JP6292280B2 - Transmission system, transmission method by transmission system, transmission terminal, transmission terminal control method, transmission terminal control program, transmission management device, management method by transmission management device, and transmission management program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a transmission management apparatus, for example, a transmission management apparatus that manages a transmission state of a transmission terminal used in a remote conference system that performs a remote conference via a network.

  The remote conferencing system collects images and sounds by taking pictures of attendees and collecting the remarks of attendees in a conference room where there are attendees of the remote conference, and transmits the collected images and sounds It is converted into digital data by the terminal and sent to the other party's transmission terminal, and an image is displayed on the display of the other party's conference room, such as a video screen, or sound is output from the speaker, so that the situation is close to the actual meeting. Realize.

  In such a remote communication system, all transmission terminals participating in the conference are connected to the relay apparatus, and the relay apparatus controls the distribution of image data and sound data to each transmission terminal. Remote conferences can be realized between bases.

  In general, in a remote conference between multiple sites, the display screen of the transmission terminal is divided by the number of transmission terminals participating in the conference in order to know who is participating in the conference from other transmission terminals. Then, an image transmitted from each transmission terminal is displayed in each area of the divided display screen (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  However, in such a conventional technique, when the number of transmission terminals participating in the conference increases, the number of divisions of the display screen increases, and the display area for displaying an image transmitted from each transmission terminal becomes narrower. Therefore, there is a problem that it becomes impossible for the user of each transmission terminal to grasp which transmission terminal is participating in the conference.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem. Regardless of the number of transmission terminals participating in the conference, which transmission terminal is participating in the conference is determined by each transmission terminal. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transmission management apparatus that can be grasped by a user.

The transmission system of the present invention is a transmission system including a plurality of transmission terminals, a reception unit that receives an operation for participating in a conference at any one of the plurality of transmission terminals, and a transmission terminal that receives the operation A transmission unit that transmits name information associated with another transmission terminal participating in the same conference to the transmission terminal that has received the operation, and the transmission terminal that has received the operation transmits the transmission The name information transmitted by the unit is received, and the received name information is displayed as a list on a display screen in response to an operation input .

  The present invention provides a transmission management device that allows a user of each transmission terminal to grasp which transmission terminal is participating in the conference regardless of the number of transmission terminals participating in the conference. it can.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a transmission system according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the conceptual diagram which showed the state of transmission / reception of the image data in the transmission system which concerns on embodiment of this invention, sound data, and various management information. It is a conceptual diagram for demonstrating the image quality of the image data which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an external view of the transmission terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a hardware block diagram of the transmission terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a hardware block diagram of the transmission management apparatus, relay apparatus, or program provision apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram of the transmission terminal and transmission management system which concern on embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the terminal authentication management table managed by the transmission management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the terminal management table managed by the transmission management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram of the terminal management table managed by the transmission management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the preparatory step operation | movement of the transmission system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the conference participation operation | movement of the transmission system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the data transmission operation | movement of the transmission system which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the display screen of all the image display modes displayed by the transmission terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the display screen of the information display mode displayed by the transmission terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows the terminal information display operation | movement of the transmission system which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

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

<< Overall Configuration of Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a transmission system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a state of transmission / reception of image data, sound data, and various management information in the transmission system. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the image quality of image data.

  In addition, the transmission system includes a data providing system that transmits content data in one direction from one transmission terminal to a plurality of transmission terminals via a transmission management device, and information between a plurality of transmission terminals via a transmission management device. Includes a communication system that communicates emotions and the like. The communication system is a system for mutually transmitting information, emotions, etc. between a plurality of communication terminals (corresponding to “transmission terminals”) via a communication management apparatus (corresponding to “transmission management apparatus”). Examples include systems and video telephone systems.

In the present embodiment, a video conference system as an example of a communication system, a video conference management device as an example of a communication management device, and a video conference terminal as an example of a communication terminal are assumed. The terminal will be described. That is, the transmission terminal and the transmission management apparatus of the present invention are not only applied to a video conference system but also applied to a communication system or a data transmission system.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission system 1 includes a plurality of transmission terminals 10aa, 10ab,..., Displays 120aa, 120ab,. And a transmission management device 50 and a program providing device 90. The transmission terminals 10aa, 10ab,... Are configured to transmit, for example, image data and sound data as content data.

  In the following description, among the plurality of transmission terminals 10aa, 10ab,..., An arbitrary transmission terminal is represented as “transmission terminal 10”, and among the plurality of displays 120aa, 120ab,. This display is represented as “display 120”. The requesting transmission terminal 10 requesting the start of the video conference is represented as “requesting terminal”, and the requesting transmission terminal 10 is represented as “destination terminal”.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the transmission system 1, a management information session sei for transmitting and receiving various types of management information is established between the request source terminal and the destination terminal via the transmission management device 50.

  Further, between the transmission terminals 10 in which the management information session sei has been established, four pieces of data of high resolution image data, medium resolution image data, low resolution image data, and sound data are transmitted and received via the relay device 30. Four sessions are established. In the present embodiment, these four sessions are collectively represented as “image / sound data session sed”.

  Here, the image data handled in the present embodiment is encoded in a scalable manner. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the image data handled in the present embodiment is composed of 320 pixels in the horizontal direction and 180 pixels in the vertical direction, and low-resolution image data serving as a base image, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, medium-resolution image data consisting of 640 pixels in the horizontal direction and 360 pixels in the vertical direction, and high-resolution image data consisting of 1280 pixels in the horizontal direction and 720 pixels in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. There is.

  Here, when the band through which image data is transmitted is narrow, only low-resolution image data serving as a base image is transmitted, and the transmission terminal 10 on the receiving side is based on the transmitted low-resolution image data. Thus, only low-quality images can be displayed.

  When the band through which the image data is transmitted is relatively wide, low-resolution image data and medium-resolution image data serving as a base image are transmitted, and the transmission terminal 10 on the receiving side transmits the transmitted low-resolution image data. A medium quality image can be displayed based on the resolution image data and the medium resolution image data.

  In addition, when the band through which image data is transmitted is very wide, low-resolution image data, medium-resolution image data, and high-resolution image data serving as the base image quality are transmitted. 10 can display a high-quality image based on the transmitted low-resolution image data, intermediate-resolution image data, and high-resolution image data.

  In FIG. 1, the relay device 30 relays content data among a plurality of transmission terminals 10. The transmission management device 50 is configured to centrally manage login authentication from the transmission terminal 10, transmission state management of the transmission terminal 10, destination list management, transmission status of the relay device 30, and the like. The image represented by the image data may be a moving image or a still image, or may be both a moving image and a still image.

  The plurality of routers 70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, and 70cd select an optimum route for image data and sound data. In the following description, an arbitrary router among the routers 70a, 70b, 70c, 70d, 70ab, and 70cd is represented as “router 70”.

The program providing apparatus 90 includes an HD (Hard Disk) 204 described later, stores a transmission terminal control program for causing the transmission terminal 10 to realize various functions, and transmits the transmission terminal control program to the transmission terminal 10. Can do.

