JP6757082B2 - Conference system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a conference system.

The conference system is used for conferences attended by a large number of participants, such as a parliament. The conference system is composed of one control unit, a plurality of discussion units connected to the control unit via a communication line (wired or wireless), and a microphone attached to the discussion unit.

The control unit manages the operation of each discussion unit and controls the operation of the entire conference system. The discussion unit picks up the voice of the user of the discussion unit with a microphone, generates voice information, and transmits the voice information to the control unit.

Discussion units are assigned to each participant in the meeting. That is, the number of discussion units increases or decreases according to the number of participants. Therefore, the conference system must flexibly respond to the increase or decrease in the number of discussion units, especially the increase in the number of discussion units.

In order to cope with the increase in the number of discussion units, for example, a conference system capable of constructing a large-scale system by connecting a plurality of control units has been proposed (for example, Non-Patent Document 1). reference).

In such a large-scale conference system, the number of discussion units that can speak at the same time is limited to, for example, 10 in order to facilitate the conference and reduce the processing load of the system. On the other hand, for example, a discussion unit used by the chairman of a conference whose utterance should not be restricted is set with a priority authority (hereinafter referred to as "priority") such that utterance is always possible. The number of discussion units for which priority is set is set less than the number of discussion units that can be spoken.

"Installation and User Manual", p.91, televic conference, [online], [Searched on February 9, 2016], Internet <http://www.manualslib.com/manual/642651/Televic-Confidea.html #manual>

When connecting a plurality of control units, the number of discussion units for which priority is set varies depending on the number of connected control units. That is, the number of discussion units for which the priority is set varies according to the change in the connection state between the control units. As a result, there may be a contradiction between the number of priority settings for the conference system as a whole and the number of discussion units for which priorities are actually set. Therefore, the number of discussion units for which the priority is set needs to be reset by, for example, the system administrator according to the change in the connection state of the control unit. However, this resetting is a burden for the system administrator.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and provides a conference system that automatically resets the priority when recognizing a change in the connection state between control units. With the goal.

The present invention is a conference system and includes a plurality of control units. Of the plurality of control units, one control unit is a master control unit and the other control unit is a slave control unit for master control. The unit repeatedly sends and receives CU connection status confirmation packets to and from the slave control unit, the CU connection status confirmation packets include a CU counter flag used to count the number of slave control units, and the master control unit is an MCU. It includes a communication unit, an MCU storage unit, and an MCU control unit, the slave control unit includes a SCU control unit and an SCU communication unit, and the MCU control unit is a CU transmitted to the slave control unit. The count value of the CU counter flag included in the connection status confirmation packet is reset, the MCU communication unit transmits the CU connection status confirmation packet to the slave control unit, and the SCU control unit sets the count value of the CU counter flag. Incremented, the SCU communication unit transmits a CU connection status confirmation packet containing the CU counter flag whose counter value is incremented to the master control unit, and the MCU storage unit receives the master control unit from the slave control unit. The count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection status confirmation packet is stored, and the MCU control unit is stored in the MCU storage unit each time the master control unit receives the CU connection status confirmation packet from the slave control unit. It is characterized in that the count value is compared with the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection status confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a conference system that automatically resets the priority when recognizing a change in the connection state between control units.

It is a network configuration diagram which shows the embodiment of the conference system which concerns on this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the hardware composition of the control unit provided in the conference system of FIG. It is a data structure diagram of the packet sent and received by the control unit of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the information stored in the storage part of the control unit of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows another information stored in the storage part of the control unit of FIG. It is a perspective view of the discussion unit provided in the conference system of FIG. It is a functional block diagram which shows the hardware configuration of the discussion unit of FIG. It is a rear view of the discussion unit of FIG. It is a perspective view of the discussion unit of FIG. 6 to which a microphone is attached. It is a functional block diagram which shows the hardware configuration of the operation terminal provided in the conference system of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the conference system which concerns on this invention which comprises one control unit. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the initialization process of the information processing of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the initialization process of FIG. It is another sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the initialization process of FIG. It is still another sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the initialization process of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the information stored in the storage part of the control unit after the initialization process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the DU information acquisition processing of the information processing of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the DU information acquisition process of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the information stored in the storage part of the control unit after the DU information acquisition process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the DU setting process of the information processing of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the DU setting process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the operation process of the information processing of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the operation process of FIG. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system when the connection state of the discussion unit is changed in the operation process of FIG. 22. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the change process of the operation process of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system as an example of the initialization process in the change process of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the information stored in the storage part of the control unit after the change processing of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the request processing of the operation process of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the request processing of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the other information processing of the control unit in the request process of the operation process of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the conference system which concerns on this invention which includes a plurality of control units. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the CU connection state confirmation processing of the information processing of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the slave CU information acquisition processing of the information processing of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the slave DU initialization processing of the information processing of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the slave DU information acquisition processing of the information processing of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the information stored in the storage part of the control unit after the slave DU information acquisition processing of FIG. 35. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the DB information acquisition processing of the slave CU of the information processing of FIG. It is a sequence diagram which shows the information processing of the conference system in the slave DU setting process of the information processing of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the priority reset processing of the control unit provided in the conference system of FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of the conference mode provided in the conference system of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the selection of the conference mode of the conference system of FIG. 40. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the free talk mode of the conference mode of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the request talk mode of the conference mode of FIG. 41. It is a flowchart which shows the information processing of the control unit in the full remote mode of the conference mode of FIG. 41. It is a schematic diagram which shows the selection screen of the input screen which is displayed on the display part of the operation terminal provided in the conference system of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the initial screen which is an example of the input screen of FIG. 45. It is a schematic diagram of the preparation screen which is another example of the input screen of FIG. 45. It is a schematic diagram of the preparation screen after information input in the preparation screen of FIG. 47. It is a schematic diagram of the progress screen which is still another example of the input screen of FIG. 45.

