JP2012239224A - Visual communication system, master device thereof, communication control method, and communication control apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a visual communication system configured to appropriately and surely deal with the occurrence of an emergency call, and to provide a master device thereof.SOLUTION: The content of operation in a user terminal 20 is determined at a determination section 14a. If the content of operation is emergency origination by special number dial, an image link forming section 14b immediately forms an image communication link connecting a video camera 40 and a PC 31. A manager at a stuff room 2 can thereby get to know the situation of a source user immediately. When the manager responds by an emergency call terminal 21, a voice link forming section 14c forms a voice communication channel between the user terminal 20 and the emergency call terminal 21 so that voice communication can be started. Furthermore, a bidirectional image communication link is formed so that the states of each other are displayed visually on the PC 30 and PC 31.

Description

  The present invention relates to a visual communication system having an emergency call function, a main device thereof, a communication control method, and a communication control device.

  In recent years, a telephone system called a VoIP (Voice over IP) using not only a circuit switching network but also an IP (Internet Protocol) network has begun to spread. Recently, telephone systems that can communicate not only voice but also images (including still images and moving images) are widely used. This type of system is also called a visual communication system.

  By the way, the telephone system is provided with an emergency call function. This function is a function such as the 110th and 119 calls in Japan and the 911 call in the United States. In other words, when a call is made with a special number, the telephone is immediately connected to a specialized institution or management center. An administrator is resident at the connection destination, and the administrator who has responded at the called terminal (emergency call terminal) needs to immediately know the situation of the caller.

  In existing systems, the administrator can only monitor the situation where the caller is placed by voice. However, since it is difficult to convey an accurate situation only by voice, some improvement is desired. If there is no response from the administrator, no action can be taken. In particular, immediate measures are desired in the following environment.

  For example, it is assumed that an inpatient in a hospital or the like becomes unwell and becomes unconscious while trying to make a nurse call. In such a case, the administrator cannot grasp the patient's situation at all, and thus cannot take an appropriate action despite the urgent action. It is known that the emergency call terminal rings when it is considered to be an emergency call when the caller's phone remains off-hook, but in such cases, the patient is unconscious, so voice alone The situation cannot be grasped.

  A related technique is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. In this document, when a ring signal is generated when a call is connected between a callee terminal and a callee terminal, an image of the caller is captured, transferred to the callee terminal, and displayed on the callee terminal. Technology is disclosed. However, even such a technique cannot always cope effectively with an emergency. This is because the caller may be placed in a situation where even the ring signal cannot be generated.

JP 2006-74772 A

As described above, the existing telephone system has room for improvement in the emergency call function, and some countermeasure is desired.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a visual communication system, a main apparatus, a communication control method, and a communication control apparatus capable of reliably taking an appropriate response when an emergency call occurs. is there.

  According to the embodiment, the visual communication system includes a telephone terminal, a first video camera associated with the telephone terminal, a first display unit associated with the telephone terminal, and an emergency call from the telephone terminal. An emergency call terminal, a second video camera associated with the emergency call terminal, a second display unit associated with the emergency call terminal, the telephone terminal, and the emergency call terminal And a main apparatus that accommodates the network via a common extension network. The main apparatus includes a determination processing unit, a visual link forming unit, and an audio link forming unit. The determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call if the call originated from the telephone terminal is accompanied by dialing the emergency call number. The visual link forming unit forms an image communication link between the first video camera and the second display unit when the determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call, An image obtained by the first video camera is displayed on the second display unit. The voice link forming unit forms a voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the emergency call terminal when a response operation to the call is performed at the emergency call terminal after the image communication link is formed.

  By taking such measures, when an emergency call is made at the telephone terminal, an image communication link is first formed, and an image of the caller user is displayed on the display linked to the emergency call terminal. Therefore, the manager of the emergency call terminal can immediately know the state of the transmission source (patient etc.). Further, when a call response operation is performed at the emergency call terminal, a two-way voice communication link is formed between the caller (telephone terminal) and the called party (emergency call terminal), thereby enabling telephone communication. . At that time, another image communication link is formed, an image of the manager is displayed on the display linked to the telephone terminal, and bidirectional visual communication is started between the caller user and the manager. This ensures that the administrator can take an appropriate response when an emergency call occurs.

1 is a system diagram showing an example of an embodiment of a visual communication system according to the present invention. The flowchart which shows the process sequence in the system of FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing an example of an embodiment of a visual communication system according to the present invention. This system is formed with the main apparatus 10 as a core. The main apparatus 10 is installed in a hospital or the like, and forms an extension telephone network connecting the nurse's station 2 and the hospital room 1. The hospital room 1 is provided with a user terminal 20 as a telephone terminal and a personal computer (PC) 30 that is associated with the user terminal 20 in advance and functions in conjunction with the user terminal 20. Connected to the PC 30 is a video camera 40 for acquiring an image in the hospital room 1, particularly an inpatient image.

