JP2020061763A5 - - Google Patents

Description

Communication system, communication method, management system, and program

The present invention relates to an invention for managing first and second communication terminals that send and receive predetermined communication data.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a call system for conducting a video conference via a communication network such as the Internet has become widespread in response to a request for reducing travel expenses and travel time. In such a call system, a video conference can be realized by transmitting and receiving image data and sound data between a plurality of call terminals.

In addition to a call system that directly transmits and receives image data and sound data between call terminals, a video conference that uses multiple relay devices for relaying image data and sound data between multiple call terminals. A system has appeared (see Patent Document 1).

However, the conventional video conference call system cannot realize a call between call terminals using different call systems. That is, if the call methods are different, at least one of a call control method (call control protocol) for connecting or disconnecting with a call destination and an encoding method for converting the image data and the sound data into IP packets If one of them is different, there arises a problem that a call between the call terminals cannot be realized.

The invention according to claim 1 is a management system that manages a destination for transmitting or receiving communication data by using at least a first communication method indicating one of a call control method and a communication data encoding method; And a first communication terminal that transmits or receives communication data using the first communication method, wherein the first communication terminal communicates with any of the destinations received from the management system. The first request information is transmitted to start communication with the destination selected by the user among the destinations, and the first communication method, at least the call control method, and the code of communication data are transmitted. When starting communication with a second communication terminal that uses a second communication method that is different in any of the different communication methods, start communication with the second communication terminal that corresponds to the address information input by the user. To transmit the second request information, the relay device relays the communication data and the first communication terminal when the first request information is transmitted by the transmitting means. By establishing a first session between the first communication terminal and the selected destination in a state in which communication data can be transmitted and received using the first session. When the second request information is transmitted by the gateway, the gateway and the second gateway that enable mutual use between the first communication method and the second communication method by converting communication data. By establishing a second session with the communication terminal of the second communication terminal, the second communication terminal is connected via the gateway in addition to the relay device that relays the communication data with the first communication terminal. It is a communication system characterized in that communication data can be transmitted and received using the second session .

As described above, according to the present invention, the destination information of each of the first communication terminal, the conversion system, and the second communication terminal is transmitted from the communication management system to the relay device. As a result, the relay device establishes the first communication session with the first communication terminal, and further establishes the second communication session with the conversion system that converts the call mode of the call data. Can be made. Further, the relay device transmits the destination information of the second communication terminal received from the communication management system to the conversion system, so that the conversion system establishes the third communication session with the second communication terminal. can do.

Therefore, call data can be transmitted and received between the first communication terminal and the second communication terminal using the first to third communication sessions. As a result, even when the first and second communication terminals use different communication systems, the conversion system mutually converts the communication systems of the communication data, so that the communication can be realized. ..

It is a schematic diagram of a telephone call system concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the communication condition at the time of implementing a telephone call between the telephone terminals of the same communication system. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the image quality of image data transmitted and received according to the SVC standard in FIGS. 2 and 4. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the communication condition when a call is implement|achieved between the call terminals of a different communication system. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing image quality of image data transmitted and received according to the AVC standard in FIG. 4. It is an external view of the telephone terminal which concerns on this embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the telephone terminal which concerns on this embodiment. 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a call management system, a relay device, a conversion system, a program providing system, or a maintenance system according to the present embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of a call terminal, a relay device, a call management system, and a conversion system which constitute a part of call system of an embodiment. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a change quality control table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a relay device management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a terminal information management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a terminal state management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a destination list management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a session management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a conversion management table. It is a conceptual diagram which shows a quality control table. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process of the preparatory stage which starts a telephone call between terminals. It is a sequence diagram which shows the start request of a telephone call. It is a flow chart which shows judgment of a communication method. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process which establishes a communication session before making a telephone call between two dedicated terminals. It is a sequence diagram showing a process of transmitting and receiving call data between two dedicated terminals. It is a sequence diagram which shows the process which establishes a communication session before making a telephone call between a dedicated terminal and a non-dedicated terminal. It is a sequence diagram showing a process of transmitting and receiving call data between a dedicated terminal and a non-dedicated terminal. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the image quality of the image data after the conversion by the conversion system.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 24.

<<Overall Configuration of Embodiment>>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a call system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the call system 1 includes a plurality of call terminals (10aa, 10ab,... ), a display (120aa, 120ab,...) For each call terminal (10aa, 10ab,... ), and a plurality of displays. The relay device (30a, 30b, 30c), the call management system 50, the conversion system 80, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are constructed. With this call system 1, communication of image data and sound data, which is an example of call data, is performed, so that a video conference between remote places can be realized. The plurality of routers (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, 70cd) select the optimum route for the call data.

The call terminals (10aa, 10ab, 10ac,... ), the relay device 30a, and the router 70a are communicatively connected by a LAN 2a. The call terminals (10ba, 10bb, 10bc,... ), the relay device 30b, and the router 70b are communicably connected by a LAN 2b. The LAN 2a and the LAN 2b are communicably connected by a dedicated line 2ab including a router 70ab. Further, the LAN 2a, the LAN 2b, and the private line 2ab are constructed within a predetermined area X. For example, the region X is Japan, the LAN 2a is built in the office in Tokyo, and the LAN 2b is built in the office in Osaka.

On the other hand, the call terminals (10ca, 10cb, 10cc,... ), the relay device 30c, and the router 70c are communicatively connected by a LAN 2c. The call terminals (10da, 10db, 10dc,... ), the conversion system 80, and the router 70d are communicably connected by a LAN 2d. Further, the LAN 2c and the LAN 2d are communicably connected by a dedicated line 2cd including a router 70cd. Further, the LAN 2c, the LAN 2d, and the private line 2cd are constructed within a predetermined area Y. For example, Region Y is the United States, LAN2c is built within a New York office, and LAN2d is Washington D.C. C. It is built in the office. The area X and the area Y are communicably connected from the routers (70ab, 70cd) via the Internet 2i.

In the following, the "call terminal" is simply represented as "terminal", and the "call management system" is simply represented as "management system". Further, any one of the plurality of terminals (10aa, 10ab,...) Is represented as “terminal 10”, and any one of the plurality of displays (120aa, 120ab,...) Is represented as “display 120”. An arbitrary relay device among the plurality of relay devices (30a, 30b, 30c) is represented as "relay device 30". Furthermore, a terminal as a request source for requesting the start of a video conference is represented as a “request source terminal”, and a terminal as a destination (relay destination) as a request destination is represented as a “destination terminal”. Further, any router among the routers (70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, 70cd) is represented as "router 70".

The management system 50, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are connected to the Internet 2i. In this embodiment, the conversion system 80 is connected to the router 70d in the LAN 2d in the area Y. The management system 50, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 may be installed in the area X or the area Y, or may be installed in areas other than these.

Further, in the present embodiment, the communication network 2 of the present embodiment is constructed by the LAN 2a, LAN 2b, dedicated line 2ab, Internet 2i, dedicated line 2cd, LAN 2c, and LAN 2d. The communication network 2 may have a location where not only wired communication but also wireless communication such as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) and Bluetooth (registered trademark) is performed.

Further, in FIG. 1, the four sets of numbers shown under each terminal 10, each relay device 30, the management system 50, each router 70, the conversion system 80, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are general. The IP address in the traditional IPv4 is simply shown. For example, the IP address of the terminal 10aa is “1.2.1.3”. Although IPv6 may be used instead of IPv4, IPv4 is used for description in order to simplify the description.

It should be noted that each terminal 10 can be used not only for calls between a plurality of business establishments and calls between different rooms within the same business establishment, but also for a call within the same room, a call between outdoors and indoors or a call between outdoors and outdoors. May be used. When each terminal 10 is used outdoors, wireless communication such as a mobile phone communication network is performed.

Further, each terminal 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a terminal that realizes a telephone call of a user by transmitting/receiving telephone call data, and is, for example, a video conference terminal. Further, the terminal 10 uses a predetermined communication method (a call control method for connecting or disconnecting a call destination, and an encoding method for converting call data into IP packets) to send and receive call data. To do.

The call control method includes (1) SIP (Session Initiation Protocol), (2) H.323, (3) SIP extended protocol, (4) instant messenger protocol, and (5) SIP MESSAGE method. Examples of protocols include a protocol using (6) Internet relay chat (IRC), and (7) an extended version of the instant messenger protocol. Among these, (4) instant messenger protocol is, for example, (4-1) XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), or (4-2) ICQ (registered trademark), AIM (registered trademark), or Skype (registered trademark). It is a protocol used in the trademark). Further, (7) the protocol that is an extension of the instant messenger protocol is, for example, Jingle.

Further, of the plurality of terminals 10, for example, a communication method in which the call control method is an instant messenger protocol (or a protocol obtained by extending the instant messenger protocol) and the encoding method is SVC (Scalable Video Coding) is used. The terminal 10 to be operated is represented as “dedicated terminal A”. Further, among the plurality of terminals 10, a terminal 10 that uses a communication method in which at least one of the call control method and the encoding method is different from the dedicated terminal A is represented as “non-dedicated terminal D”. Further, in the present embodiment, as an example of two terminals having different communication systems, the “dedicated terminal A” is described as a terminal manufactured, sold, or managed by a specific company, and the “non-dedicated terminal D” is A terminal manufactured, sold, or managed by a company other than the specific company will be described. In the present embodiment, terminals manufactured, sold, or managed by different companies in this way often have different communication systems, and therefore, an example as described above will be used for description. As an example of two terminals with different communication methods, among terminals manufactured or sold by the same company, a terminal with a new manufacturing time or a new selling time is defined as “dedicated terminal A”, and a terminal with a old manufacturing time or a new selling time is It may be the “non-dedicated terminal D”.

Each relay device 30 is a computer system that relays call data among a plurality of terminals 10. The management system 50 is a computer system that centrally manages login authentication from the terminal 10, management of the call status of the terminal 10, management of a destination list, and the communication status of the relay device 30. The image of the image data may be a moving image or a still image, or may be both a moving image and a still image.