● Conference system (1) ●
Hereinafter, embodiments of the conference system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

● Configuration of a conference system FIG. 1 is a network configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a conference system according to the present invention.
The conference system S is used in a conference in which a large number of participants attend, such as a parliament. The conference system S facilitates the progress of the conference and creates the minutes of the conference. The conference system S includes a control unit (hereinafter referred to as "CU") 1A-1C, a discussion unit (hereinafter referred to as "DU") 2A1-2A4, 2B1-2B4, 2C1-2C4, and microphones 3A1-3A4, 3B1-. It has 3B4, 3C1-3C4, and an operation terminal 4.

The configurations of CU1A-1C are all the same. The configurations of DU2A1-2A4, 2B1-2B4, and 2C1-2C4 are all the same. The configurations of the microphones 3A1-3A4, 3B1-3B4, and 3C1-3C4 are all the same.

In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish each of CU1A-1C, each of them is collectively referred to as "CU1". When it is not necessary to distinguish between DU2A1-2A4, 2B1-2B4, and 2C1-2C4, they are collectively referred to as "DU2". When it is not necessary to distinguish between the microphones 3A1-3A4, 3B1-3B4, and 3C1-3C4, they are collectively referred to as "microphone 3".

The number of CU1s and the number of DU2s constituting the conference system S are not limited to the present embodiment. That is, for example, the number of DU2s connected to each CU1 may be different.

● Connection method of DU to CU Next, a connection method of a plurality of DU2 to CU1 will be described.
The plurality of DU2s are connected to the CU1 by either a ring connection method (hereinafter referred to as "ring connection") or a daisy chain connection method (hereinafter referred to as "daisy connection").

The ring connection is a connection method in which a plurality of DU2s are connected to the CU1 in an annular shape. For example, DU2A1-2A4 is connected to CU1A by a ring connection. When the DU2 is connected to the CU1 by a ring connection, two terminals of the unit connection portion of the CU1 described later are used.

The daisy connection is a connection method in which a plurality of DU2s are connected to the CU1 in a string of beads. For example, DU2C1-2C4 is connected to CU1C by a daisy connection. When the DU2 is connected to the CU1 by a daisy connection, one terminal of the unit connection portion of the CU1 described later is used.

The mode of connection between CU1 and DU2 is not limited to this embodiment. That is, for example, a plurality of DU2s may be connected to one CU1 by mixing two connection methods, a ring connection and a daisy connection. That is, one DU2 may be ring-connected to the CU1 and another DU2 may be daisy-connected to the same CU1.

● Connection between CU and CU Next, the connection between CU1 will be described.
The three CU1s are connected by a daisy connection. For example, CU1B and CU1C are connected to CU1A by a daisy connection. In this case, for example, CU1A is set to Master, and CU1B and CU1C are set to Slave. The master and slave will be described later.

Power is supplied to each CU 1 individually via an AC adapter or the like. That is, power is not supplied between CU1s. Therefore, each CU 1 can be installed at a location physically separated from each other in the conference system S without being restricted by the power supply.

● CU Configuration FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the CU 1.
The CU 1 controls the operation of the DU 2 and also controls the operation of the entire conference system S. The CU 1 includes a communication unit 11, a connection unit 12, a storage unit 13, a display unit 14, an operation unit 15, and a control unit 16.

