JP2002149316A - Data transmitter, data receiver, data transmission method, and program storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide efficient data communication according with the use condition of transmitted and received data. SOLUTION: The transfer rate of transmission data, for example, an MPEG2 compressed picture is changed on the basis of various condition change on the picture transmission or reception side. For example, the picture transmission side transfers picture data of high bit rate, namely, high picture quality when input is performed from an input means like a keyboard and transfers data at a low bit rate, namely, with a low picture quality when no input is performed from the input means like the keyboard over a prescribed time. By this constitution, the increase of network traffic is suppressed to realize efficient picture transmission and reception.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a data transmission device,
The present invention relates to a data receiving device, a data transmitting method, and a program storage medium. More specifically, the present invention relates to a data transmission device, a data reception device, a data transmission method, and a program storage medium that realize efficient data transfer by changing a transfer rate of data to be transmitted / received according to a usage situation of a user.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently, various data transfers are performed via various communication media such as Internet communication.
In recent years, transfer of image data, particularly moving image data, via a network has been actively performed. image data,
In particular, in general, moving image data is subjected to a process of reducing the data amount by encoding (compression) processing on the transmission side and executing decoding (decompression) processing on the reception side to reproduce the video data.

[0003] MPE is the most well-known method of image compression processing.
There is a G (Moving Pictures Experts Group) compression technique. This MPEG stream is transferred to IP (Internet Protocol
It is anticipated that video communication in which the IP packet generated according to l) is transmitted on the Internet using the IP packet will be rapidly prosperous in the future. The high-quality and realistic communication does not feel the stress caused by the low image quality and delays found in traditional TV phones. This makes it possible to communicate in a plurality of remote offices that transmit and receive images as if sharing a place virtually. Communication as if members are gathering becomes possible.

[0004] Shared communication in a virtual place is
Even if the participants do not participate in the conversation, it is necessary to always share the sign and atmosphere of the person by the conversation between the other parties, and a constant connection is ideal as a network connection form. However, constantly occupying the high-speed band on the Internet means using a lot of communication resources, and the load on the infrastructure becomes excessive. Huge infrastructure investments are required to enable all network subscribers to continue transferring high-quality video and audio data. This may lead to an increase in network usage fees paid by the subscriber.

In practice, for example, mutual images between offices,
When considering a communication environment using voice communication, sharing a virtual place in the communication environment requires 2
There are two different states. In other words, there are two types of communication: (1) low-density communication that suffices to share the atmosphere; and (2) high-density communication represented by conversation.

[0006] When two sides exchange opinions as in an actual meeting, the communication becomes highly dense in (2), but when the purpose is to share a place where no exchange of opinions is required, (1) Communication with low density.

[0007] The low-density communication of (1)
For example, it is communication that only occasionally looks at an image from an image transmission destination and does not require frequent exchange of opinions. In such low-density communication,
In many cases, high-precision image and audio data are not required.
In such a case, continuing to send high-quality image data increases the load on the network and the processing load on the transmission / reception device. In addition, an increase in communication charges will be brought.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has been made in consideration of the above-described problems. A data transmission device that realizes data transfer,
It is an object to provide a data receiving device, a data transmitting method, and a program storage medium.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A first aspect of the present invention is as follows.
In a data transmitting apparatus that encodes and transmits an information signal, a data encoding unit that inputs an information signal and performs an encoding process, and a bit rate setting that sets a bit rate of encoded data generated by the data encoding unit Means,
Control means for detecting a status change on the data transmitting device side and outputting a bit rate change control signal based on the status change detection, wherein the bit rate setting means outputs a bit rate change control signal from the control means. The data transmitting apparatus has a configuration for performing a process of inputting and changing a bit rate setting of code data generated by the data coding unit based on the input.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmitting apparatus of the present invention, the control means has a configuration for detecting an input signal from either a mouse or a keyboard input means. Output a bit rate change control signal to set a high bit rate based on
It is characterized in that a bit rate change control signal for setting a low bit rate is output based on detection that the input from the input means does not occur for a predetermined time.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmitting apparatus according to the present invention, the control means has a configuration for detecting an input signal from a motion sensor, and increases a bit rate based on the motion detection from the motion sensor. A configuration for outputting a bit rate change control signal to be set, and outputting a bit rate change control signal to set a low bit rate based on detection that a motion detection signal from the motion sensor does not occur for a predetermined time. It is characterized by having.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmitting apparatus according to the present invention, the control means has a configuration for detecting an input signal from a voice detecting apparatus, and the control means detects a high bit based on voice detection from the voice detecting apparatus. Outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting the bit rate, and outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting the low bit rate based on detection that the voice detection signal from the voice detection device does not occur for a predetermined time. It is characterized by having the structure which does.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmitting apparatus according to the present invention, the data encoding means is configured to execute a compression process in an MPEG format.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmitting apparatus according to the present invention, the data encoding means is configured to execute a compression process in an MPEG format, and the data transmitting apparatus includes an RTP storing MPEG compressed data.
(Real-time transport protocol) It is characterized by having a configuration for generating and outputting a packet.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmitting apparatus according to the present invention, the data encoding means is configured to execute a compression process in an MPEG format, and the data transmitting apparatus includes an
(Internet Protocol) It has a feature of generating and outputting a packet.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in a data transmitting apparatus for encoding and transmitting an information signal, a data encoding means for inputting an information signal and executing an encoding process; A bit rate setting means for setting a bit rate of the code data generated by the data receiving apparatus; and an image quality change request signal based on a situation change detection output from the data receiving apparatus based on the situation change on the data receiving apparatus side. Control means for outputting a bit rate change control signal based on a change request signal, wherein said bit rate setting means inputs a bit rate change control signal from said control means, and based on said input, said data code A data transmission device having a configuration for executing a process of changing a bit rate setting of code data generated by the converting means.

