WO2016006261A1

WO2016006261A1 - Transmission management system, transmission system, transmission management method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2016006261A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/003516
Authority: WO
Inventors: 芳和後藤; 浅井　貴浩
Original assignee: 株式会社リコー
Priority date: 2014-07-11
Filing date: 2015-07-10
Publication date: 2016-01-14
Also published as: JP2016019265A

Abstract

There is currently a problem of a service not being provided according to a user's usage at a terminal 10aa. If service content indicates that a relay device can be changed, a management system 50 selects a relay device 30d in the same region as the terminal 10aa on the basis of positional information sent from the terminal 10aa; and if the service content indicates no change in the relay device, the management system 50 selects a relay device 30a preset for the terminal 10aa. The present invention thus exhibits the effect of being capable of providing a service according to a user's usage.

Description

Transmission management system, transmission system, transmission management method, and program

The present invention relates to an invention for selecting a relay device that relays content data transmitted and received by a plurality of transmission terminals.

An example of a transmission system that transmits and receives content data between a plurality of transmission terminals via a relay device is a video conference system that performs a video conference or the like via a communication network such as the Internet. The necessity of such a video conference system has been improved with the recent reduction in business trip expenses and business trip time. In such a video conference system, a plurality of video conference terminals, which are examples of transmission terminals, are used. A video conference can be realized by transmitting and receiving image data and sound data between these video conference terminals.

Also, recent enhancement of broadband environment has made it possible to send and receive high-quality image data and high-quality sound data. As a result, it became easier to grasp the situation of the other party of the video conference, and the fulfillment level of communication through conversation can be improved.

However, when many video conferences are held via a communication network, or when image data and sound data are received using a narrowband path on the communication network, reception of image data and sound data is not possible. There arises a problem that a delay occurs. It is said that a user of a video conference system feels stress during a conversation when a delay of 0.5 seconds or more occurs in receiving image data or sound data. For this reason, even in the recent enhancement of the broadband environment, there has been a situation in which users cannot perform a satisfactory video conference.

Conventionally, when one relay device is selected and used from among a plurality of relay devices, a relay device connected to the same LAN as the video conference terminal that performs the video conference has been used. That is, by selecting a relay device having an IP address close to the IP address of the video conference terminal, high-quality image data or the like is transmitted / received through the selected relay device (see Patent Document 1). Furthermore, recently, video conference terminals have been reduced in thickness or size, and have become easy to carry (see Patent Document 2). Thereby, the video conference terminal can be taken out not only outside the prefecture but also overseas, and can communicate with other video conference terminals.

However, when a user takes a video conference terminal overseas, communication with a relay device installed in Japan often causes a significant delay in receiving image data and sound data. On the other hand, there are users who only carry transmission terminals within a limited range such as in the office and do not carry them overseas. When such users use transmission terminals, they are carried overseas. Compared to the above, there is often no significant delay in receiving image data and sound data. Such a situation can occur not only in a video conference system but also in a transmission system that transmits and receives content data between a plurality of transmission terminals via a relay device.

In this way, since the usage situation of the users is different, for example, there is a user who wants to use a predetermined relay device in a fixed manner by making the service usage fee relatively inexpensive, and the service usage fee. However, some users desire to selectively use a relay device that can suppress a significant delay.

JP 2008-227577 A JP2013-153418A

However, at present, there is a problem that the service according to the use situation of the user as described above is not provided.

The invention according to claim 1 is a transmission management system for managing a relay device that relays content data transmitted and received by a plurality of transmission terminals, for identifying a service provided by each of the plurality of transmission terminals. From the request source terminal, which is a transmission terminal requesting the start of communication with service identification means and service content indicating the service content indicating whether or not the relay device can be selected, and a predetermined transmission terminal, from the request source Receiving means for receiving specific service identification information for identifying a service provided by the terminal and position information indicating the position of the requesting terminal, and the specific service identification information received by the receiving means If the service content associated with the management means indicates that the relay device can be changed, the receiver If the relay device in the specific area including the location indicated by the location information is selected based on the location information received by the location information, and the service content indicates that the relay device is not changed, the request A transmission management system including selection means for selecting a predetermined relay device for the original terminal.

As described above, according to the present invention, the transmission management system, when the service content indicates that the relay device can be changed, based on the location information sent from the request source terminal. When the relay device in the same area is selected and the service content indicates that the relay device is not changed, the relay device predetermined for the request source terminal is selected. Thereby, there exists an effect that the service according to a user's utilization condition can be provided.

1 is a schematic diagram of a transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the conceptual diagram which showed the transmission / reception state of the image data in a transmission system, sound data, and various management information. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the image quality of image data. It is an external view of the terminal which concerns on this embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the terminal which concerns on this embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the management system, relay apparatus, or program provision system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of each terminal, apparatus, and system which comprise the transmission system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of a selection part. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a change quality management table. It is the conceptual diagram which showed the area. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a relay apparatus management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows an authentication management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a terminal management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a destination list management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a session management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a service management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a position management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a relay apparatus change management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a quality management table. It is the sequence figure which showed the process which manages the status information which shows the operating state of each relay apparatus. It is the sequence diagram which showed the process of the preparation stage which starts remote communication between terminals. It is the sequence diagram which showed the process which selects a relay apparatus. FIG. 10 is a process flow diagram illustrating a process of selecting a relay device. It is the sequence diagram which showed the process which establishes a communication session. It is the sequence diagram which showed the process which transmits / receives image data and sound data between transmission terminals.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

<< Overall Configuration of Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a transmission system 1 according to this embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of transmission / reception of image data, sound data, and various management information in the transmission system. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the image quality of image data.

In addition, the transmission system includes a data providing system that transmits content data in one direction from one transmission terminal to the other transmission terminal via the transmission management system, and information between a plurality of transmission terminals via the transmission management system. Includes a communication system that communicates emotions and the like. This communication system is a system for mutually transmitting information, emotions, etc. between a plurality of communication terminals (corresponding to “transmission terminal”) via a communication management system (corresponding to “transmission management system”). An example is a conference system or a videophone system.

In the present embodiment, assuming a video conference system as an example of a communication system, a video conference management system as an example of a communication management system, and a video conference terminal as an example of a communication terminal, a transmission system, a transmission management system, The transmission terminal will be described. That is, the transmission terminal and the transmission management system of the present invention are not only applied to a video conference system, but also applied to a communication system or a transmission system.

First, the transmission system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a plurality of transmission terminals (10aa, 10ab,...), A display (120aa, 120ab,...) For each transmission terminal (10aa, 10ab,. The apparatus (30a, 30b, 30c, 30d), the transmission management system 50, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are constructed.

The plurality of terminals 10 perform transmission by transmission / reception of image data and sound data as an example of content data.

In the following, “transmission terminal” is simply expressed as “terminal”, and “transmission management system” is simply expressed as “management system”. Further, an arbitrary terminal among the plurality of terminals (10aa, 10ab,...) Is represented as “terminal 10”, and an arbitrary display among the plurality of displays (120aa, 120ab,...) Is represented as “display 120”. An arbitrary relay device among the plurality of relay devices (30a, 30b, 30c, 30d) is represented as “relay device 30”. Further, a terminal as a request source that requests the start of a video conference is represented as a “request source terminal”, and a terminal as a request destination (relay destination) is represented as a “destination terminal”.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the transmission system 1, a management information session sei for transmitting and receiving various types of management information is transmitted between the request source terminal and the destination terminal via the management system 50. Established. Further, between the request source terminal and the destination terminal, four pieces of data of high resolution image data, medium resolution image data, low resolution image data, and sound data are transmitted and received via the relay device 30. Four sessions are established. Here, these four sessions are collectively shown as an image / sound data session sed. Note that the image / sound data session sed does not necessarily have to be four sessions, and may have a smaller or larger number of sessions than the four sessions.

Here, the resolution of the image data handled in this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the horizontal image is composed of 160 pixels and the vertical image is 120 pixels, and a low-resolution image serving as a base image and a horizontal image as illustrated in FIG. 3 (b). There are a medium resolution image consisting of 320 pixels and 240 pixels vertically, and a high resolution image consisting of 640 pixels horizontally and 480 pixels vertically as shown in FIG. Among these, when passing through a narrow band route, low-quality image data consisting only of low-resolution image data serving as a base image is relayed. When the band is relatively wide, low-resolution image data serving as a base image and medium-quality image data composed of medium-resolution image data are relayed. When the bandwidth is very wide, high-resolution image data composed of low-resolution image data serving as base image quality, intermediate-resolution image data, and high-resolution image data is relayed.