The communication unit 11 realizes communication with other CU1, DU2, operation terminal 4, external device 5, etc. via the connection unit 12. The communication unit 11 performs communication in accordance with, for example, IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.3.

Communication between CU1 and DU2, between master CU1 and slave CU1, etc. is executed by sending and receiving packets. The packet includes a header part and a data part.

FIG. 3 is a data structure diagram of the packet.
The header portion includes an address used for communication and a counter flag described later. The data unit includes an area for storing control commands, voice information, unit information described later, and request flags described later. The control command includes a command in which the CU1 gives an instruction to the DU2, a command in which the master CU1 gives an instruction to the slave CU1, and the like. The data unit does not include a control command when there is no instruction from the CU1 to the DU2, or when there is no instruction from the master CU1 to the slave CU1. The voice information is information generated by the DU 2 based on the voice signal from the microphone 3. The voice information is stored in the data unit of the packet transmitted from the DU 2 to the CU 1.

The data unit includes a plurality of areas (hereinafter referred to as "voice areas") in which voice information is stored. The voice region is a frame that defines the number of DU2s that can be spoken at the same time among the plurality of DU2s included in the conference system S. The number of audio regions included in the data unit is the same as the maximum number of speakers set, which will be described later. CU1 assigns individual numbers (for example, 1, 2, 3, ...) For each voice region. The details of the audio region will be described later.

Return to FIG.
The connection unit 12 is an interface for connecting other CU1, DU2, operation terminal 4, external device 5, and the like. The connection unit 12 includes an external device connection unit 12a and a unit connection unit 12b.

The external device connection unit 12a is, for example, an interface for connecting an operation terminal 4, an external device 5, a communication device, and the like. The external device connection unit 12a is, for example, a USB (Universal Serial Bus) terminal, a network terminal, an analog input / output terminal, or the like. The external device 5 is, for example, a USB memory, a microphone, a speaker, a translation system, or the like. Communication devices include hubs, routers, wireless LAN (Local Area Network) access points, and the like.

The unit connection unit 12b is an interface connected to another CU1 or DU2. The unit connection portion 12b includes, for example, a first terminal, a second terminal, a third terminal, and a fourth terminal. The first terminal and the second terminal are connection terminals that can be connected only to DU2, for example. The third terminal and the fourth terminal are connection terminals that can be connected to any of the other CU1 and DU2, for example.

The terminal configuration of the unit connection portion 12b is not limited to this embodiment. That is, for example, the number of terminals may be "6".

The storage unit 13 stores information necessary for the CU 1 and DU 2 to realize information processing described later. The storage unit 13 is composed of a RAM (Read Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk, and the like, which temporarily stores (stores) various information and programs.

The information stored in the storage unit 13 is, for example, control information for controlling the operation of the conference system S, such as the operation of the CU 1 and the DU 2. The control information includes, for example, unit setting information, unit connection information, information on the system setting of the conference system S described later, an utterance request list, and the like.

The unit setting information is, for example, information regarding the setting of the DU2 connected to the CU1 in the past. The unit setting information includes, for example, parameter information and mode information. The unit setting information is stored in the unit setting information database (hereinafter referred to as "unit setting information DB").

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of information stored in the unit setting information DB.
The unit setting information DB is, for example, a database in which an absolute ID composed of a serial number of DU2 and unit setting information of DU2 are associated and stored. The unit setting information of the DU 2 is stored in the unit setting information DB by the system administrator via the CU 1, for example. At this time, the unit setting information of the DU2 is associated with the absolute ID of the DU2 and stored in the unit setting information DB.

FIG. 4 shows, for example, that the absolute ID “A” and the unit setting information “X1” are associated and stored in the unit setting information DB.

The parameter information includes, for example, setting information of the microphone 3 attached to the DU 2 (for example, equalizer setting, volume setting, etc.), information on the light emitting state of the light emitting unit 28 described later, and priority setting information described later. ..

The mode information is information regarding the operating state of each DU2. The information regarding the operating state includes, for example, a conference mode described later, a microphone on trigger described later, and the like.

The unit connection information is information regarding the connection of the DU2 connected to the CU1. The unit connection information is information on the connection method of the DU2 connected to the CU1 and the number of connected units. The unit connection information is stored in the unit connection information database (hereinafter referred to as "unit connection information DB").

