JPH10276236A - Video telephone set/video conference system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a conventional video telephone set/video conference equipment to deal with various communication environments. SOLUTION: This system has ports for an ISDN interface section 1 and a LAN interface section 2 to be configured with a hardware to conduct multiplexing/demultiplexing for an image for the video telephone set/video conference, a software is installed in a control section 14 in compliance with both the ITU-T recommendations H.320, H323 having a communication function of both ISDN and LAN channels and able to make communication with both the ports by means of call by call.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to ITU-T Recommendation H.264. 320 and H.E. The present invention relates to a videophone / videoconference device having a dual port capable of simultaneously connecting to different types of lines (LAN line and ISDN line).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, videophone / videoconference devices used in the world are ISDN-compliant products or LANs.
Correspondence is limited to either. LA in Japan
As the penetration rate of N increases, organizations such as corporations and universities often use ISDN and telephone lines (telephone public networks and dedicated lines) to supplement networks centered on LANs.

[0003] By using many types of lines, WA
N (Wide Area Network),
It allows access from various environments. In such an era, rather than saying, "I can't connect without ISDN alone" or "I can't use it without a LAN," I think there are many advantages to using either. It is easily conceivable that the videophone / videoconference device is connected in-house by using a LAN to reduce the communication cost and is connected to the outside in an open environment by ISDN.

[0004]

As described above, in order to make the videophone / videoconference device compatible with the diversified network, a dual port (that is, ISDN) is required.
And LAN). In order to maintain the interoperability of this videophone / videoconference device in the world, a global standard (ITU-T Recommendation, H.
320 and \ H. 323).

[0005] H. H.323 is a QoS non-guaranteed L
Although the AN terminal is specified, the bandwidth to be secured differs depending on the state of the LAN line at that time. If the reserved bandwidth is small, especially in applications that require real-time performance such as images and audio, the audio may be interrupted, the image may be rough, or the motion may be awkward. No case is expected to occur.

An object of the present invention is to provide a videophone / videoconference device in which the expandability of a connection partner is enhanced.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a videophone / telephone system which facilitates construction of a communication system and facilitates handling of devices.
It is to provide a video conference device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a videophone / videoconference apparatus in which the deterioration of communication quality due to the bandwidth of a line is reduced.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a videophone / videoconference device which can reliably and easily designate a destination of a destination.

[0010]

The present invention is based on ITU-T Recommendation H.264. 320 and H.E. H.323 compliant, ISDN
It has a communication function on both the line and the LAN line.
It can communicate with either port using lbyCall, and is characterized by the following configuration.

It has a dual port of an ISDN line interface and a LAN line interface. 320 and H.E. 323 control means and means for controlling a port for each communication.

In the above invention, a line monitoring function for monitoring a line condition is provided, and a port is changed from an ISDN line to a LAN line or an LA line depending on a LAN line condition during communication.
Port switching means for switching from the N line to the ISDN line is provided.

Further, the invention is characterized in that line input means for checking an input address of a destination number of a communication partner and automatically determining a LAN line or an ISDN line by this check is provided.

Further, in the above invention, each destination of a communication partner has two numbers for a LAN line and an ISDN line and is stored in an internal memory together with a management number of the communication partner. A destination determining means for automatically switching between two numbers or automatically selecting for priority designation or remote access is provided.

[0015]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a hardware configuration of a videophone / videoconference device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Basically, the communication (line) interface part is ISDN
It is characterized by a dual port configuration in which two ports, one for LAN and one for LAN, are mounted.

In the control device indicated by the broken line block, I
The SDN interface unit 1 transmits and receives image and audio information by coupling to an ISDN line, and the LAN interface 2 transmits and receives image and audio information by coupling to a LAN line.

The image / sound multiplexing / separating unit 3 separates the information received through the interface 1 or 2 into image information and sound information, and multiplexes the image information and sound information transmitted through the interface 1 or 2 conversely. .

