JP2002026837A - Information distribution system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To distribute information so that passengers in an aircraft can enjoy contents information, etc., with a high quality and in proper real-time. SOLUTION: An information processor 21 in an information distribution control center collects optional contents information from a plurality of contents information servers 111 to 11n, properly edits it and gives data compression to it to prepare a distributed information file. Then, the processor 21 calls the satellite communication terminal 14 of a previously decided aircraft to be connected to the terminal 14 through a satellite communication gateway 12 and a communication satellite 13 to send a distribution information file to the 14. A distributed information reproducing device 22 on the side of the aircraft stores data received by the terminal 14, restores it in the distributed information file, extends the data to return it to original contents information and then restores it properly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information distribution system for providing, for example, news and other content information to a passenger traveling on an aircraft or a ship from the ground.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A satellite communication system and a satellite broadcasting system for mobile objects are extremely effective means for providing information from the ground to passengers traveling on an aircraft or a ship.
It is possible to receive telephone service anywhere in the world, and the area is limited to Japan, etc., but aircraft in some countries are equipped with special antennas to receive satellite broadcasts and enjoy them on board it can.

However, anywhere in the world, news and sports programs cannot be enjoyed not only with audio but also with video, high quality and in real time. With the prior art, it is possible to call anywhere in the world, so it is possible to get the latest information by calling the ground. Conversely, a call can be made from the ground side to convey information to the other party. However, it is not realistic for individuals to enjoy for a long time due to high call rates. In addition, it is not possible to obtain information including video that can be enjoyed on the ground.

[0004] Even if a special antenna is installed, satellite broadcasting broadcasts in Japan, so that this service can be used anywhere in the world on international aircraft flying on the sea or on ships sailing on the sea. is not.

On the other hand, the latest news and the like can be obtained on the current Internet. Therefore, it is possible for a passenger of a moving body such as an aircraft to obtain such news and the like by using a so-called dial-up service. However, the transmission rate of the communication line is low, and it is not possible to enjoy images and music contents of sufficient quality.
In addition, there are disadvantages in that the individual must bear high communication costs and occupy a small number of communication lines.

[0006] In addition, passengers from many countries are often on board, especially on international flights, and information in one language is not sufficient service for passengers. The only solution to this problem is to increase the communication capacity so as to enable connection with a plurality of content providers, or to connect in sequence one after another in time. The former causes an increase in capital investment in communication systems, and the latter has difficulty in real-time performance.

[0007]

As described above, in the prior art, it is difficult to transmit high-quality moving image and audio information to a passenger on a moving body such as an aircraft without impairing the real-time property. There was a problem. Also,
There was also a problem that it was difficult to provide information that was carefully considered to meet the needs of many passengers.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a passenger on a moving object such as an airplane or a ship with content information such as video and music information that can be viewed on land, as if the user were on land. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information distribution system capable of distributing information so that it can be enjoyed with high quality and moderate real time.

[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for distributing content information or the like in the information distribution system.
An object of the present invention is to enable flexible editing and processing by predicting the needs of passengers in a moving body.

[0010]

To achieve the above object, the present invention has the following characteristic configuration.

(1) For a mobile unit equipped with a satellite communication terminal for connection to a satellite communication line, the information distribution management center for mobile unit edits content information provided by one or more content providers via the satellite communication line. And
An information delivery system for delivering to one or more mobile objects,
The information distribution management center is provided to collect content information from the one or more content providers, edit the content information for each mobile unit of the distribution destination or for each group of mobile units, and perform data compression to generate a distribution information file. A distribution information processing apparatus for designating a distribution destination and transmitting a corresponding distribution information file to the satellite communication line; and a distribution information file mounted on the one or more mobile bodies and received by the satellite communication terminal, An information reproducing apparatus for extracting and reproducing content information by performing data decompression.

(2) In the configuration of (1), the distribution information processing device performs data compression at an encoding speed higher than the transmission speed of the satellite communication line, and the mobile-side receiving / reproducing device converts the received data. It is characterized in that the distribution information file is restored by accumulating it, and reproduced at the encoding speed in data compression.