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing information stored in the unit connection information DB.
The unit connection information DB is a database in which information regarding the connection of the DU2 connected to the CU1 is stored. The unit connection information DB is created every time CU1 is started. The "terminal number" is a terminal number of the unit connection portion 12b. The "connection method" indicates a connection method of the DU 2 to the four terminals of the unit connection unit 12b. The "number" is the number of DU2s connected to each terminal. The "relative ID" is an ID (for example, consecutive numbers starting from 1) assigned to each DU2. The "absolute ID" is an ID that is absolutely assigned to each DU2.

FIG. 5 shows, for example, a terminal number “1”, a connection method “ring”, a number of units “4”, relative IDs “1” ... “4”, and absolute IDs “A” ... “D”. And are associated and stored in the unit connection information DB. The figure shows that the relative IDs “1”, “2”, “3”, and “4” are associated with the absolute IDs “A”, “B”, “C”, and “D” and are stored in the unit connection information DB. ..

Return to FIG.
The display unit 14 displays, for example, the volume, recording status, preset pattern, alarm information, etc. of the entire conference system S. The display unit 14 is, for example, a display typified by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Organic Electroluminescence).

The operation unit 15 changes the display content displayed on the display unit 14. The operation unit 15 is composed of, for example, a dial or a button.

The control unit 16 controls the operation of the CU 1, controls the operation of the DU 2 connected to the CU 1, calculates and processes information, and the like. The control unit 16 controls the operations of the communication unit 11, the storage unit 13, the display unit 14, and the operation unit 15. The control unit 16 is composed of, for example, a microprocessor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and peripheral circuits thereof.

For example, when CU1B and CU1C are connected to CU1A as shown in FIG. 1, assuming that CU1A is the master, the control unit 16 of CU1A controls the operation of CU1B and CU1C, and the operation of DU2B1-2B4 and DU2C1-2C4. It also controls. That is, the control unit 16 of the master CU1 also controls the operation of the slave CU1 and the operation of the DU2 connected to the slave CU1.

● Configuration of DU FIG. 6 is a perspective view of DU2.
FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the DU2.
FIG. 8 is a rear view of the DU2.

The DU 2 generates voice information based on the voice signal input from the microphone 3, transmits the voice information to the CU 1, and also transmits the synthetic voice information (voice information transmitted by another DU 2 to the CU 1) described later from the CU 1. Receive and output sound waves. DU2 is assigned to, for example, each participant in the conference. The DU2 is connected to the CU1 and another DU2 via a communication line. The DU 2 includes a housing 20, a communication unit 21, a connection unit 22, a storage unit 23, a display unit 24, an operation unit 25, a control unit 26, a speaker 27, and a light emitting unit 28. It becomes.

The housing 20 houses the communication unit 21, the storage unit 23, the control unit 26, and the speaker 27. The housing 20 includes at least a first surface 20a and a second surface 20b.

The first surface 20a is arranged on the front side of the housing 20. The first surface 20a is arranged at a position visible to the user of the DU 2 (hereinafter referred to as "user") when the DU 2 is used. The first surface 20a includes a plurality of discharge holes 20ah.

The discharge hole 20ah emits sound waves from the speaker 27 to the outside of the DU2. The discharge hole 20ah is arranged on the first surface 20a.

The second surface 20b is arranged on the back side of the housing 20. The second surface 20b is arranged at a position (such as the back surface of the DU 2) that can be seen by other users of the DU 2 (hereinafter referred to as “third party”) when the DU 2 is used.

The communication unit 21 realizes communication with the CU 1. The communication unit 21 performs communication in accordance with, for example, IEEE802.3. The information transmitted and received by the communication unit 21 is, for example, voice information generated based on the voice signal from the microphone 3, unit setting information, voice information from another DU2, and the like.

The connection unit 22 is connected to the CU 1, another DU 2, the microphone 3, and the like. The connection portion 22 includes a socket portion 22a and a unit connection portion 22b. The socket portion 22a is a socket to which the microphone 3 is connected. The socket portion 22a is, for example, a socket for a 3-pin plug specified in JEITA RC-5236 “Latch lock type round connector for audio equipment”. The socket portion 22a is arranged on the first surface 20a.

The unit connection portion 22b is an interface connected to CU1 and other DU2s. The unit connection portion 22b includes two terminals. With the exception of DU2, which is the end of the daisy connection, both terminals are connected to CU1 and other DU2s. The transmission and reception of information between the two terminals is controlled by the communication unit 21.

The storage unit 23 stores information necessary for the DU 2 to realize information processing described later. The storage unit 23 is composed of, for example, a RAM or a ROM. The storage unit 23 stores unit setting information and the like received by the communication unit 21. The unit setting information stored in the storage unit 23 is, for example, parameter information of the DU 2 or information for determining the light emitting state of the light emitting unit 28 described later.