  The HD 204 of the program providing device 90 also stores a relay device program for causing the relay device 30 to realize various functions, and can transmit the relay device program to the relay device 30.

  Further, the HD 204 of the program providing apparatus 90 also stores a transmission management program for causing the transmission management apparatus 50 to realize various functions, and can transmit the transmission management program to the transmission management apparatus 50.

  The transmission terminals 10aa, 10ab, 10ac,... And the router 70a are connected by a LAN 2a so that transmission is possible. The transmission terminals 10ba, 10bb, 10bc,... And the router 70b are connected by a LAN 2b so that transmission is possible.

  The LAN 2a and the LAN 2b are connected so as to be able to transmit via a dedicated line 2ab including a router 70ab, and are provided in a predetermined area A. For example, the region A is Japan, the LAN 2a is provided in a Tokyo office, and the LAN 2b is provided in an Osaka office.

  On the other hand, the transmission terminals 10ca, 10cb, 10cc,... And the router 70c are connected by a LAN 2c so that transmission is possible. The transmission terminals 10da, 10db, 10dc,... And the router 70d are connected by a LAN 2d so that transmission is possible.

  The LAN 2c and the LAN 2d are connected so as to be able to transmit via a dedicated line 2cd including the router 70cd, and are provided in a predetermined area B. For example, area B is the United States of America, LAN 2c is set up in a New York office, and LAN 2d is Washington D.C. C. Is established in the office. Area A and area B are connected to each other through routers 70ab and 70cd via the Internet 2i so as to be able to transmit to each other.

  The relay device 30, the transmission management device 50, and the program providing device 90 are connected to the respective transmission terminals 10 via the Internet 2i so as to be able to transmit. Here, the relay device 30, the transmission management device 50, and the program providing device 90 may be installed in the region A or the region B, or may be installed in a region other than these.

In the present embodiment, the LAN 2a, the LAN 2b, the dedicated line 2ab, the Internet 2i, the dedicated line 2cd, the LAN 2c, and the LAN 2d constitute the transmission network 2 of the present embodiment. The transmission network 2 may have a place where wireless transmission is performed, such as WiFi (Wireless Fidelity) and Bluetooth (registered trademark), in addition to wired communication.

In FIG. 1, four sets of numbers shown below each transmission terminal 10, relay device 30, transmission management device 50, each router 70, and program providing device 90 are simplified IP addresses in general IPv4. Is shown. For example, the IP address of the transmission terminal 10aa is “1.2.1.3”. In addition, IPv6 may be used instead of IPv4, but IPv4 will be used for the sake of simplicity.

  Each transmission terminal 10 is not only a video conference between a plurality of offices, a video conference between different rooms in the same office, but also a video conference in the same room, outdoors and indoors, or outdoors and outdoors. It may be used in video conferences. When each transmission terminal 10 is used outdoors, wireless transmission such as a cellular phone transmission network is performed.

<< Hardware Configuration of Embodiment >>
As shown in FIG. 4, the transmission terminal 10 includes a housing 1021, an arm 1074, and a camera housing 1075. Among these, a plurality of intake holes 1021e are formed on substantially the entire front wall 1021a of the housing 1021, and a plurality of exhaust holes (not shown) are formed on substantially the entire rear wall 1021b of the housing 1021. Yes. As a result, the transmission terminal 10 takes in the outside air in front of the transmission terminal 10 through the intake hole 1021e and drives the cooling fan built in the housing 1021 to the rear of the transmission terminal 10 through the exhaust hole. Can be exhausted. A sound collecting hole 1021f is formed at the center of the front side wall 1021a, and sounds such as voice, sound, and noise can be collected by a built-in microphone 114 described later.

  An operation panel 1022 is formed on the left side of the housing 1021 when viewed from the front. The operation panel 1022 is provided with an operation button 108 and a power switch 109, and a plurality of sound output holes 1022f through which an output sound from a built-in speaker 115 described later is passed. Further, an accommodation portion 1021p as a recess for accommodating the arm 1074 and the camera housing 1075 is formed on the right side of the housing 1021 when viewed from the front.

  The arm 1074 is attached to the housing 1021 via the torque hinge 1073. For example, the arm 1074 has a click feeling when tilted approximately 45 degrees within a range of a pan angle θ1 of ± 180 degrees and a tilt angle θ2 of 90 degrees when the front is 0 degrees with respect to the housing 1021. It is attached so that it can rotate in the vertical and horizontal directions.

  The camera housing 1075 is provided with a built-in camera 112, which will be described later, and can capture images of users, rooms, and the like. The camera housing 1075 is formed with a torque hinge 1075a.

  The camera housing 1075 is attached to the arm 1074 via a torque hinge 1075a. For example, the camera housing 1075 has a tilt angle θ3 in a range of approximately 100 degrees on the front side of the transmission terminal 10 and approximately 90 degrees on the rear side of the transmission terminal 10 when the straight line with the arm 1074 is 0 degrees. Is attached to the arm 1074 so as to be rotatable.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transmission terminal 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that controls the operation of the entire transmission terminal 10 and a CPU 101 such as an IPL (Initial Program Loader).
ROM (Read Only Memory) 102 storing a program used for driving the CPU, RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 used as a work area of the CPU 101, various data such as a transmission terminal control program, image data, and sound data. A flash memory 104 to be stored, an SSD (Solid State Drive) 105 that controls reading or writing of various data to the flash memory 104 under the control of the CPU 101, and a data reading or writing (storage) to a recording medium 106 such as a flash memory. A media drive 107 that controls the transmission, an operation button 108 that is operated when selecting a destination of the transmission terminal 10, a power switch 109 for switching on / off the power of the transmission terminal 10, and the transmission network 2 And data And a network I / F (Interface) 111 for the feed.

  The transmission terminal 10 also includes a built-in camera 112 that captures an image of a subject under the control of the CPU 101 to obtain image data, an image sensor I / F 113 that controls driving of the camera 112, and a built-in sound collection device that inputs sound. A microphone 114 as a device, a built-in speaker 115 that outputs sound, a sound input / output I / F 116 that processes input / output of a sound signal between the microphone 114 and the speaker 115 according to the control of the CPU 101, and control of the CPU 101 In accordance with the display I / F 117 for transmitting image data to the external display 120, an external device connection I / F 118 for connecting various external devices, an address bus for electrically connecting the above components, And a bus line 110 such as a data bus.

  The display 120 constitutes a display device composed of a liquid crystal or an organic EL that displays an image of a subject, an operation icon, and the like. The display 120 is connected to the display I / F 117 by a cable 120c. The cable 120c may be an analog RGB (VGA) signal cable, a component video cable, HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) or DVI (Digital Video Interactive). ) A signal cable may be used.

The camera 112 includes a lens and a solid-state imaging device that converts light into electric charges and digitizes a subject image. As a solid-state imaging device, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) is used.
) Or CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or the like is used.

  External devices such as an external camera, an external microphone, and an external speaker can be connected to the external device connection I / F 118 by a USB (Universal Serial Bus) cable or the like.

  When an external camera is connected to the external device connection I / F 118, the CPU 101 drives the external camera in preference to the built-in camera 112. When an external microphone or an external speaker is connected to the external device connection I / F 118, the CPU 101 has priority over the internal microphone 114 or the internal speaker 115, respectively, and the external microphone or external speaker. The speaker is driven.

