JP5686104B2 - CONFERENCE SYSTEM, TERMINAL CONNECTION METHOD, AND TERMINAL DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a conference system, a terminal connection method, and a terminal device.

  Conventionally, for example, a communication network constituted by a plurality of terminal devices that are specified in a virtual connection management terminal as a virtual connection management terminal and are connected in a star shape via a communication line around the virtual connection management terminal is disclosed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). All terminal devices including the virtual connection management terminal include a server function unit. When the server function unit is designated as a virtual connection management terminal, the server function unit receives an operation event generated in another terminal device and broadcasts the operation event to all the terminal devices.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-254911

  However, in a situation where there are a plurality of communication networks, for example, when performing full mesh connection in which all terminals in these different communication networks are connected, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, the virtual connection management terminal is not connected. Even if the terminals are sequentially connected to each other, the efficiency is poor and the load may be concentrated on the virtual connection management terminal.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a conference system, a terminal connection method, and a terminal device that enable efficient connection between terminals while reducing the load on the server when all terminals in different groups are connected. Is to provide.

  The conference system according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of terminals that are connected to each other to transmit and receive audio information or image information, and a server that can connect the plurality of terminals, and the plurality of terminals are connected to each other When there are a plurality of groups configured as described above, the conference system performs transmission / reception of the audio information and the image information by connecting all the terminals in the different groups to each other, and the terminal includes the server A connection request means for requesting the server to connect to one terminal in a partner group different from the own group, and when the connection to the one terminal is completed by the server, for each of the plurality of terminals The connection terminal number acquisition means for acquiring the current connection terminal number connected to another terminal different from the own terminal from the server, and the connection terminal number acquisition means for each of the terminals acquired by the connection terminal acquisition means Based on the number of connected terminals, connection management terminal determining means for determining whether or not to function as a connection management terminal having a server function for connecting the terminals, and the connection management terminal determining means functions as the connection management terminal Then, when it is determined, a first extraction means for extracting one terminal from the other terminals in the own group, and a counterpart who is an unconnected terminal with the extraction terminal extracted by the first extraction means from the counterpart group Request information for transmitting connection request information for requesting connection to the second extraction means for extracting the side terminal, the extraction terminal extracted by the first extraction means, and the counterpart terminal extracted by the second extraction means The connection transmitted from the other terminal functioning as the connection management terminal when the transmission means and the connection management terminal determining means are not determined to function as the connection management terminal Receiving means for receiving request information, and first connection means for connecting to the counterpart terminal in accordance with the connection request information received by the receiving means, wherein the server responds to a request by the connection request means of the terminal. And a second connection means for connecting the terminal that has requested the connection to the one terminal in the partner group.

  In the conference system according to the first aspect, the terminal functions as a connection management terminal for connecting the terminals. Therefore, since the terminals can perform the connection processing conventionally performed by one server in a distributed manner, it is possible to efficiently perform full mesh connection in which a plurality of terminals are all connected. It is also possible to reduce the load on the server.

  Also, in the first aspect, when the own terminal is the connection management terminal until all the terminals in the different groups are connected to each other, the first extraction unit and the request information transmission unit perform each process. When it is repeatedly executed and the own terminal is not the connection management terminal, the connection terminal number acquisition means, the connection management terminal determination means, the first extraction means, the second extraction means, the request information transmission means, the reception means And a control means for causing the first connection means to repeatedly execute each process. Therefore, this aspect can perform full mesh connection efficiently.

  In the first aspect, the connection management terminal determining means may determine to function as the connection management terminal when the number of connected terminals of the own terminal is the maximum. The terminal with the largest number of connected terminals is connected to more terminals than other terminals. By making such a terminal function as a connection management terminal, a more efficient full mesh connection is possible.

  In the first aspect, the connection management terminal determining means may determine whether or not to function as the connection management terminal in the own group based on the number of connected terminals for each of the terminals in the own group. Therefore, each connection management terminal in each group executes connection processing in parallel. Therefore, more efficient full mesh connection is possible.

  In the first aspect, the server may further include, for each group, a third extraction unit that extracts the maximum number of connected terminals other than the connection management terminal, and the terminals extracted by the extraction unit. It is good to provide the 3rd connection means connected via a server. In addition to the connection management terminal, a more efficient full mesh connection can be achieved by connecting the terminals to each other using a server.

  A terminal connection method according to a second aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of terminals that are connected to each other to transmit and receive audio information and image information, and a server that connects the plurality of terminals, and includes the plurality of terminals. A terminal connection method performed by a conference system that connects all the terminals in the different groups and transmits and receives the audio information and the image information when there are a plurality of groups, A terminal-side process to be performed and a server-side process to be performed by the server, and the terminal-side process requests the server to connect to one terminal in a partner group different from the own group via the server. A connection requesting step, and when the connection with the one terminal is completed by the server, each of the plurality of terminals is connected to another terminal different from the own terminal A connection function having a server function for connecting the terminals to each other based on the number of connected terminals acquired from the server and the number of connected terminals for each of the terminals acquired in the connected terminal number acquiring step. A connection management terminal determination step for determining whether or not to function as a management terminal, and one terminal is extracted from the other terminals in the own group when it is determined to function as the connection management terminal in the connection management terminal determination step The first extraction step, the second extraction step of extracting the extraction terminal extracted in the first extraction step and the counterpart terminal that is not connected from the counterpart group, and the extraction in the first extraction step A request information transmission step for transmitting connection request information for requesting connection to the extraction terminal and the counterpart terminal extracted in the second extraction step; A reception step of receiving the connection request information transmitted from the other terminal that functions as the connection management terminal when it is not determined to function as the connection management terminal in the connection management terminal determination step, and a reception in the reception step A first connection step of connecting to the counterpart terminal in accordance with the connection request information, wherein the server side step includes a terminal requesting the connection based on a request in the connection request step of the terminal, and the counterpart A second connection step of connecting the one terminal in the group;

  In the terminal connection method according to the second aspect, the terminal functions as a connection management terminal for connecting the terminals. Therefore, since the terminals can perform the connection processing conventionally performed by one server in a distributed manner, the full mesh connection can be efficiently performed. It is also possible to reduce the load on the server.