The display unit 24 displays, for example, the volume of headphones (not shown) connected to the DU2 and the channel of the sub-audio (for example, the audio of an interpreter). The display unit 24 is, for example, a display typified by an LCD, an organic EL, or the like. The display unit 24 is arranged on the first surface 20a of the housing 20.

The operation unit 25 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the operation of the user to the control unit 26. The operation unit 25 includes an operation button 25a, a volume control button 25b, and a channel change button 25c. The operation unit 25 is arranged on the first surface 20a of the housing 20.

The operation button 25a is pressed by the user, for example, when the user makes an utterance request described later. The volume control button 25b is operated by the user when the user adjusts the volume of headphones or the like connected to the DU2. The channel change button 25c is operated by the user, for example, when changing the channel of the sub-audio (interpreter or the like).

The control unit 26 processes the voice signal from the microphone 3, controls the operation of the DU 2, and generates voice information. The control unit 26 controls the operation of the communication unit 21, the storage unit 23, the display unit 24, the operation unit 25, the speaker 27, and the light emitting unit 28. The control unit 26 is composed of, for example, a microprocessor such as a CPU and peripheral circuits thereof.

The speaker 27 converts the audio signal from the communication unit 21 into sound waves and outputs the sound waves. The sound wave from the speaker 27 is emitted to the outside of the DU 2 from the emission hole 20ah on the first surface 20a.

The light emitting unit 28 emits light based on the signal from the control unit 26 in order to notify the status information using light. The light emitting unit 28 is, for example, a multicolor LED (Light-emitting diode). That is, the light emitting unit 28 can emit light in a plurality of colors. The light emitting unit 28 includes a first light emitting unit 28a and a second light emitting unit 28b.

The status information includes, for example, information indicating the operating state of the microphone 3 such as turning on / off the microphone 3, information indicating the operating state of the DU2 such as information indicating whether or not the utterance request described later is being executed, and group information described later. And so on. The utterance request is to request that the microphone 3 be turned on in order to enable the user to speak. The utterance request is made from DU2 to CU1.

The first light emitting unit 28a notifies the user of the status information. The first light emitting unit 28a is arranged on the operation button 25a.

The second light emitting unit 28b notifies a third party of the status information. The second light emitting unit 28b is arranged on the second surface 20b of the housing 20. That is, the second light emitting unit 28b is visible to a third party.

The light emitting state of the light emitting unit 28 is controlled by the control unit 26 based on the unit setting information. The light emitting state of the light emitting unit 28 includes a light emitting pattern and a light emitting color. The light emitting state of the light emitting unit 28 is stored in the storage unit 23 as unit setting information. The light emitting pattern includes a light-off pattern, a lighting pattern, a blinking pattern, and a dimmer (dimming) lighting pattern.

The emission color is selected from, for example, 10 colors set in advance by a system administrator or the like. Depending on the difference in emission color, the light emitting unit 28 can display, for example, group information. The group information is information indicating, for example, the contents grouped based on the affiliation (country, political party, etc.) of the participants such as a conference, the language of the participants, the priority stage described later, and the like. Therefore, for example, the system administrator can easily change the setting based on the emission color of the second light emitting unit 28b.

Power to the DU2 is supplied from the CU1 to which each DU2 is connected via a communication line cable.

● Microphone Configuration FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the DU 2 to which the microphone 3 is attached.
The microphone 3 collects the user's voice (sound wave). That is, the microphone 3 converts sound waves into electrical signals. The microphone 3 is, for example, a gooseneck type condenser microphone. The directivity of the microphone 3 is, for example, unidirectional. The microphone 3 is attached to the socket portion 22a of the DU 2. The power supply for the microphone 3 is supplied from the DU 2 by, for example, a phantom power supply. The microphone 3 picks up sound and outputs a voice signal in the "on" state, and does not pick up sound in the "off" state.

The microphone 3 may be provided with, for example, a monochromatic LED ring. In this case, the power supply for the LED ring is supplied from the DU 2 via the socket portion 22a of the DU 2.

● Configuration of Operation Terminal FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the operation terminal 4.
The operation terminal 4 is a terminal that operates the conference system S, sets the CU1, sets the DU2, and remotely controls the CU1 and the DU2. The setting of the CU 1 and the setting of the DU 2 are performed by, for example, a system administrator or the chairman of the conference operating the operation terminal 4.

The operation terminal 4 is, for example, a general-purpose information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer), a tablet terminal, or a smartphone. The operation terminal 4 is connected to the CU1 via a communication line, and is connected to the DU2 via the CU1 and the communication line. The operation terminal 4 includes a communication unit 41, a storage unit 43, a display unit 44, an operation unit 45, and a control unit 46.