Further, the conversion system 80 plays the roles of a Signaling Gateway that converts a call control signal and a Video/Audio Gateway that encodes call data. That is, the conversion system 80 is a gateway that performs mutual conversion between the communication method of the call data transmitted from the request source terminal and the communication method (call control method, encoding method) of the call data transmitted from the destination terminal, At least one of the call control method and the encoding method is converted.

The program providing system 90 is a computer system that provides the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, the conversion system 80, and the maintenance system 100 with the programs used by each via the communication network 2.

The maintenance system 100 is a computer system for maintaining, managing, or maintaining at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, the conversion system 80, and the program providing system 90. For example, when the maintenance system 100 is installed in Japan and the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, the conversion system 80, or the program providing system 90 is installed outside the country, the maintenance system 100 is connected via the communication network 2. Then, maintenance such as maintenance, management, and maintenance of at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, the conversion system 80, and the program providing system 90 is performed remotely. Further, the maintenance system 100 does not go through the communication network 2, and the model number, the manufacturing number, and the sales destination in at least one of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, the conversion system 80, and the program providing system 90. , Maintenance, or maintenance such as failure history management.

Next, the first communication pattern for realizing a call between the two dedicated terminals A will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. Note that FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a communication situation when a call is realized between call terminals of the same communication method.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the first communication pattern, the call system 1 uses the H.264/SVC video coding standard to communicate call data. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, in the call system 1, between the request source terminal as the dedicated terminal A and the destination terminal as the dedicated terminal A, various types of communication are performed via the management system 50. A management communication session sei for transmitting and receiving management information is established. Further, between the request source terminal and the destination terminal, in order to transmit/receive four kinds of data of high resolution image data, medium resolution image data, low resolution image data, and sound data via the relay device 30. 4 communication sessions are established.

In FIG. 2, four communication sessions established between the request source terminal and the relay device 30 are shown as a first communication session sed1 for call data. Further, the four communication sessions established between the relay device 30 and the destination terminal are shown as the second communication session sed2 for call data.

Here, the resolution of the image of the image data handled by the first communication pattern shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG. Note that FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the image quality of image data transmitted and received according to the SVC standard in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3( a ), a low-resolution image serving as a base image is composed of 160 pixels horizontally and 120 pixels vertically, and as shown in FIG. 3( b ), There are a medium resolution image having 320 pixels and 240 pixels in the vertical direction, and a high resolution image having 640 pixels in the horizontal direction and 480 pixels in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. 3C. Of these, when passing through a narrow band path, the relay device 30 relays low-quality image data consisting only of low-resolution image data that is a base image. When the band is relatively wide, the relay device 30 relays low-resolution image data serving as a base image and medium-quality image data including medium-resolution image data. When the band is very wide, the relay device 30 relays high-quality image data including low-resolution image data serving as a base image, medium-resolution image data, and high-resolution image data.

Next, a second communication pattern for realizing a call between the dedicated terminal A and the non-dedicated terminal D will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Note that FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing a communication situation when a call is realized between call terminals of different communication methods.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the second communication pattern, the communication system 1 uses the H.264/SVC video coding standard and the H.264/AVC (Advanced Video Coding) video coding standard. Call data is communicated using the standards. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, in the call system 1, between the request source terminal as the dedicated terminal A and the destination terminal as the non-dedicated terminal D, via the management system 50, A management communication session sei for transmitting and receiving various kinds of management information is established.

Further, between the request source terminal (an example of the first communication terminal) and the conversion system 80, high-resolution image data, medium-resolution image data, low-resolution image data are transmitted through the relay device 30 by H.264/SVC. Four communication sessions have been established for transmitting and receiving each of the four pieces of resolution image data and sound data. In FIG. 4, the four communication sessions established between the request source terminal and the relay device 30 are shown as the first communication session sed11 for call data. The four communication sessions established between the relay device 30 and the conversion system 80 are shown as the second communication session sed12 for call data.

Furthermore, between the conversion system 80 and the destination terminal (an example of the second communication terminal), two communications for transmitting and receiving each of two data of medium resolution image data and sound data by H.264/AVC. The session is established. In FIG. 4, the two communication sessions established between the conversion system 80 and the destination terminal are shown as a third communication session sed13 for call data.

Here, the resolution of the image of the image data handled in the second communication pattern shown in FIG. 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5. Note that FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the image quality of image data transmitted and received according to the AVC standard in FIG.

In the first communication session sed11 and the second communication session sed12 shown in FIG. 4, as in the case of the first communication session sed1 and the second communication session sed2 shown in FIG. Image data of three resolutions shown in a), (b), and (c) are transmitted and received. On the other hand, in the third communication session sed13 shown in FIG. 4, the image data of the medium resolution shown in FIG. 5 is transmitted and received.

<<Hardware Configuration of Embodiment>>
Next, the hardware configuration of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is an external view of the call terminal according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the terminal 10 includes a housing 1100, an arm 1200, and a camera housing 1300. Of these, the front side wall surface 1110 of the housing 1100 is provided with an intake surface (not shown) formed by a plurality of intake holes, and the rear side wall surface 1120 of the housing 1100 is formed with a plurality of exhaust holes. An exhaust surface 1121 is provided. Thereby, by driving the cooling fan built in the housing 1100, outside air behind the terminal 10 can be taken in through the intake surface (not shown) and exhausted to the rear of the terminal 10 through the exhaust surface 1121. A sound collection hole 1131 is formed on the right wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100, and sounds such as voice, object sound, and noise can be collected by a built-in microphone 114 described later.

An operation panel 1150 is formed on the right wall surface 1130 side of the housing 1100. The operation panel 1150 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons (108a to 108e) described below, a power switch 109 described below, and an alarm lamp 119 described below, and outputs an output sound from a built-in speaker 115 described below. A sound output surface 1151 formed by a plurality of sound output holes for passing through is formed. Further, a housing portion 1160 as a recess for housing the arm 1200 and the camera housing 1300 is formed on the left wall surface 1140 side of the housing 1100. The right wall surface 1130 of the housing 1100 is provided with a plurality of connection ports (1132a to 1132c) for electrically connecting a cable to a display I/F 117 described later. On the other hand, a left wall surface 1140 of the housing 1100 is provided with a connection port (not shown) for electrically connecting the cable 120c for the display 120 to an external device connection I/F 118 described later.

In the following, the "operation button 108" is used to indicate any operation button among the operation buttons (108a to 108e), and the "operation button 108" is used to indicate any connection port among the connection ports (1132a to 1132c). The connection port 1132" will be used for description.

Next, the arm 1200 is attached to the housing 1100 via a torque hinge 1210, and the arm 1200 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the housing 1100 in a vertical direction within a tilt angle θ1 of 135 degrees. ing. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the tilt angle θ1 is 90 degrees. The camera housing 1300 is provided with a built-in camera 112, which will be described later, and can capture images of users, documents, rooms, and the like. A torque hinge 1310 is formed on the camera housing 1300. The camera housing 1300 is attached to the arm 1200 via a torque hinge 1310. Then, with respect to the arm 1200, the camera housing 1300 moves vertically and horizontally in a range of a pan angle θ2 of ±180 degrees and a range of a tilt angle θ3 of ±45 degrees with respect to the state shown in FIG. 6 as 0 degree. It is configured to be rotatable in any direction.

Note that the relay device 30, the management system 50, the conversion system 80, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 are the same as the external appearance of a general server computer, and therefore a description of the external appearance is omitted.

FIG. 7 is a hardware configuration diagram of the terminal according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the terminal 10 according to the present embodiment includes a program used to drive the CPU 101 such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that controls the operation of the entire terminal 10 and an IPL (Initial Program Loader). A stored ROM (Read Only Memory) 102, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 used as a work area of the CPU 101, a flash memory 104 for storing various data such as programs for the terminal 10, image data, and sound data, and the CPU 101 In accordance with the control of 1., an SSD (Solid State Drive) 105 that controls reading or writing of various data to the flash memory 104, a media drive 107 that controls reading or writing (storage) of data to a recording medium 106 such as a flash memory, and the terminal 10 Button 108 to be operated when selecting a destination of the terminal, a power switch 109 for switching ON/OFF the power of the terminal 10, a network I/F (Interface) for data transmission using the communication network 2. )111.

Further, the terminal 10 has a built-in camera 112 that captures image data of a subject and obtains image data under the control of the CPU 101, an image sensor I/F 113 that controls driving of the camera 112, a built-in microphone 114 that inputs sound, and a sound. A built-in speaker 115 that outputs a sound, a sound input/output I/F 116 that processes input/output of a sound signal between the microphone 114 and the speaker 115 under the control of the CPU 101, and image data on an external display 120 under the control of the CPU 101. A display I/F 117 for transmission, an external device connection I/F 118 for connecting various external devices, an alarm lamp 119 for notifying abnormalities of various functions of the terminal 10, and the above-mentioned components are shown in FIG. There is provided a bus line 110 such as an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting to.

The display 120 is a display unit configured of liquid crystal or organic EL that displays an image of a subject, an operation icon, and the like. Further, the display 120 is connected to the display I/F 117 by a cable 120c. The cable 120c may be a cable for analog RGB (VGA) signals, a cable for component video, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) (registered trademark), or DVI (Digital Video). Interface) signal cable.

The camera 112 includes a lens and a solid-state image sensor that converts light into electric charge to digitize an image (video) of a subject. As a solid-state image sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is used. Etc. are used.

An external camera, an external microphone, an external speaker, etc. are connected to the external device connection I/F 118 by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like inserted in the connection port 1132 of the housing 1100 shown in FIG. External devices can be electrically connected to each other. When an external camera is connected, the external camera is driven in preference to the built-in camera 112 under the control of the CPU 101. Similarly, when the external microphone is connected or when the external speaker is connected, the external microphone and the internal microphone 114 are given priority over the internal microphone 114 and the internal speaker 115, respectively, under the control of the CPU 101. An external speaker drives.