The relay device 30 shown in FIG. 1 relays content data among a plurality of terminals 10. The management system 50 centrally manages the login authentication from the terminal 10, the management of the call status of the terminal 10, the management of the destination list, and the communication status of the relay device 30. The image of the image data may be a moving image or a still image, or both a moving image and a still image.

A plurality of routers (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, 70cd) select an optimum route for image data and sound data. In the following, an arbitrary router among the routers (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, 70cd) is represented as “router 70”.

The program providing system 90 includes an HD (Hard Disk) 204 described later, and stores a terminal program for causing the terminal 10 to realize various functions (or to cause the terminal 10 to function as various means). The terminal program can be transmitted to The HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores a relay device program for causing the relay device 30 to realize various functions (or to cause the relay device 30 to function as various means). The relay device program can be transmitted. Further, the HD 204 of the program providing system 90 also stores a transmission management program for realizing various functions in the management system 50 (or causing the management system 50 to function as various means). A transmission management program can be transmitted.

The maintenance system 100 is a computer for maintaining, managing, or maintaining at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, and the program providing system 90. For example, when the maintenance system 100 is installed in the country and the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, or the program providing system 90 is installed outside the country, the maintenance system 100 is remotely connected via the communication network 2. Maintenance such as maintenance, management, and maintenance of at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, and the program providing system 90 is performed. In addition, the maintenance system 100 does not go through the communication network 2, but includes a model number, a manufacturing number, a sales destination, a maintenance check, at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, and the program providing system 90. Or, maintenance such as failure history management is performed.

By the way, the terminals (10aa, 10ab, 10ac,...), The relay device 30a, and the router 70a are communicably connected via the LAN 2a, and are constructed in a predetermined area A. The terminals (10ba, 10bb, 10bc,...), The relay device 30b, and the router 70b are communicably connected via the LAN 2b, and are constructed in a predetermined area B. The LAN 2a and the LAN 2b are communicably connected to the Internet 2i. For example, the region A is Japan, the LAN 2a is built in a Tokyo office, the region B is China, and the LAN 2b is built in a Chinese office.

On the other hand, the terminals (10ca, 10cb, 10cc,...), The relay device 30c, and the router 70c are communicably connected via the LAN 2c, and are constructed in a predetermined area C. The terminal 10d (a, 10db, 10dc,...), The relay device 30d, and the router 70d are connected to be communicable via the LAN 2d, and are constructed in a predetermined area D. The LAN 2c and LAN 2d are communicably connected to the Internet 2i. For example, the region C is Europe, the LAN 2c is built in a European office, the region D is the United States, and the LAN 2d is built in a United States office.

Further, the management system 50 and the program providing system 90 are connected to the terminal 10 and the relay device 30 via the Internet 2i so as to be communicable. The management system 50 and the program providing system 90 may be installed in the region A, the region B, the region C, or the region D, or may be installed in a region other than these. Furthermore, when the terminal 10 is used in an area different from the original area, a relay device in a different area may be used by the roaming service.

In the present embodiment, the communication network 2 of the present embodiment is constructed by the LAN 2a, the LAN 2b, the Internet 2i, the LAN 2c, and the LAN 2d. The communication network 2 may include not only wired communication but also a place where wireless communication such as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) or Bluetooth (registered trademark) is performed.

Further, in FIG. 1, four sets of numbers shown below each terminal 10, each relay device 30, management system 50, each router 70, and program providing system 90 are simplified IP addresses in general IPv4. Is shown. For example, the IP address of the terminal 10aa is “1.2.1.3”. In addition, IPv6 may be used instead of IPv4, but IPv4 will be used for the sake of simplicity.

In addition, each terminal 10 is not only a call between a plurality of business establishments or a call between different rooms in the same business establishment, but a call within the same room or a call between the outdoors and indoors or outdoors and outdoors. May be used. When each terminal 10 is used outdoors, wireless communication such as a cellular phone communication network is performed.

<< Hardware Configuration of Embodiment >>
Next, the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is an external view of the terminal 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the terminal 10 includes a housing 1100, an arm 1200, and a camera housing 1300. Among them, the front side wall surface 1110 of the housing 1100 is provided with an air intake surface (not shown) formed by a plurality of air intake holes, and the rear side wall surface 1120 of the housing 1100 is formed with a plurality of exhaust holes. An exhaust surface 1121 is provided. Thereby, by driving a cooling fan built in the housing 1100, outside air behind the call terminal 10 can be taken in through an intake surface (not shown) and exhausted to the back of the call terminal 10 through an exhaust surface 1121. it can. A sound collecting hole 1131 is formed in the right side wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100, and sounds such as sound, sound, noise, and heartbeat can be collected by a built-in microphone 114 described later.

An operation panel 1150 is formed on the right wall surface 1130 side of the housing 1100. The operation panel 1150 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons (108a to 108e) to be described later, a power switch 109 to be described later, and an alarm lamp 119 to be described later, and outputs sound from a built-in speaker 115 to be described later. A sound output surface 1151 formed by a plurality of sound output holes for passing through is formed. Further, a housing 1160 as a recess for housing the arm 1200 and the camera housing 1300 is formed on the left wall surface 1140 side of the housing 1100. The right wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100 is provided with a plurality of connection ports (1132a to 1132c) for electrically connecting cables to an external device connection I / F 118 described later. On the other hand, the left wall surface 1140 of the housing 1100 is provided with a connection port (not shown) for electrically connecting the cable 120c for the display 120 to an external device connection I / F 118 described later.

In the following description, the “operation button 108” is used when an arbitrary operation button is indicated among the operation buttons (108a to 108e), and the “connection button” is indicated when an arbitrary connection port is indicated among the connection ports (1132a to 1132c). This will be described using the connection port 1132 ”.

Next, the arm 1200 is attached to the housing 1100 via a torque hinge 1210, and the arm 1200 is configured to be able to rotate in the vertical direction with respect to the housing 1100 within a tilt angle θ1 of 135 degrees. ing. FIG. 4 shows a state where the tilt angle θ1 is 90 degrees. The camera housing 1300 is provided with a built-in camera 112, which will be described later, and can capture images of users, documents, rooms, and the like. A torque hinge 1310 is formed in the camera housing 1300. The camera housing 1300 is attached to the arm 1200 via a torque hinge 1310. The camera housing 1300 is attached to the arm 1200 via a torque hinge 1310. The pan angle θ2 of ± 180 degrees is assumed with respect to the arm 1200, with the state shown in FIG. And a tilt angle θ3 of ± 45 degrees can be rotated in the vertical and horizontal directions.

Note that the external view of FIG. 4 is merely an example and is not limited to this external view. The call terminal 10 may be, for example, a general-purpose PC, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal. The camera and microphone do not necessarily have to be built-in and may be externally attached. Further, since the call management system 50 has the same appearance as a general server computer, description of the appearance is omitted.

FIG. 5 is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal 10 according to this embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, the terminal 10 of the present embodiment has programs used for driving the CPU 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 and IPL (Initial Program Loader) that control the operation of the entire terminal 10. ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 stored, RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 used as a work area of the CPU 101, flash memory 104 for storing various data such as terminal programs, image data, and sound data, control of the CPU 101 , SSD (Solid State Drive) 105 that controls reading or writing of various data to the flash memory 104, media drive 107 that controls reading or writing (storage) of data to the recording medium 106 such as a flash memory, and the destination of the terminal 10 Is used to select Operation button 108 that includes a network I / F (Interface) 111 for the power switch 109 for switching ON / OFF of the power supply terminal 10, using the communication network 2 to the data transmission. An HDD may be used instead of the SSD.

The terminal 10 also includes a built-in camera 112 that captures an image of a subject under the control of the CPU 101 to obtain image data, an image sensor I / F 113 that controls driving of the camera 112, a built-in microphone 114 that inputs sound, and sound. The built-in speaker 115 for outputting the sound, the sound input / output I / F 116 for processing the input / output of the sound signal between the microphone 114 and the speaker 115 according to the control of the CPU 101, and the image data on the external display 120 according to the control of the CPU 101. As shown in FIG. 5, the display I / F 117 for transmission, the external device connection I / F 118 for connecting various external devices, the GPS (Global Positioning System) receiving unit 119, and the above components are electrically connected. A bus line 110 such as an address bus or a data bus is provided.

The display 120 is a display unit configured by a liquid crystal or an organic EL that displays an image of an object, an operation icon, and the like. The display 120 is connected to the display I / F 117 by a cable 120c. The cable 120c may be an analog RGB (VGA) signal cable, a component video cable, HDMI (registered trademark) (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or DVI (Digital Video). Interactive) signal cable may be used.