The communication unit 41 realizes communication with the CU1. The communication unit 41 is an interface connected to the CU 1 via a communication network such as a LAN or WAN (Wide Area Network).

The storage unit 43 stores information necessary for the operation terminal 4 to realize information processing described later. The storage unit 43 is composed of, for example, a RAM, a ROM, a hard disk, or the like. The information stored in the storage unit 43 is various databases read from the CU 1, an utterance request list described later, and the like.

The display unit 44 displays the operation screen of the conference system S, various databases, an utterance request list, and the like in response to an instruction (control) from the control unit 46. The display unit 44 is, for example, a display such as an LCD.

The operation unit 45 outputs a detection signal corresponding to the operation of the operation terminal 4 by a system administrator or the like to the control unit 46. The operation unit 45 is, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a software keyboard, or the like.

The control unit 46 controls the operation of the operation terminal 4. The control unit 46 is composed of, for example, a microprocessor such as a CPU and peripheral circuits thereof.

The operation terminal 4 may be a terminal dedicated to the conference system instead of a general-purpose information processing terminal.

Further, the conference system S may include at least CU1, DU2, and a microphone 3. That is, for example, the conference system S does not have to include the operation terminal 4.

● Priority The priority is, for example, information set by the system administrator for each DU2 via the CU 1, and is a so-called priority authority regarding the restriction of the function of the DU2. The DU2 to which the priority is set is always assigned a voice slot and the above-mentioned voice area, and is controlled so as to be able to speak. The DU2 controlled to be able to speak can turn on the microphone 3 and transmit voice information to the CU1. The priority setting for each DU2 that can be spoken is stored in the unit setting information DB of the storage unit 13.

The voice slot is, so to speak, a frame that defines the number of DU2s that can be spoken at the same time among the plurality of DU2s included in the conference system S. The conference system S includes the same number of voice slots as the maximum number of speakers set to be described later, that is, the same number of voice slots as the number of the above-mentioned voice regions. The conference system S assigns individual numbers (for example, 1, 2, 3, ...) To each audio slot. The audio slot is provided in the control unit 16 of the CU 1, for example.

The CU 1 allocates a voice slot and a voice area for each DU 2 that allows utterance. That is, the CU 1 assigns a voice slot number and a voice area number to each DU 2 that allows utterance. The DU2 to which the voice slot and the voice area are assigned can speak. The CU 1 stores the number assigned to the voice slot and the number assigned to the voice area in association with each other in the storage unit 13. The CU 1 allocates a voice slot and a voice region to the DU 2, associates the assigned voice slot number with the voice region number, and performs a voice information synthesis process described later.

A plurality of voice regions included in the data unit of one packet are assigned to different DU2s. In other words, the CU 1 receives one packet in which voice information from a plurality of DUs 2 is stored. CU1 is a number of a voice area in which voice information is stored, and identifies DU2 that generated the voice information. The CU 1 identifies the number assigned to the voice slot based on the number assigned to the voice area. That is, the CU 1 specifies the voice slot and the voice area corresponding to each of the DU2s that can be spoken by the number of the voice slot and the number of the voice area. The CU 1 receives the voice information stored in the voice region of the received packet via the voice slot corresponding to the voice region. The CU1 transmits the voice information received from a certain DU2 to all the DU2s connected to the CU1 including the DU2.

The conference system S limits the number of DU2s that can speak at the same time in order to reduce the information processing load of the conference system S and the network traffic. The maximum number of DU2s that can be spoken at the same time (hereinafter referred to as "maximum speaker setting number") is determined based on, for example, the setting of the master CU1. The maximum number of speakers set does not depend on the number of connected CU1s, and is determined to be a predetermined number in the conference system S. As described above, the DU2 capable of speaking is the DU2 to which the voice slot and the voice area are assigned.

The number of DU2s for which priority is set (DU2s that can always speak) is set to be less than the maximum number of speakers set. This is because the conference system S secures a space between the voice slot and the voice area so that the utterance request from the DU 2 for which the priority is not set can be accepted.

The priority authority of the DU2 for which the priority is set is divided into four levels of priority: the first authority, the second authority, the third authority, and the fourth authority. These authorities are determined by, for example, a combination of whether or not batch mute of other DU2s is possible and whether or not they are subject to batch mute from other DU2s.

