JP2005311619A - Communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication system wherein a video conference can be held among a plurality of points and cost increase can be suppressed even when many conference participants take part in the conference. <P>SOLUTION: One or more videophones 2, 3 and a plurality of point servers 4 are connected to a point management server 1, a videophone 5 and a plurality of camera attached microphones 7 each including a mirror 17 are connected to the point servers 4, the point servers 4 can select either of the videophone 5 and the camera attached microphone 7, the point management server 1 can select either of the point servers 4 and the videophones 2, 3, and the point management server 1 distributes an image/audio signal received from the selected videophones 2, 3 or the videophone 5 or the camera attached microphone 7 selected by the selected point servers 4 to all the videophones 2, 3, 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system suitable for conducting a video conference by connecting a plurality of points.

In recent years, various systems for performing a video conference by transmitting and receiving images and sounds have been proposed.
For example, one host-side terminal and a plurality of member-side terminals are connected by a telephone line, and a conference connection device, a videophone, and one screen divided into a plurality of areas of attendees are connected to the host-side terminal. A screen dividing device for allocating images, a monitor television for displaying images in which attendee images are allocated to each area, and a remote image transmission circuit for determining when to send the member images to the host side terminal. A videophone conference system in which a terminal is provided with a videophone and a remote image transmission circuit is known (see Patent Document 1).

It also controls multi-point video conferences that accommodate multiple video conferences / telephone terminals and exchanges video and audio between these video conferences / telephone terminals. A multi-point video conference system having a multi-point video conference control device for controlling the form of a point video conference and a video conference / telephone terminal accommodated in the multi-point video conference control device via a network is known (Patent Document). 2).
However, in the conventional video conference system as described above, a conference participant uses a video phone one by one. Therefore, a large cost is required to hold a conference with a large number of people.

JP-A-4-140990 JP 2001-69249 A

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a communication system capable of holding a video conference between a plurality of points and suppressing an increase in cost even if there are a large number of conference participants.

  In the communication system of the present invention, one or more videophones and a plurality of base servers are connected to the base management server, and each base server includes a single videophone and a plurality of camera microphones each having a mirror. Is connected, and the base server can select either the video phone or camera microphone connected thereto, and the base management server can select either the base server or video phone connected to the base phone The base management server can receive all the video telephones from the video telephone selected by the base management server, or the image / audio signals received from the video telephone selected by the selected base server or the microphone with camera. Deliver to.

A plurality of security cameras are connected to the base server via a camera switching device, and an image being captured by the selected security camera is played back on the video phone of the base server connected to the selected camera by a selection operation of the camera switching device. You may do it.
In addition, one enlargement monitor television that reproduces the same image and sound as the video phone may be connected to the video phone connected to the base server.

According to the invention according to claim 1, since the general participant at each site participates in the video conference by sending an image / sound with a microphone with a camera, it is not necessary to install a video phone for each participant. Therefore, even if the number of participants in the video conference increases, the cost can be reduced.
In addition, since the camera-equipped microphone is provided with a mirror, it is possible to speak after confirming the face photographed by the camera without using a monitor for each participant.
According to the second aspect of the invention, since the image of the security camera can be confirmed even during a meeting, there is a great security advantage.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, all the members participating in the conference through the base server can confirm the image distributed on the large screen.

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system of the present invention includes a base management server 1, a headquarters moderator videophone 2 connected to the base management server 1 via a telephone line, an optical fiber cable, and the like. A video telephone 3 for individual participants and a plurality of base servers 4, a video telephone 5 for a base moderator connected to each base server 4, a single enlarged monitor TV 6, and a plurality of microphones 7 with a camera, Consists of.
The site management server 1, the videophone 3 for individual participants, and the site server 4 may be in a remote place or in the same building.

The video telephones 2, 3 and 5 can be switched between a case where they are used as normal video telephones and a case where they are used for video conferences, and a speech request button 20 and a headquarter contact switch 19 are provided.
A management computer 8 is connected to the site management server 1.
When the speech request button 20 is operated, a signal is sent from the video telephones 3 and 5 to the base management server 1, and the video telephone 3 or the base server 4 corresponding to the operated speech request button 20 is displayed on the display of the management computer 8. Is done.
Then, the headquarter moderator operates the management computer 8 to select one of the headquarter moderator videophone 2, the individual participant videophone 3 and the base server 4 connected to the base management server 1. Can do.

As shown in FIG. 2, a line switching device 9 is connected to the base server 4 via a cable, and a plurality of camera-equipped microphones 7 are connected to the line switching device 9 via USB or analog connection. .
The line switching device 9 is provided with a changeover switch 10 and a light emitting unit 11 corresponding to each microphone 7 with camera, and by operating the changeover switch 10, one of the microphones 7 with camera can be selected.
In addition, the site moderator can select the videophone 5 by operating the headquarters communication switch 19.

As shown in FIG. 3, the camera-equipped microphone 7 is installed at the upper end of a support column 13 that stands up from the base 12, the lens of the CCD camera 14 is installed at the tip, and the sound collection unit 15 is located at the lower part near the tip. It is formed.
A light 16 for irradiating blue light is disposed along the outer periphery of the tip of the microphone with camera 7 so as to surround the lens of the CCD camera 14. The light 16 informs that the camera-equipped microphone 7 is in a connected operation state, and can brightly illuminate the speaker's face with blue light, thereby improving the image quality.