The camera 112 includes a lens and a solid-state imaging device that converts light into electric charges and digitizes an object image (video). As the solid-state imaging device, a CMOS (Complementary Metal OxideＣＣＤSemiconductor) or CCD (Charge Coupled Device) Etc. are used.

External devices such as an external camera, an external microphone, and an external speaker can be connected to the external device connection I / F 118 by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like. When an external camera is connected, the external camera is driven in preference to the built-in camera 112 under the control of the CPU 101. Similarly, when an external microphone is connected or when an external speaker is connected, each of the external microphones and the built-in speaker 115 is given priority over the internal microphone 114 and the internal speaker 115 according to the control of the CPU 101. An external speaker is driven.

The GPS receiver can measure the current position by receiving radio waves from GPS satellites.

Note that the recording medium 106 is detachable from the terminal 10. Further, as long as it is a non-volatile memory that reads or writes data according to the control of the CPU 101, not only the flash memory 104 but also an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) or the like may be used.

Furthermore, the terminal program may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 106 and distributed as a file in an installable or executable format. The terminal program may be stored in the ROM 102 instead of the flash memory 104.

FIG. 6 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management system according to this embodiment of the present invention. The management system 50 stores various data such as a CPU 201 that controls the operation of the entire management system 50, a ROM 202 that stores programs used to drive the CPU 201 such as an IPL, a RAM 203 that is used as a work area for the CPU 201, and a transmission management program. The HD 204 to be stored, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 205 that controls reading or writing of various data to the HD 204 according to the control of the CPU 201, and a media drive 207 that controls reading or writing (storage) of data to a recording medium 206 such as a flash memory. , A display 208 that displays various information such as a cursor, menu, window, character, or image, a network I / F 209 for transmitting data using the communication network 2, characters, numerical values, A keyboard 211 having a plurality of keys for inputting various instructions, a mouse 212 for selecting and executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, etc., and a CD-ROM as an example of a removable recording medium (Compact Disc Read Read Only Memory) 213 controls the reading or writing of various data, and an address bus for electrically connecting the above components as shown in FIG. A bus line 210 such as a data bus is provided.

It should be noted that the transmission management program may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213 and distributed in the form of an installable or executable format. . The transmission management program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

Further, since the relay device 30 has the same hardware configuration as that of the management system 50, the description thereof is omitted. However, a relay device program for controlling the relay device 30 is recorded in the HD 204. Also in this case, the relay device program is a file in an installable or executable format, and may be recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213. Good. The relay device program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

Further, the program providing system 90 and the maintenance system 100 have the same hardware configuration as the management system 50, and thus the description thereof is omitted. However, a program providing program for controlling the program providing system 90 is recorded in the HD 204. Also in this case, the program providing program is a file in an installable or executable format, and may be recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213. Good. The program providing system program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

As another example of the removable recording medium, the recording medium is provided by being recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), or a Blu-ray Disc. May be.

<< Functional Configuration of Embodiment >>
Next, the functional configuration of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of each terminal, device, and system constituting the transmission system 1 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 7, the terminal 10, the relay device 30, and the management system 50 are connected so that data communication can be performed via the communication network 2. The program providing system 90 shown in FIG. 1 is omitted in FIG. 7 because it is not directly related to the video conference communication.

<Functional configuration of terminal>
The terminal 10 includes a transmission / reception unit 11, an operation input reception unit 12, a login request unit 13, an imaging unit 14, a sound input unit 15a, a sound output unit 15b, a position detection unit 16, a display control unit 17, a delay detection unit 18, and a storage. A read processing unit 19 is included. Each of these units is a function realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 5 being operated by a command from the CPU 101 according to the terminal program developed from the flash memory 104 onto the RAM 103, or It is a means to function. Further, the terminal 10 has a storage unit 1000 constructed by the RAM 103 shown in FIG. 5 and the flash memory 104 shown in FIG. Further, a recording medium 1010 constructed by the recording medium 106 shown in FIG.

(Functional configuration of terminal)
Next, each functional configuration of the terminal 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 7. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the terminal 10, among the components illustrated in FIG. 5, a relationship with main components for realizing each functional configuration of the terminal 10 will also be described. .

The transmission / reception unit 11 of the terminal 10 shown in FIG. 7 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 5 and the network I / F 111 shown in FIG. Various data (or information) is transmitted / received to / from the terminal, device or system. The transmission / reception unit 11 starts receiving state information indicating the state of each terminal as a destination candidate from the management system 50 before starting a call with a desired destination terminal. This status information is not only the operating state of each terminal 10 (the state of ON line or OFF line), but it is possible to make a call even on the ON line, whether the call is in progress, or being out of the office. This shows the detailed state. In addition, the status information is not limited to the operating status of each terminal 10, but the cable 120 c is disconnected from the terminal 10 at the terminal 10, audio is output but no image is output, or audio is not output. Various states such as (MUTE) are shown. Below, the case where status information shows an operation state is demonstrated as an example.

The operation input accepting unit 12 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 5 and the operation buttons 108 and the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 5, and accepts various inputs by the user. For example, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 5, the operation input receiving unit 12 shown in FIG. 7 receives the power ON and turns on the power.

The login request unit 13 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 5, and triggers a login request from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 when the power-on is accepted. And the current IP address of the request source terminal are automatically transmitted. When the user turns the power switch 109 from the ON state to the OFF state, the operation input receiving unit 12 completely turns off the power after the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits the state information indicating that the power supply is turned off to the management system 50. To do. As a result, the management system 50 side can grasp that the terminal 10 has been turned off from being turned on.

The imaging unit 14 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 illustrated in FIG. 5 and the camera 112 and the image sensor I / F 113 illustrated in FIG. 5. Output data.

The sound input unit 15a is realized by the instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 5 and the voice input / output I / F 116 shown in FIG. 5, and the user's voice is converted into a voice signal by the microphone 114. Thereafter, sound data related to the sound signal is input. The sound output unit 15b is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 5 and the voice input / output I / F 116 shown in FIG. 5, and outputs a voice signal related to the sound data to the speaker. To output sound.

The position detection unit 16 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 illustrated in FIG. 5 and the GPS reception unit 119 illustrated in FIG. 5, and detects the current position of the terminal 10. In addition, when it becomes impossible to receive a radio wave from a GPS satellite indoors by the GPS receiving unit 119, the position immediately before the reception becomes impossible becomes the current position. In addition, the position detection unit 16 may include not only the GPS reception unit 119 but also an indoor reception unit such as IMES (Indoor Messaging System). In this case, the position detector 16 can detect the current position even indoors.

The display control unit 17 is realized by the instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 5 and the display I / F 117 shown in FIG. 5. As will be described later, the received image data having different resolutions are combined. Control for transmitting the combined image data to the display 120 is performed. In addition, the display control unit 17 can transmit the destination list information received from the management system 50 to the display 120 and cause the display 120 to display the destination list.

The delay detection unit 18 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 5 and detects a delay time (ms) of image data or sound data sent from another terminal 10 via the relay device 30. .

The storage / reading processing unit 19 is executed by the instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 5 and the SSD 105 shown in FIG. 5 or realized by the instruction from the CPU 101, and stores various data in the storage unit 1000 or the recording medium 1010. Or reading various data stored in the storage unit 1000 or the recording medium 1010. The storage unit 1000 stores a terminal ID (Identification) for identifying the terminal 10, a password, and the like. Further, the storage unit 1000 overwrites and stores image data and sound data received when a call with the destination terminal is made. Among these, an image is displayed on the display 120 by the image data before being overwritten, and sound is output from the speaker 150 by the sound data before being overwritten.

Note that the terminal ID and password may be recorded on the recording medium 1010 instead of the storage unit 1000. In this case, the user of the terminal 10 can use the second terminal 10 by removing the recording medium 1010 (recording medium 106) from the first terminal 10 and inserting it into the second terminal 10.

Further, the terminal ID of this embodiment and the relay device ID and service ID described later are the language, characters, symbols, various indicia, etc. used to uniquely identify the terminal 10, the relay device 30, and the service contents, respectively. An example of the identification information is shown. Further, the terminal ID and the relay device ID service ID may be identification information in which at least two of the language, characters, symbols, and various indicia are combined.

Further, instead of the terminal ID, a user ID for identifying the user of the terminal 10 may be used. In this case, the terminal identification information includes not only the terminal ID but also the user ID.

<Functional configuration of relay device>
The relay device 30 includes a transmission / reception unit 31, a state detection unit 32, a data quality confirmation unit 33, a change quality management unit 34, a data quality change unit 35, and a storage / read processing unit 39. Each of these units functions or functions realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 6 operating according to a command from the CPU 201 according to the relay device program expanded from the HD 204 onto the RAM 203. Means. The relay device 30 includes a storage unit 3000 configured by the RAM 203 illustrated in FIG. 6 and / or the HD 204 illustrated in FIG.

