JP2006339832A - Television conference system and television conference terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To impart such a feeling as sharing the same space, the same sense of distance, and the same directivity to each participant in a conference. <P>SOLUTION: The television conference terminals 2a and 2b comprise sections 3a and 3b for receiving the picture and voice transmitted from a television conference terminal at other point, displays 4a and 4b for displaying the picture received at the receiving section, cameras 5a and 5b for photographing the picture, microphones 6a and 6b for collecting the vice, speakers 7a and 7b for outputting the voice received at the receiving section, and sections 8a and 8b for transmitting the picture photographed by the camera and the voice collected by the microphone to the television conference terminal at other point. The display and the camera are arranged oppositely such that a space into which the participant of conference can enter is formed between the display and the camera. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a video conference system and a video conference terminal device that connect a plurality of points with images and sounds.

  Examples of conventional video conference systems include those disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. In the video conference system disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example, a background panel body is installed in one corner of a wide open space in an office, and a camera and a display are arranged on the opposite surface of the panel body. By arranging the table, it is intended to form a space for a video conference that gives a feeling of being sufficiently separated from the surroundings visually and psychologically.

  On the other hand, the video conference system disclosed in Patent Document 2 displays a video of the participants taken from an angle in addition to the front video of the participants, so that all participants are at the same work site. It is intended to obtain an atmosphere close to the situation in which work is being performed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-141318 JP 07-154663 A

  In the video conference system disclosed in Patent Document 1, the display device may be placed anywhere as long as the face or upper body of the conference participant can be seen. There was a problem that the sense of distance and directionality differed among participants. This difference in sense of distance and direction is not a problem in a meeting where there is almost no movement, but it does not affect movements such as pointing at a third party sitting far away or moving in a meeting space. Thus, each participant does not feel that they are working together sharing the same space.

  Further, in the video conference system disclosed in Patent Document 2, for a certain video conference participant, display is performed so that the orientation of other participants can be seen naturally depending on the position and angle of the display that displays the other participants. However, like the video conference system of Patent Document 1, there is a problem in that the sense of distance and directionality are completely different between participants at different points. Therefore, even in the video conference system disclosed in Patent Document 2, each participant does not feel as if they are working together while sharing the same space.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and allows each participant who participates in a conference to have a sense of sharing the same space, the same sense of distance, and the same directionality. And it aims at providing a video conference terminal device.

The present invention relates to a video conference system that connects a plurality of points with images and sounds, and a video conference terminal device is arranged at each point, and each video conference terminal device transmits an image and a sound transmitted from a video conference terminal device at another point. A display unit that displays an image received by the reception unit, a camera that captures an image, a microphone that collects sound, and a speaker that outputs the sound received by the reception unit A transmission unit that transmits an image captured by the camera and audio collected by the microphone to a video conference terminal device at another point, and the video conference terminal device at one point among the plurality of points, The display device at one point and the camera are arranged to face each other so that a space is formed between the display device and the camera so that participants of the conference can enter. It is intended.
Further, in one configuration example of the video conference system according to the present invention, in the video conference terminal device at all points, the space in which a conference participant can enter is formed between the display device and the camera, respectively. The display device and the camera are arranged to face each other.

Further, in the video conference system of the present invention, a video conference terminal device is arranged at each point, and each video conference terminal device includes a receiving unit that receives images and sound transmitted from the video conference terminal device at other points, A display device that displays an image received by the receiving unit, a camera that captures the image, a microphone that collects sound, a speaker that outputs the sound received by the receiving unit, and an image captured by the camera And a transmission unit that transmits the sound collected by the microphone to the video conference terminal device at another location, and the video conference terminal device at one location among the plurality of locations is a set of the display device and the camera. The plurality of sets are arranged so as to surround a space in which conference participants can enter, and images transmitted from video conference terminal devices at other points are displayed on the plurality of sets of display devices. It is characterized in that it is switchable to display any of Chi.
Further, in one configuration example of the video conference system of the present invention, the video conference terminal devices at all points each have a plurality of sets of the display device and the camera, and the plurality of sets can be entered by conference participants. It is arranged so as to surround a space, and can be switched to display an image transmitted from a video conference terminal device at another point so as to be displayed on any one of the plurality of sets of display devices.
In one configuration example of the video conference system of the present invention, the set of the display device and the camera in the one-point video conference terminal device is arranged to form at least a part of each side of the polygon. Is.
In one configuration example of the video conference system according to the present invention, the set of the display device and the camera in the video conference terminal device at all points is arranged to form at least a part of each side of the polygon. Is.