The image encoding / decoding unit 4 decodes the received image information separated by the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 3 and encodes the transmitted image information. The decoded image information is converted into analog information through the D / A converter 5 and displayed on the display 6. Conversely, the transmission image obtained from the television camera 7 is A /
The image data is converted into digital information through the D conversion unit 8 and encoded by the image encoding / decoding unit 4 to obtain transmission image information.

Similarly, the audio encoding / decoding unit 9 decodes the received audio information separated by the multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 3 and encodes the transmitted audio information. The decoded audio information is converted to analog information through a D / A converter 10 and
1 is output as voice. Conversely, the transmission voice obtained from the microphone 12 is converted into digital information through the A / D conversion unit 13 and is coded by the voice coding / decoding unit 9 to obtain transmission voice information.

The system control unit 14 controls the state of each unit and the switching control of the line switching unit 15, and FIG. 2 shows a software configuration for these controls.

In FIG. 2, two communication protocol control units and two control units for image / audio transmission protocol (including multiplexing / demultiplexing) are used for ISDN and for LAN. H. The H.261 image processing unit and the audio processing unit are common and are international standards, ITU-T Recommendation H.264. 320 and \ H. The H.323 has a control unit that conforms to the H.323, and the system control unit controls the overall control. Hereinafter, each control will be described.

(A) Call control (outgoing / incoming call control) Call control routes are shown by arrows A and B in FIG. At the time of outgoing call, the system control unit determines which line is the destination format from the specified destination, and performs the outgoing control by the route of A in the case of ISDN and by the route of B in the case of LAN. The method of determining the destination or the method of specifying the destination is set as appropriate.

At the time of an incoming call, a route can be easily set since an incoming call is received at each port. That is, an incoming call from ISDN is reported on the route A in the figure, and an incoming call from the LAN is reported on the route B in the figure.

(B) Image / Audio Transmission Arrows C and D in FIG. 2 show the flow of data for image / audio transmission.

In the image / audio transmission by ISDN, the H.264 shown in FIG. 261. The encoded data is transmitted from the image processing unit / audio processing unit to the ISDN line via route C in the figure. For image / sound reception by ISDN, data received from the ISDN line is input to the image / sound processing unit via route C in the figure, and the decoded image is output to a monitor or the like, and the sound is output to a speaker or the like.

In the image / audio transmission on the LAN, the H.264 shown in FIG.
261. The encoded data is transmitted from the image / sound processing unit to the LAN line via route D in the figure. For image / sound reception on the LAN, data received from the LAN line is input to the image / sound processing unit via route D in the figure, and the decoded image is output to a monitor or the like, and the sound is output to a speaker or the like.

From the above, the person who uses the videophone / videoconference device according to the present embodiment uses Callby.
Call can communicate with either port. In other words, the call can be transmitted without worrying about the ISDN connection or the LAN connection. In addition, it is possible to automatically respond to an incoming call from a videophone / videoconference device connected by ISDN or LAN.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment, according to the ITU-T Recommendation H.264. 320 and H.E. H.323 compliant, has a communication function on both ISDN lines and LAN lines, and is able to communicate with both ports using Callby Call.

In this embodiment, the IS
We propose a switching method between DN line and LAN line. The hardware configuration of this apparatus is the same as that of FIG. 1, and the software configuration is such that the status of the LAN line can be monitored by the line monitor unit as shown in FIG.

H. In H.323, the bandwidth secured differs depending on the status of the LAN line. Therefore, Windows
It is possible to estimate the bandwidth to be secured by roughly grasping the status of the LAN line using a system (hereinafter, referred to as a line monitor) that can monitor the status of the LAN line, such as a system monitor attached to the LAN 95. It becomes possible.

In the present embodiment, the preconditions for performing communication are as follows.

The partner device has a similar dual port.

The respective addresses of the dual ports of the partner device are known in advance.

The configuration of this embodiment has the following functions.

A LAN and ISDN address book A line monitor function In this embodiment, a line switching sequence at the time of performing communication is as shown in FIGS. The caller first makes a call using a LAN line in consideration of the communication cost, checks the line monitor, and compares it with a preset threshold value.
Then, when the value exceeds the threshold value, the calling side connects via a LAN line (FIG. 4). When the value falls below the threshold value, the calling side refers to the address book and automatically connects using the ISDN line (FIG. 5).