(Change quality control table)
In the storage unit 3000, a change quality management DB (Data Base) 3001 configured by a change quality management table as shown in FIG. 9 is constructed. In the change quality management table, the IP address of the terminal 10 as the relay destination (destination) of the image data and the image quality of the image data relayed by the relay device 30 are associated with the relay destination and managed.

(Each functional configuration of the relay device)
Next, each functional configuration of the relay device 30 will be described in detail. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the relay device 30, among the components illustrated in FIG. 6, the relationship with the main components for realizing each functional configuration of the relay device 30 is also described. explain.

The transmission / reception unit 31 of the relay device 30 shown in FIG. 7 is realized by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. Various data (or information) is transmitted / received to / from other terminals, devices or systems.

The state detection unit 32 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 6, and detects an operating state of the relay device 30 having the state detection unit 32. The operating state includes an “ON line”, “OFF line”, “busy” state, or “temporarily interrupted” state.

The data quality confirmation unit 33 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6, searches the change quality management DB 3001 (see FIG. 9) using the IP address of the destination terminal as a search key, and relays correspondingly. The image quality of the relayed image data is confirmed by extracting the image quality of the image data.

The change quality management unit 34 changes the contents of the change quality management DB 3001 based on quality information described later, which is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and sent from the management system 50. For example, a video conference is performed by transmitting and receiving high-quality image data between a request source terminal (terminal 10aa) whose terminal ID is “01aa” and a destination terminal (terminal 10db) whose terminal ID is “01db”. While the request is being made, the requesting terminal (terminal 10bb) and the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) that conduct another videoconference start the videoconference via the communication network 2, etc., so that the destination terminal (terminal 10db) When a delay in receiving the image data occurs, the relay device 30 reduces the image quality of the image data that has been relayed from the high image quality to the medium image quality. In such a case, the content of the change quality management DB 3001 is changed so as to lower the image quality of the image data relayed by the relay device 30 from the high image quality to the medium image quality based on the quality information indicating the medium image quality.

The data quality changing unit 35 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6, and the image quality of the image data sent from the transmission source terminal is changed based on the contents of the changed change quality management DB 3001. change.

The storage / reading processing unit 39 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 6 and the HDD 205 illustrated in FIG. 6. The storage / reading processing unit 39 stores various data in the storage unit 3000 or is stored in the storage unit 3000. A process of reading various data is performed.

<Functional configuration of management system>
The management system 50 includes a transmission / reception unit 51, a terminal authentication unit 52, a state management unit 53, a terminal extraction unit 54, a terminal state acquisition unit 55, a selection unit 56, a session management unit 57, a quality determination unit 58, and a storage / read processing unit 59. And a delay time management unit 60. Each of these units functions or functions realized by any one of the constituent elements shown in FIG. 6 operating according to a command from the CPU 201 according to the management system program expanded from the HD 204 onto the RAM 203. Means. Further, the management system 50 has a storage unit 5000 constructed by the HD 204 shown in FIG.

(Relay device management table)
In the storage unit 5000, a relay device management DB 5001 configured by a relay device management table as shown in FIG. 11 is constructed. In this relay device management table, for each relay device ID of each relay device 30, the operating status of each relay device 30, the reception date and time when status information indicating the operating status is received by the management system 50, and the IP address of the relay device 30 The maximum data transmission rate (Mbps) in the relay device 30 and the regional information indicating the region where the relay device 30 is installed are associated and managed. For example, in the relay device management table shown in FIG. 11, the relay device 30a with the relay device ID “111a” has an “ON line” operating state and the date and time when the management system 50 received the status information “ At 13:30 on April 10, 2014 ", the IP address of this relay device 30a is" 1.2.1.2 ", and the maximum data transmission speed in this relay device 30a is 100 Mbps. It is shown that the region is “Japan”.

(Authentication management table)
Furthermore, in the storage unit 5000, an authentication management DB 5002 configured by an authentication management table as shown in FIG. In this authentication management table, each password is associated with each terminal ID of all the terminals 10 managed by the management system 50 and managed. For example, the authentication management table shown in FIG. 12 indicates that the terminal ID of the terminal 10aa is “01aa” and the password is “aaaa”.

(Terminal management table)
Further, in the storage unit 5000, a terminal management DB 5003 configured by a terminal management table as shown in FIG. 13 is constructed. In this terminal management table, for each terminal ID of each terminal 10, a destination name when each terminal 10 is a destination, an operating state of each terminal 10, a reception date and time when login request information described later is received by the management system 50, And the IP address of the terminal 10 is managed in association with each other. For example, in the terminal management table shown in FIG. 13, the terminal 10aa with the terminal ID “01aa” has the terminal name “Japan Tokyo Office AA terminal” and the operation state “ON line (call possible)”. The date and time when the login request information is received by the management system 50 is “13:40 on April 10, 2014”, and the IP address of this terminal 10aa is “1.2.1.3”. Has been.

(Destination list management table)
Furthermore, in the storage unit 5000, a destination list management DB 5004 configured by a destination list management table as shown in FIG. 14 is constructed. In this destination list management table, all terminal IDs of destination terminals registered as destination terminal candidates are managed in association with terminal IDs of request source terminals that request the start of a call in a video conference. For example, in the destination list management table shown in FIG. 14, the requesting terminal (terminal 10aa) whose terminal ID is “01aa” is the destination terminal (terminal 10db) that can request the start of a video conference call. The candidates are indicated to be a terminal 10ab having a terminal ID “01ab”, a terminal 10ba having a terminal ID “01ba”, a terminal 10bb having a terminal ID “01bb”, and the like. This destination terminal candidate is updated by being added or deleted in response to a request for addition or deletion from an arbitrary request source terminal to the management system 50.

(Session management table)
In the storage unit 5000, a session management DB 5005 configured by a session management table as shown in FIG. 15 is constructed. In this session management table, for each selection session ID used to execute a session for selecting the relay device 30, the relay device ID of the relay device 30 used for relaying image data and sound data, the request source terminal Management system that receives a terminal ID, a terminal ID of the destination terminal, a reception delay time (ms) when image data is received at the destination terminal, and delay information indicating the delay time from the destination terminal The reception date and time received at 50 is managed in association with each other. For example, use of the selection session ID “se1” indicates that a call is made between two terminals (10aa, 10db) via the relay device 30d.

(Service management table)
In the storage unit 5000, a service management DB 5006 configured by a service management table as shown in FIG. 16 is constructed. In this service management table, a service ID for identifying a service provided by each of the plurality of terminals 10 and a service content indicating whether the relay device 30 can be selected are associated and managed. For example, the service ID “01” indicates that the service content is “change of relay device is possible”. The service ID “09” indicates that the service content is “no change of relay device”. Here, “changeable” indicates, for example, a case where the relay device 30 used by the terminal 10aa can be changed according to the position of the terminal 10aa. On the other hand, “do not change” indicates, for example, a case where the relay device 30 used by the terminal 10ac is fixed without being changed regardless of the position of the terminal 10ac.

Also, if the service content is “change of relay device”, the service usage fee is higher than that of “do not change relay device”. On the other hand, when the service content is “Do not change relay device”, the service usage fee is lower than when “Relay device can be changed”.

In this embodiment, the service ID constitutes a part of the terminal ID. However, the service ID and the terminal ID may be completely different IDs.

(Location management table)
In the storage unit 5000, a location management DB 5007 configured by a location management table as shown in FIG. In this position management table, regional information indicating each of a plurality of regions and range information indicating the range of each region are managed in association with each other. For example, when the area information indicates “Japan”, the range information indicates a rectangular range having the longitude “X1” and the latitude “Y1”, and the longitude “x1” and the latitude “y1” as vertices, respectively. . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, a range including Japan is shown.

Note that FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a region. In addition, the location management DB 5007 may be constructed not only by the management system 50 but also by a server other than the management system 50. In this case, the management system 50 is. Get regional information from another server.

(Relay Device Change Management Table)
In the storage unit 5000, a relay device change management DB 5008 configured by a relay device change management table as shown in FIG. 18 is constructed. In this relay device change management table, for each relay device ID, the terminal ID of the terminal 10 that is not changed from each relay device 30 to another relay device 30 is associated and managed. For example, in the relay device change management table shown in FIG. 18, when the terminal 10ac with the terminal ID “09ac” is the request source terminal, only the relay device 30a with the relay device ID “111a” can be used. It is shown that the change to the relay device 30b or the like is impossible.