  A terminal device according to a third aspect of the present invention is a conference system including a plurality of terminals that are connected to each other to transmit and receive audio information or image information, and a server that can connect the plurality of terminals to each other. When there are a plurality of groups configured by connecting terminals, a terminal device that constitutes a conference system that connects all the terminals in the different groups and transmits and receives the audio information and the image information. A connection request means for requesting the server to connect to one terminal in a partner group different from the own group via the server, and the server completes the connection with the one terminal. For each of the terminals, the connected terminal number acquiring means for acquiring the current number of connected terminals connected to another terminal different from the own terminal from the server, and the connected terminal number acquiring means Based on the number of connected terminals for each terminal, connection management terminal determining means for determining whether to function as a connection management terminal having a server function for connecting the terminals, and the connection management terminal determining means When it is determined to function as a connection management terminal, the first extraction means for extracting one terminal from the other terminals in the own group, and the extraction terminal extracted by the first extraction means from the counterpart group are not connected Connection request information for requesting connection to the second extraction means for extracting the counterpart terminal, which is the terminal, the extraction terminal extracted by the first extraction means, and the counterpart terminal extracted by the second extraction means Connection request information transmitting means for transmitting.

  The terminal device which concerns on a 3rd aspect functions as a connection management terminal for a terminal to connect terminals. Therefore, since the terminals can perform the connection processing conventionally performed by one server in a distributed manner, it is possible to efficiently perform full mesh connection in which a plurality of terminals are all connected. It is also possible to reduce the load on the server.

It is a figure which shows the connection state of the conference system 1 before and after carrying out full mesh connection between each terminal in the group A and B. It is process drawing which shows the flow of a 1st full mesh connection process. FIG. 3 is a process diagram showing a continuation of FIG. 2. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of terminal B1. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing each storage area of the HDD 13. FIG. It is a conceptual diagram of the terminal information table 1311. It is a conceptual diagram of the connection terminal table 1321. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of connection request data 41. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the contents of terminal information data 42. FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing contents of connection terminal data 43. FIG. It is a flowchart of a 1st full mesh connection process. 12 is a flowchart showing a continuation of FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a continuation of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the continuation of FIG. It is process drawing from the middle of the 2nd full mesh connection process (1st modification). It is a flowchart of a 2nd full mesh connection process. It is a flowchart which shows the continuation of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the continuation of FIG. It is a flowchart of a connection request data transmission process. It is a flowchart of a server connection process (2nd modification).

  Hereinafter, a conference system 1, a full mesh connection process, and a terminal, which are embodiments embodying the present invention, will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings to be referred to are used for explaining technical features that can be adopted by the present invention. The apparatus configuration, flowcharts of various processes, and the like described in the drawings are merely illustrative examples, not limited to the above.

  First, the configuration of the conference system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The conference system 1 includes, for example, groups A and B, a server 3 and the like. Group A includes, for example, terminals A1 and A2. Terminals A1 and A2 are connected to each other by PtoP (Peer to Peer), and a remote conference is performed by transmitting and receiving various data such as video and audio. Group B includes terminals B1 to B3, for example. Terminals B1 to B3 are connected to each other by PtoP, and various kinds of data such as video and audio are transmitted and received to hold a conference. Terminals A1, A2, and B1 to B3 include at least a function (IP telephone function) that allows a user to execute a call. For example, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is used as a call control protocol for realizing the IP telephone function. As the terminals A1, A2, and B1 to B3, stationary personal computers, portable terminals, and the like can be used in addition to dedicated terminals. Although not shown, the server 3 is connected to all terminals constituting the conference system 1. The server 3 functions as a database, for example, and is used when connecting terminals with PtoP.

  The conference system 1 can perform full mesh connection from the above connection form. The full mesh connection is a connection form in which, for example, all the terminals in the groups A and B are connected to each other to directly communicate with all other terminals. As a result of the full mesh connection, groups A and B become one group C. In order to efficiently perform full mesh connection, the conference system 1 uses any one of the terminals constituting the conference system 1 as a “connection management terminal” in addition to using the server 3. The connection management terminal functions as a server that connects terminals separately from the server 3. Therefore, the conference system 1 can reduce the load on the server 3 and can efficiently perform full mesh connection.

  The procedure of the first full mesh connection process will be described with reference to FIGS. The first full mesh connection process is performed by the conference system 1. The first full mesh connection process is performed by designating one connection management terminal in all groups. Here, it will be described in order by dividing it into six steps.

[First step]
As shown in FIG. 2, in group A, terminals A1 and A2 are connected to each other. Within group B, terminals B1 to B3 are connected to each other. Each terminal in groups A and B conducts a remote conference separately by transmitting and receiving various data such as video and audio. From this situation, for example, the full mesh connection is started from the terminal B1. Group B to which terminal B1 belongs is its own group, and group A is its partner group.
[Second step]
The terminal B1 in the group B is connected to one terminal A1 in the group A via the server 3.
[Third step]
Each terminal calculates the number of connected terminals. The terminal with the largest number of connected terminals in its own group is the connection management terminal. For example, the number of connected terminals of terminal A1 is 2, the number of connected terminals of terminal A2 is 1, the number of connected terminals of terminal B1 is 3, the number of connected terminals of terminal B2 is 2, and the number of connected terminals of terminal B3 is 2. The terminal having the largest number of connected terminals is the terminal B1. Therefore, the terminal B1 functions as a connection management terminal. The terminal with the largest number of terminal connections in the partner group is a “connection management candidate terminal”. The terminal with the largest number of terminal connections in group A is terminal A1. Therefore, the terminal A1 is a connection management candidate terminal. The connection management candidate terminal is a candidate terminal that functions as a connection management terminal next in a fifth step (see FIG. 3) described later.

[Fourth process]
As shown in FIG. 3, connection is made via terminal B1 until all terminals B2 and B3 of group B to which terminal B1 which is a connection management terminal belongs are connected to terminal A1 which is a connection management candidate terminal of group A. To do. Thereby, all of the terminals B1 to B3 are connected to the terminal A1.
[Fifth step]
The role of terminal B1, which is a connection management terminal, is delegated to terminal A1, which is a connection management candidate terminal. As a result, the connection management terminal changes from terminal B1 to terminal A1.
[Sixth step]
Until all the terminals are in full mesh connection, the unconnected terminals are connected to each other via the terminal A1 which is a connection management terminal. Specifically, terminal A2 and terminal B1, terminal A2 and terminal B2, and terminal A2 and terminal B3 are connected to each other. This completes the full mesh connection.