According to the present embodiment, in addition to the operation and effect of the first embodiment, by comparing with the threshold value, it is possible to secure a line quality of a certain level or more, and furthermore, the ISDN line and the LA
Switching of N lines can be performed smoothly from the address book.

(Third Embodiment) In the second embodiment,
Only the situation of the LAN line in the originating network has been considered. Therefore, when the receiving-side LAN line is congested, the secured bandwidth may be reduced.

In this embodiment, the line is automatically switched according to the presence or absence of congestion on the destination LAN line, and the sequence is shown in FIG.

In FIG. 6, the caller first makes a call using a LAN line in consideration of the communication cost, checks the line monitor, and compares it with a preset threshold value. If the threshold value is exceeded, a connection request is made via the LAN line. In addition, when the value falls below the threshold value, the calling side refers to the address book and automatically connects using the ISDN line.

The receiving side, which has received the connection request via the LAN line, checks whether the other party has a similar dual-port compatible device, and if the same dual-port compatible device is not available, connects without change. In the case of a similar dual-port correspondence, the line monitor is checked and compared with a preset threshold. If the threshold is exceeded, the connection is made as it is.

When the value falls below the threshold value, the receiving side sets a band shortage as a local code and issues a disconnection request as a reason for disconnection. A device that has received a lack of bandwidth as a reason for disconnection does not perform retransmission. The destination that issues the LAN line disconnection request refers to the address book and
Place a call on the line.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the ISDN line and the LA
Automatic switching of N lines can be performed.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the second and third embodiments, when connected by an ISDN line, communication is performed by the ISDN line even after the LAN line is idle. Communication costs increase.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the communication cost is reduced by automatically switching the line under communication by the ISDN line. This sequence is shown in FIG.

The state of the LAN line is monitored by the line monitor during connection by ISDN regardless of the calling side and the called side.
In this monitoring, if the time that exceeds the threshold value for the calling side (or the receiving side) continues for a predetermined time or more, LA
A connection request is made by N lines.

The receiving side, which has received the connection request via the LAN line, checks whether the other party has the same dual-port compatible device, and if the same dual-port compatible device is not available, connects without change.

If the receiving side supports the same dual port, it checks the line monitor and compares it with a preset threshold value. If the line monitor exceeds the threshold value,
It returns the AN line connection request reception and connects to the LAN line.
When the line monitor falls below the threshold value, the called side issues a disconnection request because of the lack of bandwidth and disconnects the ISDN line. The originating side that has received the lack of bandwidth as the reason for disconnection does not perform retransmission. The receiving side connected to the LAN line
Disconnect the ISDN line.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the ISD
Monitors the status of the LAN line even when connected via the N line, and when the LAN line becomes idle, LA
The communication can be automatically switched to the N-line communication and the communication cost can be reduced by cutting off the communication via the ISDN line, which increases the communication cost.

(Fifth Embodiment) In the fourth embodiment,
The connection to the LAN line is re-established by the line monitor. However, the state of the LAN line when the connection is confirmed by the line monitor and when the band is actually connected and the band is secured is not always the same. At that time, if the line is congested, even temporarily, there is a possibility that the scheduled bandwidth cannot be secured.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, even during automatic switching of the line during communication by the ISDN line, the band is surely secured by checking the status of the LAN line by the line monitor. The sequence is shown in FIG. Show.

In FIG. 8, regardless of the calling side and the called side, IS
During the connection by the DN, the state of the LAN line is monitored by the line monitor. If the time that exceeds the threshold value continues for more than a preset time,
A connection request is made via a LAN line.

The receiving side that has received the connection request via the LAN line checks whether the other party has the same dual-port compatible device, and if the same dual-port compatible device is not available, connects without change.