Further, a third aspect of the present invention is a data receiving device for receiving an encoded signal, a data decoding means for inputting the encoded signal and executing a decoding process, and a status change on the data receiving device side. And a control means for outputting an image quality change request signal based on the detection of a situation change to a transmitting device of the coded signal.

Further, in one embodiment of the data receiving apparatus of the present invention, the control means has a structure for detecting an input signal from either a mouse or a keyboard input means. A high image quality change request signal to be set to a high bit rate is output to the encoded signal transmitting device based on the detection that the input from the input means does not occur for a predetermined time, It is characterized by having a configuration for outputting a low image quality change request signal to be set to a rate to a transmission device of the encoded signal.

Further, in one embodiment of the data receiving apparatus according to the present invention, the control means has a configuration for detecting an input signal from a motion sensor, and is adapted to increase a bit rate based on motion detection from the motion sensor. A high image quality change request signal to be set is output to the transmission device of the encoded signal, and a low bit rate is set to a low bit rate based on detection that motion detection from the motion sensor does not occur for a predetermined time. It is characterized in that it has a configuration for outputting an image quality change request signal to the transmitting device of the encoded signal.

Further, in one embodiment of the data receiving apparatus according to the present invention, the control means has a configuration for detecting an input signal from a voice detecting device, and the high bit based on voice detection from the voice detecting device. A high image quality change request signal to be set at a rate is output to the encoded signal transmitting apparatus, and based on the detection that the audio detection signal from the audio detection apparatus does not occur for a predetermined time, the low bit rate A low image quality change request signal set to the coded signal transmitting apparatus.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in a data transmission method for encoding and transmitting an information signal, a situation change on a data transmitting apparatus side is detected, and a bit rate change control signal based on the situation change detection is output. A bit rate change control signal output from the bit rate change control signal output step, and a bit rate setting step of setting a bit rate of code data based on the input; A data transmission method includes: a data encoding step of executing an encoding process of an input information signal in accordance with step settings; and a transmission step of transmitting encoded data.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmission method of the present invention, the control signal output step detects an input signal from an input means of either a mouse or a keyboard, and sets a high bit rate based on the detection. Outputting a bit rate change control signal to be set, and outputting a bit rate change control signal to set to a low bit rate based on detection that an input from the input means does not occur for a predetermined time. , Are selectively executed.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmission method according to the present invention, the control signal output step includes detecting an input signal from a motion sensor and changing a bit rate to set a high bit rate based on the motion detection. A step of outputting a control signal, and a step of outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a low bit rate based on detection that the motion detection signal from the motion sensor has not been generated for a predetermined time. Is selectively executed.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmission method according to the present invention, the control signal output step detects an input signal from a voice detection device, and detects a high bit rate based on the voice detection from the voice detection device. And outputting a bit rate change control signal to be set to a low bit rate based on the detection that the voice detection signal from the voice detection device does not occur for a predetermined time. And selectively performing one of the steps of outputting.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmission method according to the present invention, the data encoding step comprises the step of:
It is characterized in that it is configured to execute compression processing in a format.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmission method according to the present invention, the data encoding step includes an MPEG
The method includes a step of performing a compression process in a format, and the data transmitting step includes a step of generating and outputting an RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) packet storing MPEG compressed data.

