t 3.
It is assumed that each has been entered after ₈ .

VOX9A, VOX9B and VO of B) in the figure
X9C and VOX9D are telephones 9A, 9B and 9 respectively.
The outputs of the respective VOX circuits 11 connected to C and 9D (however, the connection of the telephone 9D is not shown in FIG. 1) are shown, and the output timings thereof are the timings t _{0 to} t of generation and termination of the voice signal. Match ₈ For convenience of explanation, C) in the figure shows a situation in which the voices are preempted on a first-come-first-served basis in the case of n = 3. The number of selections is 3 between t ₂ and t ₄ , and there is a margin. Indicates that the audio signal 204 is not selected because there is no.

D) of the figure shows that the audio signals are selected and added in the order of arrival. However, in FIG. D), the vertical axis does not show the loudness of the voice, but merely shows the addition status for the sake of explanation. Time t in the figure
Since between ₀ ~t ₂ can afford the selected number as shown in C), telephones for which the speech input is being voice selection one after another, since there is no longer the time t ₂ subsequent margin time t ₃ The voice 204 started to be input with is not selected. However, when the voice signal 201 of the telephone 9A finishes transmitting at time t ₄ , the number of selections is temporarily left, so that the voice signal 204 that has been transmitting voice before that is selected.

Example 2. An embodiment of the second invention is shown in FIG. In each figure, the same numbers indicate the same or corresponding parts.
In order to materialize the exchange for realizing the conference call method of the first embodiment, the following consideration is required. Two new presses between all phones and PTT10a
No need to make a wire connection. CC1 with / without press of all participants, namely VOX
The second embodiment in which the output of the circuit 11 is not always monitored overcomes the above-mentioned point, and in addition to the configuration of the conventional subscriber trunk LC6, the subscriber trunk LC36 equipped with the VOX circuit 11 and a dedicated An exchange 1 provided with a pre-taken judgment trunk PTT 10b having the pre-taken judgment circuit 14
It is realized by 02.

Next, the operation will be described. A conference call of m people that automatically selects any three people, for example,
This is the same as in the first embodiment. The mechanism of selecting three speakers in the second embodiment will be described. Is provided with the VOX circuit 11 on LC36, audio signal of the telephone 9 4W portion after conversion ^4W / _2W 8 are possible detection and do not require additional 2-wire press as in Example 1. VO on all LC36s
Only the output of the VOX circuit 11 of the telephones participating in this conference via the TSW 2 is connected to the PTT 10b via the highway, and the output of the X circuit 11 (with / without press) is PT.
The T10b grasps the information regarding the presence / absence of pressing of all the participating telephones. The PTT 10b is provided with a pre-measurement circuit 14, and detects the top 3 persons who press the earliest. The number of people is assumed to be three, but one or more in advance in the pre-taken judgment circuit 14 by the initial setting signal from CC1,
The value n is set to be less than m. The pre-taken determination circuit can be realized by a known simple digital circuit as described with reference to FIG. The PTT 10b notifies CC1 of this result, and CC1 sets up the communication path of the n or less telephones selected as the input of CFT3, so that the conference call of m persons that n persons can simultaneously transmit can be performed. Will be realized.

In the exchange 102 of FIG. 3, at least m VOX circuits 11 and at least one prefetch determination circuit 14 are provided.
And a selection circuit (TSW2) capable of selecting n audio signals
And a voice adder 3 for adding n voice signals, and other well-known devices (not shown) necessary for general exchange work.

Example 3. In the conference call method or conference call exchange of FIG. 1 or 3, as shown by the voice signal 204 in FIG.
If you keep speaking until someone stops speaking, you'll always be preempted. With this, some people talk without listening to others, and the order of the conference cannot be maintained. A third invention which solves this point is shown below.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the third invention. Reference numeral 103 is a conference call exchange of the third invention. Reference numeral 51 is a differential VOX circuit, and one differential VOX circuit 51 is provided for each of the telephones 9A to 9C. Also here, although there are many telephones 9A ... Only three telephones are shown in FIG.

That is, CC1 reads the meaning of "press" from the output of each differential VOX circuit of the telephone 9 from the I / O12. CC1 selects n stations, for example, 3 stations, which are predetermined in the first-come-first-served order of the output of the differential VOX circuit 51, and LC36 which accommodates the lines of the selected telephones, for example, 9A to 9C.
And the input of CFT3, a call path is set up. That is,
By instructing the TSW 2 to make the connection, the conference call of the m persons in which any n persons are automatically selected as described above is started. Here, the operation of the differential VOX circuit 51 and the method of preemption on a first-come-first-served basis will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

5A) to 5F) have a common time axis, and FIG. 5A) shows the state of the voice signal of the telephone 9a, for example. 201 and 205 are audio signals. FIG. 5B) shows the change over time in the number of selected telephones, from time t _{0 to} t _1.
During of other telephone 3 stations (not shown) is not selected, that there is no selection margin, also, the time t ₁ ~t ₃ less than the number of selected stations 3 stations, indicates that there is room There is. Figure 5
C) is a signal indicating a period with a margin for selection in FIG. 5B). FIG. 5D) is an output of the differential VOX circuit 51, which is a signal indicating the start and end timings of the audio signals 201 and 205, and is a well-known technique such as passing the signals 201 and 205 through the amplitude limiting circuit and the differential circuit. You can easily get by.