The first authority is a priority authority that can be muted all at once and is not subject to mute all at once. The first authority is the highest authority and is set to DU2 assigned to, for example, the chairman of the meeting. The second authority is a priority authority that can be muted in a batch and is a target of the mute in a batch. The second authority is set to DU2, which is assigned to, for example, the vice-chairman of the meeting. The third authority is a priority authority that cannot be muted all at once and is not subject to mute all at once. The fourth authority is a priority authority that cannot be muted all at once and is the target of mute all at once.

As described above, in the conference system according to the present invention, the breakdown of priorities can be appropriately set according to the authority of the user of DU2.

● Operation of the conference system ●
Next, the operation of the conference system S will be described. The operation of the conference system S, that is, the information processing executed by the conference system S is partially different depending on whether there is one CU1 or a plurality of CU1s.

● Operation of a conference system with one CU ●
First, the operation of the conference system S including one CU will be described.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing information processing of the conference system S including one CU.
After starting the conference system S, the conference system S executes an initialization process (S1), a DU information acquisition process (S2), a DU setting process (S3), and an operation process (S4).

In the conference system S, the CU 1 transmits packets from all the terminals of the unit connection unit 12b. Therefore, in the case of ring connection, the packet is transmitted to DU2 from both directions of the two terminals to which DU2 is connected. In the following description, the forward direction is the direction in which packets flow from the terminal with the lower number to the terminal with the higher number in the terminals of the CU1 connected in the ring. The reverse direction is the opposite of the forward direction.

Information on various packets received by each terminal is synthesized by the control unit 16 of the CU1. At this time, in the case of ring connection, the information from either terminal is muted (ignored) and is not used for synthesis by the control unit 16. Therefore, duplication due to the synthesis of information from both directions is eliminated.

The DU2 receives a packet at one of the two terminals (referred to as "a") and transmits a packet from the other terminal (referred to as "b"). The terminal (b) that transmits a packet in the forward direction receives the packet in the reverse direction, and the terminal (a) that receives the packet in the forward direction transmits the packet in the reverse direction.

Hereinafter, each process of FIG. 11 will be described by taking CU1A of FIG. 1 and DU2A1-2A4 connected to CU1A as examples. The DU2A1 is connected to the first terminal of the CU1A, and the DU2A4 is connected to the second terminal of the CU1A.

● Initialization process First, the conference system S performs an initialization process (S1). In the initialization process (S1), the unit setting (information) of the DU2 connected to the CU1 is initialized, and the conference system S recognizes the connection method of the DU2 connected to the CU1 and the number of connected devices (S1). It is a process to specify).

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing information processing of CU1A in the initialization process (S1).
FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the initialization process (S1).

The control unit 16 of the CU1A transmits an initialization command for initializing the DU2A1-2A4 to the communication unit 11. The communication unit 11 transmits (including) an initialization packet carrying an initialization command from the first terminal to the DU2A1 (S11a). As described above, the packet includes a counter flag in the head portion. The counter flag is information in which the count value is incremented (added by "1") by the DU2 that received the packet each time the packet is transmitted to the DU2. The control unit 16 resets in order to initialize the count value of the counter flag included in the packet transmitted to the DU 2. That is, the count value of the counter flag of the initialization packet transmitted from CU1A to DU2A1 is "0".

Upon receiving the initialization packet, the DU2A1 initializes the unit setting according to the initialization command, that is, updates the unit setting information of the storage unit 23 to the initial value. The control unit 26 of the DU2A1 that has received the initialization packet increments the count value of the counter flag (S12a). The communication unit 21 of the DU2A1 transmits an initialization packet having a counter flag count value of “1” to the DU2A2.

Upon receiving the initialization packet, the DU2A2 initializes the unit setting according to the initialization command, that is, updates the unit setting information of the storage unit 23 to the initial value. The control unit 26 of the DU2A2 that has received the initialization packet increments the count value of the counter flag (S13a). The communication unit 21 of the DU2A2 transmits an initialization packet having a counter flag count value of “2” to the DU2A3.

Upon receiving the initialization packet, the DU2A3 initializes the unit setting according to the initialization command, that is, updates the unit setting information of the storage unit 23 to the initial value. The control unit 26 of the DU2A3 that has received the initialization packet increments the count value of the counter flag (S14a). The communication unit 21 of the DU2A3 transmits an initialization packet having a counter flag count value of “3” to the DU2A4.

Upon receiving the initialization packet, the DU2A4 initializes the unit setting according to the initialization command, that is, updates the unit setting information of the storage unit 23 to the initial value. The control unit 26 of the DU2A4 that has received the initialization packet increments the count value of the counter flag (S15a). The communication unit 21 of the DU2A4 transmits an initialization packet having a counter flag count value of “4” to the second terminal of the CU1A.