Further, in one embodiment of the data transmission method according to the present invention, the data encoding step includes the step of:
The method includes a step of performing a compression process in a format, and the data transmitting step includes a step of generating and outputting an IP (Internet Protocol) packet storing the MPEG compressed data.

Further, according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a data transmission process for encoding and transmitting an information signal is performed by a computer.
A program storage medium for providing a computer program to be executed on a system, wherein the computer program detects a status change on a data transmission device side and outputs a bit rate change control signal based on the status change detection. An output step, a bit rate change control signal output from the bit rate change control signal output step, a bit rate setting step of setting a bit rate of code data based on the input, and a setting of the bit rate setting step And a transmitting step of transmitting the encoded data.

The program storage medium according to the fifth aspect of the present invention is, for example, a medium for providing a computer program in a computer-readable format to a general-purpose computer system capable of executing various program codes. It is.

Such a program storage medium defines a structural or functional cooperative relationship between the computer program and the storage medium for realizing the functions of a predetermined computer program on a computer system. Things. In other words, by installing the computer program into the computer system via the storage medium, a cooperative operation is exerted on the computer system, and the same operation and effect as the other aspects of the present invention can be obtained. You can do it.

Still other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are:
It will become apparent from the following more detailed description based on the embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings.

[0032]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a data transmitting / receiving apparatus according to the present invention. In the present embodiment, as the data to be transmitted and received, MPEG (Moving Pictures Experts Group), which is a general-purpose compression format, is used.
) Will be described as an example in which MPEG2 is applied, but other compression methods such as MPEG4 can be similarly applied.

MPEG2 is a technique for realizing high-quality image compression processing. Most used MPE at present
The compression method of G2 is Discrete Cosine Transform (DC) which is compression using correlation in a screen.
T), a compression method combining motion compensation as compression based on correlation between screens and Huffman coding as compression based on correlation between code strings. In MPEG2, to perform predictive coding using motion compensation, a GOP (Group) composed of three elements called an I picture, a P picture, and a B picture is used.
Of Pictures) structure. I picture (Intra
A coded picture) is a picture that is created by intra-field coding, and is a picture that is not subjected to predictive coding from a previous picture, and a P picture (Predictive coded picture) is a picture obtained by performing predictive coding from the immediately preceding picture. It is made on the basis of an I picture. B picture (By-directional
ly predictive coded image) is a bidirectional predictive coded image, and is generated by prediction from two preceding and succeeding P pictures.

In this embodiment, data compressed by MPEG2 is transmitted as an IP packet (MPEG over IP) over a network. Therefore, the data transmitting side executes packet generation (packetizing processing), and the data receiving side executes packet expansion (depacketizing processing).

The data transmitting / receiving apparatus 100 of the present invention shown in FIG.
Is an MPEG processing PCI board 10 that executes MPEG compression and decompression and performs packet generation and expansion processing.
1. Ethernet (registered trademark) card 10 functioning as an interface with a LAN which is a communication network
2, an input / output interface 103 for input devices such as a mouse 15 and a keyboard 16;
Data processing on board 101, Ethernet card 10
Communication processing via I / O, input / output interface 10
Host CPU that controls processing of input data and the like via the CPU 3
104, storage of various programs controlled and executed by the host CPU 104, storage of data, host CPU 104
And a host memory 105 composed of a ROM and a ROM functioning as a work area of the computer. MPEG processing PCI board 101, Ethernet card 102, and host C
The PUs 104 are connected to the PCI bus 106, respectively.
It has a configuration that allows mutual data transmission and reception.

The MPEG processing PCI board 101 corresponds to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, for example, image data from the video camera 11 and audio data from the microphone 12 are input, and MPEG2
An IP packet (MPEG) storing the MPEG transport stream (TS) data after executing compression processing, coding multiplexing processing, and packet generation processing (packetizing).
over IP). Generated IP packet (MPEG
over IP) is output on the PCI bus 106, output to the LAN via the Ethernet card 102, and distributed to the destination address set in the header of the IP packet.