  The recording medium 106 is configured to be detachable from the transmission terminal 10. Further, the transmission terminal 10 may use an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) or the like instead of the flash memory 104 as long as it is a nonvolatile memory that reads or writes data according to the control of the CPU 101.

  The transmission terminal control program may be a file in an installable format or an executable format, recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 106, and distributed. Further, the transmission terminal control program may be stored in the ROM 102 instead of the flash memory 104.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the transmission management device 50 is used as a CPU 201 that controls the operation of the entire transmission management device 50, a ROM 202 that stores a program used to drive the CPU 201 such as an IPL, and a work area for the CPU 201. A RAM 203, an HD 204 for storing various data such as a transmission management program, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 2 that controls reading or writing of various data with respect to the HD 204 according to the control of the CPU 201
05, a media drive 207 for controlling reading or writing (storage) of data to / from a recording medium 206 such as a flash memory, a display 208 for displaying various information such as a cursor, menu, window, character, or image, and a transmission network Network I / F 209 for data transmission using 2, keyboard 211 having a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, etc., selection and execution of various instructions, selection of processing target A mouse 212 for moving the cursor, a CD-ROM drive 214 for controlling reading or writing of various data with respect to a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) 213 as an example of a removable recording medium, Address bus and data bus for electrical connection of components And a bus line 210.

  The transmission management program may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213 and distributed as a file in an installable or executable format. Further, the transmission management program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

  Further, since the relay device 30 has the same hardware configuration as the transmission management device 50, the description thereof is omitted. However, a relay device program for controlling the relay device 30 is recorded in the HD 204.

  In this case as well, the relay device program may be installed in an installable or executable format, recorded in a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213, and distributed. . Further, the relay device program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

  The program providing apparatus 90 has the same hardware configuration as that of the transmission management apparatus 50, and thus the description thereof is omitted. However, the program providing apparatus program for controlling the program providing apparatus 90 is recorded in the HD 204.

  Also in this case, the program providing apparatus program is a file in an installable or executable format, and may be recorded and distributed on a computer-readable recording medium such as the recording medium 206 or the CD-ROM 213. Good. Further, the program providing apparatus program may be stored in the ROM 202 instead of the HD 204.

Note that a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk), a Blu-ray disc, or the like may be applied as the computer-readable recording medium.

<< Functional Configuration of Embodiment >>
As illustrated in FIG. 7, the transmission terminal 10, the relay device 30, and the transmission management device 50 are connected so as to be able to transmit data via the transmission network 2. The program providing apparatus 90 shown in FIG. 1 is not directly related to the transmission of data related to the video conference, and is not shown in FIG.

<Functional configuration of transmission terminal>
The transmission 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 17, and a storage / read processing unit 19. . These units are functions realized by the CPU 101 that executes the transmission terminal control program developed from the flash memory 104 onto the RAM 103. In addition, the transmission terminal 10 includes a storage unit 1000 that includes a RAM 103 and a flash memory 104.

(Functional configuration of transmission terminal)
The transmission / reception unit 11 includes a CPU 101 and a network I / F 111, and transmits / receives various data and information to / from other transmission terminals 10 or devices 30, 50, 90 via the transmission network 2. The transmitter / receiver 11 constitutes a transmitter and a receiver of the transmission terminal according to the present invention.

  The transmission / reception unit 11 starts reception of each status information indicating the status of each transmission terminal 10 as a candidate for a video conference connection destination from the transmission management device 50 before starting a video conference with a desired destination terminal. It has become.

  The status information represents not only the operating status of each transmission terminal 10 online or offline, but also the detailed operating status such as whether transmission is possible online or transmission is online.

  In addition, the status information includes not only the operating state of each transmission terminal 10, but also the cable 120c is disconnected from the transmission terminal 10 at the transmission terminal 10, or the sound is output but the image is not output or the sound is not output. In the following description, the case where the state information represents the operating state of each transmission terminal 10 will be described in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention.

  The operation input receiving unit 12 includes a CPU 101, operation buttons 108, and a power switch 109, and receives various inputs from the user. For example, when the user turns on the power switch 109, the operation input receiving unit 12 receives the power ON and turns on the power of the transmission terminal 10.

  The login request unit 13 is configured by the CPU 101, and upon receipt of power ON, login request information indicating that a login is requested from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the transmission management device 50 via the transmission network 2 and the current local terminal The IP address is sent.

  When the user turns the power switch 109 from the ON state to the OFF state, after the transmission / reception unit 11 transmits state information indicating that the power is turned off to the transmission management device 50, the operation input reception unit 12 transmits the transmission terminal 10. The power is turned off completely. As a result, the transmission management apparatus 50 can recognize that the transmission terminal 10 has been switched from power ON to power OFF.

  The imaging unit 14 includes a CPU 101, a camera 112, and an imaging element I / F 113. The imaging unit 14 images a subject and outputs image data obtained by imaging to the transmission / reception unit 11. Here, the camera 112 constitutes a photographing apparatus according to the present invention, and the image sensor I / F 113 constitutes an image data input unit according to the present invention.

  The sound input unit 15a is constituted by the CPU 101 and the sound input / output I / F 116, and constitutes a sound data input unit in the present invention. The sound input unit 15a is input with a sound signal representing the sound collected by the microphone 114, and converts the input sound signal into sound data.

  The sound output unit 15b is configured by the CPU 101 and the sound input / output I / F 116, converts sound data into a sound signal, and outputs the converted sound signal to the speaker 115, thereby causing the speaker 115 to output sound. ing.

The display control unit 17 is configured by the CPU 101 and the display I / F 117, combines the image data with different resolutions received by the transmission / reception unit 11, and transmits the combined image data to the display 120, thereby displaying an image represented by the image data. It is displayed on the display 120.

  In addition, the display control unit 17 displays the destination list on the display 120 by transmitting the information on the destination list received by the transmission / reception unit 11 from the transmission management apparatus 50 to the display 120.

  The storage / read processing unit 19 includes a CPU 101 and an SSD 105, and stores various data in the storage unit 1000 and reads various data stored in the storage unit 1000.

  The storage unit 1000 stores an identifier for identifying the transmission terminal 10 (hereinafter referred to as “terminal ID”), a password, and the like. Further, the storage unit 1000 is also used as a reception buffer for image data and sound data received when a video conference is performed with a destination terminal.

  Note that the terminal ID of the present embodiment indicates information such as a language, characters, symbols, or various marks used to uniquely identify the transmission terminal 10. The terminal ID may be information in which at least two of a language, characters, symbols, and various signs are combined.

<Functional configuration of transmission management device>
The transmission management device 50 includes a transmission / reception unit 51, a terminal authentication unit 52, a state management unit 53, a terminal extraction unit 54, a terminal state acquisition unit 55, and a storage / read processing unit 59. These units are functions realized by the CPU 201 that executes a transmission management program developed from the HD 204 onto the RAM 203. In addition, the transmission management device 50 includes a storage unit 5000 configured by the HD 204.