The recording medium 106 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the terminal 10. Further, as long as it is a non-volatile memory that reads or writes data under the control of the CPU 101, not only the flash memory 104 but also an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) or the like may be used.

FIG. 8 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management system according to the present embodiment of the present invention. The management system 50 includes a CPU 201 that controls the overall operation of the management system 50, a ROM 202 that stores a program used to drive the CPU 201 such as an IPL, a RAM 203 that is used as a work area of the CPU 201, and various programs for the management system 50. A HD 204 that stores data, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 205 that controls reading or writing of various types of data according to the control of the CPU 201, a medium that controls reading or writing (storing) of data to a recording medium 206 such as a flash memory. Drive 207, cursor 208, display 208 for displaying various information such as menus, windows, characters, images, network I/F 209 for data communication using communication network 2, input of characters, numerical values, various instructions, etc. A keyboard 211 having a plurality of keys for selecting, executing various instructions, selecting a processing target, moving a cursor, etc., and a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) as an example of a removable recording medium. ) 213, a CD-ROM drive 214 for controlling reading or writing of various data, and a bus line such as an address bus or a data bus for electrically connecting the above-mentioned components as shown in FIG. 210 is provided.

On the other hand, since the relay device 30, the conversion system 80, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 have the same hardware configuration as the management system 50, the description thereof will be omitted. However, each HD 204 stores various data such as a program for controlling the relay device 30, the conversion system 80, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100.

Each program for the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the conversion system 80, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 is a computer-readable recording medium (recording medium) in the form of an installable or executable file. It may be recorded on the medium 106 or the like and distributed. Other examples of the recording medium include a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), and a Blu-ray disc.

<<Functional Configuration of Embodiment>>
Next, the functional configuration of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, and the conversion system 80 that form a part of the call system 1 of the present embodiment. In FIG. 9, the terminal 10, the relay device 30, the management system 50, and the conversion system 80 are connected so that data communication can be performed via the communication network 2.

<Functional configuration of terminal>
The terminal 10 includes a transmission/reception unit 11, an operation input reception unit 12, a login request unit 13, an imaging unit 14, a sound input unit 15a, a sound output unit 15b, a display control unit 16, a delay detection unit 17, and a storage/readout processing unit 19. have. Each of these units is a function realized by any one of the components shown in FIG. 7 being operated by an instruction from the CPU 101 according to a program for the terminal 10 expanded from the flash memory 104 onto the RAM 103. Or means. Further, the terminal 10 has a RAM 103 shown in FIG. 7 and a storage unit 1000 constructed by the flash memory 104 shown in FIG.

(Each functional configuration of the terminal)
Next, each functional configuration of the terminal 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 7 and 9. In addition, in the following, in describing each functional configuration of the terminal 10, the relationship with the main structural elements for realizing each functional configuration of the terminal 10 among the respective structural elements illustrated in FIG. 7 will also be described. ..

The transmission/reception unit 11 of the terminal 10 shown in FIG. 9 is realized by the instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 7 and the network I/F 111 shown in FIG. It transmits and receives various data (or information) to and from the terminal, device or system. The transmission/reception unit 11 starts receiving each state information indicating the state of each terminal as a destination candidate from the management system 50 before starting a call with a desired destination terminal. It should be noted that this status information indicates not only the operating status of each terminal 10 (whether online or offline), but also whether it is possible to make a call even online, whether a call is in progress, or whether a person is leaving the office. The detailed state is shown. In addition, this state information indicates not only the operating state of each terminal 10 but also that the cable 120c is disconnected from the terminal 10 at the terminal 10, sound is output but no image is output, or no sound is output. (MUTE) etc. are shown. Hereinafter, as an example, a case where the state information indicates the operating state will be described.

The operation input receiving unit 12 is realized by the command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 7, the operation button 108 and the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 7, and receives various inputs by the user. For example, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIG. 7, the operation input receiving unit 12 shown in FIG. 9 receives the power on and turns on the power.

The login request unit 13 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 7, and upon reception of the power-on, the transmission/reception unit 11 requests the management system 50 to log in via the communication network 2. Request information and the current IP address of the request source terminal are automatically transmitted. Further, when the user turns off the power switch 109 from the ON state, the transmission/reception unit 11 transmits state information to the management system 50 to the effect that the operation input reception unit 12 completely turns off the power. To do. This allows the management system 50 side to recognize that the power of the terminal 10 has been switched from on to off.

The image capturing unit 14 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 7 and the camera 112 and the image sensor I/F 113 shown in FIG. 7, images a subject, and an image obtained by this image capturing. Output the data.

The sound input unit 15a is realized by the command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 7 and the sound input/output I/F 116 shown in FIG. 7, and the sound of the user is converted into a sound signal by the microphone 114. After that, the sound data relating to this sound signal is input. The sound output unit 15b is realized by the command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 7 and the sound input/output I/F 116 shown in FIG. 7, and outputs a sound signal related to sound data to the speaker 115, The sound is output from 115.

The display control unit 16 is realized by the command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 7 and the display I/F 117 shown in FIG. 7, and as described later, combines the received image data with different resolutions, The control for transmitting the combined image data to the display 120 is performed. Further, the display control unit 16 can transmit the information of the destination list received from the management system 50 to the display 120 and display the destination list on the display 120.

The delay detection unit 17 is realized by a command from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 7, and detects a delay time (ms) of image data or sound data sent from another terminal 10 via the relay device 30. ..

The storage/readout processing unit 19 is executed by an instruction from the CPU 101 shown in FIG. 7 and the SSD 105 shown in FIG. 7 or realized by an instruction from the CPU 101, and stores various data in the storage unit 1000 or stores the data. A process of reading various data stored in the unit 1000 is performed. The storage unit 1000 stores a terminal ID (Identification) for identifying the terminal 10, a password, and the like. Further, in the storage unit 1000, image data and sound data received when a call is made with the destination terminal are overwritten and stored each time they are received. Among these, the image is displayed on the display 120 by the image data before being overwritten, and the sound is output from the speaker 115 by the sound data before being overwritten.

The terminal ID of the present embodiment and the relay device ID described later indicate identification information such as a language, characters, symbols, or various indicia used to uniquely identify the terminal 10 and the relay device 30. Further, the terminal ID and the relay device ID may be identification information in which at least two of the above language, characters, symbols, and various indicia are combined.

<Functional configuration of relay device>
The relay device 30 includes a transmission/reception unit 31, a state detection unit 32, a data quality confirmation unit 33, a change quality management unit 34, a data quality change unit 35, and a storage/readout processing unit 39. Each of these units has a function realized by any of the components shown in FIG. 8 being operated by an instruction from the CPU 201 according to a program for the relay device 30 expanded from the HD 204 on the RAM 203. It is a means. Further, the relay device 30 has a RAM 203 shown in FIG. 8 and/or a storage unit 3000 constructed by the HD 204 shown in FIG.

(Change quality control table)
FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram showing a change quality management table. A change quality management DB (Data Base) 3001 configured by a change quality management table as shown in FIG. 10 is constructed in the storage unit 3000. In the change quality management table, the IP address of the terminal 10 as a relay destination (destination) of the image data and the image quality of the image data relayed by the relay device 30 are associated with the relay destination and managed.

(Each functional configuration of the relay device)
Next, each functional configuration of the relay device 30 will be described in detail. It should be noted that, in describing the respective functional configurations of the relay device 30, the relationship with the main components for realizing the respective functional configurations of the relay device 30 among the respective components shown in FIG. 8 will also be described below. explain.

The transmission/reception unit 31 of the relay device 30 shown in FIG. 9 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8 and the network I/F 209 shown in FIG. It transmits and receives various data (or information) to and from other terminals, devices, or systems. Further, the transmission/reception unit 31 initializes a communication session in its own device.

Further, the transmission/reception unit 31 instructs the destination indicated by the IP address of the request source terminal among the IP addresses received by the transmission/reception unit 31 to start a communication session (first communication session). Session start instruction information for sending. Further, the transmission/reception unit 31 instructs the destination indicated by the IP address of the conversion system 80 among the IP addresses received by the transmission/reception unit 31 to start a communication session (second communication session). For transmitting the session start instruction information and the IP address of the destination terminal.

The state detecting unit 32 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8 and detects the operating state of the relay device 30 having the state detecting unit 32. The operating state includes “online”, “offline”, “during a call” or “temporarily suspended”.

The data quality confirmation unit 33 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8, searches the changed quality management table (see FIG. 10) using the IP address of the destination terminal as a search key, and the corresponding relay is performed. The image quality of the relayed image data is confirmed by extracting the image quality of the image data.

The change quality management unit 34 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8 and the contents of the change quality management table (see FIG. 10) based on the quality information described later transmitted from the management system 50. To change. For example, a video conference is performed by transmitting and receiving high-quality image data between a request source terminal (terminal 10aa) whose terminal ID is “01aa” and a destination terminal (terminal 10ba) whose terminal ID is “01ba”. While performing, the request source terminal (terminal 10bb) and the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) that perform another video conference start a video conference via the communication network 2 and the like, so that the destination terminal (terminal 10ba) When the reception of the image data is delayed, the relay device 30 lowers the image quality of the image data relayed up to now from high image quality to medium image quality. In such a case, the contents of the change quality management table (see FIG. 10) are changed so as to reduce the image quality of the image data relayed by the relay device 30 from high image quality to medium image quality based on the quality information indicating the medium image quality. To be done.

The data quality changing unit 35 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8, and changes the image quality of the image data sent from the transmission source terminal to the changed change quality management table (see FIG. 10). Change based on the contents of.

The storage/readout processing unit 39 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8 and the HDD 205 shown in FIG. 8, stores various data in the storage unit 3000, and is stored in the storage unit 3000. The process of reading various data is performed.