An IP packetized MPEG transport stream (TS) input via a LAN
Data (MPEG over IP) is transferred to the Ethernet card 102
Via the PCI bus 106 and input to the MPEG processing PCI board 101. MPEG processing PC
The I-board 101 executes a packet decompression process (depacketizing) of the input data and extracts the MPEG compressed data.
The decoding process is executed, and the display 13 and the speaker 14 are
Playback and output.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the MPEG processing PCI board 101. The moving image data input from the video camera 11 is an MPEG2 video encoder 2
01 is input. MPEG2 video encoder 201
Generates an MPEG video stream based on input moving image data. The audio data input from the microphone 12 is input to the MPEG2 audio encoder 202. The MPEG2 audio encoder 202
An MPEG audio stream is generated based on the input audio data.

The MPEG2 video encoder 201 has:
A bit rate change control signal is input from the CPU 104. According to the bit rate change control signal, the MPEG
The 2 video encoder changes the transfer bit rate of the output MPEG video stream. This bit rate change processing will be described later.

MPEG2 video encoder 201, MP
EG2 audio encoder 202 These two streams are input to an MPEG multiplexer 203 and multiplexed as an MPEG2 transport stream. The transport stream (TS) is a packet stream each divided into a predetermined data amount, and L
A plurality of MPEG-TS packets (see FIG. 3) are included in an IP packet output from a network such as an AN.

The MPEG2 transport stream generated by the MPEG multiplexer 203 further includes an RT
In the P packet generating means 204, an RTP header is added to the MPEG2 transport stream to generate an RTP packet, and the UDP packet generating means 2
At 05, a UDP packet is generated by adding a UDP header to the RTP packet, and an IP packet is generated by the IP packet generation means 206 by adding an IP header to the UDP packet, and the IP packet is transmitted to the PCI bus 106 via the PCI interface 207. The output is output from the Ethernet card 102 shown in FIG. 1 to the network.

As described above, the I output on the network
The P packet is input to the MPEG processing PCI card via the Ethernet card 102 and the PCI bus 106,
The input from the PCI interface 207 to the IP packet expanding means 208 expands the IP packet,
The packet is expanded according to the header information and UDP
In the packet expanding means 209, UDP packet expanding processing is executed, and finally, the RTP packet expanding means 210
MPE by the expansion process according to the RTP header
The G2 transport stream is extracted. RTP
The packet has a time stamp as described later, and the delay fluctuation in network transfer, the order of arrival, and the like are corrected and absorbed based on the time stamp.

The extracted MPEG2 transport stream is separated into an MPEG video stream and an MPEG audio stream by an MPEG demultiplexer 211, and a decoding process is executed by an MPEG video decoder 212 and an MPEG audio decoder 213, respectively. , Speaker 1
4 is played.

In data transfer such as video conferencing and video-on-demand (VOD) over an IP network, continuous supply of data is emphasized. Therefore, a protocol for executing retransmission processing such as TCP is not generally used, and retransmission processing is performed. UDP that does not perform is used.

UDP is designed so that an application process can transfer data to a process of another application on a remote machine with minimum overhead. Therefore, the information included in the UDP header is only the source port number, destination port number, data length, and checksum, and there is no data field for identifying the packet order such as TCP.

Therefore, as a protocol for transmitting and receiving real-time image and audio data in an IP network, a real-time transport protocol: RTP (Re
al-time Transport Protocol) is used. RTP is located in the transport layer and is generally used over UDP.

FIG. 3 shows the structure of an IP packet (MPEG over IP) obtained by packetizing an MPEG transport stream by RTP, UDP, and IP. The RTP header includes a version number (v), padding (P), presence or absence of an extension header (X), and the number of transmission sources (CRSC: Contributing).
Source), marker information (M), payload type, sequence number, RTP time stamp, synchronous transmission source identifier, and contribution transmission source identifier. The processing time is controlled when the RTP packet is expanded by the time stamp added to the RTP header, and the real-time image or audio reproduction control can be performed. Note that, as shown in FIG.
A plurality of PEG transport streams are stored in an IP packet.

Next, the MPEG2 video encoder 201
The bit rate changing process in the encoding process will be described. As described briefly with reference to FIG.
The EG2 video encoder 201 is connected to the host CPU 104
, And changes the transfer bit rate of the output MPEG video stream according to the bit rate change control signal.

MPEG2 can operate a variable bit rate (VBR) data as is practically used for DVDs and the like. For example, an arbitrary video encoding rate can be determined between 1.5 Mbps and 15 Mbps.