(3) In the configuration of (1), the distribution information processing device collects content information from the one or more content providers according to a request of an information distribution requester, edits the content information, and edits one or more content information. It is characterized in that a plurality of distribution information files are created.

(4) In the configuration of (1), the distribution information processing device edits the content information including additional information in addition to the content information to create a distribution information file.

(5) In the configuration of (4), the content information or the additional information collected from the one or more content providers is generated depending on a position or a destination of a mobile unit of a distribution destination or a group of mobile units. It is characterized by the information responding to the request.

(6) In the configuration of (4), the distribution information processing apparatus is characterized in that the information compression degree is variable in accordance with the content information or the content of the additional information.

(7) In the configuration of (1), the distribution information processing apparatus groups the moving objects of the distribution destination according to a request or purpose condition, and creates a distribution information file according to the condition for each group. Is transmitted.

(8) In the configuration of (1), furthermore, information input which is mounted on the mobile unit and receives information responding to the distributed information and transmits the information to the information distribution management center for the mobile unit by the satellite communication terminal. A transmitting device; and an information totalizing device provided at the information distribution management center and totalizing information transmitted from the information transmitting device of the mobile object.

(9) In the configuration of (1), the information distribution company that owns the distribution information processing apparatus gives the content provider a content fee, and gives the communication company that owns the communication line used for the distribution a communication fee. And collects, edits, compresses, and distributes the content information, and charges the information distribution requesting company a fee.

(10) In the configuration of (4), when the distribution information processing apparatus creates and sends out a distribution information file including additional information at the request of the information distribution requesting business operator, the information distribution requesting business operator: It is characterized in that a compensation is obtained from a provider of the additional information for inserting the additional information into the distribution information.

(11) In the configuration of (8), the content information or the additional information included in the distribution information file is the product purchase guidance information, and the product purchase request is reproduced by reproducing the product purchase guidance information on the mobile body side. In this case, the information input / output device mounted on the mobile unit sends out the product purchase information using the connected communication line, and the tallying device provided at the information distribution management center collects the product purchase information from the mobile unit. It is characterized by comprising means for receiving and notifying the seller to make a product purchase contract.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, FIG. 1 shows a general system diagram of a satellite communication system for mobile units, and will be briefly described. here,
A case will be described in which a content provider such as news delivers data such as images and music to passengers on an aircraft using a satellite communication line such as Inmarsat.

In FIG. 1, a content information server 11
Provides content information such as news, images, and music. The satellite communication gateway 12 connects a telephone line and a satellite communication line. The communication satellite 13 relays information transmission between the satellite communication gateway 12 and a satellite communication terminal 14 mounted on an aircraft by forming an uplink and a downlink between them.

In the case of this system, the provider of the content information server 11 makes a call according to a request with the telephone number assigned to the satellite communication terminal 14 of the aircraft. The satellite communication gateway 12 calls the satellite communication terminal 14 of the aircraft via the communication satellite 13 in response to the call from the content information server 11, and connects the content information server 11 and the terminal 14. After the connection with the terminal 14 is established, the content information server 11 sends the content information to the connection partner using a telephone line modem or the like.

According to this method, even if a plurality of content providers try to provide content information, the number of content providers that can be provided simultaneously is limited by the number of telephone lines available on the aircraft side. Also,
The number of people who can share information simultaneously on an aircraft is also limited by the number of telephone lines.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the information distribution system according to the present invention.

In this system, the system shown in FIG.
An information distribution management center having an information distribution processing device 21 is arranged on the ground, and a distribution information reproducing device 22 is connected to the satellite communication terminal 14 on the aircraft side.

The information distribution processing device 21 of the information distribution management center includes a plurality of content information servers 111, 112,
, 11n, and collects arbitrary content information from each of the content information servers 111 to 11n, edits it as appropriate, and compresses the data to create a distribution information file. Then, a call is made to the satellite communication terminal 14 of the predetermined aircraft, and the satellite communication gateway 12 and the communication satellite 1
3 and sends the distribution information file to the terminal 14. Aircraft-side distribution information reproducing device 22
Stores the data received by the satellite communication terminal 14, restores the distribution information file, decompresses the data back to the original content information, and reproduces it as appropriate.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration example of the information distribution processing device 21.