  The station 2 is provided with an emergency call terminal 21 and a personal computer (PC) 31 that is associated with the emergency call terminal 21 in advance and functions in conjunction with the emergency call terminal 21. A video camera 41 for acquiring an image of the administrator of the emergency call terminal 21 is connected to the PC 31. Since the PCs 30 and 31 include a display, they are used as display units for displaying images acquired by the video cameras 40 and 41.

  The PCs 30 and 31 are connected to a LAN switch (LAN SW) 50 and are accommodated in the main apparatus 10 via a private LAN (Local Area Network). A server device 60 that performs buffering of image data and the like is also connected to the LAN SW 50. The function for linking the user terminal 20 and the PC 30 and the emergency call terminal 21 and the PC 31 to each other is already known, and can be realized by setting using a protocol such as SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). According to this function, it is possible to realize a click to dial function such as making a call from a telephone terminal 30 to a desired destination by clicking a telephone number displayed on the display of the PC 31, for example. .

  The main device 10 includes a terminal interface (I / F) unit 13, a LAN I / F unit 15, a line I / F unit 12, a switch unit 11, and a control unit 14. The terminal I / F unit 13 is connected to the user terminal 20 and the emergency call terminal 21 via the extension telephone network, whereby the main apparatus 10 accommodates the user terminal 20 and the emergency call terminal 21. The LAN I / F unit 15 is connected to the LAN SW 50 and processes conversion between a packet flowing through the LAN and a PCM signal processed in the main apparatus 10.

  The line I / F unit 12 is connected to a circuit switching network 70 that is an external line network. This enables mutual communication between the extension telephone network and the outside line. In particular, a disaster prevention center 100 as a management center is connected to the circuit switching network 70. The disaster prevention center 100 is equipped with an emergency response device 80 and can set a call from the circuit switching network 70 via the main device 10 and between the user terminal 20 and the emergency call terminal 21 and the emergency response device 80. . The switch unit 11 exchanges PCM signals among the line I / F unit 12, the terminal I / F unit 13, and the LAN I / F unit 15, and performs processing for switching the communication link.

The control unit 14 includes a determination processing unit 14a, an image link forming unit 14b, and an audio link forming unit 14c as processing functions related to this embodiment.
The determination processing unit 14a determines whether or not the call originating from the user terminal 20 is an emergency call. For example, if the call is accompanied by dialing emergency call numbers (special numbers) such as 119 and 911, the determination processing unit 14a determines that the call is an emergency call. In particular, in this embodiment, when a state in which no operation is performed after off-hook continues for a specified time (for example, 1 minute), the determination processing unit 14a determines that this state is an emergency call.

  When the determination processing unit 14a determines that the call from the user terminal 20 is an emergency call, the image link forming unit 14b forms an image communication link between the video camera 40 and the PC 31. Thereby, before the response by the administrator, the image in the hospital room 1, in particular, the video of the user (patient) of the user terminal 20 at that time is displayed in real time on the PC 31.

  Note that it is convenient in terms of system design if the server device 60 performs processing for forming an image communication link as a main body. That is, when a command for link formation is given from the main apparatus 10 to the server apparatus 60, the server apparatus 60 may take over the process and perform the process for link formation thereafter. SIP can also be used as the protocol at that time. The same applies to the formation of a voice communication link to be described later.

  The voice link forming unit 14 c forms a voice communication link between the user terminal 20 and the emergency call terminal 21 when a response operation is performed at the emergency call terminal 21 after the video of the video camera 40 is displayed on the PC 31. . As a result, voice communication is started between the user terminal 20 and the emergency call terminal 21.

  In particular, in the case where an emergency call operation is performed using a special number dial, the voice link forming unit 14 c also forms a voice communication link between the user terminal 20 and the emergency response device 80. Thereby, the user of the user terminal 20 can communicate with the operator of the disaster prevention center 100 in addition to the administrator of the station 2.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the system of FIG. In FIG. 2, when the user of the user terminal 20 performs a dial operation (step S1), the main apparatus 10 performs a dial analysis process (step S2). If it is a normal call in this step, that is, if the input dial number is not an emergency special number (119, 911, etc.), a normal call process is performed (step S3).
If it is determined in step S2 that the special number has been dialed, the call is transferred to the emergency call terminal 21 and a process for calling the administrator by ring tone generation or the like is performed (step S4). Next, the image acquired by the video camera 40 is immediately displayed on the PC 31 regardless of whether there is a response from the administrator (step S6). As a result, the administrator can visually check the state of the caller user. When this state is established, the main device 10 calls the emergency response device 80 on another channel, and similarly performs processing for calling the operator of the center 100 (step S7).

