JPH02117291A - Television conference system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To adjust a picture in a transmission side according to the intention of a reception side in the transmission side and to execute control without lowering information density by controlling the image pickup condition of a TV camera in another terminal side in correspondence to operation which is executed in an operating part. CONSTITUTION:The picture of a TV camera 2 in a self-terminal side is sent as a video signal through a control part 6 to a transmission route 5 and a video signal from the other terminal side is displayed through the control part 6 to a monitor part 7. A sound signal is inputted from a microphone 8 and transmitted through the control part 6 and a sound signal from the other terminal is outputted from a speaker 9 through the control part 6. When the conference is executed, there is a case that the picture to be sent from the transmission side is against the intention of the reception side. In such a case, the picture, which is desired to be observed in the reception side, can be obtained by controlling the camera 2 in the transmission side by an operating part 4 in the self-terminal side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a control method for specifying the range of a remote side video in a video conference system from a local side.

(Prior Art) In conventional video conferencing systems, the television camera that captures video signals from each terminal operates only its own terminal to determine and instruct the type, range, etc. of the video to be transmitted.

For this reason, with conventional devices, it is not possible to specify the type, range, etc. of the image being sent at the receiver's will. Inconveniences may occur, such as parts of the image that the receiving side wants to see are not displayed.In this case, the receiving side can instruct the transmitting side to display the image that it wants to see, but the sending side does not display the television camera as expected. In many cases, it is not possible to manipulate the image.Also, to solve this problem, it is possible to take out a part of the image sent on the receiving side and process it, such as enlarging it. In some cases, a problem arises in that the information density becomes coarse and the image becomes rough.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As mentioned above, in conventional devices, the video content such as the range of the video to be transmitted could only be adjusted on the video transmitting side, so the video could not be adjusted at the receiver's will. There was a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, the present invention aims to eliminate this problem and provide a video conference system that can adjust the video on the sending side according to the will of the receiving side without reducing the information density.

[Structure of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a television camera that captures images on its own terminal side and generates image signals, and converts audio on its own terminal side into audio signals to generate audio signals transmitted from other terminals. A handset that converts signals into audio, a monitor that displays video signals sent from other terminals and displays a specified area within the projected image, and moves the television camera. and an operation section for setting a specific area specified on the monitor section, and transmitting an image signal input from the television camera and an audio signal input from the handset, and transmitting the image signal input from the television camera and the audio signal input from the handset, and The received image signal is sent to the monitor section, the received audio signal is sent to the pre-distribution handset, and the television camera, the display of a specific area on the monitor section, and the A video conference system characterized by comprising: a control unit that controls the imaging state of a television camera on the other terminal side based on a specific area.

(Function) According to the present invention, a control signal for a television camera performed by an operation section on the terminal side is transmitted to the other terminal side via a transmission path, so that the television camera on the other terminal side can be controlled. This makes it possible to control the screen according to the will of the receiver.
The image that the receiver wants to see can be obtained without reducing the information density.

(Example) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically showing a video conference system of the present invention. In the figure, the main body 1 of the TV metal part device
a is a television camera 2a that generates an image signal;
It converts audio into audio signals and connects them to form one terminal. Similarly, other terminals are configured by the main body 1b, television camera 2b, handset 3b, and operation unit 4b, and by connecting these terminals with a transmission line 5 using a dedicated line etc. A packing system is configured.

Here, the configuration of each terminal is shown in FIG. In the figure, the main body 1 includes a control section 6 that sends each input signal to a predetermined device, and a monitor section 7 that displays the image signals sent from the control section 6. The control unit 6 of this main body 1 includes a television camera 2 that generates an image signal from the video on the terminal side, a speaker 9 that outputs an audio signal from the terminal side, and a speaker 9 that performs various operations when having a TV conversation. An operating section 4 for performing the operations is connected. This control section 6 is connected to the transmission line 5. Further, the other terminal has a similar configuration, and these terminals are connected through a transmission path 5 to form a video conference system.

Next, the operation of this system will be explained.

The video of the television camera 2 on its own terminal side is sent to the transmission path 5 via the control section 6 as a video signal.