  With reference to FIG. 4, the electrical configuration of the terminal B1 will be described. Since the electrical configuration of the other terminals is the same as that of the terminal B1, description thereof is omitted. The terminal B1 includes a CPU 10. The CPU 10 performs overall control of the operation of the terminal B1. A ROM 11, a RAM 12, a hard disk drive (hereinafter referred to as “HDD”) 13, and an input / output interface (I / F) 19 are connected to the CPU 10 via a bus 18.

  The ROM 11 stores a program and an initial value for operating the terminal B1. The RAM 12 temporarily stores various information. The HDD 13 is a non-volatile storage device. The HDD 13 stores various programs for executing a first full mesh connection process (see FIGS. 11 to 14) described later, setting information necessary for the process, data, a table, and the like. A storage device such as an EEPROM (registered trademark) or a flash memory may be used instead of the HDD 13.

  The input / output interface 19 includes an audio input processing unit 21, an audio output processing unit 22, a video input processing unit 23, a video output processing unit 24, an operation input processing unit 25, and an external communication interface (I / F) 26. It is connected. The voice input processing unit 21 processes voice signals from the microphone 31 that collects (inputs) voice and generates voice data. The sound output processing unit 22 processes sound data and generates (outputs) sound from the speaker 32. The video input processing unit 23 processes the image signal from the camera 33 that captures an image to generate image data. The video output processing unit 24 processes the image data and causes the display device 34 to display an image. The operation input processing unit 25 processes an operation instruction signal input by the user using the operation unit 35 such as a keyboard or a mouse. The external communication I / F 26 connects the terminal B1 to, for example, terminals B2 and B3, respectively. The camera 33 is a single focus digital camera equipped with an image sensor such as a CMOS or CCD.

  Various storage areas of the HDD 13 will be described with reference to FIG. The HDD 13 includes, for example, a terminal information table storage area 131, a connection terminal table storage area 132, and the like. The terminal information table storage area 131 stores a terminal information table 1311 (see FIG. 6) described later. The connection terminal table storage area 132 stores a connection terminal table 1321 (see FIG. 7) described later. Hereinafter, each table will be described.

  The terminal information table 1311 will be described with reference to FIG. The terminal information table 1311 is a table for holding the terminal information of the own terminal and the terminal information of other terminals connected to the own terminal. The terminal information table 1311 stores, for example, a data number, a terminal name, a self group flag, a connection management flag, and the number of connected terminals in association with each other. The data number is a number for identifying each terminal information transmitted from another terminal in addition to the terminal information of the own terminal. The own group flag indicates whether the terminal belongs to a group to which the terminal belongs. For example, true is stored when belonging to the own group, and false is stored when belonging to the partner group. In the terminal information table 1311 of terminal B1, group B is the own group and group A is the partner group. The connection management flag indicates whether or not the terminal functions as a connection management terminal. For example, true is stored when functioning as a connection management terminal, and false is stored when not functioning. The number of connected terminals indicates the number of terminals to which the terminal is actually connected.

  For example, the terminal information table 1311 illustrated in FIG. 6 is the terminal information table 1311 of the terminal B1 in the second step illustrated in FIG. In the second step, the terminals A1, B2, and B3 are connected to the terminal B1. For example, in the data number 01, the terminal information of the terminal A1 is registered. In the data number 02, the terminal information of the terminal B1 is registered. In the data number 03, the terminal information of the terminal B2 is registered. In the data number 04, the terminal information of the terminal B3 is registered. Note that the terminal A2 is not connected to the terminal B1. Therefore, the terminal information of the terminal A2 is not registered in the terminal information table 1311.

  And since the terminal A1 is the group A, the own group flag is false. Since the terminals B1 to B3 are the group B, the own group flag is true. The number of connected terminals of the terminal A1 is two. The number of connected terminals of the terminal B1 is 3. The number of connected terminals of terminal B2 is two. The number of connected terminals of terminal B3 is two. The terminal B1 has the largest number of connected terminals in its own group (group B). Therefore, the connection management flag of the terminal B1 is true. On the other hand, the terminal A1 has the largest number of connected terminals in the partner group (group A). When the connection management flag of the terminal A1 is false, the terminal A1 is a connection management candidate terminal. The terminal information table 1311 is created, for example, when a conference is started by connecting to another terminal, and is stored in the terminal information table storage area 131 of the HDD 13. The connection management flags in the terminal information table 1311 are all initially false.

  The connection terminal table 1321 will be described with reference to FIG. The connected terminal table 1321 is a table for holding information on which terminal is connected to the own terminal and other terminals connected to the own terminal. The connection terminal table 1321 stores, for example, a terminal number, a connection number, a connection terminal number, and the like. The terminal number is a number for identifying the terminal. As the terminal number, for example, the data number of the terminal information table 1311 may be used. The connection number is a number assigned to each terminal for each connection with another terminal. The connection terminal number is the terminal number of the other party connected to the terminal. The connected terminal table 1321 does not hold information on terminals that cannot be directly referred to by the own terminal.

  For example, the connection terminal table 1321 illustrated in FIG. 7 is the connection terminal table 1321 of the terminal B1 in the second process. For example, connection number 1 and connection terminal number 02 are stored in terminal number 01. In this case, connection number 1 is assigned to B1's connection to terminal A1. Further, the terminal number 02 stores connection numbers 1 to 3 and connection terminal numbers 01, 03, and 04, respectively. The connection number 1 is assigned to the connection of the terminal A1 to the terminal B1, the connection number 2 is assigned to the connection of the terminal B2 to the terminal B1, and the connection number 3 is assigned to the connection of the terminal B3 to the terminal B1. Further, terminal number 03 stores connection numbers 1 and 2 and connection terminal numbers 02 and 04, respectively. In this connection, the connection number 1 is assigned to the connection of the terminal B1 to the terminal B2, and the connection number 2 is assigned to the connection of the terminal B3 to the terminal B2. Furthermore, the terminal number 04 stores connection numbers 1 and 2 and connection terminal numbers 02 and 03, respectively. In this connection, the connection number 1 is assigned to the connection of the terminal B1 to the terminal B3, and the connection number 2 is assigned to the connection of the terminal B3 to the terminal B3. Note that the terminal A2 is not connected to the terminal B1 and cannot directly refer to the information of the terminal A2. Therefore, the connected terminal table 1321 does not hold information on the terminal A2.