(Quality control table)
In the storage unit 5000, a quality management DB 5009 configured by a quality management table as shown in FIG. 19 is constructed. In this quality management table, the longer the delay time (ms) of the image data at the requesting terminal or the destination terminal, the lower the image data delay time and the image data quality so that the image quality of the image data relayed by the relay device 30 is lowered. (Image quality) and are managed in association with each other.

(Functional configuration of the management system)
Next, each functional configuration of the management system 50 will be described in detail. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the management system 50, among the components shown in FIG. 6, the relationship with the main components for realizing each functional configuration of the management system 50 is also described. explain.

The transmission / reception unit 51 is executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 6 and the network I / F 209 shown in FIG. Or information).

The terminal authentication unit 52 is realized by a command from the CPU 102 shown in FIG. 6, and uses the terminal ID and password included in the login request information received via the transmission / reception unit 51 as a search key, and the storage unit 5000. Terminal authentication is performed by searching the authentication management DB 5002 and determining whether the same terminal ID and password are managed in the authentication management DB 5002.

The state management unit 53 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 102 shown in FIG. 6, and this request source terminal is stored in the terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 13) in order to manage the operating state of the request source terminal that has requested login. The terminal ID, the operating state of the request source terminal, the reception date and time when the login request information is received by the management system 50, and the IP address of the request source terminal are stored and managed in association with each other. The state management unit 53 also manages the terminal based on the state information indicating that the power is turned off, which is sent from the terminal 10 when the user turns the power switch 109 of the terminal 10 from ON to OFF. The operation state indicating the ON line of the DB 5003 (see FIG. 13) is changed to the OFF line.

The terminal extraction unit 54 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 102 shown in FIG. 6, and searches the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 14) using the terminal ID of the request source terminal that requested the login as a key. The terminal ID is extracted by reading the terminal ID of the candidate destination terminal that can make a call. In addition, the terminal extraction unit 54 searches the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 14) using the terminal ID of the request source terminal that has requested the login as a key, and registers the terminal ID of the request source terminal as a destination terminal candidate. The terminal IDs of other request source terminals are also extracted.

The terminal status acquisition unit 55 is realized by a command from the CPU 102 shown in FIG. 6 and uses the terminal ID of the destination terminal candidate extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 as a search key as a terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 13). ) And the operation state is read for each terminal ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54. Thereby, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 can acquire the operating state of the candidate destination terminal that can make a call with the request source terminal that has requested the login. Further, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 searches the terminal management DB 5003 using the terminal ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 as a search key, and also acquires the operating state of the request source terminal that has requested login.

The selection unit 56 is realized by a command from the CPU 202 illustrated in FIG. 6, and performs a process of finally selecting one relay device 30 from the plurality of relay devices 30. For this purpose, the selection unit 56 implements a session ID generation unit 56a, a determination unit 56b, and a specification unit 56c as illustrated in FIG. 8 according to an instruction from the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG.

Among these, the session ID generating unit 56a generates a session ID used for executing a session for selecting the relay device 30 and the like.

Also, the determination unit 56b determines whether the relay device 30 can be changed based on the service content read by searching the service management table (see FIG. 16) using the service ID as a search key.

Further, the specifying unit 56c specifies region information indicating a region including the position indicated by the position information in the position management table (see FIG. 17) based on the position information received by the transmitting / receiving unit 51. A predetermined relay device ID associated with the information in the relay device management table (see FIG. 11) is specified. In addition, when the service content indicates that the relay device can be changed, the specifying unit 56c adds the relay device change management table (the relay device change management table) to the area information indicating the specific area specified based on the location information of the terminal 10. The predetermined relay device ID associated with the device is specified in (see FIG. 18). Note that the specific processing by the specifying unit 56c is a partial function of the selection unit 56, and thus results in selection processing.

<< Processing or Operation of Embodiment >>
Next, a processing method in the transmission system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 20 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing for managing state information indicating the operation state of each relay device. FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing in a preparation stage for starting remote communication between terminals. FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing for selecting a relay device. FIG. 23 is a process flowchart illustrating a process of selecting a relay device. FIG. 24 is a sequence diagram illustrating processing for establishing a communication session. FIG. 25 is a sequence diagram showing processing for transmitting and receiving image data and sound data between terminals.

Here, as shown in FIG. 10, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that the user is assumed to use mainly in Japan is brought to the United States, and the destination terminal (terminal 10db) used in the United States A case of making a call will be described. In the case of a service with a low usage fee (the relay device is not changed), as indicated by the wavy line, the terminal 10aa carried to the United States bothers the United States via the Japanese relay device 30a. Since a call is made with the terminal 10db, a large delay occurs in the transmission and reception of image data and sound data, resulting in poor communication quality. On the other hand, in the case of a service with a high usage fee (change of the relay device), as indicated by the solid line, the terminal 10aa carried to the United States passes through the US relay device 30d to the United States. Therefore, the delay can be minimized. That is, if the user does not take the terminal 10 to another area, the user may select a service with a low usage fee. If the user 10 takes the terminal 10 to another area, the usage fee is expensive. However, a service that does not deteriorate the communication quality may be selected.

First, a process for managing status information indicating the status of each relay device 30 transmitted from each relay device 30 to the management system 50 will be described with reference to FIG. First, in each relay device 30, the state detection unit 32 shown in FIG. 7 periodically detects the operating state of the relay device 30 as its own device (steps S1-1 to S4). Then, the transmission / reception unit 31 of each relay device 30 periodically transmits each state information to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 so that the operation state of each relay device 30 is managed in real time on the management system 50 side. (Steps S2-1 to S4). Each state information includes the relay device ID for each relay device 30 and the operating state detected by the state detection unit 32 of the relay device 30 related to each relay device ID. In the present embodiment, the relay devices (30a, 30b, 30d) operate normally and are “ON line”, while the relay device 30c is in operation, but the relay operation of the relay device 30c. The case where some trouble has occurred in the program for executing the “OFF line” is shown.

Next, in the management system 50, the transmission / reception unit 51 receives each status information sent from each relay device 30, and the relay device management DB 5001 in the storage unit 5000 via the storage / read processing unit 59 (see FIG. 11). ) Stores and manages status information for each relay device ID (steps S3-1 to S4). As a result, the operating status of “ON line”, “OFF line”, or “failing” is stored and managed for each relay device ID in the relay device management table as shown in FIG. The At this time, the reception date and time when the status information is received by the management system 50 is also stored and managed for each relay device ID. If the status information is not sent from the relay device 30, the field portion of the operation state and the field portion of the reception date and time in each record of the relay device management table shown in FIG. The operation status and the reception date and time at the previous reception are shown.

Next, a transmission / reception process of each management information in a preparation stage before starting a call between a plurality of terminals 10 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 21, various types of management information are transmitted and received by the management information session sei shown in FIG.

First, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 5, the operation input receiving unit 12 shown in FIG. 7 receives the power ON and turns on the power (step S21). The login request unit 13 automatically transmits login request information indicating a login request from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 in response to the reception of the power ON (step S22). Note that the login request information may not be transmitted when the power switch 109 is turned on, but may be transmitted when the user operates the operation button 108. Further, the login request information includes a terminal ID and a password for identifying the terminal 10aa which is the own terminal as a request source. These terminal ID and password are data read from the storage unit 1000 via the storage / read processing unit 19 and sent to the transmission / reception unit 11. As the terminal ID and password, data read from an identification information storage medium such as a SIM (Subscriber Identity カード Module) card connected to the terminal 10 can be used. When the login request information is transmitted from the terminal 10aa to the management system 50, the management system 50 that is the receiving side can grasp the IP address of the terminal 10ab that is the transmitting side.

Next, the terminal authentication unit 52 of the management system 50 uses the terminal ID and password included in the login request information received via the transmission / reception unit 51 as search keys, and the authentication management DB 5002 of the storage unit 5000 (see FIG. 12). Terminal authentication is performed by determining whether the same terminal ID and password are managed in the authentication management DB 5002 (step S23). Since the same terminal ID and password are managed by the terminal authentication unit 52, if it is determined that the login request is from the terminal 10 having a valid usage right, the state management unit 53 The DB 5003 (see FIG. 13) stores the terminal ID of the terminal 10aa, the operating state, the reception date and time when the login request information is received, and the IP address of the terminal 10aa in association with each other (step S24). Accordingly, in the terminal management table shown in FIG. 13, the terminal ID “01aa”, the operating state “ON line”, the reception date and time “2009.11.10.13:40”, and the IP address “10aa” "1.2.1.3" will be managed in association with each other.