FIG. 5E) shows the gate opened and closed by the signal of FIG. 5C) and the signal of FIG. 5D), and FIG. 5F) shows the audio signal 205 selected by the opening of the gate of FIG. 5E). . The gate is automatically closed by the output of the differential VOX circuit 51 when the audio signal disappears (FIG. 5D). The gate E) is composed of TSW2, and B), C), and E) of FIG. 5 can be easily executed by CC1. The differential VOX of the present invention is that the gate is not opened for the audio signal 201 being sent during the period from time t _{1 to} t ₂ , that is, before the selection margin is generated.
This is a feature of the circuit 51 and is different from the VOX circuit of FIG. 1 or 3.

When one station out of the n stations selected at t ₁ stops transmitting, there is a margin in the number of stations that can be selected, so CC1 reads the call request signal of the differential VOX circuit 51, and After the point in time, one of the telephones that newly started transmitting is selected on a first-come-first-served basis. In addition, it is practical that the number n of stations that simultaneously allow transmission is 2-3. or,
The reduction of the signal level when adding the respective voice signals by the voice adder 4 is inversely proportional to the number of selected stations.

Example 4. A block diagram of the conference call method according to the fourth aspect of the present invention is shown in FIG. In the figure 104
Is an exchange used in the conference call method according to the fourth invention. Reference numeral 21 is a terminal type determining means provided inside CC1, and 22 is also a moderator station number storing means. Reference numeral 20 denotes a moderator of this conference call, and 23 is a digital telephone. The digital telephone 23 is also the moderator station 20. In order to start this conference call, the moderator 20
Suppose this is the first station you dialed. Reference numeral 24 is a selection number receiving / storing means provided inside CC1.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, in st71, the telephone 23 dials another telephone, for example, 9B, to start the conference call. At this time (at this point, it is still unknown whether or not the call will be a conference call.) As the eleventh procedure, the terminal type determining means 21 provided in CC1
At 72, the model of the telephone 23 is judged and it is confirmed that the digital telephone is available.

On the condition that this confirmation is performed, as a twelfth procedure, the host station number storage means 22 provided in CC1 in st73 recognizes the telephone set 23 as the host station 20 of the conference call, and in st74 Remember the number.

Then, it is assumed that another telephone 9C ... Participates in this call and the number of participating stations is m (st7).
5). As a thirteenth procedure, CC1 continues to wait for the number of the station for which voice selection is to be input from the moderator station telephone 20 by the selection number reception / storage means 24 during this conference call (st76). The number input from the moderator station telephone 20 in st77 is transmitted with a specific code (for example, ##) for identifying that the number indicates the station number to be selected and added. , St78 in FIG.
Then, CC1 first confirms that the input number data represents the station number to be selected, and then
Command TSW2.

That is, as a fourteenth procedure, while this conference call is continuing, in st77, n out of the m other telephones participating in this conference call input with a specific code from the telephone 23 Only less than (1 ≦ n <m) telephones and the transmission path of the moderator 23 are connected to the voice adder 4 in TSW2 by the command of CC1 in st79. In FIG. 6, only the voices of the telephone 23 and the telephone 9C are added (fifteenth procedure).

Similarly, when the voice circuit of the station which has been added is excluded from the addition, it is similarly performed by the station number with another identification code (for example, # *) input from the moderator station 23.

Telephone 2 which first started a call in st72
If 3 is not a digital telephone, the format of each telephone may be determined in the order of participation in this conference call, and the first found digital telephone may be the moderator station 20.

Example 5. 8 and 105 show configuration examples of a conference call exchange when the conference call method according to the fourth invention shown in the fourth embodiment is configured in an exchange system. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 25 is a selection number receiving / storing circuit, the function of which is the same as that of the selection number storing means 24 in FIG.
The TSW 2 connects to the moderator station telephone 20 (indicated by a dotted line in FIG. 8). It is also connected to CC1. If the moderator is a telephone other than 23, for example, 9B, it is connected to 9B.

While the conference call is continuing, it is always checked whether the moderator's telephone 20 sends the number of the phone to be selected for voice or the number of the phone for which voice selection should be stopped. , This is stored or deleted from the storage, and the result is transmitted to CC1 every time the stored data changes.

Since the selection number receiving / storing circuit 25 constantly monitors the input of data, CC1 does not have to bear the processing load of constantly checking the moderator's station telephone 20, so that the load of CC1 is lightened. is there. CC1
Instructs the TSW 2 to select only the transmission line of the telephone having the number stored in the selection number reception storage circuit 25 and connect it to the voice adder 4. The transmission line of the moderator's telephone 20 is always connected to the voice adder 4.

The conference call exchange 105 shown in FIG. 8 includes a terminal type determination means 21, a moderator station number storage means 22, a selection number reception storage circuit 25, a selection circuit (TSW2) for selecting a voice signal from a telephone, and a voice adder. 4 and.

Example 6. An embodiment of the sixth invention of the present invention is shown in FIG. Reference numeral 106 is a conference call exchange according to the sixth invention. In the figure, reference numeral 26 is a pre-taken number changing means provided inside CC1 and is connected to the pre-taken judgment circuit 14 in the PTT 10b. Other parts in the exchange 106 are the same as those in FIG. 3 or FIG. Preliminary number changing means 26
The operation of FIG. 10 will be described with reference to the flowchart of changing the number of preemptions. First, at the beginning of a conference call, the telephone that conducts the conference is recognized as the moderator station 20 by CC1 by the method procedure shown in, for example, the fourth or fifth embodiment. It is assumed that it is stored in the moderator station number storage means 22. The moderator's telephone 20 is a digital telephone 23.