  The connection request data 41 will be described with reference to FIG. The connection request data 41 is data for requesting the destination terminal to connect to a specific terminal. The connection request data 41 includes, for example, identification information about the destination terminal and the connection terminal. The destination terminal is a terminal to which the connection request data 41 is transmitted. The connection terminal is a connection destination terminal that requests the destination terminal. For example, an IP address can be used as the identification information of the destination terminal and the connection terminal. The connection request data 41 shown in FIG. 8 is data for requesting the terminal B2 to connect to the terminal A1.

  The terminal information data 42 will be described with reference to FIG. The terminal information data 42 is data of terminal information of the own terminal, for example. The terminal information data 42 includes terminal information such as a terminal name, a connection management flag, and the number of connected terminals. The terminal name is the terminal name of the transmission source terminal of this information. For example, an IP address can be used as the terminal name. The connection management flag is a flag indicating whether or not this terminal functions as a connection management terminal. The number of connected terminals is the number of other terminals connected to the own terminal. The terminal information data 42 shown in FIG. 9 is transmitted from the terminal A1. The connection management flag of the terminal A1 is false, and the number of connected terminals is 2.

  The connection terminal data 43 will be described with reference to FIG. The connection terminal data 43 is data of a terminal name connected to the own terminal, for example. The terminal name is the terminal name of the transmission source terminal of this information. The connection terminal name is the name of the terminal to which the transmission source terminal is connected. For example, an IP address can be used as the terminal name. The connection terminal data 43 shown in FIG. 10 is transmitted from the terminal A1. It is shown that the terminals B1, B3, etc. are connected to the terminal A1.

  The server 3 is a general computer device and is a well-known device including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an HDD, and the like.

  The first full mesh connection process will be described with reference to FIGS. The first full mesh connection process is executed by the CPU 10. For example, when the CPU 10 connects to another terminal and starts a conference, the CPU 10 reads the first full mesh connection program stored in the ROM 11 and executes this processing. Here, for example, the case where the first full mesh connection is started from the terminal B1 in the state of the first step in FIG. 2 will be described.

  First, the CPU 10 of the terminal B1 determines whether or not to start connection with another group (S1). The connection start with the group A, which is another group, is performed by an operation by the user operation unit 35. When connection with the group A is not started (S1: NO), it is determined whether connection start information described later is received from another terminal in the group B (S10). The connection start information is information for notifying other terminals connected to the terminal that the full mesh connection has been started, for example. If connection start information is not received (S1: NO), the process returns to S1 and is repeated. When the connection start information is received from another terminal (S1: YES), the process proceeds to S8 described later.

  When starting the connection with the group A (S1: YES), the CPU 10 connects to one terminal of the partner group via the server 3 (S2). For example, the CPU 10 transmits connection request information to the server 3. The connection request information is information for requesting connection with one terminal in the group A. The server 3 connects the terminal B1 and, for example, the terminal A1 based on the connection request information received from the terminal B1. Terminal B1 and terminal A2 may be connected. Since the connection process of the server 3 is a normal connection process, a specific description is omitted.

  Next, the CPU 10 transmits connection start information to all terminals connected to the terminal B1 (S3). Terminals connected to the terminal B1 are A1, B2, and B3. The CPU 10 transmits connection start information to the terminals A1, B2, and B3, respectively. The CPU 10 updates the number of connected terminals of its own terminal in the terminal information table 1311 (see FIG. 6) (S4). Here, as in the third step of FIG. 2, since the terminal B1 is newly connected to the terminal A1, the number of connected terminals is incremented by 1 to 3.

  The CPU 10 determines whether or not the number of connected terminals in the own group is the maximum (S5). The CPU 10 refers to the terminal information table 1311. For example, the number of connected terminals of the terminal B1 is 3, which is the largest in the group B (S5: YES), so the connection management flag of the own terminal is updated to true (S6). If the number of connected terminals of the own terminal is not the maximum (S5: NO), the process proceeds to S7 without updating the connection management flag of the own terminal. Therefore, the connection management flag remains false.

  Next, the CPU 10 transmits the terminal information data 42 to another terminal connected to the terminal itself (S7). For example, as in the third step of FIG. 2, terminals A1, B2, and B3 are connected to the terminal B1. The CPU 10 transmits terminal information data to the terminals A1, B2, and B3, respectively. Further, the CPU 10 creates a connection terminal table 1321 (S8). The created connection terminal table 1321 is stored in the connection terminal table storage area 132 of the HDD 13. The CPU 10 can grasp the connection status of each terminal connected to the terminal B1 by referring to the connection terminal table 1321. Further, the CPU 10 transmits the connection terminal data 43 to the other terminals A1, B2, B3 connected to the terminal B1 (S9). The connection terminal data 43 in this case is data indicating that the terminal B1 is connected to the terminals A1, B2, and B3.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the terminal information data 42 has been received from another terminal (S13). When the terminal information data 42 is received (S13: YES), the data in the terminal information table 1311 is updated (S14), and the process returns to S13 and is repeated. When the terminal information data 42 is not received (S13: NO), it is determined whether the connection terminal data 43 is received (S15). When the connection terminal data 43 is received (S15: YES), the connection terminal table 1321 is updated (S16), and the process returns to S13 and is repeated.

  When the CPU 10 does not receive the connection terminal data 43 (S15: NO), the CPU 10 determines whether the connection request data 41 has been received (S17). As will be described later, the connection request data 41 is data transmitted by the connection management terminal. Therefore, when the connection request data 41 is received from another terminal, the own terminal does not function as a connection management terminal.