FIG. 4 shows an MPEG2 video encoder 201.
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram for executing an encoding / bit rate changing process in FIG. MPEG2 video encoder 2
01 is a bit rate change control signal detecting means 4 for detecting the input of a bit rate change control signal from the CPU 104;
02: Bit rate setting means 403 which receives the output from the bit rate change control signal detecting means 402 and controls the bit rate in MPEG compression, and changes the bit rate based on the control signal from the bit rate setting means 403. And an encoder 401 for performing MPEG compression.

The bit rate setting means 403 has a setting register for setting whether the compression of the encoder should be performed at a low bit rate or at a high bit rate. The output from the bit rate change control signal detecting means 402 To dynamically change the value of the setting register.

The encoder 401 changes the compression parameter in accordance with the control signal based on the value of the setting register of the bit rate setting means 403, thereby obtaining a low bit rate,
MPE at two different bit rates with high bit rate
G compression is switched and executed. On the decoder side, decoding that automatically follows the variable bit rate is executed based on the value on the stream.

In the configuration example of FIG. 4, the bit rate change control signal from the host CPU 104 is executed based on detection of input signals from the mouse 15 and the keyboard 16. Specifically, state transition detection applied in a screen saver or power save is used. That is, the input / output interface 103 is connected to the mouse 15 and the keyboard 16.
If there is no input via the host C for a predetermined period of time, the host C
The PU 104 outputs a bit rate change control signal for setting the bit rate to the low bit rate mode to the PCI bus 106, and the bit rate change control signal detecting means 402 of the MPEG2 video encoder 201 detects the signal and sends it to the bit rate setting means 403. The control signal is output, and the bit rate setting means 403 outputs a control signal for setting the bit rate to a low bit rate to the encoder 401. The encoder 401 performs MPEG compression of an input image signal from the video camera 11 with the encoding bit rate set to a low bit rate based on the control signal.

When an input from the mouse 15 and the keyboard 16 via the input / output interface 103 is detected,
The host CPU 104 sets the bit rate to a high bit rate
The bit rate change control signal for setting the mode to PCI bus 1
06, the bit rate change control signal detecting means 402 of the MPEG2 video encoder 201 detects the signal, and outputs a control signal to the bit rate setting means 403.
The bit rate setting means 403 outputs a control signal for setting the bit rate to a high bit rate to the encoder 401.
The encoder 401 performs MPEG compression of the input image signal from the video camera 11 with the encoding bit rate set to a high bit rate based on the control signal. As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 1, an input from the mouse 15 or the keyboard 16 is input to the host CPU 1 via the input interface 103.
04 detects and the control signal based on the detection
It is input to the CI board 101.

As described above, in the configuration of the present invention, the MPEG
The encoding bit rate of the two video encoder 201 can be dynamically changed. For example, by setting the high bit rate to 5 Mbps and the low bit rate to 1.5 Mbps, it is possible to set an approximate average rate.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of dynamically changing the bit rate based on detection of input from a mouse and a keyboard.

First, in step S501, the host CPU 104 determines whether a keyboard and a mouse are used, specifically, whether an input signal from the mouse and the keyboard is detected. If an input is detected, step S5
02, the host CPU 104 outputs a bit rate change control signal indicating a change to a high bit rate,
Bit rate setting means 4 of G2 video encoder 201
The setting register 03 is set to perform coding processing at a high bit rate, and is set to execute coding processing at a high bit rate.

If it is determined in step S501 that an input signal from a mouse or a keyboard has not been detected, the process proceeds to step S503 to determine whether a state in which an input signal from a mouse or a keyboard has not been detected exceeds a predetermined threshold time T. It is determined whether or not it is exceeded.
The host CPU 104 outputs a bit rate change control signal indicating a change to a low bit rate,
2 Bit rate setting means 40 of video encoder 201
The setting register of No. 3 is set to perform coding processing at a low bit rate, and is set to execute coding processing at a low bit rate.

In the above-described example, the bit rate is changed based on input signals from the mouse and the keyboard. An example will be described in which another state change is detected and the bit rate is changed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a process of changing a bit rate in accordance with detection of a sensor using a proximity sensor as one mode of a motion sensor as a sensor for detecting the motion of a person or other object. Is shown.
Proximity sensors include video cameras and terminal devices.
If the host CPU is installed in an optimal location and the sensor detects, for example, the movement of a person, the host CPU
A bit rate change control signal is output to the two video encoders.

The flow of FIG. 6 will be described. First, in step S601, the host CPU 104 determines whether the proximity sensor has detected the presence or absence of a person or other target object. If detected, step S6
02, the host CPU 104 outputs a bit rate change control signal indicating a change to a high bit rate,
Bit rate setting means 4 of G2 video encoder 201
The setting register 03 is set to perform coding processing at a high bit rate, and is set to execute coding processing at a high bit rate.