<Functional configuration of management system>
The management system 50 includes a transmission/reception unit 51, a terminal authentication unit 52, a state management unit 53, an extraction unit 54, a determination unit 55, a session management unit 56, a quality determination unit 57, a delay time management unit 58, and a storage/readout processing unit 59. have. Each of these units is a function realized by any of the components shown in FIG. 8 being operated by an instruction from the CPU 201 according to a program for the management system 50 expanded from the HD 204 on the RAM 203. It is a means. Further, the management system 50 has a storage unit 5000 constructed by the HD 204 shown in FIG.

(Relay device management table)
FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram showing the relay device management table. In the storage unit 5000, a relay device management DB 5001 configured by a relay device management table as shown in FIG. 11 is constructed. In this relay device management table, for each relay device ID of each relay device 30, the operating state of each relay device 30, the reception date and time when the management system 50 received the status information indicating the operating state, and the IP address of the relay device 30. , And the maximum data call speed (Mbps) in the relay device 30 are associated and managed. For example, in the relay device management table shown in FIG. 11, the relay device 30a with the relay device ID “111a” is in the operating state “online”, and the date and time when the management system 50 received the state information is “2011. It is shown that the IP address of the relay device 30a is "1.2.1.2" and the maximum data communication speed in the relay device 30a is 100 Mbps at "13:00 on November 10, 2014". There is.

(Terminal information management table)
FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing a terminal information management table. A terminal information management DB 5002 configured by a terminal information management table as shown in FIG. 12 is constructed in the storage unit 5000. In this terminal information management table, the authentication password, the model number of the terminal 10, the serial number of the terminal 10, and the communication method of the terminal 10 are associated with each terminal ID of all the terminals 10 managed by the management system 50. Be managed. For example, in the terminal information management table shown in FIG. 12, the terminal ID of the terminal 10aa is “01aa”, the password is “aaaa”, the model number is “9001”, the serial number is “2001”, and the communication method is It is shown to be "dedicated".

The communication system “dedicated” indicates a communication system used by the dedicated terminal A shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Further, the communication method "non-dedicated 1" indicates a communication method used by the non-dedicated terminal D shown in FIG. Furthermore, the communication method “non-dedicated 2” indicates a communication method other than the communication methods used by the dedicated terminal A and the non-dedicated terminal D, respectively.

(Terminal status management table)
FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a terminal state management table. In the storage unit 5000, a terminal state management DB 5003 configured by a terminal state management table as shown in FIG. 13 is constructed. In this terminal status management table, for each terminal ID of each terminal 10, the terminal name when each terminal 10 is the destination, the operating status of each terminal 10, and the reception date and time when the login request information described below is received by the management system 50. , And the IP address of the terminal 10 are associated and managed. For example, in the terminal status management table shown in FIG. 13, the terminal 10aa with the terminal ID “01aa” has the terminal name “Japan Tokyo Office AA terminal” and the operating status “online (callable)”. It is shown that the date and time when the login request information is received by the management system 50 is "13:40 on November 10, 2011" and the IP address of this terminal 10aa is "1.2.1.3". Has been done.

However, the terminal status management table does not manage the IP addresses of the terminals 10 other than the dedicated terminal A, that is, the non-dedicated terminal D, because they are not managed.

(Recipient list management table)
FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram showing the destination list management table. A destination list management DB 5004 configured by a destination list management table as shown in FIG. 14 is constructed in the storage unit 5000. In this destination list management table, all the terminal IDs of the destination terminals registered as candidates for the destination terminal are managed in association with the terminal IDs of the request source terminals that request the start of the call. For example, in the destination list management table shown in FIG. 14, the candidate of the destination terminal that can request the start of the call from the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) whose terminal ID is "01aa" has the terminal ID " It is shown that it is the terminal 10ab of “01ab”, the terminal 10ba of which the terminal ID is “01ba”, the terminal 10bb of which the terminal ID is “01bb”, and the like. This destination terminal candidate is updated by being added or deleted in response to a request for addition or deletion to the management system 50 from an arbitrary request source terminal. Although the IP addresses of the terminals 10 other than the dedicated terminal A are not managed in the terminal status management table (see FIG. 13 ), the terminals 10 other than the dedicated terminal A are not managed in the destination list management table (see FIG. 14 ). The terminal ID of is a management target.

(Session management table)
FIG. 15 is a conceptual diagram showing a session management table. A session management DB 5005 configured by a session management table as shown in FIG. 15 is built in the storage unit 5000. In this session management table, the relay device ID of the relay device 30 used for relaying image data and sound data, the terminal ID of the request source terminal, the terminal ID of the destination terminal, and the reception when the image data is received at the destination terminal. Of the delay time (ms) and the delay time information indicating this delay time are associated with the reception date and time received from the destination terminal and received by the management system 50. For example, in the session management table shown in FIG. 15, the relay device 30a (relay device ID “111a”) has the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) with the terminal ID “01aa” and the terminal ID “01ca”. The image data and the sound data are relayed to and from the destination terminal (terminal 10ca), and the delay time of the image data at the time "14:00 on November 10, 2011" at the destination terminal (terminal 10ca). It is shown to be 200 (ms). When making a call between the two terminals 10, the reception date and time of the delay time information may be managed based on the delay time information transmitted from the request source terminal instead of the destination terminal. However, when a call is made between three or more terminals 10, the reception date and time of the delay time information is managed based on the delay time information transmitted from the terminal 10 on the receiving side of the image data and the sound data. ..

(Conversion management table)
FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram showing the conversion management table. A conversion management DB 5006 including a conversion management table as shown in FIG. 16 is constructed in the storage unit 5000. In this conversion management table, the terminal IDs of non-dedicated terminals (including non-dedicated 1 and non-dedicated 2 terminals), the IP address of the conversion system 80, and the IP addresses of non-dedicated terminals are managed in association with each other.

(Quality control table)
FIG. 17 is a conceptual diagram showing the quality control table. In the storage unit 5000, a quality management DB 5007 configured by a quality management table as shown in FIG. 17 is constructed. In the quality control table, the delay time information indicating the delay time of the image data is set such that the longer the delay time (ms) of the image data at the request source terminal or the destination terminal is, the lower the image quality of the image data relayed by the relay device 30 is. And the image quality information indicating the image quality of the image data (image quality) are associated and managed.

(Functional configuration of management system)
Next, each functional configuration of the management system 50 will be described in detail. In the following, in explaining each functional configuration of the management system 50, the relationship with the main structural elements for realizing each functional configuration of the management system 50 among the respective structural elements shown in FIG. 8 will also be described. explain.

The transmission/reception unit 51 is executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8 and the network I/F 209 shown in FIG. 8, and is transmitted via the communication network 2 to other terminals, devices or systems and various data ( Or send/receive information).

The terminal authentication unit 52 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 illustrated in FIG. 8, and uses the terminal ID and password included in the login request information received via the transmission/reception unit 51 as a search key to manage the terminal information. Terminal authentication is performed by searching the table (see FIG. 12) and determining whether the same terminal ID and password are managed in this terminal information management table.

The status management unit 53 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8, and in order to manage the operating status of the request source terminal that has made a login request, the request status is stored in the terminal status management table (see FIG. 13). The terminal ID of the terminal, the operating state of the request source terminal, the reception date and time when the login request information is received by the management system 50, and the IP address of the request source terminal are stored in association and managed. Further, the state management unit 53 causes the terminal state based on the state information sent from the terminal 10 to turn off the power when the user turns the state of the power switch 109 of the terminal 10 from ON to OFF. The operating state indicating online in the management table (see FIG. 13) is changed to offline.

The extraction unit 54 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8, searches each management DB built in the storage unit 5000 with various search keys, and retrieves data (information) corresponding to the search key. Extract as a search result.

For example, the extraction unit 54 searches the destination list management table (see FIG. 14) using the terminal ID of the request source terminal that made the login request as a key, and determines the candidate terminal ID of the destination terminal that can communicate with the request source terminal. Extract. Further, the extraction unit 54 searches the terminal state table (see FIG. 13) using the terminal ID of the destination terminal candidate as a search key, and extracts the operating state for each terminal ID. As a result, the extraction unit 54 can acquire the operating state of the candidate of the destination terminal that can communicate with the request source terminal that has made the login request.

Further, the extraction unit 54 searches the destination list management table (see FIG. 14) using the terminal ID of the request source terminal that has made the login request as a key, and registers the terminal ID of the request source terminal as a destination terminal candidate. The terminal IDs of other requesting terminals that are present are also extracted. The extraction unit 54 also searches the terminal state management table (see FIG. 13) using the terminal ID as a search key, and also acquires the operating state of the request source terminal that has made the login request.

Furthermore, the extraction unit 54 extracts the IP address of the corresponding terminal 10 by searching the terminal state management table (see FIG. 13) using the terminal ID of the terminal 10 received by the transmission/reception unit 51 as a search key. Further, the extraction unit 54 extracts the corresponding communication method information by searching the terminal information management table (see FIG. 12) using the terminal ID of the terminal 10 received by the transmission/reception unit 51 as a search key. Further, the extraction unit 54 searches the conversion management table (see FIG. 16) using the terminal ID of the terminal 10 received by the transmission/reception unit 51 as a search key, and thereby the corresponding IP address of the conversion system 80 and the received information. The IP address of the terminal 10 associated with the terminal ID is extracted.

Furthermore, the extraction unit 54 extracts the image quality information of the corresponding image data by searching the quality control table (see FIG. 17) using the delay time information received by the transmission/reception unit 51 as a search key.

Furthermore, the extraction unit 54 extracts the corresponding terminal ID by searching the terminal state management table (see FIG. 13) using the IP address of the destination terminal as the search key.

Subsequently, the determination unit 55 determines whether or not the communication method used by the terminal 10 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8 and is used by the dedicated terminal A. ..