  From this state, when a response operation is performed by the administrator at the emergency call terminal 21 (step S8), a voice communication channel is established between the user terminal 20 and the emergency call terminal 21, and the user in the hospital room 1 and the station A call with the manager of 2 is started. At the same time, a bidirectional image communication link is formed, and an image acquired by the video camera 41 is displayed on the PC 30 (step S9). As a result, the user and the manager can start visual communication accompanied by video in the sound. Furthermore, when a response operation is performed at the emergency response device 80 of the center 100, another call channel is also formed between the user terminal 20 and the emergency response device 80. In this state, the administrator of the station 2 can monitor the call between the user and the operator of the center 100.

  On the other hand, it is assumed in step S2 that it is determined that the user terminal 20 has been off-hooked and no subsequent dial operation has been performed for a specified time. As a result, the emergency call terminal 21 is immediately called, and a process for calling the administrator is performed (step S5). At the same time, an image acquired by the video camera 40 is displayed on the PC 31 (step S10). When the manager responds to this (step S11), a voice communication channel is established, and a call between the user and the manager is started. In addition, a bidirectional image communication link is formed, and an image acquired by the video camera 41 is displayed on the PC 30 (step S12).

  As described above, in this embodiment, the operation content on the user terminal 20 is determined by the determination processing unit 14a. If the operation content is an emergency call using a special number dial, the image communication link connecting the video camera 40 and the PC 31 is immediately formed by the image link forming unit 14b. As a result, the manager of the station 2 can immediately know the situation of the transmission source user. Then, when the administrator makes a response at the emergency call terminal 21, the voice link forming unit 14c forms a voice communication channel between the user terminal 20 and the emergency call terminal 21 so that the voice call is started. I have to. Further, a bidirectional image communication link is formed so that the PCs 30 and 31 can visually display each other's state.

  Thus, only when the emergency call terminal 21 receives an emergency call, an image of the video camera 40 attached to the PC 30 linked to the user terminal 20 is displayed on the PC 31 linked to the emergency call terminal 21. As a result, an image communication channel is not formed for normal transmission, and communication resources are not unnecessarily consumed.

  Further, in this embodiment, even in the case where there is no dial operation even after a specified time has passed after the off-hook, the same processing as described above is performed considering that it is an emergency situation. Thereby, even if the user is in an unconscious state or the like, the state of the calling user can be surely known in any case.

  With the existing technology, it is possible to know the state of the caller user by voice, but it is not possible for the administrator to see the video immediately after the call. On the other hand, in this embodiment, before the administrator of the emergency call terminal 21 responds, the image of the user is displayed on the PC 31 of the administrator. As a result, the administrator can know the user's situation from the image before responding, and can take appropriate measures. Therefore, the present invention has a special effect particularly in an application requiring urgency. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a visual communication system, a main device, a communication control method, and a communication control device that can ensure appropriate response when an emergency call occurs.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Hospital room, 2 ... Station, 10 ... Main apparatus, 11 ... Switch part, 12 ... Line | wire I / F part, 13 ... Terminal interface (I / F) part, 14 ... Control part, 15 ... LAN I / F part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... User terminal, 21 ... Emergency call terminal, 30, 31 ... Personal computer (PC), 40, 41 ... Video camera, 50 ... LAN switch, 60 ... Server apparatus, 70 ... Circuit switching network, 80 ... Emergency response apparatus, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Disaster prevention center, 14a ... Judgment processing part, 14b ... Image link formation part, 14c ... Voice link formation part

Claims (19)