Then, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 sends the authentication result information indicating the authentication result obtained by the terminal authentication unit 52 via the communication network 2 to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that made the login request. (Step S25). In the present embodiment, the case where the terminal authentication unit 52 determines that the terminal has a valid usage right will be described below.

The terminal extraction unit 54 of the management system 50 searches the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 14) using the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that requested the login as a search key, and requests the request source terminal (terminal 10aa). The terminal IDs of candidate destination terminals that can communicate with the destination terminal are read out (step S26). Here, as an example, the terminal IDs (“01ab”, “01ba”, “01db”) of the destination terminals (terminals 10ab, 10ba, 10db) corresponding to the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) Will be extracted.

Next, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 uses the terminal IDs (“01ab”, “01ba”, “01db”) of the destination terminal candidates extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 as search keys, and the terminal management DB 5003 (FIG. 13). Terminal) (10ab, 10ba, 10db) by retrieving the operating state ("OFF line", "ON line", "ON line") for each terminal ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 Each operation state is acquired (step S27).

Next, the transmission / reception unit 51 uses the terminal IDs (“01ab”, “01ba”, “01db”) as search keys used in step S27 and the corresponding destination terminals (terminals 10ab, 10ba, 10db). Destination state information including each of the operation states (“OFF line”, “ON line”, “ON line”) of is transmitted to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) via the communication network 2 (step S28). ). As a result, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) has the current operating states (“OFF” of the terminals (10ab, 10ba, 10db) that are candidates for destination terminals that can communicate with the request source terminal (terminal 10aa). Line "," ON line "," ON line ").

Further, the terminal extraction unit 54 of the management system 50 searches the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 14) using the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that requested the login as a search key, and the request source The terminal IDs of other requesting terminals that have registered the terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal (terminal 10aa) as candidates for the destination terminal are extracted (step S29). In the destination list management table shown in FIG. 14, the terminal IDs of the other request source terminals to be extracted are “01ab”, “01ba”, and “01db”.

Next, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 of the management system 50 searches the terminal state management DB 5003 (see FIG. 13) using the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that has made the login request as a search key. Then, the operating state of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that requested the login is acquired (step S30).

Then, the transmission / reception unit 51 includes the terminal management DB 5003 (FIG. 13) among the terminals (10ab, 10ba, 10db) related to the terminal IDs (“01ab”, “01ba”, “01db”) extracted in step S29. The terminal ID “01aa” and the operation state “ON line” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) acquired in step S30 are added to the terminals (10ba, 10db) whose operation state is “ON line”. The destination state information included is transmitted (steps S31-1, 2). When the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the destination status information to the terminals (10ba, 10db), it is managed by the terminal management table shown in FIG. 13 based on the terminal IDs (“01ba”, “01db”). Refers to the IP address of the terminal being used. Thus, the terminal ID “of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that requested the login is sent to each of the other destination terminals (terminals 10db and 10ba) that can communicate with the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that requested the login. 01aa ”and the operating state“ ON line ”can be transmitted.

On the other hand, in the other terminals 10 as well, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 6, the operation input receiving unit 12 shown in FIG. Since the same processing as the processing of steps S22 to S31-1, 2 is performed, description thereof is omitted.

Subsequently, the process of selecting the relay device 30 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 22, various types of management information are transmitted and received through the management information session sei shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) is a terminal (10ba, 10ba, whose operation state is ON line based on the terminal state information received in step S28 among the terminals 10 as destination candidates. A call can be made with at least one of 10 db). Therefore, hereinafter, a case where the user of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) has selected to start a call between the destination terminal (terminal 10db) and the two bases will be described.

First, when the user presses the operation button 108 shown in FIG. 5 and selects the terminal 10db, the operation input reception unit 12 shown in FIG. 7 starts a call with the destination terminal (terminal 10db). The request to be received is accepted (step S41). Then, the transmission / reception unit 11 of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) has a terminal ID “01aa” of the terminal 10aa, a terminal ID “01db” of the destination terminal (terminal 10db), and a position indicating the position of the own terminal (terminal 10aa). The start request information that includes the information and indicates that it is desired to start the call is transmitted to the management system 50 (step S42). Accordingly, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 can receive the start request information and obtain the IP address “1.2.1.3” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that is the transmission source. . The position information indicates a position detected by the position detection unit 16 of the terminal itself (terminal 10aa) constantly or periodically (for example, every second).

Then, the state management unit 53 determines the terminal management table (see FIG. 13) based on the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the terminal ID “01db” of the destination terminal (terminal 10db) included in the start request information. ), The field portion of the operation state of the record including the terminal ID “01aa” and the terminal ID “01db” is changed to “busy” (step S43). In this state, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the destination terminal (terminal 10db) have not started a call, but are in a call state and the other terminal 10 is a request source terminal (terminal 10aa) or a destination terminal. When a call is made to (terminal 10db), a notification sound or a display indicating a so-called busy state is output.

Next, a process for executing a session for selecting the relay device 30 to be actually used will be described. First, the session ID generation unit 56a illustrated in FIG. 8 generates a session ID used for executing a session for selecting the relay device 30 (step S44). Here, a session ID “se1” is generated.

Then, the session management unit 57 stores the selection session ID “se1” generated in step S44 and the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) in the session management table (see FIG. 15) of the storage unit 5000. And the terminal ID “01db” of the destination terminal (terminal 10db) are stored and managed in association with each other (step S45).

Next, the selection unit 56 of the management system 50 shown in FIG. 8 includes a relay device management table (see FIG. 11), a service management table (see FIG. 16), a location management table (see FIG. 17), and a relay device. Based on the change management table (see FIG. 18), the relay device 30 for relaying a call between the two bases of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the destination terminal (terminal 10db) is selected (step S46).

Here, the processing in step S46 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. First, the storage / reading processing unit 59 shown in FIG. 7 searches the service management table (see FIG. 16) using the service ID that is a part of the terminal ID received in step S42 as a search key. The corresponding service content is read (step S46-1). Based on the service content, the determination unit 56b determines whether the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) is receiving a service that allows the relay device to be changed (step S46-2).

Next, in step S46-2, when the determination unit 56b determines that the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) is receiving a service that can change the relay device (YES), the specifying unit 56c stores By searching for a range (longitude, latitude) including the position information received in step S42 in the position management table (see FIG. 17) via the read processing unit 59, area information corresponding to this range is obtained. Read (step S46-3). Thereby, the specifying unit 56c specifies the nearest relay device 30 of the current position of the request source terminal (terminal 10).

Next, the specifying unit 56 responds by searching the relay device management table (see FIG. 11) through the storage / reading processing unit 59 using the area information read in step S46-3 as a search key. The IP address of the relay device is read (step S46-4). Thereby, the specifying unit 56c specifies the IP address of the relay device 30 nearest to the current location of the request source terminal (terminal 10).

On the other hand, in step S46-2, the determination unit 56b does not receive a service that allows the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) to change the relay device (that is, receives a service that does not change the relay device). If it is determined (NO), the specifying unit 56c, via the storage / reading processing unit 59, uses the terminal ID of the request source terminal received in step S42 as a search key as a search key (see FIG. 18). ) Is retrieved to read out the corresponding relay device ID (step S46-5). Thereby, the specific | specification part 56c specifies the predetermined relay apparatus 30 irrespective of the present position of a request origin terminal (terminal 10). In step S46-4, the IP address of the relay device is specified.

When the relay device selection process in step S46 is completed, the transmission / reception unit 51 illustrated in FIG. 7 transmits the relay device selection information to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) via the communication network 2. (Step S47-1). The relay device selection information includes the IP address of the relay device 30 selected in step S46 and the session ID “se1” generated in step S44. As a result, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) can acquire the IP address of the management system 50 that is the transmission source of the relay device selection information.

Further, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the relay device selection information to the destination terminal (terminal 10db) via the communication network 2 (step S47-2). The relay device selection information includes the IP address of the relay device 30 selected in step S46, the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa), and the session ID “se1” generated in step S44. include. Thus, the destination terminal (terminal 10db) can acquire the IP address of the management system 50 that is the transmission source of the relay device selection information in the execution of the session with the session ID “se1”.

Next, in response to the process in step S47-1, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) transmits the relay device selection information from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 through the process in step S47-1. The reception completion information indicating that the reception is completed is transmitted (step S48-1). This reception completion information includes the session ID “se1” transmitted and received in the process of step S47-1. Thereby, the management system 50 acquires the IP address of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that is the transmission source, together with the completion of the transmission of the relay device selection information that is executed with the specific session ID “se1”.