The session management unit 56 is realized by a command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8, and the session management table (see FIG. 15) of the storage unit 5000 stores the relay device ID of the relay device 30 used for relaying call data. , The terminal ID of the request source terminal, the terminal ID of the destination terminal, the reception delay time (ms) when the image data is received at the destination terminal, and the delay time information indicating this delay time from the destination terminal. The received date and time received and received by the management system 50 are stored in association with each other and managed. Also, the session management unit 56 creates a session ID used to establish a communication session.

The quality determining unit 57 determines the image quality of the image data to be relayed by the relay device 30, based on the image quality information of the image data extracted by the extracting unit 54.

The delay time management unit 58 is realized by an instruction from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8, and is a record including the terminal ID extracted by the extraction unit 54 in the session management table of the session management DB 5005 (see FIG. 15). The delay time indicated by the above-mentioned delay time information is stored and managed in the delay time field portion.

The storage/readout processing unit 59 is executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8 and the HDD 205 shown in FIG. 8, stores various data in the storage unit 5000, and is stored in the storage unit 5000. The process of reading various data is performed.

<Functional configuration of conversion system>
The conversion system 80 includes a transmission/reception unit 81, a communication system conversion unit 82, and a storage/readout processing unit 89. Each of these units has a function realized by any of the components shown in FIG. 8 being operated by an instruction from the CPU 201 in accordance with a program for the conversion system 80 expanded from the HD 204 to the RAM 203. It is a means. Further, the conversion system 80 has a RAM 203 shown in FIG. 8 and/or a storage unit 8000 constructed by the HD 204 shown in FIG. The storage unit 8000 stores conversion rule data used for converting communication data.

(Each functional configuration of the conversion system)
Next, each functional configuration of the conversion system 80 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. In the following, in describing each functional configuration of the conversion system 80, the relationship with the main components for realizing each functional configuration of the conversion system 80 among the respective components shown in FIG. 8 will also be described. explain.

The transmission/reception unit 81 of the conversion system 80 shown in FIG. 9 is realized by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8 and the network I/F 209 shown in FIG. It transmits and receives various data (or information) to and from other terminals, devices or systems. Further, the transmission/reception unit 81 transmits session start instruction information for instructing the start of the communication session (third communication session) to the destination indicated by the destination information transmitted by the relay device 30. The destination information is an IP address, a URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), or the like.

The communication method conversion unit 82 mutually communicates the communication method of the call data transmitted from the request source terminal and the communication method of the call data transmitted from the destination terminal according to the conversion rule data of the communication method stored in the storage unit 8000. Convert.

The storage/read processing unit 89 is executed by the command from the CPU 201 shown in FIG. 8 and the HDD 205 shown in FIG. 8, stores various data in the storage unit 8000, and is stored in the storage unit 8000. The process of reading various data is performed.

<<Process or Operation of Embodiment>>
Next, a first communication pattern for making a call between two dedicated terminals A will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 to 25. Specifically, a case where a call is made between the terminal 10aa serving as the dedicated terminal A and the terminal 10ca serving as the dedicated terminal A will be described. It should be noted that FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram showing a process of a preparatory stage for starting a call between terminals. Further, in FIG. 18, various management information is transmitted and received by the management communication session sei shown in FIG. 2.

First, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the operation input receiving unit 12 shown in FIG. 9 receives the power-on and is shown in FIG. As described above, the power is turned on (step S21). Then, the login request unit 13 automatically transmits the login request information indicating the login request from the transmission/reception unit 11 to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 upon the reception of the power-on (step S22). The login request information includes a terminal ID and a password for identifying the own terminal as the request source terminal (terminal 10aa). These terminal ID and password are data read from the storage unit 1000 via the storage/readout processing unit 19 and sent to the transmission/reception unit 11. When the login request information is transmitted from the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) to the management system 50, the management system 50 that is the receiving side grasps the IP address of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that is the transmitting side. be able to.

Next, the terminal authentication unit 52 of the management system 50 searches the terminal information management table (see FIG. 12) using the terminal ID and password included in the login request information received via the transmission/reception unit 51 as a search key. The terminal authentication is performed by determining whether the same terminal ID and password are managed in the terminal information management DB 5002 (step S23). Since the same terminal ID and password are managed by this terminal authentication unit 52, when it is determined that the login request is from the terminal 10 having the proper usage authority, the state management unit 53 causes the terminal state The management table (see FIG. 13) stores the terminal ID of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa), the operating state, the date and time when the login request information was received, and the IP address of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) in association with each other. (Step S24). As a result, in the terminal state management table (see FIG. 13), the terminal ID “01aa”, the operating state “online”, the reception date and time “2011.11.10.13:40”, and the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) are displayed. The IP address “1.2.1.3” will be managed in association with each other.

Then, the transmission/reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits the authentication result information indicating the authentication result obtained by the terminal authentication unit 52 via the communication network 2 to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that has made the login request. (Step S25). In the present embodiment, a case in which the terminal authentication unit 52 determines that the terminal 10 has the proper usage authority will be continuously described below.

The extraction unit 54 of the management system 50 searches the destination list management table (see FIG. 14) using the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that made the login request as a search key, and the request source terminal (terminal 10aa). The terminal IDs of the candidates of the destination terminals that can communicate with are extracted (step S26). Here, the terminal IDs (“01ab”, “01ba”,...) Of the destination terminals (terminals 10ab, 10ba,...) Corresponding to the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) are Will be extracted.

Next, the extraction unit 54 searches the terminal state management table (see FIG. 13) using the terminal IDs (“01ab”, “01ba”,...) Of the destination terminal candidates extracted in step S26 as search keys. Then, by reading the operating states (“offline”, “online”,...) For each terminal ID, the respective operating states of the terminals (10ab, 10ba,...) Are acquired (step S27).

Next, the transmission/reception unit 51 uses the terminal IDs (“01ab”, “01ba”,...) As search keys used in step S27 and the destination terminals (terminals 10ab, 10ba,... Destination status information including each operating status ("offline", "online",...) Of () is transmitted to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) via the communication network 2 (step S28). .. As a result, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) operates at the current operating state of each of the terminals (10ab, 10ba,...) Candidate terminals that can communicate with the request source terminal (terminal 10aa). You can understand "offline", "online", ...).

Furthermore, the extraction unit 54 searches the destination list management table (see FIG. 14) using the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that has made the login request as a search key, and the request source terminal (terminal 10aa). The terminal IDs of the other request source terminals that have registered the terminal ID “01aa” of No. 1 as a destination terminal candidate are extracted (step S29). In the destination list management table shown in FIG. 14, the terminal IDs of the other request source terminals that are extracted are “01ba”, “01ca”, “01da”, and the like. Note that in the following description, in order to simplify the description, the terminal IDs of the other request source terminals that are extracted will be described as “01ba”, “01ca”, and “01da”.

Next, the extraction unit 54 searches the terminal state management table (see FIG. 13) using the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) that has made the above login request as a search key, and requests login. The operating state of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) is acquired (step S30). Then, the transmission/reception unit 51 selects the terminal state management table (10ba, 10ca, 10da) among the terminals (10ba, 10ca, 10da) associated with the terminal IDs (“01ba”, “01ca”, and “01da”) extracted in step S29. 13), the terminal ID “01aa” and the operating state “online” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) acquired in step S30 described above are added to the terminals (10ba, 10ca) whose operating state is “online”. The included destination status information is transmitted (steps S31-1, 2). When the transmission/reception unit 51 transmits the destination state information to the terminals (10ba, 10ca), it is managed by the terminal state management table (see FIG. 13) based on each terminal ID (“01ba”, “01ca”). Referring to the IP address of the terminal. As a result, the terminal ID “of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) for which the login request is made is given to each of the other destination terminals (terminals 10ba, 10ca) that can communicate with the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) for which the login request is made. 01aa” and the operating status “online” can be transmitted.

Since the operating status of the terminal 10da as the non-dedicated terminal D is not managed in the terminal status management table (see FIG. 13), the terminal 10da has the terminal ID of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) requesting the login. "01aa" and the operating status "online" cannot be transmitted. That is, the non-dedicated terminal D side cannot receive the service for obtaining the operating state of the dedicated terminal A.

On the other hand, also in the other terminals 10, when the user turns on the power switch 109 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the operation input reception unit 12 shown in FIG. Since ON is accepted and the same processing as the processing of steps S22 to S31-1, 2 is performed, the description thereof will be omitted.

Next, a case where a call is made between the two dedicated terminals A will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 9, and 19 to 22. Note that FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram showing a call start request.

As shown in FIG. 19, first, the user of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) as the dedicated terminal A presses the operation button 108 shown in FIG. When the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) as A is selected, the operation input reception unit 12 shown in FIG. 9 receives a request to start a call with the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) (step S41). Then, the transmission/reception unit 11 of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) transmits start request information indicating that the call is to be started to the management system 50 (step S42). The start request information includes the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the terminal ID “01ca” of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca).

Then, the state management unit 53 of the management system 50 illustrated in FIG. 9 includes the terminal ID “01aa” of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the terminal ID “01ca” of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) included in the start request information. In the terminal state management table (see FIG. 13), both of the field states of the operating state of the record including the terminal ID “01aa” and the terminal ID “01ca” are changed to “online (during call)” Yes (step S43). In this state, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) have not started a call, but are in a call state, and another terminal 10 is the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) or the destination terminal. When trying to make a call with the (terminal 10ca), a notification sound or display indicating that a so-called busy state is output.

Next, the session management unit 56 of the management system 50 creates a session ID used to establish a communication session (step S44). Then, the management system 50 determines what communication method is used by the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) (step S45).

Here, step S45 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the determination of the communication method.

As illustrated in FIG. 20, the extraction unit 54 searches the terminal information management table (see FIG. 12) based on the terminal ID “01ca” of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) received by the transmission/reception unit 51. Thus, the corresponding communication method information is extracted (step S45-1).