(Terminal authentication management table)
In the storage unit 5000, a terminal authentication management DB 5002 having a terminal authentication management table as shown in FIG. In the terminal authentication management table, each password is associated with each terminal ID of all transmission terminals 10 managed by the transmission management device 50 and managed. For example, the terminal authentication management table illustrated in FIG. 8 indicates that the terminal ID of the transmission terminal 10aa is “01aa” and the password is “aaaa”.

(Terminal management table)
Further, in the storage unit 5000, a terminal management DB 5003 having a terminal management table as shown in FIG. 9 is constructed. The terminal management DB 5003 constitutes a terminal management table storage unit in the present invention.

  In the terminal management table, for each terminal ID of each transmission terminal 10, the identification name of each transmission terminal 10 (hereinafter referred to as “terminal name”), the operating state of each transmission terminal 10, and the log-in to the transmission system 1 The reception date and time when the login request information is received by the transmission management device 50 and the IP address of the transmission terminal 10 are managed in association with each other.

  For example, in the terminal management table shown in FIG. 9, the terminal name is “Japan Tokyo office AA terminal” and the operation state is “online (transmittable)” for the transmission terminal 10aa with the terminal ID “01aa”. The date and time when the login request information is received by the transmission management device 50 is “13:40 on November 10, 2009” and the IP address of the transmission terminal 10aa is “1.2.1.3”. Represents.

  Here, the terminal ID in the terminal management table is uniquely assigned when the transmission terminal 10 is registered in the transmission system 1, and the terminal name is registered or changed by the administrator of the transmission management apparatus 50. The terminal name may be registered or changed in response to a request made from the transmission terminal 10 to the transmission management device 50.

  The operating state “online (transmittable)” indicates that the transmission terminal 10 is logged into the transmission system 1 and is not participating in the video conference, and is “online (during transmission)”. Indicates that the transmission terminal 10 is logged into the transmission system 1 and is participating in a video conference. The operation state is “offline”, and the transmission terminal 10 is not logged into the transmission system 1. Represents a state.

(Destination list management table)
Further, in the storage unit 5000, a destination list management DB 5004 having a destination list management table as shown in FIG. The terminal management DB 5003 constitutes a destination list management table storage unit in the present invention.

  In the destination list management table, all terminal IDs of destination terminals registered as destination terminal candidates are managed in association with terminal IDs of request source terminals that request the start of a video conference.

  For example, in the destination list management table shown in FIG. 10, the candidate destination terminal that requests the start of the video conference from the transmission terminal 10aa with the terminal ID “01aa” is the transmission terminal 10ab with the terminal ID “01ab”, the terminal It is indicated that the transmission terminal 10ba has an ID “01ba” and the transmission terminal 10db has a terminal ID “01db”. The destination terminal candidates are added or deleted in response to a request made from the transmission terminal 10 to the transmission management device 50.

(Functional configuration of transmission management device)
The transmission / reception unit 51 includes a CPU 201 and a network I / F 209, and transmits / receives various data and information to / from other transmission terminals 10 or devices 30 and 90 via the transmission network 2.

  The terminal authentication unit 52 is configured by the CPU 102 and searches the terminal authentication management DB 5002 of the storage unit 5000 using the terminal ID and password included in the login request information received via the transmission / reception unit 51 as search keys, and the terminal Terminal authentication is performed by determining whether or not the same terminal ID and password are managed in the authentication management DB 5002.

  The state management unit 53 is configured by the CPU 102, and manages the operation state and transmission for the terminal ID of the request source terminal in the terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 9) in order to manage the operation state of the request source terminal that has requested login. The management device 50 stores and manages the reception date and time when the login request information is received and the IP address in association with each other.

  Further, the state management unit 53 sets the power switch 109 of the transmission terminal 10 from the ON state to the OFF state, so that the state management unit 53 transmits the power supply OFF state information sent from the transmission terminal 10 to The operation state of the transmission terminal 10 in the terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 9) is changed from online to offline.

  The terminal extraction unit 54 is configured by the CPU 102, searches the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 10) using the terminal ID of the request source terminal that requested the login as a search key, and sets the terminal ID of the destination terminal candidate for the request source terminal. It comes to extract.

  Further, the terminal extraction unit 54 searches the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 10) using the terminal ID of the request source terminal that has requested the login as a search key, and registers the terminal ID of the request source terminal as a destination terminal candidate. The terminal IDs of other request source terminals are also extracted.

  The terminal status acquisition unit 55 is configured by the CPU 102, searches the terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 9) using the destination terminal candidate terminal ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 as a search key, and detects each detected terminal ID. The operation state is read out.

  Thereby, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 can acquire the operation state of the destination terminal candidate for the request source terminal that has requested the login. Further, the terminal status acquisition unit 55 searches the terminal management DB 5003 using the terminal ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 as a search key, and acquires the operating status of the request source terminal that requested the login.

  The storage / read processing unit 59 includes a CPU 102 and an HDD 205, and stores various data in the storage unit 5000 and reads various data stored in the storage unit 5000.

<< Processing or Operation of Embodiment >>
Next, the operation of the transmission system 1 according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a preparation stage operation until the transmission terminal 10 enters a preparation state for participating in a video conference. FIG. 11 shows an example in which the transmission terminal 10aa is in a ready state. In the preparation stage operation, various types of information are transmitted and received in the management information session sei (see FIG. 2).

  First, when the user of the transmission terminal 10aa turns on the power switch 109 of the transmission terminal 10aa, the operation input reception unit 12 receives the power ON and turns on the power (step S21). And the login request part 13 transmits login request information showing a login request to the transmission management apparatus 50 via the transmission network 2 from the transmission / reception part 11 of transmission terminal 10aa triggered by reception of power ON (step S22).

  The log-in request information includes a terminal ID and a password for identifying the log-in request source transmission terminal 10aa. The terminal ID and password are read from the storage unit 1000 by the storage / read processing unit 19.

  When the log-in request information transmitted from the transmission terminal 10aa is received by the transmission management device 50, the transmission management device 50 can grasp the IP address of the transmission terminal 10ab on the transmission side.

  Next, the terminal authentication unit 52 of the transmission management device 50 uses the terminal ID and password included in the login request information received via the transmission / reception unit 51 as search keys, and the terminal authentication management DB 5002 (FIG. 8) of the storage unit 5000. Terminal authentication is performed by determining whether the same terminal ID and password as the search key are managed in the terminal authentication management DB 5002 (step S23).

  Here, when it is determined by the terminal authentication unit 52 that the same terminal ID and password as the search key are not managed, that is, when it is determined that the request is not a login request from the transmission terminal 10 having a valid use authority. The transmission / reception unit 51 transmits the authentication result information representing the authentication result obtained by the terminal authentication unit 52 to the transmission terminal 10aa that has requested login, via the transmission network 2, and the operation in the preparation stage ends. Become.

  On the other hand, when it is determined by the terminal authentication unit 52 that the same terminal ID and password as the search key are managed, that is, when it is determined that the request is a login request from the transmission terminal 10 having a valid use authority. The state management unit 53 stores in the terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 9) the terminal ID of the transmission terminal 10aa, the operating state, the reception date and time when the login request information was received, and the IP address of the transmission terminal 10aa in association with each other. (Step S24).