Further, in response to the process in step S47-2, the destination terminal (terminal 10db) similarly receives to the management system 50 that the reception of the relay device selection information has been completed by the process in step S47-2. Information is transmitted (step S48-2). Also in this case, the management system 50 acquires the IP address of the destination terminal (terminal 10db) that is the transmission source, together with the completion of the transmission of the relay device selection information that is executed with the specific session ID “se1”.

Next, the session management unit 57 of the management system 50 is finally selected as one in the field portion of the relay device ID of the record including the selection session ID in the session management table (see FIG. 15). The relay device ID of the relay device 30c is stored and managed (step S61). In the example of FIG. 15, the relay device ID “111c” is stored and managed in the field portion of the relay device ID of the first and second level records.

Next, the storage / reading processing unit 59 of the management system 50 uses the terminal IDs of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the destination terminal (terminal 10db) received by the process of step S42 as a search key. By searching (see FIG. 13), each corresponding IP address is read (step S62).

Then, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits relay start request information indicating a request to start relaying to the selected relay device 30 via the communication network 2 (step S63). This relay start request information includes each IP address read out by the process of step S62. In the example shown in FIG. 10, relay start request information is transmitted to the relay device 30d. Thereby, since the relay device 30d can grasp that the relay device 30d as its own device has been selected, three image data of low resolution, medium resolution, and high resolution between the terminals (10aa, 10db), In addition, a session for calling the sound data is established (steps S64-1 and S64-2). Therefore, the terminals (10aa, 10db) can start a video conference call at two locations.

As described above, when the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) is receiving the service of “change of relay device”, as shown in FIG. When communicating with the terminal 10db), the relay device 30d installed in the United States can be used. Thereby, the delay of transmission / reception of image data and sound data can be suppressed.

On the other hand, when the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) receives the “do not change relay device” service, as shown in FIG. When communicating with 10db), the relay device 30a installed in Japan is purposely used. This increases the delay in transmitting and receiving image data and sound data. However, for example, a service that does not change the relay device has a lower usage fee than a service that can change the relay device, and thus can contribute to cost reduction.

Subsequently, in order to simplify the description using FIG. 7 and FIG. 25, among the terminals (10aa, 10ba, 10db), between the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the destination terminal (terminal 10db), A process for transmitting and receiving image data and sound data in order to make a video conference call will be described. Note that image data and sound data are transmitted and received by one-way processing for transmitting image data and sound data from the terminal 10aa to the terminal 10db, and reverse processing for transmitting image data and sound data from the terminal 10db to the terminal 10aa. Since the delay time detection and the like described later are the same process, the one-way communication will be described, and the reverse communication will be omitted.

First, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) receives the image data of the subject imaged by the imaging unit 14a and the audio input by the sound input unit 15a by the image / sound data session sed shown in FIG. The sound data is transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the relay device 30c via the communication network 2 (step S81). In the present embodiment, the high-quality image data including the low resolution, the medium resolution, and the high resolution shown in FIG. 3 and the sound data are transmitted. Thereby, in the relay device 30c, the transmission / reception unit 31 receives the image data and the sound data of the three resolutions. Then, the data quality confirmation unit 33 searches the change quality management DB 3001 (see FIG. 9) using the IP address “1.3.2.4” of the destination terminal (terminal 10db) as a search key, and the corresponding relay image By extracting the image quality of the data, the image quality of the image data to be relayed is confirmed (step S82). In the present embodiment, since the image quality of the confirmed image data is “high image quality” and is the same as the image quality of the image data received by the transmission / reception unit 31, the relay device 30 c uses the image / sound data session sed. The image data with the same image quality and the sound data with the same sound quality are transferred to the destination terminal (terminal 10db) (step S83). As a result, the destination terminal (terminal 10db) receives the high-quality image data and the sound data including the low resolution, the medium resolution, and the high resolution at the transmission / reception unit 11. Then, the display control unit 17 can combine the three image quality image data to display an image on the display 120, and the sound output unit 15b can output sound based on the sound data.

Next, the delay detection unit 18 of the terminal 10db detects the reception delay time of the image data received by the transmission / reception unit 11 at regular time intervals (for example, every second) (step S84). In the present embodiment, the following description is continued for a case where the delay time is 200 (ms).

The transmission / reception unit 11 of the destination terminal (terminal 10db) sends delay information indicating the delay time “200 (ms)” to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 by the management information session sei shown in FIG. Transmit (step S85). As a result, the management system 50 can grasp the delay time and the IP address “1.3.2.4” of the terminal 10db that is the transmission source of the delay information.

Next, the delay time management unit 60 of the management system 50 searches the terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 13) using the IP address “1.3.2.4” of the destination terminal (terminal 10db) as a search key. Then, the corresponding terminal ID “01db” is extracted, and in the session management table of the session management DB 5005 (see FIG. 15), the delay information field portion of the record of the terminal ID “01db” is indicated by the delay information. The stored delay time “200 (ms)” is stored and managed (step S86).

Next, the quality determination unit 58 searches the quality management DB 5007 (see FIG. 19) using the delay time “200 (ms)” as a search key, and extracts the image quality “medium image quality” of the corresponding image data. The image quality is determined as “medium image quality” (step S87).

Next, the transmission / reception unit 51 uses the relay device ID “111c” associated with the terminal ID “01db” as a search key in the session management table of the session management DB (see FIG. 15), as a search key. 11) and the IP address “1.3.1.2” of the corresponding relay device 30c is extracted (step S88). Then, the transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the quality “medium image quality” of the image data determined in step 87 to the relay apparatus 30c via the communication network 2 by the management information session sei shown in FIG. Information is transmitted (step S89). This quality information includes the IP address “1.3.2.4” of the destination terminal (terminal 10db) used as the search key in step S86. As a result, in the relay device 30c, the change quality management unit 34 stores the IP address “1.3.2.4” of the destination terminal 10 (here, the terminal 10db) in the change quality management DB 3001 (see FIG. 9). , And the image quality “medium image quality” of the relayed image data is stored and managed in association with each other (step S90).

Next, the terminal 10aa continues to the relay device 30c through the image / sound data session sed in the same manner as in the above step S81, and the high-quality image data including the low resolution, medium resolution, and high resolution, and Sound data is transmitted (step S91). As a result, in the relay device 30c, as in step S82, the data quality confirmation unit 33 uses the IP address “1.3.2.4” of the destination terminal (terminal 10db) as a search key to change the quality management DB 3001 ( 9) and the image quality “medium image quality” of the corresponding image data to be relayed is extracted to check the image quality of the image data to be relayed (step S92). In this embodiment, since the image quality of the confirmed image data is “medium image quality” and lower than the image quality “high image quality” of the image data received by the transmission / reception unit 31, the data quality changing unit 35 The image quality of the image data is changed by suppressing the image quality from “high image quality” to “medium image quality” (step S93).

Then, the image / sound data session sed causes the transmission / reception unit 31 to change the image quality of the image data and the sound quality of the sound to the terminal 10db via the communication network 2 to the “medium image quality”. The sound data that has not been transmitted is transmitted (step S94). As a result, the destination terminal (terminal 10db) receives the image data and sound data of medium quality composed of two of low resolution and medium resolution in the transmission / reception unit 11. Then, the display control unit 17 can combine the two resolution image data to display an image on the display 120, and the sound output unit 15b can output a sound based on the sound data.

As described above, when a reception delay occurs at the destination terminal (terminal 10db) that receives the image data, the relay device 30c changes the quality of the image and gives a strange feeling to the person participating in the video conference. Can not be.

<< Main effects of this embodiment >>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the management system 50 determines that the request source is based on the location information sent from the request source terminal when the service content indicates that the relay device can be changed. When a relay device in the same area as the terminal is selected and the service content indicates that the relay device is not changed, a relay device predetermined for the request source terminal is selected. Thereby, there exists an effect that the service according to a user's utilization condition can be provided.

For example, when the service usage fee when the relay device can be changed is expensive and the service user when the relay device is not changed is inexpensive, a user who may take the terminal 10 overseas, etc. Even if the fee is expensive, it will choose a service that can change the relay device. In addition, a user who does not take the terminal 10 overseas or the like will rarely select a service that does not change the relay device with an inexpensive service usage fee.

[Supplement of Embodiment]
In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) transmits the position information in step S42, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the position information may be transmitted when a login request is made in step S22 shown in FIG.

In the above embodiment, the case where the terminal 10aa is transported from Japan to the United States in FIG. 10 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the user of the terminal 10aa removes the recording medium 106 (recording medium 1010) such as a SIM card in which the terminal ID (including the service ID) and the password are recorded from the terminal 10aa in Japan, and removes only the recording medium 106 from the United States. Or the like, and may be inserted into another terminal 10 used in this foreign country.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the position detection unit 16 illustrated in FIG. 7 is realized by the GPS reception unit 119 illustrated in FIG. 5, but is not limited thereto. For example, the position detection 16 may detect an IP address assigned at a place where the terminal 10 is used. In this case, the position information is not represented by longitude and latitude, but by an IP address.