  Further, the present invention is a video conference terminal device arranged at each point in a video conference system that connects a plurality of points with images and sounds, and receives images and sounds transmitted from the video conference terminal devices at other points. A receiving unit; a display device that displays an image received by the receiving unit; a camera that captures an image; a microphone that collects audio; a speaker that outputs audio received by the receiving unit; and the camera And a transmission unit that transmits the sound collected by the microphone to the video conference terminal device at another point, and there is a space in which a conference participant can enter between the display device and the camera. The display device and the camera are arranged to face each other as formed.

  According to the present invention, the display device and the camera are arranged facing each other, and the microphone and the speaker are further arranged, and the image and sound of the space where the participant is present are transmitted and output mutually. Participants participate in the video conference with the display device in the back. As a result, each participant faces the same direction as the other participants displayed on the display device, so that it feels as if the front space is shared with the other participants, and is the same distance as the other participants. Can share the same direction.

  Further, in the present invention, a plurality of sets of display devices and cameras are provided, and the plurality of sets are arranged so as to surround a space where a conference participant can enter, so that the participant can move in the inner space. It becomes possible to increase the space shared by each participant. Further, in the present invention, it is possible to switch the image transmitted from the video conference terminal device at another point to be displayed on any one of a plurality of sets of display devices, so that either the same direction conference or the face-to-face conference is performed. You can select to switch.

[First Embodiment]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video conference system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The video conference system of the present embodiment connects two rooms 1a and 1b to each other, and includes a video conference terminal device 2a arranged in the room 1a and a video conference terminal device 2b arranged in the room 1b. Composed.

  The video conference terminal device 2a includes a receiving unit 3a that receives the image and sound transmitted from the video conference terminal device 2b, a display device 4a that displays the image received by the receiving unit 3a, and the display device 4a. The camera 5a disposed opposite to the display device 4a, the microphone 6a for collecting the sound in the room 1a, and the sound received by the receiving unit 3a so that a space where a conference participant can enter is formed. And a transmitter 8a that transmits the image captured by the camera 5a and the sound collected by the microphone 6a to the video conference terminal device 2b.

  The video conference terminal device 2b includes a receiving unit 3b that receives the image and sound transmitted from the video conference terminal device 2a, a display device 4b that displays the image received by the receiving unit 3b, and the display device 4b. The camera 5b disposed opposite to the display device 4b, the microphone 6b for collecting the sound in the room 1b, and the sound received by the receiving unit 3b so that a space where participants of the conference can enter is formed. And a transmitter 8b for transmitting the image captured by the camera 5b and the sound collected by the microphone 6b to the video conference terminal device 2a.

The camera 5a in the room 1a captures an image displayed on the display device 4a, a participant Ua in front of the display device 4a, and a space in front of the participant Ua. The image captured by the camera 5a and the sound collected by the microphone 6a are transmitted from the transmission unit 8a to the video conference terminal device 2b in the room 1b.
The camera 5b in the room 1b captures an image displayed on the display device 4b, a participant Ub in front of the display device 4b, and a space in front of the participant Ub. The image captured by the camera 5b and the sound collected by the microphone 6b are transmitted from the transmission unit 8b to the video conference terminal device 2a in the room 1a.

The display device 4a in the room 1a receives and displays the image transmitted from the transmission unit 8b of the video conference terminal device 2b through the reception unit 3a, and the speaker 7a receives the sound transmitted from the transmission unit 8b through the reception unit 3a. Receive and output.
The display device 4b in the room 1b receives and displays the image transmitted from the transmission unit 8a of the video conference terminal device 2a through the reception unit 3b, and the speaker 7b receives the sound transmitted from the transmission unit 8a through the reception unit 3b. Receive and output.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the display device and the camera are arranged facing each other in each room, and the microphone and the speaker are further arranged to transmit the image and sound of the space where the participant is present to each other. Output. Participants participate in the video conference with the display device in the back. As a result, each participant faces the same direction as the other participants displayed on the display device, so that it feels as if the front space is shared with the other participants, and is the same distance as the other participants. Can share the same direction. If there are other participants in the rooms 1a and 1b in addition to the participants Ua and Ub shown in FIG. 1, this participant also shares the same sense of distance and direction as the participants. Can do. In addition, each participant who has a display apparatus in the back can recognize the image of a display apparatus by looking sideways or turning around occasionally.