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9, the terminal management table includes the terminal ID “01aa”, the operation state “online (transmittable)”, the reception date and time “2009.11.10.13:40”, and the IP address of the transmission terminal 10aa. The address “1.2.1.3” is associated and managed.

  Next, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the transmission management device 50 transmits the authentication result information representing the authentication result obtained by the terminal authentication unit 52 to the transmission terminal 10aa that has made a login request via the transmission network 2 (step S25).

  Next, the terminal extraction unit 54 of the transmission management device 50 searches the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 10) using the terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa that requested the login as a search key, and the destination for the transmission terminal 10aa. Terminal candidate terminal IDs are extracted (step S26).

  Here, the terminal IDs “01ab”, “01ba”, and “01db” of the transmission terminals 10ab, 10ba, and 10db, which are destination terminals for the terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa, are extracted.

  Next, the terminal status acquisition unit 55 of the transmission management device 50 uses the terminal IDs “01ab”, “01ba”, and “01db” of the destination terminal candidates extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54 as search keys, and the terminal management DB 5003 ( 9) and by reading out the operating states “offline”, “online (transmittable)”, and “online (during transmission)” for each terminal ID extracted by the terminal extraction unit 54, the transmission terminal 10ab, Each operating state of 10ba and 10db is acquired (step S27).

  Next, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the transmission management device 50 includes the terminal IDs “01ab”, “01ba”, “01db” as search keys used in step S27, and the transmission terminals 10ab, 10ba, and 10db corresponding to the terminal IDs. The destination state information including the operation states “offline”, “online (transmittable)”, and “online (during transmission)” is transmitted to the transmission terminal 10aa via the transmission network 2 (step S28).

  Thereby, the transmission terminal 10aa grasps the current operation states “offline”, “online (transmittable)”, and “online (during transmission)” of the transmission terminals 10ab, 10ba, and 10db that are candidates for the destination terminal. be able to.

  Furthermore, the terminal extraction unit 54 of the transmission management device 50 searches the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 10) using the terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa that has requested login as a search key, and the terminal ID of the transmission terminal 10aa. The terminal IDs of other transmission terminals that register “01aa” as a destination terminal candidate are extracted (step S29). For example, in the destination list management table shown in FIG. 10, the extracted terminal IDs are “01ab”, “01ba”, and “01db”.

Next, the state management unit 53 of the transmission management device 50 searches the terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 9) using the terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa that requested the login as a search key, and has made a login request. The operating state “online (transmittable)” of the transmission terminal 10aa is acquired (step S30).

  Next, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the transmission management device 50 performs terminal management among the transmission terminals 10ab, 10ba, and 10db identified by the terminal IDs “01ab”, “01ba”, and “01db” extracted in step S29. The terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa acquired in step S30 and the operation state “online (transmittable)” are transmitted to the transmission terminals 10ba and 10db whose operation state is “online” in the DB 5003 (see FIG. 9). Is transmitted (step S31-1, 2).

  When transmitting destination state information to the transmission terminals 10ba and 10db, the transmission / reception unit 51 manages the transmission terminals managed in the terminal management table shown in FIG. 9 based on the terminal IDs “01ba” and “01db”. Refer to the IP address.

  As a result, the terminal ID “01aa” and the operation state “online (transmittable)” of the transmission terminal 10aa that has requested login are transmitted to the transmission terminals 10db and 10ba that can transmit the transmission terminal 10aa that has requested login. be able to.

  Further, when step S28 of the preparatory stage operation is completed, the display control unit 17 of the transmission terminal 10aa determines from the destination list information displayed on the display 120 that the terminal participating in the video conference, that is, the operating state is “ The information of the transmission terminal 10db that is “online (during transmission)” or “online (transmission possible)” is highlighted on the display 120, etc., so that the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference or the transmission terminals 10 that can participate are displayed. It can be recognized by the user.

  FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating a conference participation operation until the transmission terminal 10 enters a participation state for participating in a video conference. FIG. 12 shows an example in which the transmission terminal 10aa enters the participation state. In the conference participation operation, various types of information are transmitted and received in the management information session sei (see FIG. 2).

  First, when the user depresses the operation button 108 and selects participation in the video conference, the operation input reception unit 12 receives a request to participate in the video conference with the transmission terminal 10db (step S41).

  In response to this request, the transmission / reception unit 11 of the transmission terminal 10aa includes the terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa and the terminal ID “01db” of the transmission terminal 10db, and includes participation request information indicating participation in the video conference. It transmits to the transmission management apparatus 50 (step S42).

  As a result, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the transmission management device 50 can receive the participation request information and confirm the IP address “1.2.1.3” of the transmission terminal 10aa that is the transmission source.

  Next, the state management unit 53 of the transmission management device 50 searches for the transmission terminal 10aa of the transmission terminal 10aa included in the participation request information using the terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa as a search key, “Online (during transmission)” is set (step S43).

  Next, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the transmission management device 50 transmits start request information including the terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa to the transmission terminal 10db via the transmission network 2 (step S44). Thereby, the transmission terminal 10db can grasp which transmission terminal 10 has requested to participate in the video conference.

  Although explanation is omitted for easy understanding of the invention, in the terminal management DB 5003 shown in FIG. 9, since the operation state of the transmission terminal 10cb is also “online (during transmission)”, the transmission management device 50 The transmission / reception unit 51 transmits start request information including the terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa to the transmission terminal 10cb via the transmission network 2.

  Next, the transmission terminal 10db transmits reception completion information indicating that reception of the start request information is completed from the transmission / reception unit 11 to the transmission management device 50 via the transmission network 2 (step S45).

  Next, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 transmits relay start request information indicating a request to start relaying to the relay device 30 via the communication network 2 (step S46). The relay start request information includes the IP addresses “1.2.1.3” and “1.3.2.4” of the transmission terminal 10aa and the transmission terminal 10db.

  Thereby, the relay device 30 establishes a session for transmitting the three pieces of image data of low resolution, medium resolution, and high resolution and the sound data between the transmission terminals 10aa and 10db (step S47). In this way, the transmission terminal 10aa can participate in a video conference with the transmission terminal 10db.

  On the other hand, the transmission / reception unit 51 of the management system 50 sends terminal state change information including the terminal ID “01aa” of the transmission terminal 10aa and the operation state “online (during transmission)” to the terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 9). Cast to each registered transmission terminal 10 (step S48). Thereby, each transmission terminal that has received the terminal state change information can store and display the operating state of the transmission terminal 10aa with the terminal ID “01aa” as necessary.

  FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating a data transmission operation between the transmission terminals 10. In the data transmission operation shown in FIG. 13, image data and sound data are transmitted and received in the image / sound data session sed (see FIG. 2).

  When the session between the transmission terminals 10aa and 10db is established as described with reference to FIG. 12, the transmission terminal 10aa receives the image data obtained by the imaging unit 14 and the sound signal input to the sound input unit 15a. The converted sound data is transmitted to the relay device 30 via the transmission / reception unit 51 (step S60).