  For example, in the third step of FIG. 2, the terminal B2 is not a connection management terminal. When receiving the connection request data 41 shown in FIG. 8 from the terminal B1 functioning as a connection management terminal (S17: YES), the CPU 10 of the terminal B2 connects to the terminal A1 of the group A based on the received connection request data 41. (S18). The CPU 10 updates the number of connections of the number of own terminals in the terminal information table 1311 (S19). The CPU 10 transmits the terminal information data 42 to the other terminals A1, B1, B3 connected to the terminal B2 (S20). Next, the CPU 10 updates the data in the connection terminal table 1321 (S21). The CPU 10 transmits the connection terminal data 43 to the other terminals A1, B1, B3 connected to the terminal B2 (S22). The CPU 10 of the terminal B2 returns to S13 and repeats the process.

  When the CPU 10 of the terminal B1 does not receive the connection request data 41 (S17: NO), as shown in FIG. 13, it determines whether or not the own terminal is a connection management terminal (S25). The CPU 10 refers to the terminal information table 1311 and determines whether the connection management flag is true or false. When the connection management flag is true (S25: YES), it is determined whether or not there is an unconnected terminal in the group B which is the own group (S26). The CPU 10 refers to the terminal information table 1311 and extracts, for example, terminals with a smaller number of connected terminals in the group B than others. The number of connected terminals of terminals B2 and B3 is smaller than the number of connected terminals of terminal B1. That is, the terminals B2 and B3 are unconnected terminals in which a terminal to be connected still exists in the group A. In this case (S26: YES), one of the unconnected terminals B2 and B3 (for example, terminal B2) is extracted (S27).

  Next, the CPU 10 extracts the extracted terminal B2 and unconnected terminals from the group A (S28). The CPU 10 refers to the terminal information table 1311 and the connected terminal table 1321. For example, the terminal information of the terminals A1 and B2 is registered in the terminal information table 1311, but the connection between the terminal A1 and the terminal B2 is not registered in the connection terminal table 1321. That is, the terminal A1 and the terminal B2 are not connected. Therefore, the CPU 10 extracts the terminal A1 from the group A. Terminal A1 is a connection management candidate terminal.

  Next, the CPU 10 creates connection request data 41 based on the extracted terminal information of the terminals A1 and B2 (S29). Specifically, connection request data 41 (see FIG. 8) for requesting terminal B2 to connect to terminal A1 and connection request data 41 for requesting terminal A1 to connect to terminal B2 are created. To do. The CPU 10 transmits the created connection request data 41 to the terminals A1 and B2, respectively (S30). The terminals A1 and B2 connect to each other based on the received connection request data 41.

  The CPU 10 returns to S13 in FIG. Since there is still an unconnected terminal B3 in the group B (S26: YES), the CPU 10 executes the processes of S27 to S29 in FIG. The CPU 10 transmits connection request data 41 to the terminals A1 and B3, respectively (S30). The terminals A1 and B3 connect to each other based on each connection request data 41. As a result, the conference system 1 enters the state of the fourth step in FIG. The CPU 10 returns to S13 in FIG. 12 and repeats the process.

  In the state of the fourth step, the number of connected terminals of the terminals B1 to B3 in the group B is all three. Therefore, since there is no unconnected terminal in the group B (S26: NO), the CPU 10 determines whether there is an unconnected terminal in the group A (S31). For example, in the state of the fourth process, the terminals B1 to B3 are all connected to the terminal A1. Therefore, in the terminal information table 1311, the number of connected terminals of the terminals B1 to B3 is all three. On the other hand, since the terminal A1 is connected to the terminal A2 in addition to the terminals B1 to B3, the number of connected terminals is four. That is, in group A, there are terminals in group B and unconnected terminals.

  Since there is an unconnected terminal in group A (S31: YES), CPU 10 transmits connection management terminal request information to the terminal having the largest number of connected terminals in partner group A (S32). . As in the fourth step, the terminal with the largest number of connected terminals in the group A is the terminal A1. Terminal A1 is a connection management candidate terminal. CPU10 transmits connection management terminal request information to terminal A1 which is a connection management candidate terminal. The connection management terminal request information is information for delegating the role as a connection management terminal. The CPU 10 updates the connection management flag of its own terminal in the terminal information table 1311 from true to false (S33). As a result, as in the fifth step, the role as the connection management terminal is transferred from the terminal B1 to the terminal A1. CPU10 transmits terminal information data to terminal A1, B2, B3 connected to the own terminal (S34). Terminal B1 finishes its function as a connection management terminal. The CPU 10 returns to S13 in FIG. 12 and repeats the process.

  On the other hand, in the fourth step, the CPU 10 of the terminal A1, which is a connection management candidate terminal, executes the following processing. The connection management flag of terminal A1 in the terminal information table 1311 is false. Therefore, since the terminal A1 is not a connection management terminal (S25: NO), as shown in FIG. 14, it is determined whether or not connection management terminal request information has been received (S37). As described above, when the connection management terminal request information is received from the terminal B1 (S37: YES), the connection management flag of the own terminal A1 is updated from false to true (S38). Thereby, the terminal A1 functions as a connection management terminal. The conference system 1 enters the fifth process state. The CPU 10 transmits the terminal information data to the terminal A2 and the terminals B1 to B3 connected to the terminal A1 (S39). The CPU 10 returns to S13 in FIG. 12 and repeats the process.

  When connection management terminal request information is not received from the terminal B1 (S37: NO), it is determined whether or not full mesh connection is completed (S40). When the full mesh connection is not yet completed (S40: NO), the process returns to S13 in FIG. 12 and the process is repeated until the full mesh connection is completed.

  And CPU10 of terminal A1 performs the same process (S27-S30 of FIG. 13) as said terminal B1 as a connection management terminal. That is, terminal A1 connects terminal A2 and terminal B1, terminal A2 and terminal B2, and terminal A2 and terminal B3, respectively. As a result, the conference system 1 enters the state of the sixth step in FIG. 3, and the full mesh connection is completed.

  Next, when the CPU 10 of the terminal A1 determines that there are no unconnected terminals in the groups A and B (S26: NO, S31: NO), the CPU 10 determines whether the full mesh connection is completed (S40). For example, when another terminal is connected during the conference, the full mesh connection is not yet completed (S40: NO), so the process returns to S13 in FIG. 12 and the above processing is repeated until the full mesh connection is completed.