Then, at st 101 of FIG. 10, this moderator station 2
Numerical data with a specific mark is input from 0. The specific mark is predetermined by combining numbers, #, and * marks provided on the keyboard 61 of the digital telephone. For convenience of explanation, assuming that the mark indicating that the data is to change the prefetch number is # *, if there is an input of # * 4, st102
Then, it is recognized that this input data is data for changing the number of prefetches, and it is confirmed in st103 to 4 that the number of inputs N = 4, which is 1 or more.

Next, in st105, CC1 issues a command to the pre-fetching decision circuit 14 to change the pre-fetching number to, for example, four. Next, in st106, the preemption determination circuit 14 sets the preemption number to 4 based on the above command. However, when more than 4 stations have already been preempted, the required number is excluded. At this time, it may be decided how to determine the stations to be excluded.

The conference call exchange 106 has a terminal type determining means 21, a moderator station number storing means 22, a prefetching number changing means 26, a selection circuit (TSW2), a voice adder 4 and a prefetch determining circuit 14. There is.

Example 7. FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of an exchange for conference call according to the seventh aspect of the present invention. Reference numeral 107 is a conference call exchange according to the seventh invention. 2 in the figure
Reference numeral 9 is a voice selection excluding means provided inside CC1. The voice selection excluding means 29 is always used together with the terminal type determining means 21 and the host station number storing means 22. The other parts of the exchange 107 are the same as those in FIG. 3 or FIG.

The operations of the terminal type determination means 21 and the moderator station number storage means 22 are the same as those in the fifth embodiment, and therefore their explanations are omitted. FIG. 12 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the voice selection excluding means 29.

In the figure, st71 to st80 are the same as the flow explained in FIG. 7, and the explanation thereof is omitted. st1
21 shows that the conference call is continued. st122
Then, when one telephone number is input from the moderator telephone 20 with a specific mark, for example, ##, CC1 returns to st123.
Then, first, it is determined whether or not this mark is a symbol representing a number to be excluded from voice selection.

If this code mark is applicable, the telephone having the telephone number input subsequently to this mark in st124 is connected to the voice addition number 4 for a predetermined period of time after the connection. Instruct TSW2 to disconnect. Here, the fixed time may be, for example, several seconds or several hours. By using this means, the moderator of the moderator's telephone 20 can control the speech of the participants who disturb the order of the conference call, and can maintain the order of the conference call.

Example 8. An embodiment of the conference call method according to the eighth invention is shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. 108, 128
Is an exchange used in the method of the eighth invention. FIG.
14 and 59, 59A, 59B and 59C indicate telephones having push button switches 59a, 59b and 59c, respectively. Neither the speech applicant trunk 10c of FIG. 13 or the subscriber trunk 6 of FIG. 14 is provided with the VOX circuit 11 or the differential VOX circuit 51, and the lines of the pushbutton switches 59a, 59b, 59c are directly spoken. It is guided to the applicant trunk 10c or to the pre-taken judgment trunk 10b via the TSW 2. The other parts of the exchange 108 are the same as the exchange 101 of FIG. The other parts of the exchange 128 are designated by 10 in FIG.
Same as 2.

The switches 59a to 59c are push button switches provided on the handgrip portion of the telephone or the handset of the telephone, and by pushing down the switches, the same effect as the utterance and transmission in the first or second embodiment is obtained. Fatigue is reduced because the exchange can select the telephones on a first-come-first-served basis, while the talker can push down the push button instead of repeatedly speaking until selected. .

Example 9. An example of a block diagram of the conference call exchange according to the ninth invention is shown at 109 in FIG. Figure 1
Reference numeral 28 in 5 is a telephone number data transmitting means provided in CC1, and the other configuration of the exchange 109 is the same as that of the exchange 105 of FIG. 8 of the fifth embodiment.

The telephone number data transmitting means 28 determines all the telephone numbers (provisionally m) of the telephones participating in this conference call and the telephones currently selected for voice (probably X telephones). All of the numbers) are updated every time a part of the data is updated. However, the numbers referred to here are telephone numbers or ID numbers. Hereinafter, it will be referred to as a telephone number or simply a number.

A specific method of data transmission may be, for example, serial transmission to a display device or a printer (neither of which is shown), or one telephone number is transmitted by synthesized voice and transmitted by the moderator station 20. The speaker may record it by hand.

Next, the operation of the exchange CC1 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 16, the steps of st77 to st80 are shown in FIG.
It shows the same step as the step of the same number in. In FIG. 16, first, this conference call is ongoing (st161).
When a new participant makes a call to the moderator's telephone 20, the telephone is connected to the line by a series of operations (st162), and the number data of the participating telephone in CC1 is updated ( st163).

On the other hand, when the selection of the newly selected telephone is completed in st77 to st80, the number data of the selected telephone in CC1 is updated in st164. When any data is updated as above,
In each case, in st165, the telephone number data transmitting means 28 transmits the updated portion of this data to the moderator telephone 23.

As a result, the moderator can always keep track of changes in the participants or voice selectors, and can smoothly operate the conference corridor.