  The relay device 30 that has received the image data and the sound data from the transmission terminal 10aa transmits the received image data and sound data to each of the transmission terminals 10aa and 10db participating in the video conference (Steps S61-1, 61-). 2).

  The transmission terminals 10aa and 10db that have received the image data and the sound data from the relay device 30 cause the display controller 17 to display the image represented by the received image data on the display 120, and output the sound represented by the received sound data as a sound. The unit 15b causes the speaker 150 to output (steps S62-1, S62-2).

  Next, the transmission terminal 10db transmits the image data obtained by imaging by the imaging unit 14 and the sound data obtained by converting the sound signal input to the sound input unit 15a to the relay device 30 via the transmission / reception unit 51. (Step S63).

  The relay apparatus 30 that has received the image data and the sound data from the transmission terminal 10db transmits the received image data and sound data to each of the transmission terminals 10aa and 10db participating in the video conference (Steps S64-1, S64-). 2).

  The transmission terminals 10aa and 10db that have received the image data and the sound data from the relay device 30 cause the display controller 17 to display the image represented by the received image data on the display 120, and output the sound represented by the received sound data as a sound. The unit 15b causes the speaker 150 to output (steps S65-1 and S65-2).

  Thus, the transmission terminals 10aa and 10db can hold a video conference via the relay device 30. In FIG. 13, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference are two transmission terminals 10 aa and 10 db, but the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference are three. Even if there are more than two, the image data and the sound data are transmitted in the same manner as the data transmission operation shown in FIG.

  Here, the image display of the transmission terminal 10 will be described. In the present embodiment, the display control unit 17 takes two display modes, an all-image display mode and an information display mode. These display modes are switched in accordance with the operation of the operation button 108, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 14, in the all-image display mode, the display control unit 17 of the transmission terminal 10 causes the display 120 to display all images transmitted from the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference.

  One relatively large first image area 500 and a plurality of relatively narrow second image areas 510 are assigned to the display screen shown in FIG. For example, an image represented by the image data transmitted from each transmission terminal 10 participating in the video conference is displayed in each second image region 510, and the first image region 500 is participating in the video conference. An image represented by image data of the main transmission terminal is displayed from among the transmission terminals 10.

  For example, among the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference, the display control unit 17 identifies the transmission terminal that is the transmission source of the sound data representing the voice among the received sound data as the main terminal. Here, the sound data representing the sound is sound data in which a sound section is detected for each received sound data and it is determined that there is a voiced section. Note that the detection of the voice section can be realized using a known technique (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, in the information display mode, the display control unit 17 of the transmission terminal 10 displays terminal information including at least the terminal name and the terminal ID of each transmission terminal 10 participating in the video conference on the display 120. Display.

  An image display area 520 for displaying an image and a terminal information display area 530 for displaying terminal information are allocated to the display screen shown in FIG. For example, the terminal information display area 530 displays a list of terminal information of the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference.

  Of the terminal information displayed in the list, a terminal whose name is not displayed represents a transmission terminal 10 that is not registered as a destination terminal candidate of its own terminal in the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 10). ing.

  For example, in the display screen shown in FIG. 15, since the transmission terminal 10db is registered in the destination list management DB 5004 as a destination terminal candidate of the transmission terminal 10aa, the terminal name is displayed, but the transmission terminal 10cb The terminal name is not displayed because it is not registered in the destination list management DB 5004 as a destination terminal candidate of 10aa.

  In the image display area 520, an image represented by image data of a main transmission terminal among the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference is displayed. For example, among the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference, the display control unit 17 identifies the transmission terminal that is the transmission source of the sound data representing the voice among the received sound data as the main transmission terminal. In addition, the display control unit 17 has received the operation input receiving unit 12 that one transmission terminal has been selected from the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference in response to the operation of the operation button 108 by the user. Sometimes, the selected transmission terminal may be specified as the main transmission terminal.

  FIG. 16 is a sequence diagram illustrating a terminal information display operation in which terminal information displayed in the terminal information display area 530 is displayed in the terminal information display area 530 when the transmission terminal 10 is switched to the information display mode. In the terminal information display operation shown in FIG. 16, various types of information are transmitted and received in the management information session sei.

  First, the transmission terminal 10 transmits a terminal information request signal indicating a request for terminal information of the transmission terminals participating in the video conference to the transmission management device 50 (step S70). The terminal status acquisition unit 55 of the transmission management device 50 that has received the terminal information request signal searches the terminal management DB 5003 (see FIG. 9) of the storage unit 5000 using the IP address of the transmission source of the terminal information request signal as a search key, The terminal ID of the transmission terminal that has transmitted the terminal information request signal is acquired (step S71).

  Next, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 searches the terminal management DB 5003 to search for a terminal ID and a terminal name whose operation state is “online (during transmission)” (step S72). In the present embodiment, the terminal IDs detected by the terminal state acquisition unit 55 are “01aa”, “01cb”, and “01db”. Note that the operating state of the transmission terminal with the terminal ID “01aa” is set to “online (during transmission)” in step S43.

  Next, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 searches the destination list management DB 5004 (see FIG. 10) in the storage unit 5000 using the terminal ID detected in step S71 (in this embodiment, “01aa”) as a search key. The terminal ID of the candidate destination terminal that is the transmission source of the terminal information request signal is acquired (step S73).

  For example, if the terminal ID of the transmission terminal that has transmitted the terminal information request signal is “01aa”, the terminal IDs acquired by the terminal state acquisition unit 55 are “01ab”, “01ba”, and “01db”.

  Next, the terminal state acquisition unit 55 determines whether or not each terminal ID acquired in step S72 is included in the terminal ID of the terminal information request signal transmission source or the terminal ID acquired in step S73. If it is determined that the terminal ID and the terminal name are included, the transmission / reception unit 51 is made to respond to the transmission source of the terminal information request signal. A response is made to the transmission source of the terminal information request signal (step S74).

  For example, if the terminal ID of the transmission terminal that has transmitted the terminal information request signal is “01aa”, the transmission terminal aa that is the transmission source of the terminal information request signal includes the terminal IDs “01aa” and “01aa” of the transmission terminal aa and the transmission terminal db. 01db "and the terminal name" Japan Tokyo Office AA Terminal "," America Washington Office DB Terminal ", and the terminal ID" 01cb "of the transmission terminal cb are transmitted.

  The display control unit 17 of the transmission terminal 10 that has received this response displays the response content in the terminal information display area 530 as in the display screen shown in FIG. 14 (step S75).

<< Main effects of this embodiment >>
As described above, since the transmission system 1 according to the present embodiment causes the transmission management device 50 to respond to the information of the transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference, the transmission system 1 depends on the number of transmission terminals 10 participating in the video conference. Instead, the user of each transmission terminal 10 can be made aware of which transmission terminal 10 is participating in the video conference.

  As a result, the transmission system 1 can inform the user of the other party of the video conference without asking the conversation, so the conference time can be shortened. Further, since the terminal name is not displayed for a transmission terminal that is not registered as a destination, the transmission system 1 can notify that an unknown party is participating in the video conference, and pay attention to what is spoken. The meeting can be advanced.