In the case of the same dual port correspondence, the line monitor is checked and compared with a preset threshold value. If the line monitor exceeds the threshold value, the connection request is received and the connection is returned. . When the line monitor falls below the threshold value, the called side issues a disconnection request because of the lack of bandwidth and disconnects the ISDN line. The originating device that has received the lack of bandwidth as the disconnection reason does not perform retransmission.

The two devices on the sending and receiving sides connected to the LAN line
Check that the bandwidth is equal to or greater than the threshold by using the line monitor. When the threshold value is exceeded, the ISDN line is disconnected.

When the value falls below the threshold value, a disconnection request is issued as a reason for disconnection due to lack of bandwidth, and the ISDN line is left as it is. The originating device that has received the lack of bandwidth as the disconnection reason does not perform retransmission.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the ISD
By confirming the status of the LAN line by the line monitor during automatic switching of the line during communication by the N lines, it is possible to secure a reliable band.

(Sixth Embodiment) In the above-described embodiments, a call can be made to communicate with both ports by using Callby Call, and a port switching function for switching between a LAN line and an ISDN line is performed by a line monitoring function for monitoring a line status. Therefore, the operation may be complicated for the user of the terminal. In particular, for the frequently used destination designation, there is a concern that operation may be confused and erroneous connections may increase if the user is aware of which line is connected.

In the present embodiment, the number of the designated destination is automatically recognized, the selected line can be selected, and transmission can be performed. Further, the destination can be managed in the memory of the apparatus, and one destination can be managed. Two numbers can be retained, and when connection is not possible, automatic switching or priority designation is possible, and remote access is made possible by using two numbers, so that the destination designation can be performed reliably and easily. This is to provide a method for performing the following. Hereinafter, (Embodiment A)-
This will be specifically described in (C).

(Embodiment A) Having a LAN line and an ISDN line means that a communication partner has an “Internet (IP) address” or a “ISDN number”. However, the format of the “Internet (IP) address” and the “ISDN number” are different. The former is "aaa.bb
b. ccc. ddd ", and the latter is" 0aa-bbbb-cccc ". And the former "." Cannot be omitted,
The latter "-" can be omitted, and a space or () may be used.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, a "user interface control unit" and a "display control unit" are provided in the system control unit having the software configuration shown in FIG. 3, and an SDL diagram for selecting a LAN / 1SDN line from a direct address is shown. As shown in FIG. 9, "direct destination designation" of the direct dial system
Is a storage dial system.

(S1) All the numbers and symbols input by the user are displayed and simultaneously stored in the internal memory.

(S2) At the end of the input, the destination number is checked to determine the transmission line. First, there are four blocks of numbers separated by “.”, And the numbers are FF
If (Hex) is not exceeded, an outgoing call request is sent to the LAN line. The check of the address class and the definition is performed as usual. If this determination is not made, 1SD
Send outgoing call request to N lines. Of course, depending on the specifications of the terminal, it may be necessary to suppress symbols such as "-" and "space".

(Embodiment B) In the embodiment A, an input method for "designation of the destination" of the direct dial system is proposed. However, in an actual operation, as compared with the direct dial, it is seen in an example of a facsimile apparatus, a telephone, and the like. In general, a one-touch dial (a destination key is mapped to a certain key) or an abbreviated number are generally used.

Therefore, the present embodiment employs a one-touch dialing and abbreviated number designation method in a videophone / videoconference device having a dual port. The following table shows “Example (1) of memory configuration for destination management”.

[0065]

[Table 1]

As shown in this table, a management number is provided in the stored contents, and the management number is assigned to a one-touch dial or abbreviated number. And 2 for one destination name
To have two destination numbers. Further, priority designation can be performed for two destination numbers.

With reference to the stored information, when a one-touch key (or abbreviated number) is designated, the other party is searched for from the corresponding management number, the other party number designated as priority is obtained, and transmission processing is performed. If the outgoing call fails due to the other party being busy or for other reasons, the call is made using another destination number.

As described above, the same operation as the operation of a facsimile machine or a telephone which is common in the world can be performed, and confusion of the operator can be reduced.

(Embodiment C) In addition to the destination designation method according to the above-described embodiments A and B, more complicated address designation has recently been desired. In particular, remote access on a WAN, intranet, or extranet is the most prominent example. FIG. 10 shows a configuration diagram of this remote access.