  On the other hand, when the full mesh connection is completed (S40: YES), the CPU 10 updates all the own group flags in the terminal information table 1311 to true (S41). Groups A and B become one group C. Furthermore, the CPU 10 updates all the connection management flags in the terminal information table 1311 to false (S42). Further, the CPU 10 deletes the data of the connected terminal table 1321 stored in the HDD 13 (S43). Thus, the CPU 10 ends this process. The full mesh connection is completed in the conference system 1, and each terminal A1, A2, B1 to B3 can perform a remote conference within the group C by transmitting and receiving video information and audio information to each other.

  As described above, the conference system 1 according to the present embodiment includes the groups A and B and the server 3. In group A, terminals A1 and A2 are connected to each other via PtoP. In group B, terminals B1 to B3 are connected to each other by PtoP. The conference system 1 performs a full mesh connection from the above situation. The conference system 1 first connects one terminal of each group (for example, terminals A1 and B1) via the server 3. Thereafter, the terminal having the largest number of connection terminals connected to the own terminal is caused to function as a connection management terminal. The connection management terminal functions as a server for connecting terminals apart from the server 3. Therefore, the conference system 1 can reduce the load on the server 3 and can efficiently perform full mesh connection.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, each terminal which comprises the conference system 1 functions as a connection management terminal, when the number of connection terminals of a self-terminal is the maximum. The terminal with the largest number of connected terminals is connected to more terminals than other terminals. By making such a terminal function as a connection management terminal, a more efficient full mesh connection is possible.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible. For example, in the above embodiment, only one connection management terminal is set in all groups A and B, and the role of the connection management terminal is delegated to the connection management candidate terminal in the partner group during the first full mesh connection process. . On the other hand, for example, a connection management terminal may be set for each of the groups A and B. In this case, in each group A and B, at least two connection management terminals sequentially connect the unconnected terminals in parallel. Therefore, full mesh connection can be performed more efficiently than in the above embodiment.

  Therefore, a first modification will be described with reference to FIGS. In the first modification, a connection management terminal is set for each group. Note that the configuration, electrical configuration, and the like of the conference system 100, which is the first modification, are substantially the same as those in the above-described embodiment, and thus the differences will be mainly described. The conference system 100 performs the second full mesh connection process. Further, the CPU 10 of each terminal executes a second full mesh connection process. These will be described in order below. A description of portions common to the above embodiment is omitted.

  First, the procedure of the second full mesh connection step will be described with reference to FIGS. The second full mesh connection process is performed by the conference system 100. The second full mesh connection process is performed by designating connection management terminals in the groups A and B, respectively. The process up to the second process is the same as the first full mesh connection process. That is, a 2nd full mesh connection process performs a 7th process-a 10th process, after performing a 1st process and a 2nd process. The seventh to tenth steps correspond to the third to sixth steps of the first full mesh connection step. Here, the seventh to tenth steps will be described.

[Seventh step]
As shown in FIG. 2, after the first step and the second step, the number of connected terminals of each terminal is calculated in the seventh step. The terminals having the largest number of connected terminals in the groups A and B are defined as connection management terminals. For example, the number of connected terminals of the terminal A1 is 2, the number of connected terminals of the terminal A2 is 1, the number of connected terminals of the terminal B1 is 3, the number of connected terminals of the terminal B2 is 2, and the number of connected terminals of the terminal B3 is 2. The terminal with the largest number of connected terminals in the group A is the terminal A1. Therefore, in the group A, the terminal A1 functions as a connection management terminal. On the other hand, the terminal having the largest number of connected terminals in the group B is the terminal B1. Therefore, in the group B, the terminal B1 functions as a connection management terminal.
[Eighth step]
As shown in FIG. 15, the connection management terminals A1 and B1 sequentially connect, in each group A and B, a terminal having the largest number of connected terminals other than its own terminal and one terminal in the partner group. The connection management terminals A1 and B1 execute processing in parallel with each other. For example, the connection management terminal A1 connects the terminal A2 and the terminal B1. On the other hand, the connection management terminal B1 connects the terminal A1 and the terminal B2. Therefore, compared with the said embodiment, terminals can be connected more efficiently.
[Ninth process]
For example, when a plurality of terminals having the maximum number of connected terminals occur in one group, all the terminals having the maximum number of connected terminals are operated as connection management terminals. For example, in the group B, the number of connected terminals of the terminal B1 and the terminal B2 is 4 at the maximum. In this case, both the terminal B1 and the terminal B2 are operated as connection management terminals. Therefore, compared with the said embodiment, terminals can be connected more efficiently.
[Tenth step]
The eighth step and the ninth step are repeated until all the terminals are fully meshed. Unconnected terminals are sequentially connected through a plurality of connection management terminals. In this way, the conference system 100 completes the full mesh connection.

  The second full mesh connection process will be described with reference to FIGS. The second full mesh connection process is executed by the CPU 10. For example, when the CPU 10 is connected to another terminal and starts a conference, the CPU 10 reads the second full mesh connection program stored in the ROM 11 and executes this process. Here, for example, the case where the second full mesh connection is started from the terminal B1 in the state of the first step in FIG. 2 will be described.

  The second full mesh connection process is a part of the first full mesh connection process. Therefore, here, the changed part will be mainly described. 16 corresponds to FIG. 11, FIG. 17 corresponds to FIG. 12, and FIG. 18 corresponds to FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 16, in the second full mesh connection process, the CPU 10 does not execute the process of S5 of the first full mesh connection process in the processes of S1 to S9. That is, the CPU 10 of the terminal that has started connection with another group updates the connection management flag to true in S6, not limited to the number of connected terminals of the own terminal. A terminal that has started connection with another group for the first time in the own group has the maximum number of connected terminals in the own group. Therefore, in this modification, in order to set at least one connection management terminal for each group, the connection management flag may be updated to true in S6.

  As shown in FIG. 17, in the second full mesh connection process, in the processes of S13 to S22, the CPU 10 performs the processes of S51 and S52 between S19 and S20. For example, when receiving the connection request data 41 from the terminal B1 functioning as a connection management terminal (S17: YES), the CPU 10 of the terminal B2 connects to the terminal A1 of the group A based on the received connection request data 41 ( S18). The CPU 10 updates the number of connections of the number of own terminals in the terminal information table 1311 (S19).