Next, the determination unit 55 determines whether the communication method indicated by the extracted communication method information is the communication method used by the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) as the dedicated terminal A (step). S45-2). Specifically, the determination unit 55 determines whether or not the communication method indicated by the communication method information extracted by the extraction unit 54 is the same as the communication method used by the request source terminal (terminal 10aa). .. When the communication methods are the same, both the call control method and the encoding method are the same, and when the communication methods are not the same (different), at least one of the call control method and the encoding method is used. Is different.

When the determination unit 55 determines in step S45-2 that the communication methods are the same (YES), the process proceeds to step S61 shown in FIG. 21, which will be described later. Here, since the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) is the same dedicated terminal A as the request source terminal (terminal 10aa), step S61 will be described next. FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram showing a process of establishing a communication session before making a call between two dedicated terminals A. In addition, in the present embodiment, a case will be described in which, of the plurality of relay devices 30, the relay device 30a connected to the same LAN 2a as the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) is used.

As illustrated in FIG. 21, the management system 50 transmits session initialization request information indicating that the transmission/reception unit 51 initializes the communication session established by the relay device 30a to the relay device 30a. Yes (step S61). The session initialization request information includes the session ID created in step S44, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) managed by the terminal status management table (see FIG. 13). ) Each IP address is included. Further, the management system 50 also transmits the IP address of the management system 50 when transmitting the session initialization request information to the relay device 30a. As a result, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the relay device 30a receives the session initialization request information and the IP address of the management system 50.

Next, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the relay device 30a initializes the communication session (step S62). Then, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits session start instruction information indicating that the communication session start is instructed to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) (step S63). The session start instruction information includes the session ID sent from the management system 50. Further, the relay device 30a also transmits the IP address of the relay device 30a when transmitting the session start instruction information to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 11 of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) receives the session start instruction information and the IP address of the relay device 30a.

Similarly, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits session start instruction information indicating an instruction to start a communication session to the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) (step S64). The session start instruction information includes the session ID sent from the management system 50. The relay device 30a also transmits the IP address of the relay device 30a when transmitting the session start instruction information to the destination terminal (terminal 10ca). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 11 of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) receives the session start instruction information and the IP address of the relay device 30a.

From the above, a communication session (first communication session sed1 shown in FIG. 2) for transmitting and receiving call data is established between the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the relay device 30a based on step S63. (Step S65-1). Further, based on the step S64, a communication session (second communication session sed2 shown in FIG. 2) for transmitting and receiving call data is established between the relay device 30a and the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) ( Step S65-2).

Next, a process of transmitting and receiving call data between the request source terminal and the destination terminal to make a call such as a video conference will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 22 is a sequence diagram showing a process of transmitting and receiving call data between two dedicated terminals A. Note that transmission/reception of call data and detection of a delay time described below are performed by one-way processing of transmitting call data from the terminal 10aa to the terminal 10ca and reverse processing of transmitting call data from the terminal 10ca to the terminal 10aa. Since the processing is the same, the communication in the one direction will be described, and the communication in the reverse direction will be omitted.

First, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) uses the communication session sed1 to transmit the image data of the subject imaged by the imaging unit 14 and the sound data of the sound input by the sound input unit 15a from the transmission/reception unit 11 to each other. The data is transmitted to the relay device 30a via the communication network 2 (step S81). It should be noted that in the present embodiment, the high-quality image data including the low resolution, the medium resolution, and the high resolution shown in FIG. 3 and the sound data are transmitted. As a result, in the relay device 30a, the transmission/reception unit 31 receives the image data and the sound data of the above three resolutions. Then, the data quality confirmation unit 33 searches the change quality management table (see FIG. 10) using the IP address “1.3.1.3” of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) as a search key, and the corresponding relayed image. The image quality of the image data to be relayed is confirmed by extracting the image quality of the data (step S82). In the present embodiment, the image quality of the confirmed image data is “high image quality”, which is the same as the image quality of the image data received by the transmitting/receiving unit 31, so the relay device 30a uses the communication session sed2 and The image data of the image quality of and the sound data of the original sound quality are transferred to the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) (step S83). As a result, the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) receives the high-quality image data and the sound data, which are composed of the low resolution, the medium resolution, and the high resolution, at the transmission/reception unit 11. Then, the display control unit 16 can combine the image data of three image qualities to display the image on the display 120, and the sound output unit 15b can output the sound based on the sound data.

Next, the delay detection unit 17 of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) detects the reception delay time of the image data received by the transmission/reception unit 11 at regular intervals (for example, every second) (step S84). In the present embodiment, the description will be continued below for the case where the delay time is 200 (ms).

The transmission/reception unit 11 of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) transmits the delay time "200 (ms)" to the management system 50 via the communication network 2 by the management communication session sei shown in FIG. Information is transmitted (step S85). As a result, the management system 50 can grasp the delay time and also the IP address "1.3.1.3" of the terminal 10ca which is the transmission source of the delay time information.

Next, the delay time management unit 58 of the management system 50 searches the terminal status management table (see FIG. 13) using the IP address “1.3.1.3” of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) as a search key. Then, the corresponding terminal ID “01ca” is extracted, and further, in the session management table (see FIG. 15), the delay time field portion of the record of the terminal ID “01ca” indicates the delay time information. The delay time “200 (ms)” is stored and managed (step S86).

Next, the quality determining unit 57 searches the quality control table (see FIG. 17) using the delay time “200 (ms)” as a search key, and extracts the image quality “medium image quality” of the corresponding image data. , And determines the image quality to be "medium image quality" (step S87).

Next, the transmission/reception unit 51 searches the relay device management table (see FIG. 11) using the relay device ID “111a” associated with the terminal ID “01ca” in the session management table (see FIG. 15) as a search key. Then, the IP address “1.2.1.2” of the corresponding relay device 30a is extracted (step S88). Then, the transmission/reception unit 51 transmits the quality information indicating the image quality “medium image quality” of the image data determined in step 87 to the relay device 30a via the communication network 2 by the management communication session sei (step). S89). This quality information includes the IP address "1.3.1.3" of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) used as the search key in step S86. As a result, in the relay device 30a, the changed quality management unit 34 adds the IP address “1.3.1.3” of the destination terminal 10 (here, the terminal 10ca) to the changed quality management table (see FIG. 10). , And the image quality “medium image quality” of the relayed image data are stored and managed in association with each other (step S90).

Next, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) continues to the relay device 30a through the first communication session sed1 to the relay device 30a in the same manner as in step S81, and a high-quality image composed of three low resolutions, medium resolutions, and high resolutions is displayed. The data and the sound data are transmitted (step S91). As a result, in the relay device 30a, as in step S82, the data quality confirmation unit 33 uses the IP address "1.3.1.3" of the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) as the search key and the change quality management table ( The image quality of the relayed image data is confirmed by searching (see FIG. 10) and extracting the image quality “medium image quality” of the corresponding relayed image data (step S92). In the present embodiment, the image quality of the confirmed image data is “medium image quality”, which is lower than the image quality “high image quality” of the image data received by the transmission/reception unit 31. The image quality of the image data is changed by suppressing the image quality of the image quality from "high image quality" to "medium image quality" (step S93).

Then, the transmission/reception unit 31 sends the image data in which the image quality of the image data is changed to “medium image quality” to the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) via the communication network 2 by the second communication session sed2, and the sound quality of the sound. The sound data that has not been changed is transmitted (step S94). As a result, the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) receives the image data of medium image quality, which is composed of two low resolutions and medium resolutions, and the sound data at the transmission/reception unit 11. Then, the display control unit 16 can combine the image data of the two resolutions to display the image on the display 120ca, and the sound output unit 15b can output the sound based on the sound data.

In this way, when the reception delay occurs at the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) that receives the image data, the relay device 30a changes the quality of the image and the user who is participating in the call such as the video conference. You can make sure that you don't feel uncomfortable. That is, between the two dedicated terminals A, it is possible to receive a service for coping with the delay in receiving the image data.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 20 and 23 to 25, a second call is performed between the dedicated terminal A (an example of the first communication terminal) and the non-dedicated terminal D (an example of the second communication terminal). The communication pattern will be described. Specifically, a call is made between the terminal 10aa as the dedicated terminal A and the terminal 10da as the non-dedicated terminal D. Further, in the present embodiment, the communication system used by the terminal 10aa is the instant messenger protocol as the call control system (or a protocol obtained by expanding the instant messenger protocol), the encoding system is SVC, and the terminal 10da is the communication system. The communication system used will be described when the call control system is SIP and the coding system is AVC.

18 and 19, in the first communication pattern and the second communication pattern, the destination selection in step S41 is changed from the destination terminal (terminal 10ca) to the destination terminal (terminal 10da). The terminal IDs of the destination terminals used for transmission/reception and search differ according to the above, and therefore their description is omitted. Then, the case where the determination unit 55 determines that the communication methods are not the same (different) in step S45-2 illustrated in FIG. 20 (NO) will be described.

In the case of this second communication pattern, the extraction unit 54 searches the conversion management table (see FIG. 16) based on the terminal ID “01da” of the destination terminal (terminal 10da) received by the transmission/reception unit 51. , And the IP address “1.3.2.2” of the corresponding conversion system 80 and the IP address “1.3.2.3” of the destination terminal (terminal 10da) are extracted (step S45-3). Then, the process proceeds to step S101 shown in FIG. 23 described later.

FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram showing a process of establishing a communication session before a call is made between the dedicated terminal A and the non-dedicated terminal D. As shown in FIG. 23, the management system 50 transmits from the transmitting/receiving unit 51 to the relay device 30a session initialization request information indicating that the communication session established by the relay device 30a is initialized. Yes (step S101). The session initialization request information also includes the session ID, and the IP addresses of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa), the conversion system 80, and the destination terminal (terminal 10da). Of these, the session ID is the ID created in step S44. The IP address of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) is managed by the terminal status management table (see FIG. 13). Furthermore, each IP address of the conversion system 80 and the destination terminal (terminal 10da) is the IP address extracted in the above step S45-3.