  In the present embodiment, the sound collected by the microphone 6a is output from the speaker 7b, the sound output from the speaker 7b is collected by the microphone 6b and output from the speaker 7a, and the sound output from the speaker 7a is again transmitted. Since a sound loop is formed as if the sound is collected by the microphone 6a, howling may occur. The same applies to the image. The image captured by the camera 5a is displayed on the display device 4b, the image displayed on the display device 4b is captured by the camera 5b, displayed on the display device 4a, and displayed on the display device 4a. An image loop is formed such that the image is picked up again by the camera 5a.

  Therefore, with respect to the voice, for example, the voice howling can be avoided by suppressing the voice level in a frequency band in which howling is relatively likely to occur by the reception units 3a and 3b and the transmission units 8a and 8b. In addition, with respect to images, howling of images can be avoided by using polarizing plates for the display devices 4a and 4b, or by removing duplication of the same image using chroma key technology.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video conference system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The video conference system of the present embodiment connects three rooms 1a, 1b, and 1c to each other. The video conference terminal device 2a arranged in the room 1a and the video conference terminal device 2b arranged in the room 1b. And a video conference terminal device 2c arranged in the room 1c.

The camera 5a in the room 1a captures an image displayed on the display device 4a, a participant Ua in front of the display device 4a, and a space in front of the participant Ua. The image captured by the camera 5a and the sound collected by the microphone 6a are transmitted from the transmission unit 8a to the video conference terminal device 2b in the room 1b and the video conference terminal device 2c in the room 1c.
The camera 5b in the room 1b captures an image displayed on the display device 4b, a participant Ub in front of the display device 4b, and a space in front of the participant Ub. The image captured by the camera 5b and the sound collected by the microphone 6b are transmitted from the transmission unit 8b to the video conference terminal device 2a in the room 1a and the video conference terminal device 2c in the room 1c.
The camera 5c in the room 1c captures an image displayed on the display device 4c, a participant Uc in front of the display device 4c, and a space in front of the participant Uc. The image captured by the camera 5c and the sound collected by the microphone 6c are transmitted from the transmission unit 8c to the video conference terminal device 2a in the room 1a and the video conference terminal device 2b in the room 1b.

The display device 4a in the room 1a receives and displays the images transmitted from the transmission unit 8b of the video conference terminal device 2b and the transmission unit 8c of the video conference terminal device 2c through the reception unit 3a, and the speaker 7a includes the transmission unit 8b. And the voice transmitted from 8c is received and output through the receiver 3a.
The display device 4b in the room 1b receives and displays the images transmitted from the transmission unit 8a of the video conference terminal device 2a and the transmission unit 8c of the video conference terminal device 2c through the reception unit 3b, and the speaker 7b includes the transmission unit 8a. And the voice transmitted from 8c is received and output through the receiver 3b.
The display device 4c in the room 1c receives and displays the images transmitted from the transmission unit 8a of the video conference terminal device 2a and the transmission unit 8b of the video conference terminal device 2b through the reception unit 3c, and the speaker 7c includes the transmission unit 8a. And the voice transmitted from 8b is received and output through the receiver 3c.

As described above, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained also in the video conference system that connects the three points.
The display devices 4a, 4b, and 4c simultaneously display two images transmitted from the other two points. As a display method at this time, the transmittance is applied to each of the two images. In addition, the two images may be added and displayed, or may be displayed using a superimpose method of displaying another image in one image. Similarly, the speakers 7a, 7b, and 7c simultaneously output two sounds transmitted from the other two points. As an output method at this time, the two sounds are added and output. That's fine.