A phone terminal,
A first video camera associated with the telephone terminal;
A first display unit associated with the telephone terminal;
An emergency call terminal that is a destination of an emergency call from the telephone terminal;
A second video camera associated with the emergency call terminal;
A second display unit associated with the emergency call terminal;
A main unit that accommodates the telephone terminal and the emergency call terminal via a common extension network;
This main unit is
If the call originating from the telephone terminal involves dialing an emergency call number, a determination processing unit that determines that the call is the emergency call;
When the determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call, an image communication link is formed between the first video camera and the second display unit, and the second display unit A visual link forming unit for displaying an image acquired by the first video camera;
A voice link forming unit that forms a voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the emergency call terminal when a response operation to the call is performed at the emergency call terminal after the image communication link is formed; Characteristic visual communication system. The visual link forming unit
When the audio communication link is formed, an image communication link is formed between the second video camera and the first display unit, and acquired by the second video camera on the first display unit. The visual communication system according to claim 1, wherein the displayed image is displayed.   2. The visual communication system according to claim 1, wherein the determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call when a predetermined time elapses without dial input from an off-hook in the telephone terminal. And a management center connected to the main unit via an external network different from the extension network,
When the determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call, the voice link forming unit performs a call process based on the call and performs voice communication between the telephone terminal and the management center. The visual communication system according to claim 1, wherein a link is formed.   A voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the emergency call terminal and a voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the management center allow a call between a user of the telephone terminal and an operator of the management center to The visual communication system according to claim 4, wherein the user of the emergency call terminal can monitor. In a main unit that accommodates a telephone terminal and an emergency call terminal that is an emergency call destination from the telephone terminal via a common extension network,
The telephone terminal is associated with a first video camera and a first display unit,
The emergency call terminal is associated with a second video camera and a second display unit,
If the call originating from the telephone terminal involves dialing an emergency call number, a determination processing unit that determines that the call is the emergency call;
When the determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call, an image communication link is formed between the first video camera and the second display unit, and the second display unit A visual link forming unit for displaying an image acquired by the first video camera;
A voice link forming unit that forms a voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the emergency call terminal when a response operation to the call is performed at the emergency call terminal after the image communication link is formed; Featured main device. The visual link forming unit
When the audio communication link is formed, an image communication link is formed between the second video camera and the first display unit, and acquired by the second video camera on the first display unit. The main apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the displayed image is displayed.   The main apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call when a predetermined time elapses without dial input from an off-hook in the telephone terminal. Furthermore, it is connected to the management center via an external network different from the extension network,
When the determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call, the voice link forming unit performs a call process based on the call and performs voice communication between the telephone terminal and the management center. 7. The main apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a link is formed.   A voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the emergency call terminal and a voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the management center allow a call between a user of the telephone terminal and an operator of the management center to The main apparatus according to claim 9, wherein a user of the emergency call terminal can monitor. A visual communication system comprising a telephone terminal, an emergency call terminal that is a destination of an emergency call from the telephone terminal, and a main apparatus that accommodates the telephone terminal and the emergency call terminal via a common extension network Communication control method used for
If the call originated from the telephone terminal is accompanied by dialing an emergency call number, the main device determines that the call is the emergency call,
If it is determined that the call is the emergency call, the main apparatus performs image communication between the first video camera associated with the telephone terminal and the second display unit associated with the emergency call terminal. Form a link,
The main device displays an image acquired by the first video camera on the second display unit;
A communication control method in which the main apparatus forms a voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the emergency call terminal when a response operation to the call is performed at the emergency call terminal after the image communication link is formed . The image communication link is formed between the second video camera associated with the emergency call terminal and the first display unit associated with the telephone terminal when the voice communication link is formed. Form an image communication link,
The communication control method according to claim 11, wherein forming the image communication link causes the first display unit to display an image acquired by the second video camera.   12. The communication control method according to claim 11, wherein the determination is that the call is determined to be the emergency call when a predetermined time has elapsed from the off-hook state without dial input at the telephone terminal. The main apparatus is further connected to a management center via an external network different from the extension network,
Forming the voice communication link means that when the call is determined to be the emergency call, the voice communication link is performed between the telephone terminal and the management center while performing a calling process based on the call. The communication control method according to claim 11, which is formed.   A voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the emergency call terminal and a voice communication link between the telephone terminal and the management center allow a call between a user of the telephone terminal and an operator of the management center to 15. The communication control method according to claim 14, wherein a user of the emergency call terminal can monitor. A first terminal;
A first video camera associated with the first terminal;
A first display unit associated with the first terminal;
A second terminal;
A second video camera associated with the second terminal;
A second display unit associated with the second terminal;
A communication control device for accommodating the first terminal and the second terminal via a network;
This communication control device
A determination processing unit that determines that the call is an emergency call if the call originating from the first terminal is accompanied by an emergency call number;
When the determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call, an image communication link is formed between the first video camera and the second display unit, and the second display unit A visual link forming unit for displaying an image acquired by the first video camera;
A voice link forming unit that forms a voice communication link between the first terminal and the second terminal when a response operation to the call is made in the second terminal after the image communication link is formed; Visual communication system characterized by comprising. The visual link forming unit
When the audio communication link is formed, an image communication link is formed between the second video camera and the first display unit, and acquired by the second video camera on the first display unit. 17. The visual communication system according to claim 16, wherein the displayed image is displayed. In a communication control apparatus that accommodates a first terminal and a second terminal via a network,
The first terminal is associated with a first video camera and a first display unit,
The second terminal is associated with a second video camera and a second display unit,
A determination processing unit that determines that the call is an emergency call if the call originating from the first terminal is accompanied by an emergency call number;
When the determination processing unit determines that the call is the emergency call, an image communication link is formed between the first video camera and the second display unit, and the second display unit A visual link forming unit for displaying an image acquired by the first video camera;
A voice link forming unit that forms a voice communication link between the first terminal and the second terminal when a response operation to the call is made in the second terminal after the image communication link is formed; A communication control apparatus comprising: The visual link forming unit
When the audio communication link is formed, an image communication link is formed between the second video camera and the first display unit, and acquired by the second video camera on the first display unit. The communication control apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the displayed image is displayed.

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