Further, the management system 50 also transmits the IP address of the management system 50 when transmitting the session initialization request information to the relay device 30a. As a result, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the relay device 30a receives the session initialization request information and the IP address of the management system 50.

Next, the transmission/reception unit 31 of the relay device 30a initializes the communication session (step S102). Then, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits session start instruction information indicating that the communication session start is instructed to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) (step S103). The session start instruction information includes the session ID sent from the management system 50. Further, the relay device 30a also transmits the IP address of the relay device 30a when transmitting the session start instruction information to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 11 of the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) receives the session start instruction information and the IP address of the relay device 30a.

Similarly, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits session start instruction information indicating an instruction to start a communication session to the conversion system 80 (step S104). The session start instruction information includes the session ID and the destination terminal (terminal 10da) IP address sent from the management system 50. That is, the transmission/reception unit 31 transmits the session start instruction information and the destination terminal (terminal 10da) IP address. The relay device 30a also transmits the IP address of the relay device 30a when transmitting the session start instruction information to the conversion system 80. As a result, the transmission/reception unit 81 of the conversion system 80 receives the session start instruction information and the IP address of the relay device 30a.

Further, in the second communication pattern, the transmission/reception unit 81 of the conversion system 80 transmits session start instruction information indicating that a communication session start is instructed to the destination terminal (terminal 10da) (step S105). The session start instruction information includes the session ID sent from the management system 50. The conversion system 80 also transmits the IP address of the conversion system 80 when transmitting the session start instruction information to the destination terminal (terminal 10da). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 11 of the destination terminal (terminal 10da) receives the session start instruction information and the IP address of the conversion system 80.

From the above, a communication session (first communication session sed11 shown in FIG. 4) for transmitting and receiving call data is established between the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) and the relay device 30a based on step S103. (Step S106-1). Further, based on the step S104, a communication session (second communication session sed12 shown in FIG. 4) for transmitting and receiving call data is established between the relay device 30a and the conversion system 80 (step S106-). 2). Furthermore, based on the above step S105, a communication session (third communication session sed13 shown in FIG. 4) for transmitting and receiving call data is established between the conversion system 80 and the destination terminal (terminal 10da). (Step S106-3).

Next, with reference to FIG. 24, a process of transmitting and receiving call data between the request source terminal and the destination terminal for a call such as a video conference will be described. FIG. 24 is a sequence diagram showing a process of transmitting/receiving call data between the dedicated terminal A and the non-dedicated terminal D.

First, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) uses the communication session sed11 to transmit the image data of the subject captured by the image capturing unit 14 and the sound data of the sound input by the sound input unit 15a from the transmitting/receiving unit 11 to each other. It transmits to the relay apparatus 30a via the communication network 2 (step S121). In the second communication pattern as well, similar to the first communication pattern, the high-quality image data including the low resolution, the medium resolution, and the high resolution shown in FIG. I am sending. As a result, in the relay device 30a, the transmission/reception unit 31 receives the image data and the sound data of the above three resolutions.

Next, the relay device 30a uses the communication session sed12 to transmit the high-quality image data composed of the above three and the sound data from the transmission/reception unit 31 to the conversion system 80 via the communication network 2 (step S122). ). As a result, in the conversion system 80, the transmission/reception unit 81 receives the image data and the sound data of the above three resolutions.

Next, the communication system conversion unit 82 of the conversion system 80 uses the image data of the above three resolutions at the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) based on the conversion rule data stored in advance in the storage unit 8000. The existing communication method is converted into the communication method used by the destination terminal (terminal 10da) (step S123). Here, the image data of the three resolutions (high resolution, medium resolution, and low resolution) shown in FIG. 3 is converted into one resolution (medium resolution) shown in FIG. Is converted into image data.

Next, the conversion system 80 uses the communication session sed13 to transmit sound data and medium-resolution image data from the transmission/reception unit 81 to the terminal 10da via the communication network 2 (step S124). As a result, the transmission/reception unit 11 of the destination terminal (terminal 10da) receives the sound data and the image data of medium resolution.

On the other hand, when the image data and the sound data are transmitted from the destination terminal (terminal 10da) to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa), the destination terminal (terminal 10da) is connected to the communication session sed13 as shown in FIG. The sound data and the image data of medium resolution are transmitted from the transmission/reception unit 11 to the conversion system 80 via the communication network 2 (step S125). As a result, in the conversion system 80, the transmission/reception unit 81 receives the sound data and the image data of medium resolution.

Next, the communication method conversion unit 82 of the conversion system 80 uses the sound data and the image data of medium resolution on the destination terminal (terminal 10da) based on the conversion rule data stored in advance in the storage unit 8000. The existing communication method is converted to the communication method used by the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) (step S126).

Note that FIG. 25 is a conceptual diagram showing the image quality of the image data after being converted by the conversion system. In step S126, the image data of one resolution (medium resolution) shown in FIG. 5 is converted into the image data of medium resolution shown in FIG. The low resolution image data shown in c) and the low intermediate resolution image data which is an intermediate resolution between the middle resolution and the low resolution are converted as shown in FIG. 25B. That is, even if medium-resolution image data is sent from the destination terminal (terminal 10da), which is the non-dedicated terminal D, the conversion system 80 converts the image data into high-resolution image data sent in step S122. Image data of medium resolution sent from the destination terminal (terminal 10da) becomes the maximum resolution, and three images of medium resolution, intermediate resolution of medium resolution and low resolution, and low resolution are obtained. Converted to data.

Next, the conversion system 80 uses the communication session sed12 to transmit the sound data and the image data of three resolutions from the transmission/reception unit 81 to the relay device 30a via the communication network 2 (step S127). As a result, in the relay device 30a, the transmitting/receiving unit 31 receives the sound data and the image data of three resolutions. Then, the relay device 30a uses the communication session sed11 to transmit the sound data and the image data of three resolutions from the transmission/reception unit 31 to the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) via the communication network 2 (step S128). Thus, in the request source terminal (terminal 10aa), the transmitting/receiving unit 11 receives the sound data and the image data of three resolutions.

<<Main effects of this embodiment>>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the session initialization request information transmitted from the management system 50 to the relay device 30a includes the IP addresses of the request source terminal, the conversion system 80, and the destination terminal. .. As a result, the relay device 30a transmits the session start instruction information to the IP address of the request source terminal and the session start instruction information including the IP address of the destination terminal to the IP address of the conversion system 80. be able to. Accordingly, the conversion system 80 can further transmit the session start instruction information to the IP address of the destination terminal.

By transmitting the session initialization request information by the management system 50, the first communication session sed11 is established between the relay device 30 and the request source terminal, and between the relay device 30 and the conversion system 80. It is possible to establish the second communication session sed12 and further establish the third communication session sed13 between the conversion system 80 and the destination terminal. Therefore, even when the requesting terminal and the destination terminal use different call systems, the conversion system 80 mutually converts the communication modes of the call data, so that the call can be realized.

<<Supplement to Embodiment>>
In the above, the request source terminal or the dedicated terminal A has been described as an example of the first communication terminal, and the destination terminal or the non-dedicated terminal D has been described as an example of the second communication terminal, but the present invention is not limited to this. The destination terminal or the non-dedicated terminal D may be an example of the first communication terminal, and the request source terminal or the dedicated terminal A may be an example of the second communication terminal.

The call data is an example of communication data. This communication data also includes text and image file data. The call terminal 10 is an example of a communication terminal. The communication terminal includes, for example, an information processing terminal that transmits and receives the file data, in addition to a terminal that makes a call. Furthermore, the call management system 50 is an example of a communication management system. The communication management system includes, for example, a file management system that manages processing of the file data, in addition to a system that manages a call. Furthermore, the call system 1 is an example of a communication system. This communication system is constructed by the communication terminal and the communication management system.

In the above embodiment, the management system 50 manages the communication method information in the terminal information management table (see FIG. 12), but the invention is not limited to this, and the request source terminal manages the communication method information of the destination terminal. You may.

Accordingly, in step S42 shown in FIG. 19, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) causes the management system 50 to include the communication method information in the start request information together with the terminal ID of the request source terminal and the terminal ID of the destination terminal. Can be sent to. In this case, in step S41 of FIG. 19, the display control unit 16 displays a selection screen for selecting a non-dedicated terminal that is the destination of the call on the display 120 to prompt the user to make a selection. May be.

Then, when the destination is selected from this selection screen, in S42 of FIG. 19, the request source terminal (terminal 10aa) includes information indicating that the destination terminal ID is a non-dedicated terminal (communication method information) in the start request information. ) And send it to the management system. In this case, the management system 50 does not need to execute step S45-1 of FIG. 20, and determines that the communication method of the destination terminal is not exclusive based on the communication method information included in the start request information ( The process proceeds to step S45-3 in FIG. 20) and step S45-3 in FIG.

Further, the user does not necessarily have to select the destination from the selection screen. For example, when the user knows the destination information of the destination terminal in advance, the operation input receiving unit 12 may receive the input of the destination information (IP address or the like) of the destination terminal from the user. In this case, in step S42, the request source terminal does not include the terminal ID of the destination terminal but includes the destination information of the destination terminal and the start request including the information (communication method information) indicating that the destination terminal is a non-dedicated terminal. The information is transmitted to the management system 50. Then, on the management system 50 side, in step S45-2, the determination unit 55 determines that the destination terminal indicated by the destination information is not the dedicated terminal, and proceeds to step S45-3. Furthermore, in step S45-3, the extraction unit 54 extracts the destination information of the conversion system 80 based on the destination information of the non-dedicated terminal, and proceeds to the processing of step S101.

Further, the terminal ID may be stored in the terminal 10 in advance at the time of factory shipment or may be input by the user.