  Next, the CPU 10 determines whether or not the number of connected terminals is the maximum in its own group (group B) (S51). When the number of connected terminals is the maximum in the own group (S51: YES), the CPU 10 updates the connection management flag of the own terminal in the terminal information table 1311 to true (S52). As a result, when there are a plurality of terminals having the largest number of connected terminals, the plurality of terminals can function as connection management terminals. Also, in the terminal A1 in the group A which is the partner group, if the number of connected terminals is the maximum in the own group, the connection management flag of the own terminal is updated to true. As a result, connection management terminals are set in both groups A and B. If the number of connected terminals is not the maximum in the own group (S51: NO), the CPU 10 proceeds to S20 as it is without updating the connection management flag.

  As shown in FIG. 18, in the second full mesh connection process, in the processes of S25 to S43, the CPU 10 does not execute the processes of S31 to S39 of the first full mesh connection process, instead of S27 to S30. A connection request data transmission process (S40) is executed.

  The connection request data transmission process will be described with reference to FIG. The connection request data transmission process is a process executed by the connection management terminal. The CPU 10 extracts a terminal having the largest number of connected terminals other than the own terminal in the own group (S61). Next, the CPU 10 extracts the extracted terminal and the unconnected terminal from the partner group (S62). The CPU 10 refers to the terminal information table 1311 and the connected terminal table 1321. The CPU 10 creates connection request data 41 based on the extracted terminal information of each terminal (S63). The CPU 10 transmits the created connection request data 41 to each terminal (S64). The terminals connect to each other based on the received connection request data 41. CPU10 complete | finishes this process and returns a process to S13 of FIG.

  As described above, in the conference system 100 as the first modification, in each group A and B, at least two connection management terminals are sequentially connected in parallel to unconnected terminals. Therefore, full mesh connection can be performed more efficiently than in the above embodiment. Further, when a plurality of terminals having the maximum number of connected terminals occur in the same group, all the terminals having the maximum number of connections are made to function as connection management terminals, so that full mesh connection can be performed more efficiently.

  Next, a second modification will be described. In the above embodiment and the first modification, the server 3 is only used when the terminals in the groups A and B are first connected in the second process. For example, the connection function of the server 3 may be used even during execution of the second full mesh connection process. In the second modification, the terminal executes the first and second full mesh connection processes described above, and the server 3 executes the server connection process described later in parallel.

  For example, the CPU 10 of the terminal B1 executes the first and second full mesh connection processes described above. In the above embodiment and the first modified example, when connection with a terminal in another group is started (S1: YES), after connection with one terminal in the partner group via the server 3 (S2), Connection start information is transmitted to all terminals to be connected (S3). In the second modification, connection start information is also transmitted to the server 3. Furthermore, in each process of S7, S9, S20, and S22, the terminal information data and the connection terminal data are also transmitted to the server 3.

  A server connection process executed by the server 3 will be described with reference to FIG. For example, when the server 3 receives the connection start information from the terminal, the server 3 executes this processing. First, the server 3 creates a terminal information table and stores it in the HDD 13 or the like (S71). Further, a connection terminal table is created and stored in the HDD 13 or the like (S72). The terminal information table and the connection terminal table are the same as those in the above embodiment.

  Next, the server 3 determines whether or not terminal information data has been received (S73). When the terminal information data is received (S73: YES), the terminal information table is updated (S74). Subsequently, the server 3 determines whether connection terminal data has been received (S75). When the connection terminal data is received (S75: YES), the connection terminal table is updated (S76). In addition, the server 3 advances a process to S75, when terminal information data are not received (S73: NO). If the connection terminal data is not received (S75: NO), the process proceeds to S77.

  Next, the server 3 refers to the terminal information table and the connection terminal table, and extracts the terminals having the maximum number of connection terminals other than the connection management terminal from each of the groups A and B (S77). Further, the server 3 determines whether the extracted terminals are not connected to each other (S78). When the extracted terminals are not connected to each other in the server 3 (S78: YES), the CPU 10 creates connection request data 41 based on each terminal information of the extracted terminals (S79). The CPU 10 transmits the created connection request data 41 to each terminal (S80). The terminals connect to each other based on the received connection request data 41.

  Then, the server 3 determines whether or not the full mesh connection is completed (S81). If the full mesh connection is not completed (S81: NO), the process returns to S73, and the process is repeated until the full mesh connection is completed. If the extracted terminals are already connected (S78: NO), the process proceeds to S81. When the full mesh connection is completed (S81: YES), post-processing is executed (S82). The post-process includes, for example, the processes of S41 to S43 of the first and second full mesh connection processes. In this way, the server 3 ends this process.

  As described above, in the second modification, when performing full mesh connection, in addition to the terminals of each group functioning as connection management terminals, the server 3 is also an unconnected terminal other than the connection management terminals in each group. Connect each other. Since the connection management terminal and the server 3 connect the unconnected terminals in parallel, the full mesh connection can be performed more efficiently. The second modified example is particularly effective because the number of connected terminals of terminals other than the connection management terminal varies as the number of groups increases, such as three groups.

  In the above description, the CPU 10 that executes the process of S2 shown in FIG. 11 is an example of the “connection request unit” in the present invention. The CPU 10 that executes the process of S6 is an example of the “connection management terminal determination unit” in the present invention. CPU10 which performs the process of S13 shown in FIG. 12 is an example of the "connection terminal number acquisition means" of this invention. The CPU 10 that executes the process of S17 is an example of the “reception unit” in the present invention. The CPU 10 that executes the process of S27 shown in FIG. 13 is an example of the “first extraction means” in the present invention. The CPU 10 that executes the process of S28 is an example of the “second extracting means” in the present invention. The CPU 10 that executes the processes of S29 and S30 is an example of the “request information transmission unit” in the present invention. The CPU 10 that executes the process of S18 is an example of the “first connection means” in the present invention. The CPU 10 that executes the process of S40 shown in FIG. 14 is an example of the “control unit” in the present invention.

  In the second modification, the CPU 10 that executes the process of S77 in FIG. 20 is an example of the “third extraction unit” in the present invention. The CPU 10 that executes the processes of S79 and S80 is an example of the “third connection means” in the present invention.