The information distribution processing device 21 includes a request condition storage unit 211, an information collection / edit processing unit 212, a data conversion processing unit 213, and a file distribution unit 214.

The request condition storage unit 211 stores contents information contents requested by an information distribution requester (for example, an airline company), presence or absence of insertion of an advertisement, position information of a mobile unit (for example, an aircraft), a transfer schedule, and the like. For example, location information of an aircraft can be obtained from a database of a communication carrier or an airline company. In addition, if it is an aircraft movement schedule, it can be obtained from the database of the airline company.

The information collection / edit processing unit 212 collects content information from a plurality of content information servers 111 to 11n based on the request contents stored in the request condition storage unit 211, and further collects information such as advertisements and destination information. The additional information is taken in and edited as appropriate.

The data conversion processing unit 213 compresses the data of the information edited by the information collection / edit processing unit 212 for transmission over a communication line, and creates a distribution information file such as a packet. At this time, the compression ratio of the data compression is variable according to the information content.

The file distribution unit 214 stores the file created by the data conversion processing unit 213 for each distribution destination, calls the distribution destination based on a distribution destination list created in advance, and reads the file. Send out.

Each processing block can be realized by a software program of a computer. In addition,
Necessary information (for example, information such as the position of a moving object and a movement schedule) and content information can be easily and inexpensively obtained by accessing a database or a content information server through the Internet. Since the Internet can acquire information from all over the world, this device can be placed anywhere.

In the information distribution processing device 21 having the above-described configuration, for example, content information is selected from a plurality of content information servers 111 to 11n in response to a request of a business operator providing a transportation service by a mobile body such as an airline company. And provide services such as insertion of advertisements and destination information.

In data compression, the degree of compression can be changed according to the quality required for each piece of content information. When sending the compressed distribution information file to the specified mobile unit, enter the mobile unit's location information and the transfer schedule, so that each mobile unit operator, each mobile unit position, and the purpose of the mobile unit By grouping distribution destinations according to conditions or purposes, such as for each place or for each mobile unit, a detailed data transmission / delivery service can be realized.

For example, a case where news is distributed to an aircraft will be described. If an airline company requests that content information be given a unique color, or that advertising or destination information be included on its own in order to differentiate,
The function of the information collecting / editing processing unit 212 exerts its power.
In addition, it is expected that the nationality of passengers will vary depending on the destination of the aircraft, and even for the same airline, the collection and editing of materials will be changed according to the location and destination of the aircraft, and the most suitable for each Since it is required to create materials, in order to respond to this, the collection and
Editing function is required.

The function of the file distribution unit 214 is to distribute these optimized data files by telephone line for each airline, each aircraft location, each aircraft destination, or each aircraft. In this case, when the playback speed of the compressed content information is higher than the transmission capacity of the communication line, the data is transmitted at the speed of the communication line so that the aircraft can accumulate and reproduce the data at high speed. Also, the function of the file distribution unit 214 includes utilizing a multicast function, a data retransmission function, and the like, if the satellite communication service has such a function, and using a satellite communication line so as to minimize the communication cost.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a specific configuration example of the distribution information reproducing device 22 installed on the aircraft (moving body) side.

In FIG. 4, the data received by the satellite communication terminal 14 is stored in the data storage unit 221, thereby restoring the distribution information file. As described above, when the transmission speed of the communication line is low, data is sent over a long period of time. Therefore, first, a function of storing the data is essential.
After all the data is stored, the data is reproduced by the data reproducing unit 222, so that content information such as images and music can be provided to the passenger.

For example, let us consider a case where 64 kbps of about ISDN can be used as a satellite communication line for a mobile body. At present, it is difficult to reproduce images and music of sufficient quality only by data compression at such a speed. Therefore, when data is compressed at 384 kbps, 1
The content of 0 minutes is transmitted over the communication line in one hour. By accumulating the data for one hour and reproducing the accumulated data at 384 kbps, high-quality images and sounds can be enjoyed in the moving body. In addition, information such as the latest news and sports game results can be provided with a delay of about one hour.