Further, the relay device 30, the management system 50, the conversion system 80, the program providing system 90, and the maintenance system 100 in the above embodiment may be constructed by a single computer, or each unit (function or means) may be divided. It may be constructed by a plurality of computers arbitrarily assigned. Further, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a single computer, the program transmitted by the program providing system 90 may be divided into a plurality of modules and may be transmitted. It may be transmitted. Further, when the program providing system 90 is constructed by a plurality of computers, the plurality of modules may be divided and transmitted from each computer.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the instant messenger protocol (or a protocol obtained by extending the instant messenger protocol) and SIP have been described as an example in which the call control method is different between the terminals, but the call control method may be different between the terminals. However, the combination is not limited to these. For example, a combination of the instant messenger protocol (or a protocol obtained by extending the instant messenger protocol) and H.323 may be used. Further, it may be a combination of an instant messenger protocol and a protocol obtained by extending the instant messenger protocol.

A recording medium such as a CD-ROM in which each program of the above embodiment is stored, an HD 204 in which these programs are stored, and a program providing system 90 including this HD 204 are all program products. Can be provided domestically or internationally.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the image quality of the image data relayed by the relay device 30 is displayed as an example of the image quality according to the modified quality management table shown in FIG. 10 and the quality management table shown in FIG. Although the management was performed by focusing on the resolution of the image of the data, it is not limited to this. As another example of the quality, the image quality of the image data, the sampling frequency of the sound of the sound data, and the bit length of the sound of the sound data may be focused on for management. Further, the sound data may be divided into three types of resolution (high resolution, medium resolution, low resolution) and transmitted/received.

Further, although the reception date and time is managed in FIGS. 11, 13, and 15, the present invention is not limited to this, and at least the reception time of the reception date and time may be managed.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the IP address of the relay device 30 is managed in FIG. 11 and the IP address of the terminal 10 is managed in FIG. 13, but the invention is not limited to this, and the relay device 30 is specified on the communication network 2. Each FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) may be managed as long as it is destination information for specifying the terminal 10 on the communication network 2. In this case, a well-known DNS (Domain Name System) server acquires an IP address corresponding to FQDN.

In the above embodiment, the case of the video conference system has been described as an example of the call system 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a telephone system such as an IP (Internet Protocol) telephone or an internet telephone may be used. .. The call system 1 may be a car navigation system. In this case, for example, one of the terminals 10 corresponds to a car navigation device installed in a car, and the other of the terminals 10 is installed in a management terminal or a management server of a management center that manages car navigation, or in another car. It corresponds to the existing car navigation system. The call system 1 may also be a mobile phone communication system. In this case, for example, the terminal 10 corresponds to a mobile phone.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the image data and the sound data are described as an example of the call data, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be tactile data. In this case, the feeling that the user has contacted on one terminal side is communicated to the other terminal side. Further, the call data may be smell data. In this case, the odor (smell) on one terminal side is communicated to the other terminal side. The call data may be at least one of image data, sound data, tactile data, and olfactory data.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the video conference is held by the call system 1 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a general conversation such as a meeting, a family or a friend, or information in one direction can be performed. It may be used for presentation.

1 Call system (an example of communication system)
10 Call terminal (an example of communication terminal)
11 transmitter/receiver 30 relay device 50 call management system (an example of a communication management system)
51 transmitter/receiver (one example of transmitting means, one example of receiving means)
54 Extraction Unit (Example of Extraction Means)
55 Judgment unit (an example of judgment means)
80 conversion system 81 transmission/reception section 82 communication method conversion section (an example of conversion means)
90 program providing system 100 maintenance system 1000 storage unit 3000 storage unit 3001 change quality management DB
5000 storage unit (an example of storage means)
5001 Relay device management DB
5002 terminal information management DB (an example of terminal information management means)
5003 Terminal status management DB (an example of terminal status management means)
5004 Destination list management DB
5005 Session Management DB
5006 Conversion management DB (an example of conversion management means)
5007 Quality control DB
8000 storage

JP, 2008-227577, A

Claims (16)

A management system that manages a destination for transmitting or receiving communication data using a first communication method that indicates at least one of a call control method and a communication data encoding method,
A first communication terminal that transmits or receives communication data using the first communication method;
A communication system having
The first communication terminal,
When starting communication with any of the destinations received from the management system, first request information is transmitted to start communication with a destination selected by the user among the destinations, and the first request information is transmitted. Corresponds to address information input by the user when starting communication with a second communication terminal that uses a second communication method that differs from the communication method in at least one of the call control method and the communication data encoding method The transmission means for transmitting the second request information to start communication with the second communication terminal,
When the first request information is transmitted by the transmitting unit, the first session is established between the relay device that relays the communication data and the first communication terminal, and thus the first session is established. The communication terminal is set to a state capable of transmitting and receiving communication data to and from the selected destination using the first session,
A gateway that, when the second request information is transmitted by the transmitting means, converts the communication data to enable mutual use between the first communication method and the second communication method. In addition to the relay device that the second communication terminal relays the communication data with the first communication terminal by establishing a second session with the second communication terminal, the gateway. A communication system in which communication data can be transmitted and received by using the second session via the communication system. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the first communication terminal further includes an operation reception unit that receives an input of address information corresponding to the second communication terminal. Further comprising display control means for displaying on the display screen a selection screen for selecting the destination corresponding to the second communication terminal,
The transmission means transmits the second request information to start communication with a destination corresponding to the second communication terminal selected by the user from the selection screen displayed by the display control means. The communication system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. The first communication terminal, when transmitting the second request information by the transmitting means, transmits communication method information indicating the second communication method,
The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication system includes a receiving unit that receives the transmitted communication method information. A determining unit that determines whether the communication method used by the second communication terminal is the same as the communication method used by the first communication terminal based on communication method information indicating the second communication method. Then
The relay device communicable with the gateway establishes a session with the second communication terminal via the gateway when the determination means determines that the two are not the same. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The communication system is a video conference system, the communication terminal is a video conference terminal, and the communication data includes at least one of call control data and video data. The communication system according to any one of 1. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the communication data includes the video data. The second request information transmitted by the transmitting unit is to a relay device capable of communicating with the gateway, for the relay device to establish a session with the second communication terminal via the gateway. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication system is a request. The first communication method is a call control method, and the second communication method is SIP or H.264. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication system is any one of 323. The first communication method is an encoding method, and the encoding method is H.264. H.264/SVC video coding standard, and the second communication method is H.264. 9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication system complies with the H.264/AVC video coding standard. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the gateway is constructed by one or more computers. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the management system is constructed by one or more computers. The communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the management system, the relay device, and the gateway are constructed by one or more computers. A management system that manages a destination for transmitting or receiving communication data using a first communication method that indicates at least one of a call control method and a communication data encoding method,
A first communication terminal that transmits or receives communication data using the first communication method;
A communication method executed by a communication system having:
The first communication terminal,
When starting communication with any of the destinations received from the management system, first request information is transmitted to start communication with a destination selected by the user among the destinations, and the first request information is transmitted. Corresponds to address information input by the user when starting communication with a second communication terminal that uses a second communication method that differs from the communication method in at least one of the call control method and the communication data encoding method And transmitting a second request information to start communication with the second communication terminal,
When the first request information is transmitted in the transmitting step, the first session is established between the relay device that relays the communication data and the first communication terminal, and thereby the first session is established. The communication terminal is set to a state capable of transmitting and receiving communication data to and from the selected destination using the first session,
A gateway that, when the second request information is transmitted by the transmitting step, converts the communication data to enable mutual use between the first communication method and the second communication method; In addition to the relay device that the second communication terminal relays the communication data with the first communication terminal by establishing a second session with the second communication terminal, the gateway. A communication method in which communication data can be transmitted and received using the second session via the communication method. A management system that manages a destination for transmitting or receiving communication data by using at least a first communication method indicating one of a call control method and a communication data encoding method,
A user among the destinations when the first communication terminal starts communication with any of the destinations from the first communication terminal that transmits or receives communication data using the first communication method. Receiving first request information for starting communication with the destination selected by the first communication terminal, and the first communication terminal is any one of the first communication method, at least the call control method, and the communication data encoding method. A second communication terminal for starting communication with the second communication terminal corresponding to the address information input by the user when starting communication with the second communication terminal using the second communication method different from each other. Receiving means for receiving the request information of
Have
When the first request information is received by the receiving unit, the first session is established between the relay device that relays the communication data and the first communication terminal. A state in which the communication terminal can transmit and receive communication data to and from the selected destination using the session of 1;
A gateway that enables mutual use between the first communication method and the second communication method by converting communication data when the second request information is transmitted by the receiving unit; In addition to the relay device that the second communication terminal relays the communication data with the first communication terminal by establishing a second session with the second communication terminal, the gateway. A management system, which sets a state in which communication data can be transmitted and received using the second session via. A program that causes a computer to function as a management system that manages a destination that transmits or receives communication data using at least a first communication method that indicates either a call control method or a communication data encoding method,
On the computer,
A user among the destinations when the first communication terminal starts communication with any of the destinations from the first communication terminal that transmits or receives communication data using the first communication method. Receiving first request information for starting communication with the destination selected by the first communication terminal, and the first communication terminal is any one of the first communication method, at least the call control method, and the communication data encoding method. A second communication terminal for starting communication with the second communication terminal corresponding to the address information input by the user when starting communication with the second communication terminal using the second communication method different from each other. To execute the receiving process to receive the request information of
When the first request information is received by the receiving process, the first session is established between the relay device that relays the communication data and the first communication terminal, and thereby the first session is established. A state in which the communication terminal can transmit and receive communication data to and from the selected destination using the session of 1;
A gateway that, when the second request information is transmitted by the reception process, converts the communication data to enable mutual use between the first communication method and the second communication method. In addition to the relay device that the second communication terminal relays the communication data with the first communication terminal by establishing a second session with the second communication terminal, the gateway. A program for making communication data transmittable and receivable using the second session via the.

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