  In addition, since the transmission system 1 displays the image data of the main transmission terminals even when the terminal information is displayed on the display 120, the state of the base leading the conference to the user at the present time is displayed. You can keep track of it.

[Supplement of Embodiment]
The relay device 30, the transmission management device 50, and the program providing device 90 in the above embodiment may be constructed by a single computer, or by a plurality of computers arbitrarily assigned by dividing each unit (function or means). It may be constructed.

  Further, when the program providing apparatus 90 is constructed by a single computer, the program transmitted by the program providing apparatus 90 may be transmitted by being divided into a plurality of modules or not. It may be transmitted.

  Furthermore, when the program providing apparatus 90 is constructed by a plurality of computers, the plurality of modules may be divided and transmitted from each computer.

Further, a recording medium such as a CD-ROM storing the transmission terminal control program, the relay device program, or the transmission management program of each of the above embodiments, and the HD 204 and the HD 204 storing these programs are provided. Are used when the transmission terminal control program, the relay device program, and the transmission management program are provided to a user or the like as a program product domestically or abroad.

  Further, the image quality of the image data relayed by the relay device 30 is managed by paying attention to the resolution of the image data. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be managed by paying attention to the depth of the image quality, the sampling frequency in the sound data sound, the bit length in the sound data sound, and the like. The sound data may be transmitted / received by being divided into three types of resolution data (high resolution, medium resolution, and low resolution).

In FIG. 9, the IP address of the transmission terminal 10 is managed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Any information may be used to identify the transmission terminal 10 on the transmission network 2. FQDN (Fully Qualified Domain Name) may be managed. In this case, an IP address corresponding to the FQDN is acquired by a known DNS (Domain Name System) server.

In the above embodiment, a video conference system has been described as an example of the transmission system 1. However, 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. .

  Further, the transmission system 1 may be a car navigation system. In this case, for example, one of the transmission terminals 10 corresponds to a car navigation device mounted on a car, and the other of the transmission terminals 10 is mounted on a management terminal or management server of a management center that manages car navigation, or another car. It corresponds to the car navigation device that is used. Further, the transmission system 1 may configure the transmission terminal 10 by a mobile phone.

In the above embodiment, image data and sound data have been described as an example of content data. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and touch data may be used. In this case, the feeling that the user touched on one transmission terminal side is transmitted to the other transmission terminal side.

Further, the content data may be smell data. In this case, the odor (odor) on one transmission terminal side is transmitted to the other transmission terminal side. The content data may be at least one of image data, sound data, tactile data, and olfactory data.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where a video conference is performed by the transmission system 1 has been described. However, 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 is described. It may be used for presentation.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transmission system 10 Transmission terminal 11 Transmission / reception part (transmission part, reception part)
12 Operation input acceptance unit 15a Sound input unit (sound data input unit)
15b Sound input unit 17 Display control unit 19 Storage / reading processing unit 30 Relay device 50 Transmission management device 51 Transmission / reception unit (transmission unit, reception unit)
52 Terminal Authentication Unit 53 Status Management Unit 54 Terminal Extraction Unit 55 Terminal Status Acquisition Unit 59 Storage / Read Processing Unit 70 Router 90 Program Providing Device 112 Camera (Photographing Device)
113 Image sensor I / F (image data input unit)
114 Microphone (sound collector)
120 Display (display device)
1000 storage unit 5000 storage unit 5002 terminal authentication management DB
5003 Terminal management DB (terminal management table storage)
5004 Destination list management DB (destination list management table storage unit)

Japanese Patent No. 3308563

Niimi, “Speech Recognition”, Kyoritsu Shuppan, pp. 68-72

Claims (46)