When the above information distribution system is used for commercial services, a business model as shown in FIG. 5 can be considered.

In FIG. 5, an information distribution company (owner of an information distribution management center) 31 pays a usage fee for the content information to be used to a provider 32 who owns each of the content information servers 111 to 11n, and uses it for distribution. Telecommunications carrier (terrestrial telephone line, satellite communication line) 33
Pay the communication fee to. These costs and the added value of the information distribution business are charged to the mobile operator 34 such as an airline company. The service provider 34 requests an advertisement provider or the like from an information provider (sponsor) 35 for advertisement or the like.

In the above model, the mobile operator 3
4 has been described as directly transacting with the information provider 35, but it goes without saying that the information distributor 31 may mediate.

By the way, in the above system, a telephone line and a satellite communication line are used as communication lines. Since both of them can perform two-way communication, the return link is free even at the time of information distribution. If this is used, electronic commerce is possible, for example, by placing a product purchase guide as distribution information, presenting it to a passenger on an aircraft, and sending back the order information to place an order for the product on the aircraft. .

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic commerce system which can be realized by applying the information distribution system. In FIG. 6, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

In FIG. 6, an information input / output device 23 is provided on the aircraft (mobile body) side, and a tallying device 24 is provided at the information distribution management center.

The information input / output device 23 on the aircraft side displays the information on the product purchase guide to which information has been distributed on the screen of the display device provided in each seat, and performs an input operation of a button (or a button on the screen by a touch panel). The information of the order content (designated product number, personal information, destination, etc.) specified by the above is received and transmitted to the management center in a predetermined file format. Personal information includes passenger number,
You can use your passport number. This order information is put on a satellite communication line via the satellite communication terminal 14 and sent to the information distribution management center via the communication satellite 13 and the satellite communication gateway 12.

The counting device 24 of the information distribution management center
The order information sent from a moving body such as an aircraft is received and totaled, and the information is notified to, for example, a dealer handling each product. Note that the tallying device does not necessarily need to be located at the information distribution management center, but in this case, since the order information is transmitted over a separate line, the tallying device is not utilized in utilizing the bidirectionality of the communication line. 24 is desirably also provided in the information distribution management center.

With the above system configuration, it is possible to order directly from an airplane when a product purchase guide such as a side dish is presented as distribution information. For example, it is possible to specify a delivery destination such as an arrival place or home. Is also possible.

It is needless to say that the above-mentioned product purchase contract can be implemented without necessarily using the distribution information provided by the present system as long as the information can be provided in the aircraft by, for example, a video or a pamphlet. . By realizing electronic commerce from such a mobile body, it becomes easier to acquire sponsors, and can greatly contribute to the operation of the entire system.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which an aircraft is a moving body is mainly used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a ship sailing on the ocean, a long-distance train crossing a continent The present invention can also be applied to moving objects such as a bus and the like.

[0055]

As described above, according to the present invention, a passenger on a moving object such as an airplane or a ship can transmit content information such as moving images and music information that can be viewed on land to the same extent as when on land. It is possible to provide an information distribution system capable of distributing quality and appropriate real-time enjoyment.

Further, in the information distribution system described above, when distributing content information and the like, it is possible to perform flexible editing and processing by predicting the needs of the passengers in the moving body.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a general system of a mobile satellite communication system.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an information distribution system according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary block diagram showing a specific configuration example of the information distribution processing apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary block diagram showing a specific configuration example of the distribution information reproducing apparatus according to the embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary view showing a business model when the information distribution system of the embodiment is used for a commercial service.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary block diagram showing a configuration of an electronic commerce system which can be realized by applying the information distribution system of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11, 111-11n content information server 12 satellite communication gateway 13 communication satellite 14 satellite communication terminal 21 information distribution processing unit 211 request condition storage unit 212 information collection / edit processing unit 213 data conversion processing unit 214 ... File distribution unit 22 ... Distribution information reproduction device 221 ... Data storage unit 222 ... Data reproduction unit 23 ... Information input and transmission device 24 ... Totaling device 31 ... Information distribution company 32 ... Content provider 33 ... Communication company 34 ... Mobile operation Business 35: Information provider