At the same time, an image signal input from another terminal via the transmission line 5 is displayed on the monitor section 7 via the control section 6. Further, an audio signal is inputted from the microphone 8 and transmitted via the control section 6. A video conference can be held using this button, which allows simultaneous signals and audio signals to be exchanged between both terminals.

During a video conference, the faces of the participants are usually displayed on the monitor 7 so that the participants can see each other's faces.
to be displayed. Here, when there is a document to be shown to the other party, the television camera 2 is switched to display the document. In this case, the operation is performed using the operation unit 6, the control signal is input to the control unit 6, and the control unit 6 controls the television camera 2.
Adjust the orientation, screen enlargement/reduction, focus, etc.

Furthermore, when holding a conference, the images sent from the transmitting side may not suit the wishes of the receiving side. For example, when displaying documents, drawings, etc., there may be cases in which a portion of the document or drawing is desired to be enlarged, or a portion desired by the receiver may not be displayed. In such a case, by controlling the television camera on the transmitting side using the operation unit 4 on the own terminal side, it is possible to obtain the image that the receiver side wants to see.

FIG. 3 shows a screen display on the monitor section 7 when a part of the sent image is enlarged. First, by switching the changeover switch (not shown) provided on the operation unit 4, the screen can be freely moved to the normal screen shown in FIG. 3(a) as shown in FIG. 3(b). can. By taking two points with this cursor 10, the part to be enlarged can be specified. First, when a first point is determined as shown in FIG. 3(C), a cross line 11 that intersects at the position of this cursor IO is displayed. Next, as shown in FIG. 3(d), the cursor 10 is moved to a position that includes the portion to be enlarged, and a second point is set as shown in FIG. 3(e). At this time, the cross line 1 that crosses at the position of the second point
2 is displayed.

The set area to be enlarged can be displayed by these two cross lines 11 and 12. In response to this operation, the open side j section 6 compares the original screen with the set area to detect how far the center of the screen should be moved and the size of the area. Based on this, the direction, angle, and zoom rate of the television camera 2b of the other terminal 0111 are calculated. This control signal is then transmitted through the transmission line 5 to operate the television camera 2b on the other terminal side.

Here, since the screen scrolls by moving the cursor 10 to the edge of the screen when setting the area, the cursor 10 can be set outside the initially displayed screen. Therefore, even if the portion of the transmitted image that the receiving side wants to see is not reflected, or if you want to zoom out and see the whole area, you can set the area, and the television camera 2b on the other terminal side can be set. It can be made to work.

In this way, in this teleconference system, the television camera 2b on the transmitting side can be operated from the receiving side, so that a desired image can be obtained on the receiving side.

Of course, in such an operation, the method of specifying the area on the screen of the monitor unit 7 is not limited to this, and if you want to enlarge a part of the screen, for example, as shown in FIG. There is also a method of setting points with the cursor 10 and enlarging only the area surrounded by these points.
), there is a method of drawing a closed curve with the cursor 10 using a mouse or the like and enlarging only the area surrounded by this. Further, when reducing the entire image, there is a method of enlarging the entire image at predetermined stages by setting the same point twice with the cursor 10.

These can be easily done by changing the software built into this system.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. This example is based on the fifth
As shown in the figure, this is a system for video conferencing using the 15DN service network. In the figure, the main body 10 includes a control unit 6, a television camera 2, an operation 4. A monitor section 7, a microphone 8, and a speaker 9 are connected. From this control section 6, B1. B2. Three transmission lines 13, 14, and 15 of D are output, and these three transmission lines are connected to the l5DN service subscriber line interface 16, and from here
It is connected to the 5DN service subscriber line 17.

Here, the controller 6 and the 15DN service subscriber line interface 16 are connected through three transmission lines (7).
1. This is done to make it compatible with the 15DN service network. In other words, the service subscriber line of the l5DN service network is 64Kbps in the case of basic interface service.
Two B-channels of 16 Kl) and one D-channel of 16 Kl/s are provided.

