JP2666545B2 - Multimedia communication device for in-house broadcasting - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an in-house broadcast multimedia communication device suitably used for private communication in a company or the like.

[Prior Art] A LAN is a typical example of private communication. LANs form a distributed network with optional access from slave stations to other substations or master stations, with data, text,
This has contributed to activation of information exchange of figures, symbols, and the like (hereinafter, referred to as document information), or to higher efficiency of device use by sharing printers and disk files.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, conventional private communication has been developed mainly on computer data. However, image information and audio information are more common for humans than a vast array of inorganic characters and numbers. In many cases, it is much easier to understand, and its importance has come to be recognized again. On the other hand, in addition to the conventional one-to-one optional communication mode, the concept of a one-to-many communication mode in which such audio-visual information is to be provided to all employees in a compulsory or arbitrary manner as common information Was born. For example, as a specific form that combines these, a personal computer is given to each person,
It is conceivable to provide documents, images, and audio information relating to morning greetings and urgent communication items to these personal computers with priority, or arbitrarily send information on other companies in the same industry.
The fundamental difference from the conventional in-house broadcasting system is that the information is linked to computer data through a digital communication network and handled, thereby reducing the physical cost by sharing the display and data network. In addition to having the purpose to fulfill, the presented information can be taken into a file, and related information etc. corresponding to it can be accessed immediately by accessing the company-wide database and including the image information etc. It is to systematize.

Also, if such a system is constructed, it will be possible to easily respond to the demand for the creation of a future office by transmitting and outputting environmental images, background music, and the like using the system.

An object of the present invention is to provide a multimedia communication device necessary for realizing such a new concept.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention employs the following means to achieve the above object.

That is, the in-house broadcast multimedia communication apparatus of the present invention connects a plurality of slave stations to a common broadcast master station via a digital line, and connects between the master station and the slave stations and between the slave stations and the slave stations. In this configuration, a composite data of information media such as a document, an image, and a sound can be multiplexed and transmitted, and a large-screen display means provided in a shared space in the company is connected to the master station via the digital line. Like that.
The slave station can optionally access another slave station or the master station, and the master station can simultaneously access all the slave stations simultaneously or with priority or non-priority. A possible data link is established, and the large-screen display means is configured to output only information transmitted from the master station.

As a desirable receiving method of the document and the image data preferentially transmitted from the master station, it is preferable to output the document and the image data superimposed on the screen of each slave station.

It is preferable that the master station is configured so that a CCD camera, a wireless microphone, an electronic OHP, a laser disk, a VTR, etc. are connected to the input terminal, and each information medium such as a document, an image, and a sound can be created and stored. .

[Operation] With such a configuration, in addition to conventional document data and the like, images, sounds, and the like are treated as data, and may be transmitted between small stations or between a slave station and a master station. it can. In particular, the master station can provide information preferentially to all slave stations, or leave non-priority information on the line and leave it to each slave station to decide whether to receive it or not. In addition to this, information can be output to a large-screen display unit provided in a shared space, and the function as a broadcasting station can be exhibited. In addition, since these images are digital data, data files and hard copies can be used appropriately as in the case of the document data, so that the images have high utility value.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

This in-house broadcast multimedia communication device is a master station 1
And a plurality of slave stations 2 and a digital line 3 which forms a network by data ringing these stations.

The master station 1 is located at an appropriate place on the premises,
It comprises a large host computer 1a and a workstation 1b that operates the host computer 1a. An electronic podium 1c is connected to the workstation 1b. Electronic lectern, CCD camera, wireless microphone, electronic O
It has an HP, laser disk, VTR, etc., where audio information is obtained in addition to image information such as characters, figures, symbols, videos, etc., edited by the workstation 1b, superimposed by media conversion, Media data can be generated. As an aspect of the media conversion, it is conceivable that a document, an image, and a sound are allocated in units of frames, time-division multiplexed, and released by packet exchange or the like. Then, the multimedia data thus superimposed is registered in the host computer 1a,
The data can be transferred to the digital line 3.

The slave station 2 is a personal computer, a minicomputer, an office computer, or the like assigned to each person working on the premises, and has at least a display function and an acoustic speaker function.

The digital line 3 is of a loop type, on which multimedia data subjected to media conversion is transferred according to an access protocol. The access method according to this protocol is such that a slave station 2
Alternatively, when heading to the master station 1, it is determined to be optional. When heading from the master station 1 to all the slave stations 2, priority is given to those slave stations 2 and non-priority is given to those slave stations 2. In some cases, the contents of the header of the frame are rewritten or the like so that the master station 1 can appropriately specify the contents.