Example 10. A block diagram of a conference call exchange according to the tenth aspect of the present invention is shown at 110 in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 52 denotes a selection start / end signal transmission circuit, which is connected to TSW2. The other parts of the exchange 110 are the exchange 102 of FIG. 3 or the exchange 103 of FIG.
Alternatively, it is the same as the exchange 105 of FIG. FIG. 18 shows FIG.
5 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the selection start / end signal transmission circuit 52 of FIG.

The necessity of the tenth invention will be described before describing the operation. When making a call using the conference call exchange according to the second, third or fifth aspect of the invention, the number of the telephones for which voice is selected is smaller than the number of telephones participating in the conference, so that the talker is now I don't always know if a voice is selected or not. It is difficult for an amateur to know this by hearing that his / her voice is included in the selective addition sound. Therefore, if this is not notified in some way, there will be inconveniences such as not speaking even if it is selected, or continuing speaking even if it is excluded. In the fourth or fifth invention, a mode in which the moderator teaches by voice is conceivable, but this delays the timing.

FIG. 18A) shows the selected status of the telephones 9A, 9B, 9C, 53) B) of FIG. 18 is selected when each telephone begins to be selected, and when 54 is finished selecting. The start signal and the end signal emitted from the start / end signal transmitting circuit 52 are shown. These signals are sent from the handset, for example, a few hundreds to a few thousand called a short "pip".
Outputs HZ sound.

The start signal 53 and the end signal 54 are different in sound quality and can be easily heard. The signal generated by the selection / termination of the telephone 9A is transmitted only to the telephone 9A. Similarly for other telephones, only the corresponding telephones are transmitted.

By listening to this sound, the speaker of the corresponding telephone can know that his / her voice has started to be selected or has been excluded from the selection, so that it is not selected. It is possible to prevent inconveniences such as continuing to talk to a person or not starting a talk without noticing that the person has been selected.

Since this signal tone is short, it does not occur that the conversation of another person cannot be heard due to this tone.

In FIG. 18, the selection start / end signal transmission circuit 5
Although the example in which No. 2 is used for the conference call exchange 102 of the second invention has been shown and described, the same effect can be obtained even if it is used for the exchange 105 according to the fifth invention.

Example 11. An embodiment of the conference call exchange according to the eleventh invention is shown at 111 in FIG. In the figure, 30 is a two-input voice adder, which has two input terminals having different addition gains. FIG. 20 is an equivalent circuit for explaining the two-input voice adder 30 in detail. Here, an analog circuit will be described as an example, but a digital adder may be used.

Reference numeral 31 denotes an input terminal having an addition gain of 1, for example, 3
2 is an input terminal with an addition gain of 0.5, for example, and input terminal 3
1 and 32 are provided with a gain difference of several dB. Reference numeral 33 is a voltage dividing resistor for adjusting the addition gain of the input terminal 32 to 0.5. Reference numeral 111 in FIG. 19 denotes a conference call exchange according to the present invention, which is a terminal type determining means 21, a moderator station number storing means 22, and a two-input voice adder 30 having two input terminals having a gain difference of several dB. , Selection circuit (TSW
2) and. Other parts of the exchange 111 are the same as 102 of FIG. 3 or 103 of FIG. 4 or 104 of FIG.

The transmission line of the moderator's telephone 20 is connected to the input terminal 31 having a high gain, and the transmission lines (plurality) of the other telephones are connected to the input terminal 32 having a low gain. . As a result, the voice of the speaker of the moderator's telephone 23 sounds louder than the voices of others, and it becomes easier to maintain order when operating the conference call.

Example 12. Embodiment 12 of the twelfth invention is shown in FIG.
Shown in 1. FIG. 21 is an external view of a telephone with a display according to the present invention. In FIG. 21, reference numeral 40 denotes a telephone, which may be a digital type or an analog type.
Reference numeral 41 is a push button for inputting a calling number, and 42 is a handset. Reference numeral 45 is a selected display provided at a position where the surface of the telephone 40 is clearly visible, and 46 is a display capable of transmission.

[0116] The selected display 45 and the transmission enabled display 4
6 may be one using a light emitting diode, one using a liquid crystal, or one using an incandescent lamp or other light emitting means, and its color is not limited. The signal lines of the two indicators 45 and 46 described above are of the analog type,
It may be turned on by a line provided separately from the transmission / reception line, or may be turned on / off by a relay circuit (well known) using a filter which is placed on the reception line and identifies a signal of a specific frequency transmitted from the exchange. .

Next, the operation will be described. First of the present invention
In the case of using the conference call method according to the invention of claim 1 or the exchanges according to the second and third aspects of the invention, that is, when the telephone to be voice-selected is automatically determined, the speaker selects his own telephone as the voice. It's hard to tell if you started or when you finished selecting. Therefore, for example, when the telephone 40 starts to be selected, the exchange instructs the telephone 40 to turn on the selected indicator 45. In addition, when it is no longer selected, a command is issued to turn off the selected display unit 45.

[0118] Also, even if it is not selected, there is a sufficient number of choices at present, and it is possible to make a choice if one speaks out. I don't know if there is no possibility.
Therefore, when there is a margin in the number of selections, the exchange issues a command to turn on the talk enable indicator 46 to all the telephones that are not currently selected.

As a result, the talker can display the talk-ready display 4
Only when 6 is lit, there is no possibility of being selected aloud, so that it is possible to make a call without waste.

In FIG. 21, it is not necessary to say that the selected display device 45 and the transmission enabled display device 46 are both required. Even if only one of them is provided, a certain effect can be obtained. Is obtained.