In a transmission system including a plurality of transmission terminals,
An accepting unit for accepting an operation for participating in a conference at any one of the plurality of transmission terminals;
A transmission unit that transmits name information associated with another transmission terminal participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that has received the operation to the transmission terminal that has received the operation;
The transmission system that receives the operation receives the name information transmitted by the transmission unit, and displays the received name information in a list on a display screen according to an operation input. A name associated with another transmission terminal participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that has transmitted the request in response to a request transmitted from the transmission terminal that has received the operation after receiving the operation by the reception unit An information acquisition unit for acquiring information;
The transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the transmission unit transmits information acquired by the information acquisition unit. A terminal information storage unit for storing terminal information including at least an identifier of the transmission terminal and name information associated with the transmission terminal;
A destination list management unit that manages a destination list associated with the transmission terminal;
When the information acquisition unit receives a terminal information request that represents a request for information for identifying another transmission terminal participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit, For a transmission terminal registered in the destination list associated with the transmission terminal that has transmitted the terminal information request among the transmission terminals, an identifier and name information included in the terminal information are acquired and registered in the destination list. The transmission system according to claim 2, wherein an identifier included in the terminal information is acquired for a transmission terminal that is not used.   The name information associated with the other transmission terminal is information registered or changed in response to a request from the other transmission terminal, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The described transmission system.   The transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit receives a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen, thereby receiving an image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information. The transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein display is controlled.   The transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit receives an image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information by receiving a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen. The transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transmission system is displayed on the display screen.   Of the images transmitted from other transmission terminals participating in the conference, the transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit receives a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen. The transmission system according to claim 6, wherein only an image transmitted from a transmission terminal associated with the selected name information is displayed on the display screen. The transmission terminal that has received the operation by the reception unit has a display control unit that controls display of the display screen,
The display control unit is configured such that the received list of name information is not displayed on the display screen, and images transmitted from other transmission terminals participating in the same conference are displayed. 8. The transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the received name information is displayed in a list on the display screen in accordance with the received operation input. 9. The transmission terminal that has received the operation by the reception unit,
Receiving the operation input from the user by the reception unit;
In response to the operation input received by the reception unit, the display control unit does not display the received list of name information on the display screen and participates in the same conference as the transmission terminal that has received the operation. From the first mode in which an image transmitted from another transmission terminal is displayed on the display screen,
The transmission system according to claim 8 , wherein the transmission system is switched to a second mode in which the received name information is displayed in a list on the display screen. The other transmission terminal further includes an image data input unit to which image data representing an image captured by the imaging device is input,
In addition to the received name information, the display control unit includes an image data input unit of a main transmission terminal among other transmission terminals participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit. 10. The transmission system according to claim 8, wherein an image represented by image data inputted and transmitted is displayed on the display screen. 11. The other transmission terminal further includes a sound data input unit to which sound data representing the sound obtained by the sound collector is input,
The display control unit transmits sound data representing the sound input to the sound data input unit among other transmission terminals participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit. The transmission system according to claim 10, wherein a transmission terminal is specified as the main transmission terminal.   The content data is transmitted or received between other transmission terminals participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit. The transmission system described in 1.   The transmission system according to claim 12, wherein the content data includes at least image data and sound data.   The other transmission terminal that participates in the same conference as the transmission terminal that receives the operation by the reception unit transmits or receives the content data via a relay device. The described transmission system.   The transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the transmission terminal is any one of a video conference terminal, a car navigation device, and a mobile phone.   The transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the name information indicates an identification name of the transmission terminal. The transmission system includes a state management unit that manages a participation state of the transmission terminal in a conference,
The said transmission part transmits the name information linked | related with the other transmission terminal which shows that the said participation state is participating in the meeting to the transmission terminal which received operation by the said reception part. The transmission system according to any one of claims 1 to 16.   The transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the display screen is a screen displayed on a display connected to a transmission terminal that has received the operation. In a method performed in a transmission system including a plurality of transmission terminals,
An accepting step of accepting an operation for participating in a conference at any of the plurality of transmission terminals;
A transmission step of transmitting name information associated with another transmission terminal participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that has received the operation to the transmission terminal that has received the operation;
The transmission terminal that has received the operation has a display control step of receiving the name information transmitted in the transmission step and displaying the received name information in a list on a display screen in response to an operation input. And how to. In a transmission terminal connected to at least one computer via a network,
A reception unit that receives an operation for participating in a conference managed by the at least one computer;
A receiving unit that receives name information associated with another transmission terminal that participates in the same conference as the transmission terminal, transmitted by any of the at least one computer;
A transmission terminal comprising: a display control unit configured to display a list of name information received by the reception unit on a display screen of the transmission terminal according to an accepted operation input.   The name information associated with the other transmission terminal is information registered or changed in the at least one computer in response to a request from the other transmission terminal. Transmission terminal.   The transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit receives a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen, thereby receiving an image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information. The transmission terminal according to any one of claims 20 and 21, wherein display is controlled.   The transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit receives an image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information by receiving a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen. The transmission terminal according to any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the transmission terminal is displayed on the display screen.   Of the images transmitted from other transmission terminals participating in the conference, the transmission terminal that has received an operation by the reception unit receives a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen. 24. The transmission terminal according to claim 23, wherein only the image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information is displayed on the display screen. The transmission terminal that has received the operation by the reception unit has a display control unit that controls display of the display screen,
The display control unit is configured such that the received list of name information is not displayed on the display screen, and images transmitted from other transmission terminals participating in the same conference are displayed. The transmission terminal according to any one of claims 20 to 24, wherein the received name information is displayed in a list on the display screen in accordance with the received operation input.   The transmission terminal according to any one of claims 20 to 25, wherein the name information indicates an identification name of the transmission terminal.   The transmission terminal according to any one of claims 20 to 26, wherein the display screen is a screen displayed on a display connected to the transmission terminal that has received the operation. In the transmission terminal control method executed by the transmission terminal,
An accepting step for accepting an operation for participating in a conference managed by at least one computer;
A receiving step of receiving name information associated with another transmission terminal participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal, transmitted by any of the at least one computer;
A transmission terminal control method, comprising: a display control step of displaying a list of the name information received in the reception step on the display screen of the transmission terminal according to the received operation input.   The name information associated with the other transmission terminal is information registered or changed in the at least one computer in response to a request from the other transmission terminal. Transmission terminal control method.   The transmission terminal that has received the operation in the reception step receives the selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen, thereby receiving an image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information. 30. The transmission terminal control method according to claim 28, wherein display is controlled.   The transmission terminal that has received the operation in the reception step receives an image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information by receiving a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen. The transmission terminal control method according to any one of claims 28 to 30, wherein the transmission terminal is displayed on the display screen.   Of the images transmitted from other transmission terminals participating in the conference, the transmission terminal that has received the operation in the reception step receives a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen. 32. The transmission terminal control method according to claim 31, wherein only the image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information is displayed on the display screen.   The display control step can further control the display of the display screen, the list of the received name information is not displayed on the display screen, and other transmissions participating in the same conference 33. The list of the received name information is displayed on the display screen according to the operation input received when an image transmitted from a terminal is displayed. 2. The transmission terminal control method according to item 1.   The transmission terminal control method according to any one of claims 28 to 33, wherein the name information indicates an identification name of the transmission terminal.   The transmission terminal control method according to any one of claims 28 to 34, wherein the display screen is a screen displayed on a display connected to the transmission terminal that has received the operation. In a transmission terminal control program to be executed by a transmission terminal connected to at least one computer via a network,
An accepting step for accepting an operation for participating in a conference managed by the at least one computer;
A receiving step of receiving name information associated with another transmission terminal participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal, transmitted by any of the at least one computer;
A transmission terminal control program comprising: a display control step of displaying a list of the name information received in the reception step on the display screen of the transmission terminal according to the received operation input.   37. The name information associated with the other transmission terminal is information registered or changed in the at least one computer in response to a request from the other transmission terminal. Transmission terminal control program.   The transmission terminal that has received the operation in the reception step receives the selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen, thereby receiving an image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information. 38. The transmission terminal control program according to claim 36, wherein display is controlled. The reception step is transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information when the transmission terminal that has received the operation receives a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen. The transmission terminal control program according to any one of claims 36 to 38, wherein an image is displayed on the display screen.   Of the images transmitted from other transmission terminals participating in the conference, the transmission terminal that has received the operation in the reception step receives a selection of any of the name information displayed in a list on the display screen. 40. The transmission terminal control program according to claim 39, wherein only the image transmitted from the transmission terminal associated with the selected name information is displayed on the display screen.   The display control step can further control the display of the display screen, the list of the received name information is not displayed on the display screen, and other transmissions participating in the same conference 41. The list of the received name information is displayed on the display screen according to the operation input received when an image transmitted from a terminal is displayed. The transmission terminal control program according to item 1.   The transmission terminal control program according to any one of claims 36 to 41, wherein the name information indicates an identification name of the transmission terminal.   The transmission terminal control program according to any one of claims 36 to 42, wherein the display screen is a screen displayed on a display connected to the transmission terminal that has received the operation. In a transmission management device that manages a plurality of transmission terminals,
A receiving unit for receiving a conference participation request transmitted from any one of the plurality of transmission terminals;
A transmission unit that, after receiving the participation request, transmits name information associated with another transmission terminal participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that transmitted the participation request to the transmission terminal that transmitted the participation request; Have
The transmission management apparatus, wherein the transmission terminal that has transmitted the participation request receives the name information transmitted by the transmission unit, and displays the received name information in a list on a display screen according to an operation input. In a method executed by a transmission management apparatus that manages a plurality of transmission terminals,
A receiving step of receiving a conference participation request transmitted from any one of the plurality of transmission terminals;
After receiving the participation request, by transmitting name information associated with other transmission terminals participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that transmitted the participation request to the transmission terminal that transmitted the participation request, A transmission step of displaying a list of the name information in response to an operation input on a display screen of a transmission terminal that has transmitted the participation request. In a transmission management program to be executed by a computer constituting a transmission management apparatus that manages a plurality of transmission terminals,
A receiving step of receiving a conference participation request transmitted from any one of the plurality of transmission terminals;
After receiving the participation request, by transmitting name information associated with other transmission terminals participating in the same conference as the transmission terminal that transmitted the participation request to the transmission terminal that transmitted the participation request, A transmission step of displaying a list of the name information in response to an operation input on a display screen of a transmission terminal that has transmitted the participation request.

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