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04N 7/173 ZEC H04N 7/173 640Z 610 H04B 7/15 Z 640 7/26 109M F-term (Reference) 5C064 BA07 BB05 BC10 BC16 BC20 BC25 BD02 BD08 5K067 AA23 AA34 CC12 CC13 DD23 DD52 DD54 EE02 EE07 EE16 FF04 FF40 HH05 HH21 HH23 5K072 AA22 BB03 BB04 BB13 BB23 CC05 DD02 DD11 DD15 EE05 GG43 5K101 NN43 GG43 5K101 NN

Claims (11)

[Claims] An information distribution management center for mobile devices edits content information provided by one or more content providers via a satellite communication line for a mobile device equipped with a satellite communication terminal for connecting to a satellite communication line. An information distribution system for distributing information to one or more mobile objects, wherein the information distribution system is provided in the information distribution management center, collects content information from the one or more content providers, and performs distribution of moving destinations or grouped destinations. A distribution information processing device that edits each body group, performs data compression, generates a distribution information file, specifies a distribution destination, and sends the distribution information file to the satellite communication line, and is mounted on the one or more mobile bodies. The distribution information file received by the satellite communication terminal is taken in, the data is expanded, and the content information is taken out and reproduced. Information distribution system characterized by comprising a that information reproducing apparatus. 2. The distribution information processing apparatus performs data compression at a coding rate higher than the transmission rate of the satellite communication line, and the mobile-side receiving / reproducing apparatus stores the received data to store a distribution information file. 2. The information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the information is restored and reproduced at an encoding speed in data compression. 3. The distribution information processing apparatus collects content information from the one or more content providers in accordance with a request of an information distribution requester, edits the content information, and creates one or more distribution information files. The information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein: 4. The information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein the distribution information processing apparatus edits the content information including additional information in addition to the content information to create a distribution information file. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the content information or the additional information collected from the one or more content providers is information responding to a request generated by a location or a destination of a mobile unit or a group of mobile units to be distributed. The information distribution system according to claim 4, characterized in that: 6. The information distribution system according to claim 4, wherein the distribution information processing device changes the degree of information compression according to the content information or the content of the additional information. 7. The distribution information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the distribution destination mobile units are grouped according to a condition relating to a request or a purpose, and a distribution information file according to the condition is created for each group and transmitted. The information distribution system according to claim 1. 8. An information input / output device mounted on the mobile unit and receiving information responsive to the distributed information and transmitting the received information to the information distribution management center for the mobile unit by the satellite communication terminal; 2. The information distribution system according to claim 1, further comprising: an information totalizing device provided at the center, for totalizing information transmitted from the information transmitting device of the mobile object. 9. An information distribution company that owns the distribution information processing apparatus pays a content fee to the content provider and a communication fee to a communication company that owns a communication line used for distribution, and collects content information. , Edit,
2. The information distribution system according to claim 1, wherein a fee is charged to an information distribution requesting company including the added value of data compression and distribution. 10. When the distribution information processing apparatus creates and transmits a distribution information file including additional information at the request of the information distribution requesting business operator, the information distribution requesting business operator adds the additional information to the distribution information. 5. The information distribution system according to claim 4, wherein a value is obtained from a provider of the additional information for the insertion. 11. The content information or additional information included in the distribution information file is product purchase guide information. When the mobile device reproduces the product purchase guide information and desires to purchase a product, the mobile device loads the product purchase guide information. Transmitting the product purchase information by using the connected communication line by the input information transmitting device, receiving the product purchase information from the mobile body by the counting device provided in the information distribution management center, and notifying the seller. 9. The information distribution system according to claim 8, further comprising: means for making a product purchase contract.