Example 13 FIG. 22 shows a display method on the moderator's telephone 20 according to the thirteenth invention. In the figure, 35 is C
It is a display surface of a display unit 62 of a digital telephone which is composed of an RT, a liquid crystal display or a plasma display. Three
Reference numeral 4 is a number, and shows a state in which a telephone number is displayed on the surface of the display surface 35 for the sake of explanation. Figure 2
Although three telephone numbers are displayed in 2, the display 62 can display all the numbers of the m telephones participating in the conference call.

Reference numeral 37 is a symbol for identifying the telephone number of the voice-selected telephone from the telephone not voice-selected. These numbers 34 and symbols 37 are used in the ninth embodiment.
It is transmitted from the exchange 109 to the moderator telephone 20 by the telephone number transmitting means 28 described in FIG. And
Each time the transmission data is updated, the telephone number 34 is added or deleted, and the symbol 37 is replaced. In FIG. 22, the symbol 37 is additionally displayed on the voice-selected telephone number 34 to identify the voice-selected telephone. However, as shown in FIG. 23, the voice-selected telephone number is displayed. It is also possible to identify the display position of by displaying it at a different place from the other numbers.

Example 14. FIG. 24 shows a number display method in the moderator's digital telephone 23 according to the fourteenth invention. In the figure, numeral 38 is a bar graph showing the total number of voice selections or the total voice selection time for each telephone. Three
9 is a scale for reading the bar graph.

As a result, the moderator of this conference call can know to what extent each telephone has been given an opportunity to speak. The fair operation can be performed, and as a result, the smooth operation of the conference can be performed. Also, FIG.
Although it is represented by using a bar graph in the above, it may be represented by, for example, minutes representing the time or the number of times, as in the numerical value indicated by 48 in FIG.

Example 15. FIG. 26 shows a number display method in the moderator's digital telephone 23 according to the fifteenth invention. In the figure, numeral 49 indicates a telephone number which is displayed in black and white in reverse, and its meaning is the number of the telephone which desires to speak.

13 or 14 of the eighth embodiment of the present invention.
When the PTT push button telephones 59B to 59C shown in FIG. 4 are used in combination with the exchange 105 which employs the manual selection method shown in the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the PTT push button (or the hook switch is operated for a short time). ) Signal can be used as a signal indicating a desire to speak. FIG. 27 shows a system configuration example in such a case. In the figure, reference numeral 115 is an exchange having a trunk 10c of a speaker.

Reciprocal button 59b of the telephone with a reciprocal button
The signal of 59c ... Is input to the trunk 10C of the speaker, and read into CC1 via the I / O12. CC
No. 1 reads the push button signal of each telephone at a slow pace, about once every few seconds, and transmits this number to the telephone 20 of the moderator through the number data transmitting means 28.

The reverse display 49 allows the moderator to easily know which telephone set desires to speak, so that the conference can be smoothly operated.

Example 16. FIG. 28 shows a block diagram of one embodiment of the conference call exchange according to the sixteenth invention.
Shown in. In FIG. 28, 43 is a moderator station number changing means, which is programmed in CC1. FIG. 29 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the moderator station number changing means 43.

In FIG. 29, st 291 indicates that the conference call shown in the fourth or fifth embodiment, that is, the conference call is being proceeded by the moderator 20 selecting a telephone to be voice-selected by manual selection. Is shown. At this time, st29
In 2, the telephone number B is input from the moderator (provisionally the number is A) with a specific mark (for example, ##).

CC1 confirms in st293 that the input specific mark is a mark indicating that the moderator is changed. If the confirmation in st293 is YES, then in st294, CC1 confirms that the input telephone number B is a digital telephone.

If this confirmation is NO, st29
In step 5, the fact that the moderator's station number cannot be changed is displayed on the moderator's A display, and if this confirmation is YES, st29
At 6, the moderator's telephone number A stored in the moderator's station number storage means 22 is replaced with B. After that, it goes without saying that the telephone having the telephone number B is treated as a moderator and given necessary functions.

Example 17 An embodiment of the conference call exchange according to the seventeenth invention is shown in FIG. In FIG. 30, 73
Is an erroneous transmission detection circuit, and one is provided in the subscriber trunk 74 for each telephone. Reference numeral 117 is an exchange having a false call warning function by having a subscriber trunk 74 having a false call detection circuit 73.

Here, the meaning of erroneous transmission will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. 2 used in the description of the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, from time t _{3 to} t ₄ , the talker of the telephone 9D continues to talk without noticing that the telephone 9D is not voice-selected. This phenomenon is called false transmission. When an erroneous transmission occurs, the transmitter of the telephone 9D misunderstands that his / her voice is transmitted to another person, and the subsequent conference is confused and the conference cannot proceed smoothly.

FIG. 31 shows a time chart when there is an erroneous transmission to explain the operation of the erroneous transmission detection circuit 73. In FIG. 31, reference numeral 230 denotes the VOX circuit 11 which is output during the time t _{3 to} t ₆ during which the audio signal 204 is input.
This is the output (corresponding to the telephone 9D).

Reference numeral 231 is a signal indicating that there is a margin in the number of voice selections (not shown) because another telephone stopped transmitting at time t ₄ , and reference numeral 232 is an inverted signal of the signal 231. . 233 is the inverted signal 232 and the output 230 of the VOX circuit
And the AND signal. And 234 is an AND signal 2
It shows an ON signal of a timed timer relay TR (not shown) which starts at the same time when 33 turns on and turns on after a fixed time T. AND signal 2 for timed tie relay TR
It is reset when 33 is turned off.