Furthermore, the relay device 30, the management system 50, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 in the above embodiment may be constructed by a single computer, or each unit (function or means) is divided and arbitrarily assigned. It may be constructed by a plurality of computers. In addition, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a single computer, the program transmitted by the program providing system 90 may be transmitted by dividing it into a plurality of modules. It may be transmitted. Further, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a plurality of computers, a plurality of modules may be divided and transmitted from each computer.

Also, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM storing a terminal program, a relay device program, or a transmission management program of each of the above embodiments, an HD 204 storing these programs, and a program including the HD 204 The providing system 90 is used when the terminal program, the relay device program, and the transmission management program are provided to a user or the like as a program product (Program Product) either domestically or abroad.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, as an example of the image quality of the image data relayed by the relay device 30 by the change quality management table shown in FIG. 9 and the quality management table shown in FIG. Although it was managed by focusing on the resolution of the image of the data, it is not limited to this. Other examples of the quality include the depth of the image quality of the image data, the sampling frequency in the sound data sound, and the bit length in the sound data sound. You may manage it paying attention to. The sound data may be transmitted / received by being divided into three types of resolution data (high resolution, medium resolution, and low resolution).

11, FIG. 13, and FIG. 15 manage the reception date and time, but the present invention is not limited to this, and at least the reception time of the reception date and time may be managed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the IP address of the relay device is managed in FIG. 11 and the IP address of the terminal in FIG. 13, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the relay device 30 is specified on the communication network 2. Each FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) may be managed as long as the relay device specifying information or the terminal specifying information for specifying the terminal 10 on the communication network 2 is used. In this case, an IP address corresponding to the FQDN is acquired by a known DNS (Domain (Name System) server. In addition to “relay device specifying information for specifying the relay device 30 in the communication network 2”, “relay device connection destination information indicating a connection destination to the relay device 30 on the communication network 2” or “communication It may be expressed as “relay device destination information indicating a destination to the relay device 30 on the network 2”. Similarly, not only “terminal specifying information for specifying the terminal 10 in the communication network 2” but also “terminal connection destination information indicating a connection destination to the terminal 10 on the communication network 2” or “on the communication network 2 It may be expressed as “terminal destination information indicating a destination to the terminal 10”.

In the above embodiment, a video conference terminal is described as an example of a transmission terminal. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a telephone system such as an IP (Internet Protocol) telephone or an Internet telephone may be used. Further, it may be a smartphone, a mobile phone, a car navigation terminal, a wearable computer, a surveillance camera, an electronic blackboard, a projector, a game machine, or an industrial device having a communication function. The wearable computer includes a wristwatch, a head mounted display, and the like. Industrial equipment includes office equipment such as MFP (Multifunction Peripheral / Printer / Product), medical equipment such as an endoscope, agricultural equipment such as a cultivator.

In the above embodiment, image data and sound data have been described as an example of content data. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and touch data may be used. In this case, the feeling that the user touched on one terminal side is transmitted to the other terminal side. Further, the content data may be smell data. In this case, the odor (odor) on one terminal side is transmitted to the other terminal side. The content data may be at least one of image data, sound data, tactile data, and olfactory data.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where a video conference is performed by the transmission system 1 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a general conversation such as a meeting, a family or a friend, or information in one direction is performed. It may be used for presentation.

[Others]
Hereinafter, an invention showing one aspect of this embodiment will be disclosed. In addition, the code | symbol in a parenthesis is an example, Comprising: Each means is not limited to the structure and process of a code | symbol.

That is, the present embodiment is a transmission management system for managing a relay device that relays content data transmitted and received by a plurality of transmission terminals, for identifying a service provided by each of the plurality of transmission terminals. From a request source terminal which is a transmission terminal requesting the start of communication with service management means (5006) for associating and managing service identification information and service contents indicating whether the relay device can be selected or not, Receiving means (51, S42) for receiving specific service identification information for identifying the service provided by the request source terminal and position information indicating the position of the request source terminal, received by the receiving means The service contents associated with specific service identification information by the service management means can change the relay device. Is selected, based on the location information received by the receiving means, a relay device in a specific area including the location indicated by the location information is selected, and the service content does not change the relay device. A transmission management system characterized by having selection means (56, S46, S46-2) for selecting a predetermined relay device for the request source terminal when indicating .

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transmission system 10 Transmission terminal 11 Transmission / reception part 16 Position detection part 17 Display control part 18 Delay detection part 30 Relay apparatus 31 Transmission / reception part 32 State detection part 33 Data quality confirmation part 34 Change quality management part 35 Data quality change part 50 Transmission management system 51 Transmission / reception unit (an example of transmission means, an example of reception means)
52 terminal authentication unit 53 state management unit 54 terminal extraction unit 55 terminal state acquisition unit 56 selection unit (an example of selection means)
56a Session ID generation unit

56b Determination unit

56c Identification unit 57 Session management unit 58 Quality determination unit 60 Delay time management unit 70 Router 90 Program providing system 100 Maintenance system 1000 Storage unit 1010 Recording medium 3000 Storage unit 3001 Change quality management DB
5000 storage unit 5001 relay device management DB
5002 Authentication management DB
5003 Terminal management DB
5004 Destination list management DB
5005 Session management DB
5006 Service management DB (an example of service management means)
5007 Location management DB (an example of location management means)
5008 Relay device change management DB (an example of relay device change management means)
5009 Quality Management DB

Claims

A transmission management system for managing a relay device that relays content data transmitted and received by a plurality of transmission terminals,
Service management information for associating and managing service identification information for identifying a service provided by each of the plurality of transmission terminals, and service contents indicating whether the relay device can be selected;
Indicates the specific service identification information for identifying the service provided by the request source terminal from the request source terminal which is a transmission terminal requesting the start of communication with the predetermined transmission terminal, and the position of the request source terminal Receiving means for receiving position information;
If the service content associated with the specific service identification information received by the receiving means indicates that the relay device can be changed, the service information associated with the specific service identification information is received by the receiving means. Based on the location information, if a relay device within a specific area including the location indicated by the location information is selected, and the service content indicates that the relay device is not changed, the request source terminal Selecting means for selecting a predetermined relay device;
A transmission management system comprising:
The transmission management system according to claim 1,
Relay device change management means for managing in association with relay device identification information for identifying each of a plurality of relay devices, and area information indicating the area where the relay device is installed,
When the service content indicates that the relay device can be changed, the selection unit includes predetermined relay device identification information associated with the region information indicating the specific region by the relay device change management unit. A transmission management system characterized by selecting.
The transmission management system according to claim 2,
Having location management means for managing area information indicating each of a plurality of areas and range information indicating the range of the area in association with each other;
The selection means selects area information indicating an area including the position indicated by the position information in the position management means based on the position information received by the receiving means, and the relay device management is selected as the area information. A transmission management system characterized by selecting predetermined relay device identification information associated by means.
The transmission management system according to claim 2 or 3,
Associating relay device identification information for identifying each of the plurality of relay devices, and terminal identification information for identifying a transmission terminal provided with a service content indicating that the relay device is not changed It has relay device change management means to manage,
The receiving means receives terminal identification information for identifying the requesting terminal from the requesting terminal, and when the service content indicates that the relay apparatus is not changed, the selecting means receives the receiving A transmission management system comprising: selecting predetermined relay device identification information associated with the terminal identification information received by the relay device change management unit.
The transmission management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The plurality of relay devices;
A transmission system comprising:
A transmission management method executed by a transmission management system that manages a relay device that relays content data transmitted and received by a plurality of transmission terminals,
The transmission management system includes service management means for associating and managing service identification information for identifying a service provided by each of the plurality of transmission terminals and a service content indicating whether the relay device can be selected. ,
The transmission management system includes:
Specific service identification information for identifying the service provided by the request source terminal and location information indicating the location of the request source terminal are received from the request source terminal requesting the start of communication with a predetermined transmission terminal. Receiving step to
If the service content associated with the specific service identification information received by the receiving step indicates that the relay device can be changed, the service content associated with the specific service identification information is received by the receiving step. Based on the location information, if a relay device within a specific area including the location indicated by the location information is selected, and the service content indicates that the relay device is not changed, the request source terminal A selection step of selecting a predetermined relay device;
The transmission management method characterized by performing.
A program that causes a computer to execute each unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
A program that causes a computer to execute each step according to claim 6.