In the first and second embodiments, the connection at two points or the connection at three points is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that more points may be connected. .
In the first and second embodiments, the display device and the camera are opposed to each other in the video conference terminal devices at all points. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the opposed arrangement of the display device and the camera is specified. Only the first point may be used. In this case, at a point other than the first point, the captured image may be image-processed by the computer of the transmission unit and converted as if it was captured in a facing arrangement, and then transmitted. Thereby, the above-described effect can be obtained even when the display device and the camera are arranged opposite to each other only at one point.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video conference system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The video conference system according to the present embodiment includes a receiving unit (not shown), eight display devices 4 (4-1 to 4-8), and eight cameras 5 (5-1 to 5) in one room. -8), a microphone 6, a speaker 7, and a video conference terminal device 2 including a transmission unit (not shown).

  In the present embodiment, in order to increase the space shared by the participants, the display device 4 and the camera 5 are arranged so as to form each side of a polygon (a regular octagon in the example of FIG. 3). All the display devices 4 face inward. In the example of FIG. 3, only one point is described for ease of description, but the connection between the points may be the same as in the first and second embodiments.

  For example, an image captured by the camera 5-1 is transmitted from the transmission unit to the multipoint video conference terminal device, displayed on the multipoint display device, and the multipoint camera arranged so as to face the display device. The image picked up in (4) may be received by the receiving unit and displayed on the display device 4-5 facing the camera 5-1. In addition, the sound collected by the microphone 6 is transmitted from the transmission unit to the multi-point video conference terminal device and output from the multi-point speaker, and the sound collected by the multi-point microphone is received by the reception unit. The output from the speaker 7 may be performed.

  In the first and second embodiments, there is a drawback that the area that can be photographed by the camera remains in a narrow range, and if the participant is out of this area, the participant cannot be photographed. On the other hand, in this Embodiment, a participant can move now in the space inside a polygon, and the space which each participant can share can be increased. A certain participant U-1 can see the image of the display device next to, diagonally, or opposite, or can see other participants U-2 and U-3. Moreover, even if it does not move, the feeling of sharing the space is increased by the extent that the range where the participant can see is expanded.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video conference system according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same reference numerals are given to the same configurations as those in FIG. In the third embodiment, the display device 4 and the camera 5 are arranged on all sides of the polygon. However, even when the display device 4 and the camera 5 are arranged on only some of the sides of the polygon, this It is possible for participants inside the polygon or participants at other points to share the space inside the polygon.

  The example of FIG. 4 is an example in which the display device 4 and the camera 5 are arranged only on seven of the eight sides of the regular octagon, but as shown in FIG. 5, the display is performed on only five of the eight sides of the regular octagon. The device 4 and the camera 5 may be arranged.

  Here, it is considered that the arrangement as shown in FIG. 4 is performed at the first point and the arrangement as shown in FIG. 5 is performed at the second point. Since the display device is not disposed on the right side at the first point, the camera at the position corresponding to the display device (the left side in FIG. 5) is unnecessary at the second point. Further, since no camera is arranged on the right side at the second point, information to be displayed on the display device 4-7 at the position corresponding to the camera (left side in FIG. 4) cannot be obtained at the first point. . In this case, any appropriate information may be displayed on the display device 4-7. Since the camera is easier to install than the display device, it is realistic to place the camera on the right side of the second point. If this camera is arranged, the display on the display device 4-7 at the first point can be realized as originally intended.

  In the third and fourth embodiments as well, as in the first and second embodiments, the display device and the camera may be opposed to each other only at a specific first point. At other points other than the first point, the captured image may be processed by the computer of the transmission unit and converted as if it was captured in a facing arrangement, and then transmitted.