In FIG. 31, the voice 204 continues to be transmitted after time t ₃ although the voice is not selected. Then, the timer TR is started at the same time when the wrong transmission is started, and the timer TR is turned on when the wrong transmission continues for a certain time. Then, the ON signal of the timer TR issues a warning sound to the corresponding telephone, in this example, the telephone 9D.

The speaker who heard this warning sound realizes that he / she was making a wrong call, and knows that what he was talking to has not been transmitted to the other parties of this conference call at all. There is no need for confusion at the meeting.

Example 18. The exchange 102 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 according to the second invention or the third invention has the following drawbacks. The process of re-establishing the communication path connection for each transmission (press) is too heavy for CC1 which performs complicated call processing. That is, a CC having a large processing capacity is required for parallel processing with other exchange services, which is economically disadvantageous.

The eighteenth embodiment overcomes the above-mentioned second point and intends to carry out from the speaker selection to the pulling of the input signal to the adder on the CFT'15. FIG. 32 shows a block diagram of the exchange 118 of the eighteenth embodiment. CFT '
Reference numeral 15 has a function that combines the CFT 3 and PTT 10b of FIG.

Next, the operation will be described. The speaker selection mechanism is the same as that of the second embodiment shown in FIG. The difference from the second embodiment is that all transmission signal paths from the telephone 9 are CF.
The point is that the communication path is set to T'15. The speech path selected by the speaker in the preemption judging circuit 14 is connected as an input signal of the voice adder 4 on the CFT'15. This call path connection function can be realized by known simple hardware.
As a result, CC1 merely sets the communication path in advance and does not intervene in speaker selection, so that a highly efficient conference call for m people can be realized.

[0142]

As the effects of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained for each invention.

(1) According to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and eighteenth inventions of the present invention, there is an effect that the number of participating telephones in a conference call is not limited. Further, there is an effect that it is less likely that the speaker will be outspoken in a loud voice.

(2) According to the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, eleventh and sixteenth inventions of the present invention, as a telephone for conducting a conference in a conference call, Since a telephone is selected and the telephone is given a specific function required as a moderator, there is an effect that the order of the conference call is kept well.

(3) According to the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, eleventh, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and sixteenth aspects of the present invention, a digital signal is used for making a conference call. The function of the telephone can be effectively used to conduct the conference, and the conference can be operated smoothly.

(4) According to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the telephone set used for the conference call according to the first, second, third, fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention allows the talker to select voice and Since it has an indicator light for notifying the end of the call and the possibility of transmission, it has an effect that the conference call can be smoothly operated without causing confusion to the conference participants.

(5) According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the conference call method or the conference call exchange of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth inventions can be achieved with a simpler configuration. The effect is obtained.

(6) According to the tenth and seventeenth aspects of the present invention, the talker who participates in the conference call and speaks can be provided with appropriate information regarding the talker's talk situation. Therefore, there is an effect that the talker is given a sense of security and that the order of the conference call is maintained well.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a conference call method according to a first invention.

FIG. 2 is a time chart for explaining the operation of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a second invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a third invention.

5 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the conference call exchange of FIG. 4. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a fourth invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the block diagram of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a fifth invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a sixth invention.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the block diagram of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a seventh invention.

12 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the block diagram of FIG.

FIG. 13 is a telephone connection diagram for explaining the conference call method of the eighth invention.

FIG. 14 is another example of a telephone connection diagram for explaining the conference call method of the eighth invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a ninth invention of the present invention.

16 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the block diagram of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a tenth invention.

FIG. 18 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the block diagram of FIG.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to an eleventh invention.

FIG. 20 is a circuit diagram of a two-input voice adder.

FIG. 21 is an outline view of a telephone with an indicator light according to the twelfth invention.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing a display example of a moderator telephone according to the thirteenth invention.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing another display example of the moderator telephone according to the thirteenth invention.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a display example of a moderator telephone according to the fourteenth invention.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing another display example of the moderator telephone according to the fourteenth invention.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing another display example of the moderator telephone according to the fifteenth invention.

FIG. 27 is a block diagram of the telephone exchange system of the invention of FIG. 26.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a sixteenth invention.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the block diagram of FIG. 27.

FIG. 30 is a block diagram of a conference call exchange according to a seventeenth invention.

FIG. 31 is a time chart for explaining the operation of the block diagram of FIG. 29.

FIG. 32 is a block diagram of an exchange according to another embodiment of the second invention.

FIG. 33 is a block diagram of a conventional conference call exchange.