? The operation of this embodiment using the lXK and l5DN service networks will be described. Here, the transmission line 15 from the control unit 6 is used for call control. Therefore, when starting a video conference, a call is made to the terminal with which the user wants to conduct the video conference using the operation unit 6. This call control signal is sent from the control unit 6 to the service subscriber line interface 1 via the D channel 15.
6 and makes a call. Once the call is connected, the video conference begins. The control unit 6 sends out the image signal input from the television camera 2 via the B1 channel 13. Conversely, the image signal input from the B1 channel 13 is sent to the monitor section 7. Furthermore, audio signals input and output to the handset 3 are transmitted and received via the B2 channel 14.

Terminals that perform such operations are connected via an fSDN service network as shown in FIG. When operating the television camera 2a on the own terminal side, the operator operates the operation section 4a, and the control signal generated thereby controls the television camera 2a via the control section 6. Further, when controlling the television camera 2b on the other terminal side, the operation unit 6 is switched to other terminal side control and the operation is performed.

When this control signal is input to the operation unit 4, the control signal is transmitted via the B2 channel 14, which is a transmission path for audio signals. In this way, the control signal for controlling the television camera 2b is transmitted using the audio signal transmission path 14. Therefore, a transmission path for controlling the television camera is not required. Video conferences can be held using basic interface services.

In this embodiment, a system using ISDN service has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any public line that can sufficiently transmit signals can be similarly used in the video conference system of the present invention.

As described above, in the video conference system of the present invention, the first embodiment uses a dedicated line, and the second embodiment uses a public line such as 15DN. Ta. This iK and the present invention can be used regardless of the type of transmission path.

Furthermore, the configuration of this system is not limited to the configurations of the two embodiments described above. For example, the operations performed on the operation section 4 may be performed using a small operation monitor section using a touch panel or the like. It is also possible to operate the television camera 2 by voice recognition by incorporating a voice recognition circuit. As described above, the configuration of the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, in the present invention, since it is possible to specify the area on the screen of the monitor unit that you want the TV camera of the other terminal to display, the direction, angle, etc. of the TV camera of the other terminal can be specified. can be the control part.Therefore,
It is possible to control the image being received ((!I) and to view the desired image on the receiving side.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the video conference/system of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. The screen display of the monitor section is shown in Figure 3 (a) before control and Figure 3 (b).
) to 3(f) are diagrams showing screens during control, FIG. 4 is a screen display diagram showing another example of control, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Video conference system body, 2... Television camera, 3... Handset, 4... Operating unit, 5... Transmission N path, 6... Control unit, 7...
Monitor section, 8...Microphone, 9...Speaker,
16...Service subscriber line interface. Representative Patent Attorney Nori Ken Chika Yudo Yamashita (l) ζbノ(Cn(cl) (e) Bi) Figure 3 ((Z) (b) Figure 4

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A television camera that captures video from its own terminal and generates an image signal; a handset that converts audio from its own terminal into audio signals; and a handset that converts audio signals transmitted from other terminals into audio; A monitor unit that displays a video signal sent from another terminal and displays a specific area designated within the projected image; and a monitor unit that performs operations for moving the television camera; an operation section for setting a specific area to be designated; and an operation section for transmitting an image signal input from the television camera and an audio signal input from the handset, and transmitting an image signal received from the other terminal side to the monitor section. and sends the received audio signal to the handset, and depending on the operation performed on the operation unit, displays a specific area on the television camera and monitor unit, and on the other terminal side based on this specific area. What is claimed is: 1. A television conference system comprising: a control section that controls the imaging state of a television camera. (2) The control unit performs call control via the call control transmission path, sends the image signal input from the camera to the image transmission path, and transmits the image signal input from the image transmission path to the monitor. transmits audio signals to the handset and outputs them to and from the handset via the audio transmission path, controls the camera and the screen of the monitor according to the operation of the operation unit, and controls the operation unit of the other terminal. Claim 1, characterized in that the controller interrupts transmission and reception of audio signals when controlling the camera on the side, and transmits and receives control signals using this audio transmission path, and uses a public line. The video conferencing system described.