  In the third and fourth embodiments, either the same direction meeting or the face-to-face meeting can be selected and switched. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, a set of a display device 4a-1 and a camera 5a-1 and a set of a display device 4a-2 and a camera 5a-2 are arranged facing each other in a room 1a. When the display device 4b-1 and the camera 5b-1 are arranged to face each other in 1b, the transmission unit (not shown) of the video conference terminal device 2a in the room 1a displays the image captured by the camera 5a-1 in the room. 1b is transmitted to the video conference terminal device 2b, and the receiver (not shown) of the video conference terminal device 2a displays the image captured by the camera 5b-1 of the video conference terminal device 2b on the display device 4a-2. Switch to. Thereby, the same direction meeting where the participant of each point faces the same direction is realizable.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, the arrangement inside the room 1a is the same as that in FIG. 6A, and the display device 4b-1 and the camera 5b-1 face the same direction in the room 1b. When arranged, the transmission unit (not shown) of the video conference terminal device 2a in the room 1a transmits the image captured by the camera 5a-1 to the video conference terminal device 2b in the room 1b, and also the video conference terminal device 2a. The receiving unit (not shown) switches so that an image captured by the camera 5b-1 of the video conference terminal device 2b is displayed on the display device 4a-1. Thereby, the face-to-face meeting where the participants at each point face each other can be realized.

  The present invention can be applied to a video conference system.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the video conference system used as the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the video conference system used as the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the video conference system used as the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the video conference system used as the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the other structure of the video conference system used as the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating switching of the display apparatus in the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1a, 1b, 1c ... Room 2, 2a, 2b, 2c ... Video conference terminal device, 3a, 3b, 3c ... Reception part, 4-1 to 4-8, 4a, 4b, 4c ... Display apparatus, 5-1 ˜5-8, 5a, 5b, 5c... Camera, 6, 6a, 6b, 6c... Camera, 7, 7a, 7b, 7c... Speaker, 8a, 8b, 8c.

Claims (7)

In a video conference system that connects multiple points with images and audio,
Video conference terminal devices are placed at each point,
Each video conference terminal device
A receiving unit for receiving images and sound transmitted from a video conference terminal device at another point;
A display device for displaying an image received by the receiver;
A camera for taking images,
A microphone that collects audio,
A speaker for outputting the sound received by the receiving unit;
A transmission unit that transmits the image captured by the camera and the sound collected by the microphone to a video conference terminal device at another point;
In the video conference terminal device at one point among the plurality of points, the display device and the camera at the one point are formed so that a space where a conference participant can enter is formed between the display device and the camera. A video conferencing system characterized by being arranged to face each other. The video conference system according to claim 1,
In the video conference terminal device at all points, the display device and the camera are arranged so as to face each other so that a space where a conference participant can enter is formed between the display device and the camera. A video conference system characterized by In a video conference system that connects multiple points with images and audio,
Video conference terminal devices are placed at each point,
Each video conference terminal device
A receiving unit for receiving images and sound transmitted from a video conference terminal device at another point;
A display device for displaying an image received by the receiver;
A camera for taking images,
A microphone that collects audio,
A speaker for outputting the sound received by the receiving unit;
A transmission unit that transmits the image captured by the camera and the sound collected by the microphone to a video conference terminal device at another point;
The video conference terminal device at one point among the plurality of points has a plurality of sets of the display device and the camera, and the plurality of sets are arranged so as to surround a space in which a conference participant can enter. A video conference system capable of switching so that an image transmitted from a video conference terminal device at a location is displayed on one of the plurality of sets of display devices. The video conference system according to claim 3,
The video conference terminal devices at all points each have a plurality of sets of the display device and the camera, and the plurality of sets are arranged so as to surround a space where participants of the conference can enter, and the video conference terminals at other points A video conference system, wherein the video conferencing system is switchable so that an image transmitted from the device is displayed on any one of the plurality of sets of display devices. The video conference system according to claim 3,
A set of the display device and the camera in the one-point video conference terminal device is arranged to form at least a part of each side of a polygon. The video conference system according to claim 4,
The video conference system, wherein the set of the display device and the camera in the video conference terminal device at all points is arranged to form at least a part of each side of the polygon. A video conference terminal device arranged at each point in a video conference system that connects a plurality of points with images and sounds,
A receiving unit for receiving images and sound transmitted from a video conference terminal device at another point;
A display device for displaying an image received by the receiver;
A camera for taking images,
A microphone that collects audio,
A speaker for outputting the sound received by the receiving unit;
A transmission unit that transmits the image captured by the camera and the sound collected by the microphone to a video conference terminal device at another point;
The video conference terminal device, wherein the display device and the camera are arranged to face each other so that a space in which a conference participant can enter is formed between the display device and the camera.

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