If it is determined in step S601 that the proximity sensor has not detected the proximity of a person or other object, the process proceeds to step S603, and the state in which the proximity sensor has not detected the proximity of the person or other object is determined in advance. It is determined whether or not a predetermined threshold time T has been exceeded. If it has exceeded, the process proceeds to step S604, and the host CPU 104
Outputs a bit rate change control signal indicating the change to the low bit rate, sets the setting register of the bit rate setting means 403 of the MPEG2 video encoder 201 to the encoding processing setting at the low bit rate, and performs the encoding at the low bit rate. It is set to execute processing.

Further, a method using a voice detecting device for detecting voice will be described. A process of detecting a voice of another operator or the like and changing a bit rate by a voice recognition device as one mode of the voice detection device will be described with reference to FIG.
Speech recognition devices are video cameras, terminal devices, etc.
The host CPU is installed in an optimal location, and the host CPU detects the
A bit rate change control signal is output to the two video encoders.

The flow of FIG. 7 will be described. First, in step S701, the host CPU 104 determines whether, for example, a human voice has been detected by the voice recognition device. If it is detected, the process proceeds to step S702, where the host CPU 104 outputs a bit rate change control signal indicating a change to a high bit rate, and sets the setting register of the bit rate setting means 403 of the MPEG2 video encoder 201 to a high bit rate code. It is set to execute encoding processing at a high bit rate.

If it is determined in step S701 that a human voice has not been detected by the voice recognition device, the process proceeds to step S7.
03, it is determined whether or not the state in which the human voice has not been detected by the voice recognition device has exceeded a predetermined threshold time T. If it has, the process proceeds to step S704, where the host CPU 104 A bit rate change control signal indicating the change to the bit rate is output, the setting register of the bit rate setting means 403 of the MPEG2 video encoder 201 is set to the encoding processing at the low bit rate, and the encoding processing at the low bit rate is executed. Set.

Note that the voice recognition device may identify the voice of the operator such as "start" or "end" or "mode change", and execute the mode change in accordance with the instruction.

As described above, in the system of the present invention, the transfer rate of the transmission image is changed based on various changes in the situation of the image transmission side, so that an increase in network traffic is suppressed and the efficiency is improved. Image transmission and reception can be realized. In addition, the system is configured to cooperate with a network-based billing management system. For example, data transfer at a low bit rate is low or free, and data transfer at a high bit rate is high or subject to billing. A billing system can be built.

In the example described above, the change in the bit rate is performed by detecting the change in the state on the side that encodes and transmits the image. Next, the processing is performed based on the input from the image receiving side. The following describes an example of processing for changing the encoding bit rate on the image transmission side.

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a data transfer process executed via a network between a data receiving side (decoding processing side) and a data transmitting side (encoding processing side).

It is assumed that MPEG data has already been distributed from the data transmitting side to the receiving side at either the high bit rate or the low bit rate.

The image quality change request, for example, a change request signal for changing from a low bit rate to a high bit rate (or vice versa) is transmitted from the data receiving side to the data transmitting side via the network. The data transmitting side receives the request signal, performs bit rate change processing for changing the bit rate from a low bit rate to a high bit rate (or vice versa) based on the request signal, performs MPEG compression, and transmits the changed data.
At this time, the data transmitting side may transmit an acknowledgment (ACK) to the data receiving side.

The image quality change request from the data receiving side can be input by an operator who is viewing the received image or a participant of the video conference from input means such as a keyboard. The keyboard and mouse input detection processing described in the flow, the object motion detection processing by the proximity sensor described in the flow of FIG. 6, and the voice recognition processing of the voice recognition device described in the flow of FIG. , Using these detection signals as image quality change request signals,
It may be configured to transmit to the data receiving side.

FIG. 9 shows an example of detecting the change of the situation on the data receiving apparatus side by executing the keyboard and mouse input detection processing described in the flow of FIG. 5 and transmitting the image quality change request signal based on the detection to the coded signal. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration for outputting to a transmitting device. As shown by the dotted line in FIG.
Alternatively, the host CPU 104 detects an input from the keyboard 16 via the input interface 103, and transmits a high image quality change request or a low image quality change request as an image quality change request to the image transmitting apparatus via the Ethernet card based on the detection. I do.