The digital line 3 is connected to a large-screen color display plasma display 4 via a modem 4a. The display 4 is provided in a hall, a lobby, a dining room or the like of the premises, and transmits information transmitted from the master station 1. Only output.

Hereinafter, a usage example of the multimedia communication device will be described. In the morning when all the members meet, the president stands on the electronic podium 1c in a separate room and gives a morning greeting. The face and voice of the president are input through a CCD camera or a wireless microphone, multiplexed at the workstation 1b, and transferred to the digital line 3 in real time as priority data for each slave station 2. From the data received by each slave station 2 or the modem 4a of the plasma display 4, image information and audio information are extracted by inverse media conversion and output to the display and the speaker. As a result, the employees who own those slave stations can finish morning greetings at the table or in the hall.

After the morning meeting, the workstation 1b of the master station 1
, An operator is provided, and business information, environmental images, and the like are appropriately extracted from a database stored in the host computer 1a, mounted on the digital line 3, and broadcast as non-priority information. In addition, the operator performs operations such as inputting environmental images and the like from a laser disk or a VTR provided in the electronic podium 1c, processing the data, and registering the data in the host computer 1a. During this time, each employee can, of course, carry out paperwork using his or her own slave station 2.
It can exchange data with another slave station 2, register data in the master station 1, use the master station 1 as a database, and when the slave station 2 is not used, the master station can be used. 1
And non-priority environmental information, sales information, and the like provided by the company can be displayed on the screen. The business information has, for example, a search keyword for knowing more detailed information and the like, and the user can use the keyword to soft copy necessary information from a database onto a screen. Data from the master station is also displayed on the plasma display 4 described above.

In the evening, a group report will be made. Each group transfers the report to the host computer 1. The report appropriately includes the video information input using a CCD camera or the like in the document information, and the transferred data is stored in a database in the host computer 1a, and the boss or another group stores the transferred data in the database. It is possible to collate and take out the necessary items as needed.

In the above, when an urgent transmission item occurs, the operator sends the information as a priority from the workstation 1b, so that the information is actually displayed on the display of each slave station 2 at that time. The output screen is duplicated so that it is output as superimposed text or video. A search keyword for using the database is appropriately attached to this message.

Such a configuration enables more intuitive and persuasive information transmission as compared with conventional computer communication, and promotes higher quality office automation. In addition, since the broadcast function of transmitting information to all employees can be integrated together, it can be said that office automation has been developed, and by providing video and audio services to an unspecified number of employees, the future will be It can also contribute to the creation of a shaped office.

It should be noted that such a digital line makes it easy to extend the network to the outside by connecting to ISDN, etc. You will be able to participate easily. Also, the circuit topology is not limited to the loop method,
A bus method or the like can also be used. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[Effect of the Invention] According to the multimedia communication device for in-house broadcasting of the present embodiment, video and audio information are integrated as compared with the conventional art, so that intuitive, persuasive, high-quality information is handled as digital data. In addition, by integrating broadcasting functions, broadcasting equipment is no longer required and office automation is promoted, and services such as environmental video and background music that are effective in enhancing office comfort are provided. It will be available.

[Brief description of the drawings]

 The drawing is a schematic configuration diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. 1 master station 2 slave station 3 digital line 4 large screen display means (plasma display)

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] A plurality of slave stations are connected to a common broadcast master station via a digital line, and documents, images, voices, etc. are transmitted between the master station and the slave stations and between the slave stations. In addition to being configured to enable multiplex transmission of compound data of information media,
A multimedia communication device for in-house broadcasting, wherein a large-screen display means provided in an in-house shared space is connected to the master station via the digital line, wherein the slave station sends another master station or master station to the master station. In addition, a data link that allows simultaneous access from the master station to all slave stations simultaneously and with priority or non-priority is provided. The multimedia communication device for in-house broadcasting, wherein the display means is configured to output only information transmitted from the master station. 2. The in-house broadcast system according to claim 1, wherein the document and image data transmitted preferentially from the master station are superimposed and output on the screen of each slave station. Multimedia communication device. 3. The master station can connect a CCD camera, a wireless microphone, an electronic OHP, a laser disk, a VTR, or the like to an input terminal, process each information medium such as a document, an image, and a voice as data and accumulate it. 2. The in-house broadcast multimedia communication device according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia communication device is configured to be able to perform the communication.