FIG. 34 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional digital telephone.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Central Control Unit (CC) 2 Time Division Switch (Selection Circuit) (TSW) 3 Conference Call Trunk (CFT) 4 Voice Adder 6 Subscriber Trunk (LC) 9A Telephone 9B Telephone 9C Telephone 9D Telephone 10a Preemption Judgment Trunk (PTT) ) 10b Preemption judging trunk (PTT) 10c Speaking candidate trunk 11 VOX circuit 14 Preemption judging circuit 15 CFT 'Conference call trunk 20 Moderator station telephone 21 Terminal type format determining means 22 Moderator station number storing means 23 Digital telephone 24 Selection number receiving storing means 25 Selection Number Reception / Memory Circuit 26 Preliminary Number Change Means 28 Telephone Number Data Transmission Means 29 Voice Selection Exclusion Means 30 2 Input Voice Adder 34 Number of Phone Number 35 Display Surface 36 Subscriber Trunk 37 Symbol 38 Bar Graph 43 Moderator Station Number Change Means 45 Selected table Indicator 46 Transmittable display 49 Black / white inverted display 51 Differential VOX circuit 52 Selection start end signal transmission circuit 53 Start signal 54 End signal 59A to 59C Telephone with push button 59a to 59c Push button switch 62 Display 73 False call detection circuit 74 Subscriber Trunk with False Transmit Detection Circuit 101 Switch for Conference Call Method According to First Invention 102 Telephone Switch according to Second Invention 103 Telephone Switch according to Third Invention 104 Switch for Conference Call Method according to Fourth Invention 105 Telephone exchange 106 according to fifth invention 106 Telephone exchange according to sixth invention 107 Telephone exchange according to 7th invention 108 Telephone exchange according to conference call method according to 8th invention 109 Telephone exchange according to 9th invention 110 Telephone exchange according to 10th invention 111 Telephone switchboard according to eleventh invention 115 A switch used in the display method of the fifteenth invention 116 A telephone switch according to the sixteenth invention 117 A telephone switch according to the seventeenth invention 118 A telephone switch according to another embodiment of the second invention 128 Another conference call method according to the eighth invention Switch 201 Telephone 9A voice signal 202 Telephone 9B voice signal 203 Telephone 9C voice signal 204 Telephone 9D voice signal 205 Telephone 9A voice signal

Claims (17)