The steps of setting the bit rate to the high usage rate or the low usage rate in each of the flows of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are changed to a high image quality change request processing and a low image quality change request processing for the data transmitting apparatus, respectively. Thus, the processing flow in the data receiving device is performed. According to such a configuration, it is possible to change the image quality of the received image based on the state change on the side receiving the image data.

In the above embodiment, the MPE
Although the description has been given as an example in which the G2 compression is applied, the bit rate changing configuration of the present invention can be similarly applied to other compression methods such as MPEG4. Also, the audio data may be configured to change the transfer data amount according to the situation.

The present invention has been described in detail with reference to the specific embodiments. However, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can modify or substitute the embodiment without departing from the spirit of the present invention. That is, the present invention has been disclosed by way of example, and should not be construed as limiting. In order to determine the gist of the present invention, the claims described at the beginning should be considered.

[0077]

As described above, the data transmitting apparatus, the data receiving apparatus, the data transmitting method, and the data transmitting apparatus according to the present invention,
According to the program storage medium, the transmission rate of the transmission image is changed based on various changes in the situation of the image transmission side, so that an increase in network traffic is suppressed and efficient image transmission / reception is realized. it can.

Further, according to the data transmitting apparatus, the data receiving apparatus, the data transmitting method, and the program storage medium of the present invention, the data transmitting side can be set based on a request from the image receiving side or various situation changes. , It is possible to receive high-quality images only when it is necessary on the image receiving side, and it is possible to suppress an increase in network traffic when high-quality data reception is not required. Efficient image transmission and reception can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a system configuration according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an MPEG processing PCI board of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a transfer data packet in the system of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a bit rate change process in the system of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart corresponding to an example of executing a bit rate change process based on detection of input from a keyboard and a mouse in the system of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart corresponding to an example of executing a bit rate change process based on detection of an input from a proximity sensor in the system of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart corresponding to an example of executing a bit rate change process based on detection of an input from a speech recognition device in the system of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram corresponding to an example of executing a bit rate change process based on an input from a data receiving side in the system of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an outline of a system configuration of a data receiving apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Video camera 12 Microphone 13 Display 14 Speaker 15 Mouse 16 Keyboard 101 MPEG processing PCI board 102 Ethernet card 103 Input / output interface 104 Host CPU 105 Hoist memory 106 PCI bus 201 MPEG video encoder 202 MPEG audio encoder 203 MPEG multiplexer 204 RTP packet generation means 205 UDP packet generating means 206 IP packet generating means 207 PCI interface 208 IP packet expanding means 209 UDP packet expanding means 210 RTP packet expanding means 211 MPEG demultiplexer 212 MPEG video decoder 213 MPEG audio decoder 401 Encoder 402 Bit rate change control signal Inspection Means 403 the bit rate setting means