Further, on the upper surface of the microphone 7 with the camera, a mirror 17 is erected above the CCD camera 14 with its surface facing the shooting direction of the CCD camera 14, and an entry switch for requesting remarks on the upper surface of the base 12. 18 is installed.
One microphone 7 with a camera is allocated to each participant of the conference, and the mirror 17 reflects the face of the participant sitting in front of the microphone 7 with a camera. In addition, when the entry switch 18 is pressed, the corresponding light emitting unit 11 provided in the line switching device 9 is turned on.

In this way, when a participant in the conference operates the entry switch 18 and the light emitting unit 11 is lit, the site chairman operates the changeover switch 10 corresponding to the lighted light emitting unit 11 to correspond to the light emitting unit 11. The microphone 7 with camera to be selected is selected and the speech request button 20 of the video phone 5 is operated.
In addition, when the base moderator himself / herself wants to speak, the headquarters contact switch 19 of the video telephone 5 is operated to operate the speech request button 20.
Alternatively, when an individual participant wants to speak, the speech request button 20 of the video phone 3 is operated.
Then, the management computer 8 connected to the site management server 1 performs a display corresponding to the videophones 3 and 5 that have operated the speech request button 20 and can be visually recognized by the headquarters chairperson.

The headquarters chairman sees the message request display on the management computer 8 and determines whether or not to speak from an individual participant or base.
When it is determined that the headquarters moderator can speak, the management computer 8 is operated to select the videophone 3 or the base server 4, and the image / sound signal from the selected videophone 3 or the base server 4 is selected. Can be received.
When the headquarters chairman himself wishes to speak, the video phone 2 is selected.
As a result, the site management server 1 receives the image / sound signal from the selected video phone 2 or 3, the video phone 5 selected by the selected site server 4 or the microphone 7 with camera, and receives the received image / sound. The signal is distributed to all the video telephones 2, 3, and 5.

The video telephones 2, 3, and 5 reproduce the distributed images and sounds, but the enlarged monitor TV 6 is connected to the video telephone 5 that is distributed via the base server 4, and the enlarged monitor TV 6 is The same image / sound as the telephone 5 is enlarged and reproduced so that the participants of the conference can clearly view.
If the headquarters moderator determines that the speech has ended, the manager computer 8 operates the management computer 8 to release the selected state, and the distribution of the image / audio signal from the site management server 1 ends.
When there is no individual participant, it is not necessary to connect the video phone 3 for the individual participant to the site management server 1.
Further, the entry switch 18 may not be installed in the camera-equipped microphone 7, and the participant may request to speak by raising his hand.
Further, when the conference participants at the base are small in number and all of them can sufficiently watch the videophone 5, the enlarged monitor TV 6 may not be connected.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
A plurality of security cameras 22 are connected to the base server 4 via the camera switching device 21. The security camera 22 shoots important areas for security, such as parking lots, entrances, passages, stores, etc., and image signals from all security cameras 22 are constantly transmitted to the base server 4 and recorded. Yes.
Further, a normal videophone function, a videoconferencing function, and a security monitor function can be switched by a videophone 5 connected to the base server 4.
The camera switching device 21 is provided with a camera switching switch 23 corresponding to each security camera 22.

When the site moderator operates the videophone 5 to switch to the security monitor function and then operates the camera changeover switch 23, the image signal of the security camera 22 corresponding to the camera changeover switch 23 is sent from the site server 4 to the videophone. 5 is transmitted.
Then, the image being photographed by the security camera 22 is reproduced on the video phone 5 and the enlarged monitor television 6 connected to the video phone 5.
Since other configurations and methods of use are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description thereof is omitted.

1 is a connection schematic diagram of a communication system showing Embodiment 1. FIG. The perspective view which shows the connection state of each component in a base. The perspective view of a microphone with a camera. FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a connection state of each component at a base according to the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base management server 2 Headquarter moderator's video telephone 3 Individual participant's video telephone 4 Base server 5 Base moderator's video telephone 6 Expansion monitor TV 7 Camera microphone 8 Management computer 9 Line switching device 10 Switch 11 Light switch DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Base 13 Support | pillar 14 CCD camera 15 Sound collecting part 16 Light 17 Mirror 18 Entry switch 19 Headquarters communication switch 20 Statement request button 21 Camera switching device 22 Security camera 23 Camera switching switch

Claims (3)

  One to a plurality of video telephones and a plurality of base servers are connected to the base management server, and one video telephone and a plurality of camera microphones each having a mirror are connected to each base server. Can select one of the video phone and camera microphone connected to the base phone, and the base management server can select either the base server or video phone connected to the base phone, and the base management The server distributes the image / sound signal received from the video phone selected by the site management server or from the video phone or camera microphone selected by the selected site server to all video phones. Communication system.   A plurality of security cameras are connected to the base server via a camera switching device, and an image being captured by the selected security camera is played back on the video phone of the base server connected to the selected camera by a selection operation of the camera switching device. The communication system according to claim 1. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein a videophone connected to the base server is connected to a single enlarged monitor TV that reproduces the same image and sound as the videophone.

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