  The present invention can be variously modified in addition to the above-described embodiment, first, and second modifications. For example, although the case where two groups A and B perform full mesh connection is described in the above embodiment, three or more groups may be used.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, the number of terminals which comprise each group may be other than the said embodiment.

  In the above embodiment, for example, in the second step shown in FIG. 2, the maximum number of connected terminals has been described as the terminal B1 of the group B. However, for example, the terminal having the maximum number of connected terminals in both connected groups. If there are a plurality of (for example, 2 to 2, 3 to 3, etc.), the connection management terminal may be determined based on, for example, the specifications of the terminal and the line speed used.

1 conference system 3 server 10 CPU
13 HDD
100 Conference System 131 Terminal Information Table Storage Area 1311 Terminal Information Table 132 Connection Terminal Table Storage Area 1321 Connection Terminal Table A, B Group A1, A2, B1 to B3 Terminal

Claims (7)

When there are a plurality of terminals that are connected to each other to transmit / receive audio information or image information and a server that can connect the plurality of terminals to each other, and the plurality of terminals are connected to each other In addition, it is a conference system that transmits and receives the audio information and the image information by connecting all the terminals in the different groups.
The terminal
Connection request means for requesting the server to connect to one terminal in a partner group different from the own group via the server;
A connection terminal number obtaining unit for obtaining, from the server, the current number of connected terminals connected to another terminal different from the own terminal for each of the plurality of terminals when the connection with the one terminal is completed by the server; ,
Connection management terminal determining means for determining whether or not to function as a connection management terminal having a server function for connecting the terminals based on the number of connected terminals for each of the terminals acquired by the connected terminal number acquiring means; ,
A first extraction unit that extracts one terminal from the other terminals in the own group when the connection management terminal determination unit determines to function as the connection management terminal;
A second extraction means for extracting an extraction terminal extracted by the first extraction means and a counterpart terminal that is an unconnected terminal from the counterpart group;
Request information transmission means for transmitting connection request information for requesting connection to the extraction terminal extracted by the first extraction means and the counterpart terminal extracted by the second extraction means;
Receiving means for receiving the connection request information transmitted from the other terminal functioning as the connection management terminal when the connection management terminal determining means has not been determined to function as the connection management terminal;
In accordance with the connection request information received by the receiving means, comprising a first connection means for connecting to the counterpart terminal,
The said server is provided with the 2nd connection means which connects the terminal which requested | required the said connection and the said one terminal in the said other party group based on the request | requirement by the said connection request | requirement means of the said terminal.   When the own terminal is the connection management terminal until all the terminals in the different groups are connected, the first extraction means and the request information sending means repeatedly execute each process, and the own terminal Is not the connection management terminal, the connection terminal number acquisition means, the connection management terminal determination means, the first extraction means, the second extraction means, the request information transmission means, the reception means, and the first connection The conference system according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that causes the unit to repeatedly execute each process.   The conference system according to claim 1, wherein the connection management terminal determination unit determines that the connection management terminal functions as the connection management terminal when the number of the connection terminals of the own terminal is the maximum. The connection management terminal determining means includes
3. The conference system according to claim 1, wherein whether or not to function as the connection management terminal in the own group is determined based on the number of connected terminals for each of the terminals in the own group. The server
For each group, third extraction means for extracting the terminals having the largest number of connected terminals other than the connection management terminal,
The conference system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising third connection means for connecting the terminals extracted by the extraction means via the server. A plurality of terminals connected to each other for transmitting and receiving audio information and image information; and a server for connecting the plurality of terminals to each other, and different from each other when there are a plurality of groups composed of the plurality of terminals. A terminal connection method performed by a conference system that connects all terminals in the group and transmits and receives the audio information and the image information,
A terminal-side process performed by the terminal, and a server-side process performed by the server,
The terminal side process includes
A connection request step for requesting the server to connect to one terminal in a partner group different from the own group via the server;
When the connection with the one terminal is completed by the server, for each of the plurality of terminals, a connection terminal number acquisition step of acquiring from the server the current number of connection terminals connected to another terminal different from the own terminal; ,
A connection management terminal determination step for determining whether or not to function as a connection management terminal having a server function for connecting the terminals based on the number of connection terminals for each of the terminals acquired in the connection terminal number acquisition step; ,
A first extraction step of extracting one terminal from the other terminals in the own group when it is determined to function as the connection management terminal in the connection management terminal determination step;
From the partner group, a second extraction step of extracting a partner terminal that is an unconnected terminal with the extraction terminal extracted in the first extraction step;
A request information transmission step for transmitting connection request information for requesting connection to the extraction terminal extracted in the first extraction step and the counterpart terminal extracted in the second extraction step;
A reception step of receiving the connection request information transmitted from the other terminal that functions as the connection management terminal when it is not determined to function as the connection management terminal in the connection management terminal determination step;
According to the connection request information received in the reception step, comprising a first connection step of connecting to the counterpart terminal,
The server side process includes:
A terminal connection method comprising: a second connection step of connecting the terminal that requested the connection and the one terminal in the partner group based on a request in the connection request step of the terminal. In a conference system comprising a plurality of terminals connected to each other for transmitting and receiving voice information or image information and a server capable of connecting the plurality of terminals, a plurality of groups configured by connecting the plurality of terminals A terminal device constituting a conference system that, when present, connects all terminals in the different groups to transmit and receive the audio information and the image information,
Connection request means for requesting the server to connect to one terminal in a partner group different from the own group via the server;
A connection terminal number obtaining unit for obtaining, from the server, the current number of connected terminals connected to another terminal different from the own terminal for each of the plurality of terminals when the connection with the one terminal is completed by the server; ,
Connection management terminal determining means for determining whether or not to function as a connection management terminal having a server function for connecting the terminals based on the number of connected terminals for each of the terminals acquired by the connected terminal number acquiring means; ,
A first extraction unit that extracts one terminal from the other terminals in the own group when the connection management terminal determination unit determines to function as the connection management terminal;
A second extraction means for extracting an extraction terminal extracted by the first extraction means and a counterpart terminal that is an unconnected terminal from the counterpart group;
A connection request information transmitting unit configured to transmit connection request information for requesting connection to the extraction terminal extracted by the first extraction unit and the counterpart terminal extracted by the second extraction unit; Terminal device to do.

Images