In the present embodiment, similarly to the embodiment B, it is realized by using a destination management memory. Where P
PP (Point to Point Protocol)
l) must be implemented. The following table shows an example of the destination management memory configuration.

[0071]

[Table 2]

As shown in this table, a management number is provided in the stored content, and the management number is assigned to a one-touch dial or abbreviated number. Also, two destination numbers are provided for one destination name.

Referring to the stored information, if an "access number" is specified in the area of usage, an ISDN line is used for this number, and PPP (Point to Point) is used.
int Protocol) connection. Then, when it becomes possible to connect to the remote LAN, LAN connection is performed using another address.

As described above, the operation of the operator can be easily performed for specifying a complicated destination in a WAN, an intranet, or an extranet.

[0075]

As described above, according to the present invention, the ITU
-T Recommendation H. 320 and H.E. H.323, and I
It has a communication function on both SDN line and LAN line,
Since communication can be performed with either port using CallbyCall, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) The user of the videophone / videoconference device does not need to worry about whether the other party is connected to the ISDN or the LAN.

(2) For the user of the videophone / videoconference device, the possibility of expanding the connection partner such as WAN-Internet / intranet is increased.

(3) The line monitor function allows the user of the videophone / videoconference device to select a line in consideration of the communication cost.

(4) Videophone for dual port
The construction of a system using the video conference device becomes flexible.

(5) Videophone for dual port
The portability of the video conference device is increased.

(6) Automatic switching according to the line status is performed, and the user of the videophone / videoconference device can secure the line quality of a certain level or more.

(7) Switching from the ISDN line to the LAN line becomes smooth.

Further, according to the present invention, the input address of the destination number of the communication partner is checked, and the line is automatically determined by this check, so that the user does not need to specify the LAN line or the ISDN line. And the dial operation is simplified.

Further, according to the present invention, each destination of the communication partner has two numbers, one for the LAN line and one for the ISDN line, which are stored together with the management number of the communication partner in the internal memory, and the management number of the communication partner is designated. By automatically selecting two numbers for automatic switching or priority designation or remote access, one-touch dial operation can be performed and appropriate line designation can be easily performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a software configuration diagram according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a software configuration diagram according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an example of communication line connection when a threshold value is exceeded in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is an example of a communication line connection when a value falls below a threshold according to the embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a case where an ISDN value falls below a threshold value in the embodiment;
Example of communication line connection for outgoing calls.

FIG. 7 shows an example of switching to a LAN line during ISDN communication in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows an example of switching to a LAN line during ISDN communication in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 shows a LAN / I from a direct address in the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an SDL diagram for selecting an SDN line.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of remote access for describing the embodiment.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 ISDN interface unit 2 LAN interface unit 3 Image / audio multiplexing / demultiplexing unit 4 Image encoding / decoding unit 9 Audio encoding / decoding unit 14 Control unit 15 Switching unit

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI H04M 11/00 303 H04L 11/02 Z H04N 7/14

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An ITU-T system having dual ports of an ISDN line interface and a LAN line interface.
Recommendation H. 320 and H.E. 323. A videophone / videoconference device, comprising: a H.323 control unit; and means for controlling a port for each communication. 2. A line monitoring function for monitoring a line status, and a port switching means for switching a port from an ISDN line to a LAN line or from a LAN line to an ISDN line depending on the LAN line status during communication. The videophone / videoconference device according to claim 1. 3. An input address of a destination number of a communication partner is checked, and a LAN line or an ISDN is checked by this check.
2. The videophone / videoconference device according to claim 1, further comprising a line determining means for automatically determining a line. 4. A LAN line and an ISD for each destination of a communication partner.
It has two numbers for each N line and saves them in the internal memory together with the management number of the communication partner, and automatically switches the two numbers according to the management number designation of the communication partner or automatically designates the priority or remote access. 2. The videophone / videoconference device according to claim 1, further comprising a destination determining unit for selecting a destination.