[Claims] 1. A teleconferencing call method in which a so-called conference call is simultaneously conducted between m (m ≧ 3) telephones in a telephone network consisting of three or more telephones and a telephone exchange, The first procedure for detecting the voice signal of each of the telephones as the call request signal of each telephone, and automatically prefetching n (1 ≦ n <m) or less from the call request signal in the first-come-first-served basis. And the third procedure for selecting the voice signals from n or less telephones corresponding to the pre-fetched call request signal while each call request signal continues, and adding the selected voice signals. And a fourth procedure for transmitting the data to the m telephones, so that the m telephones can simultaneously transmit from the n telephones. 2. A telephone call network comprising three or more telephones and a telephone exchange, wherein a so-called conference call exchange is carried out between m (m ≧ 3) telephones at the same time. N VOX circuits that are stored one by one and detect the voice signal from each telephone and issue a call request signal of each telephone, and n (1 ≦ n <m) or less from this call request signal in the order of arrival. A pre-determination circuit for automatically pre-empting a call, and a selection circuit for selecting voice signals from n or less telephones corresponding to the pre-call call request signal while each call request signal continues. A telephone conference call exchange comprising: a voice adder for adding voice signals and transmitting the voice signals to the m telephones. 3. A telephone call network comprising three or more telephones and a telephone exchange, and a conference call exchange for simultaneously performing a conference call between m (m ≧ 3) telephones, one in a subscriber trunk. Each of the voice signals from the respective telephones housed in the respective telephones detects the start of voice after a certain period of silence, and outputs the call request signal of each telephone.
Also, the end of the voice is detected and a call end signal is issued.
A number of differential VOX circuits, a preemption determination circuit that automatically preempts n (1 ≦ n <m) or less of the call request signals on a first-come-first-served basis, and n or less corresponding to the preempted call request signal. A selection circuit for selecting a voice signal from the telephone during a period between each call request signal and a call termination signal; and a voice adder for adding the selected voice signals and transmitting the added voice signals to the m telephones. An exchange for telephone conference calls, which is characterized by 4. A conference call method in which a so-called conference call is simultaneously made between m (m ≧ 3) telephones in a telephone network composed of three or more telephones and a telephone exchange, Eleventh procedure for determining whether each telephone set is a digital telephone, and when the telephone that first started this conference call is a digital telephone, this telephone is used as the moderator of this conference call and its telephone number is set. And a twelfth procedure for storing the number of m (1 ≦ n <m) out of the m input with a specific identification code while continuing the conference call from the telephone. Thirteenth, which receives and stores the numbers of other telephones, and deletes the numbers of the less than n selected telephones that have been input with a code different from the specific identification code from the memory And the procedure
A fourteenth procedure for selecting a voice signal from a telephone set corresponding to this memory number and a voice signal of the moderator's telephone set, and a fifteenth step of adding the selected voice signal and transmitting to the m number of telephone sets. According to the above procedure, a telephone conference call characterized in that m telephones can simultaneously transmit from n telephones. 5. A conference network exchange comprising three or more telephones and a telephone exchange, wherein at the same time, a conference call exchange for making a so-called conference call between m (m ≧ 3) telephones is used to participate in this conference. A terminal type determining means for determining whether or not all the telephones that are present are digital telephones, and when the telephone that first started this conference is a digital telephone, the number of that telephone is stored as the number of the moderator. Means for receiving from the telephone of this moderator a telephone number of less than n (1≤n <m) of the other telephones, which have been entered with a specific identification code during the duration of this conference call. The stored telephone numbers of less than the n stored in the memory, which are input with a code different from the specific identification code.
A selection number reception storage circuit to be deleted from this storage, and a selection circuit for selecting all of the less than n telephones corresponding to the telephone numbers stored in the selection number reception storage circuit and the voice signal of the moderator's telephone. And a voice adder for adding the selected voice signals and transmitting the added voice signals to the m telephones. 6. A terminal type determining means for determining whether or not the telephone which first started the conference call is a digital telephone, and the telephone number of this telephone when the telephone which first started the conference call is a digital telephone. Is stored as a moderator's station number and a numerical data N (1 ≦ N) is input from the telephone of the moderator's station with a specific identification code during the conference call. Item 2
Alternatively, a preemption number changing means for changing the maximum value n of the number of telephones preempted by the preemption judging circuit described in item 3 to N,
The telephone conference call exchange according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that it has. 7. A terminal type determination means for determining whether or not the telephone that first started the conference call according to claim 2 or 3 is a digital telephone, and the telephone that first started this conference call is a digital telephone. When it is a telephone, the moderator station number storage means that stores the telephone number of this telephone as the moderator's telephone number, and other moderators who input a specific identification code from this moderator station telephone while continuing the conference call When the telephone number corresponds to one of the n or less telephone numbers currently selected in the selection circuit, the selected telephone is excluded from the selection target for a certain period of time. It is characterized by having. An exchange for telephone conference calls according to claim 2 or 3. 8. Participating in the conference call instead of the method of detecting voice signals of m telephones participating in the conference call according to claim 1 or 2 and making the call request signal of each of the telephones. 3. The telephone conference call method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a signal of a push button provided on each of the m telephones in use or a short hook signal for a predetermined time or less is used as a call request signal. 9. A conference network exchange comprising three or more telephones and a telephone exchange, wherein a conference call exchange that allows so-called conference calls between m (m ≧ 3) telephones at the same time participates in this conference. All of the existing telephones are terminal type determining means for determining whether or not they are digital telephones, and when the telephone that first started this conference is a digital telephone, the moderator stores the telephone number as the moderator's number. The station number storage means and the numbers of other telephones less than n (1 ≦ n <m) of the above m, which are input from the telephone of this moderator together with a specific identification code while continuing the conference call. A selection number receiving / storing circuit for deleting, from this storage, the less than n stored telephone numbers that have been received and stored, and that have been input with a code different from the specific identification code, and this selection number reception Memory A selection circuit for selecting all the telephones corresponding to the telephone numbers stored in the circuit and a voice signal of the moderator's telephone, and a voice adder for adding the selected voice signals and transmitting them to the m telephones, Every time a part of the selection is updated, all the telephone numbers of the m telephones making this conference call and all the telephone numbers of the n or less telephones currently selected by the selection circuit are updated. And a telephone number data transmitting means for transmitting data to a digital telephone of the moderator. 10. A selection start signal which notifies the selected telephone to the telephone selected by the selection circuit at the same time that the telephone is selected.
A selection start end signal transmission circuit for transmitting to each of the telephones which have completed the selection and at the same time a selection end signal notifying that the selection has been completed, and the selection start signal and the selection end signal are both handset 6. The telephone conference call switching device according to claim 2, 3 or 5, wherein the audio signal is a short-time acoustic signal emitted from the telephone. 11. A terminal type determining means for determining whether or not a telephone set which first started a conference call is a digital telephone, and when the telephone set which first started this conference call is a digital telephone, the telephone A two-input voice adder having a moderator station number storage means for storing a number as a moderator telephone number and having two input terminals with different gains is used. When adding the voice signal of another telephone, the voice signal of the moderator's telephone is input to the one having the higher gain of the two input terminals so that the voice signal of the moderator's telephone is increased by several dB higher than the others. 6. The telephone conference call exchange according to claim 2, 3 or 5, wherein the connection is made as follows. 12. A telephone used in the call method according to claim 1, wherein a selected display indicating that the telephone is selected when selected by the selection circuit, and the number of currently selected telephones is n. A telephone for teleconference calls, characterized in that it is equipped with either one or both of a speech-enabled display that indicates that it can be selected when speaking. 13. The method of displaying the numbers of the moderator telephones of a conference call made by using the exchange according to claim 9, wherein all the telephone numbers of the m telephones participating in this conference are displayed,
A number display method in a moderator's digital telephone, wherein an easily identifiable symbol is added to the number of the currently selected telephone among the numbers and displayed. 14. The number display method according to claim 13, wherein the total number of selections for each displayed telephone number, or
The number display method in the moderator's digital telephone set forth in claim 13, characterized in that the total selection time is displayed as a number or a bar graph. 15. The method of displaying a moderator digital telephone set forth in claim 13, wherein a PTT push button is pressed down or a hook switch is used for a short period of time on a telephone other than the moderator station telephone used in this conference call. A method for displaying a number in a moderator's digital telephone, characterized in that the telephone number of the pushed telephone is displayed in black and white in reverse by pressing the button. 16. Claims 5, 6, 7, and 9
The moderator's number stored in the moderator's station number storage means shown in Sections 11 and 11 of the m participating telephones entered by the moderator with a specific identification code during the conference call. 8. A moderator station number changing means for replacing the telephone number of another one of the telephones in the
An exchange for telephone conference calls described in paragraphs 9 and 11. 17. A telephone which has m VOX circuits and which is not selected and which continuously transmits sound is detected for a certain time or more, and the telephone is sent to the telephone. 4. The telephone conference call exchange according to claim 2 or 3, further comprising an erroneous transmission detection circuit for transmitting a warning signal sound.