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Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. A data transmitting apparatus for encoding and transmitting an information signal, comprising: a data encoding unit for inputting an information signal and executing an encoding process; and a bit rate of encoded data generated by the data encoding unit. Bit rate setting means for setting, and control means for detecting a status change on the data transmission device side and outputting a bit rate change control signal based on the status change detection, wherein the bit rate setting means includes the control means A data transmission apparatus which receives a bit rate change control signal from the CPU and executes a process of changing a bit rate setting of code data generated by the data coding means based on the input. 2. The bit rate change control according to claim 2, wherein said control means detects an input signal from an input means of either a mouse or a keyboard, and sets a high bit rate based on detection of an input from said input means. And outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a low bit rate based on detection that an input from the input means does not occur for a predetermined time. 2. The data transmission device according to 1. 3. The control means has a configuration for detecting an input signal from a motion sensor, and outputs a bit rate change control signal for setting a high bit rate based on motion detection from the motion sensor. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a low bit rate based on detection that a motion detection signal from the motion sensor does not occur for a predetermined time. 3. Data transmission device. 4. The control means has a configuration for detecting an input signal from a voice detection device, and outputs a bit rate change control signal for setting a high bit rate based on voice detection from the voice detection device. And outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a low bit rate based on detection that a voice detection signal from the voice detection device does not occur for a predetermined time. A data transmission device according to claim 1. 5. The data transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said data encoding means is configured to execute a compression process in an MPEG format. 6. The data encoding means is configured to execute a compression process in an MPEG format, and the data transmission device includes an RTP (Real Time Transport Protocol) storing MPEG compressed data.
The data transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a configuration for generating and outputting a packet. 7. The data encoding means is configured to execute a compression process in an MPEG format, and the data transmission device is configured to generate and output an IP (Internet Protocol) packet storing MPEG compressed data. The data transmission device according to claim 1, comprising: 8. A data transmitting apparatus for encoding and transmitting an information signal, comprising: a data encoding unit for inputting an information signal to execute an encoding process; and a bit rate of encoded data generated by the data encoding unit. A bit rate setting means to be set; and an image quality change request signal based on the situation change detection output from the data receiving apparatus based on the situation change on the data receiving apparatus side, and a bit rate change based on the image quality change request signal. Control means for outputting a control signal, wherein the bit rate setting means inputs a bit rate change control signal from the control means, and based on the input, bits of code data generated by the data coding means. A data transmission device having a configuration for executing a process of changing a rate setting. 9. A data receiving apparatus for receiving an encoded signal, a data decoding means for inputting the encoded signal and executing a decoding process, detecting a situation change on the data receiving apparatus side, and detecting the situation change. Control means for outputting an image quality change request signal to the transmitting apparatus for the coded signal. 10. A high image quality change request for setting a high bit rate based on input detection from the input means, wherein the control means detects an input signal from an input means of either a mouse or a keyboard. Outputting a signal to the transmitting apparatus of the encoded signal, and detecting a low image quality change request signal to be set to a low bit rate based on the detection that the input from the input means does not occur for a predetermined time. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the data receiving apparatus has a configuration for outputting to a transmitting apparatus of the coded signal. 11. The control means has a configuration for detecting an input signal from a motion sensor, and outputs a high image quality change request signal for setting a high bit rate based on motion detection from the motion sensor to the encoded signal. A low image quality change request signal for setting a low bit rate based on the detection that the motion detection from the motion sensor does not occur for a predetermined period of time. 10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the output is provided to
A data receiving device according to claim 1. 12. The control means has a configuration for detecting an input signal from a voice detection device, and outputs a high image quality change request signal for setting a high bit rate to a high bit rate based on voice detection from the voice detection device. Outputting a low image quality change request signal to be set to a low bit rate based on the detection that the audio detection signal from the audio detection device does not occur for a predetermined time. The data receiving apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the data receiving apparatus has a configuration for outputting the signal to a signal transmitting apparatus. 13. A data transmission method for encoding and transmitting an information signal, comprising: a control signal output step of detecting a status change on a data transmission device side and outputting a bit rate change control signal based on the status change detection; A bit rate change control signal output from the rate change control signal output step, a bit rate setting step of setting a bit rate of code data based on the input; a code of an input information signal according to the setting of the bit rate setting step A data encoding step of performing an encoding process; and a transmission step of transmitting encoded data. 14. The control signal output step includes a step of detecting an input signal from an input means of either a mouse or a keyboard and outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a high bit rate based on the detection. Outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a low bit rate based on detection that the input from the input means does not occur for a predetermined time. The data transmission method according to claim 13, wherein 15. The control signal output step includes: detecting an input signal from a motion sensor and outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a high bit rate based on the motion detection; Outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a low bit rate based on the detection that the motion detection signal does not occur for a predetermined time, and selectively performing any of the following. The data transmission method according to claim 13. 16. The control signal output step includes a step of detecting an input signal from a voice detection device and outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a high bit rate based on voice detection from the voice detection device. And outputting a bit rate change control signal for setting a low bit rate based on detection that the voice detection signal from the voice detection device does not occur for a predetermined time. 14. The data transmission method according to claim 13, wherein the method is executed. 17. The method according to claim 17, wherein the data encoding step comprises an MPEG
14. The data transmission method according to claim 13, wherein the data transmission method is configured to execute a compression process in a format. 18. The data encoding step according to claim 1, wherein
14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of performing a compression process in a format, and wherein the data transmitting step includes a step of generating and outputting an RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) packet storing MPEG compressed data. Data transmission method described in. 19. The data encoding step comprises the steps of:
14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of performing a compression process in a format, and wherein the data transmitting step includes a step of generating and outputting an IP (Internet Protocol) packet storing MPEG compressed data. Data transmission method. 20. A computer-readable storage medium for providing a computer program for causing a computer system to execute a data transmission process of encoding and transmitting an information signal, wherein the computer program includes: A control signal output step of outputting a bit rate change control signal based on the situation change detection, and a bit rate change control signal output from the bit rate change control signal output step, and code data based on the input. A bit rate setting step of setting a bit rate of: a data encoding step of executing an encoding process of an input information signal according to the setting of the bit rate setting step; and a transmitting step of transmitting encoded data. Characteristic program storage medium.