The communication unit 11 receives the initialization packet from the DU2A4 via the second terminal (S16a).

As described above, in the case of the ring connection, the initialization packet (the initial value of the counter flag is “0”) is also transmitted from the second terminal in the reverse direction.

FIG. 14 is another sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the initialization process (S1).
The initialization packet is transmitted in the reverse direction from the second terminal of CU1A in the order of DU2A4, DU2A3, DU2A2, DU2A1, and CU1 first terminal.

The communication unit 11 transmits an initialization packet carrying an initialization command from the second terminal to the DU2A4 (S11b).

The DU2A4 initializes the unit setting and increments the count value of the counter flag (S12b). The DU2A3 initializes the unit setting and increments the count value of the counter flag (S13b). The DU2A2 initializes the unit setting and increments the count value of the counter flag (S14b). The DU2A1 initializes the unit setting and increments the count value of the counter flag (S15b).

The communication unit 11 receives the initialization packet from the DU2A1 via the first terminal (S16b).

The control unit 16 stores information such as the count value of the counter flag included in the initialization packet received by the communication unit 11 in the storage unit 13.

FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing information processing after receiving the initialization packet of the conference system S in the initialization process (S1).

The control unit 16 recognizes the connection state of the DU2 for each terminal, that is, the connection method of the DU2 and the number of connected units (S17). The recognition of the connection method of the DU 2 is performed, for example, by whether or not the terminals of the unit connection unit 12b that transmits and receives the packet match (difference in terminal number). That is, when the terminal that transmitted the packet and the terminal that received the packet match, the connection method of the DU 2 is a daisy connection. On the other hand, when the terminal that transmitted the packet and the terminal that received the packet do not match, the connection method of the DU 2 is a ring connection. For example, as described above, the forward initialization packet for DU2A1-2A4 is transmitted from the first terminal of the CU1A and received at the second terminal. That is, the terminal number to which the CU1A has transmitted the initialization packet does not match (different) from the terminal number to which the CU1A has received the initialization packet. On the other hand, even in the transmission and reception of the initialization packet in the reverse direction, the terminal (second terminal) number to which the CU1A transmits the initialization packet does not match (different) the terminal (first terminal) number to which the CU1A receives the initialization packet. ). Therefore, the control unit 16 recognizes that the connection method of the DU2A1-2A4 is a ring connection.

The number of connected DU2s is recognized by the count value of the counter flag of the initialization packet transmitted / received by all the terminals. That is, for example, the initialization packet transmitted between the first terminal and the second terminal of CU1A returns to CU1A when the count value of the counter flag is "4". Therefore, the control unit 16 recognizes that the number of DU2s connected between the first terminal and the second terminal is "4". In this way, the counter flag included in the packet is used to count the number of DU2s connected to the CU1.

When the control unit 16 recognizes the connection method of the DU2 and the number of connected DU2s, the control unit 16 generates an ID (hereinafter, referred to as “relative ID”) of each DU2 (S18). For example, the relative IDs are numbered in order from the DU2 connected to the smaller terminal number side of the unit connection unit 12b and assigned to each DU2. That is, for example, the relative ID of DU2A1 is "1", and the relative ID of DU2A4 is "4".

The control unit 16 stores the recognized DU2 connection method, the number of connected units, and the assigned relative ID in the unit connection information DB of the storage unit 13 in association with each other (S19).

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing information stored in the storage unit 13 of the CU 1 after the initialization process (S1).
The figure shows that the third terminal and the fourth terminal of the CU 1 are not connected to the DU 2 and are in a non-connected state.

When the connection method of the DU2 is a daisy connection, the terminal DU2 determines that it is the terminal because there is no reception from one of the two terminals of the DU2. The terminal DU2 adds a flag indicating that it is wrapping (hereinafter referred to as a “wrapping flag”) to the initialization packet, and wraps the initialization packet. That is, the DU 2 transmits / receives information in both directions regardless of the connection method. DU2 does not increment the count value of the counter flag of the initialization packet to which the return flag is added.

At this time, the control unit 16 recognizes the number of connected DU2s based on the count value of the counter flag. Since the terminal numbers of the unit connection units 12b that have transmitted and received the initialization packet match, the control unit 16 recognizes that the connection method of the DU 2 is daisy connection.

● DU information acquisition process Return to FIG.
Next, the conference system S executes the DU information acquisition process (S2). The DU information acquisition process (S2) is a process for acquiring unit information of the DU2. The unit information is a DU2 serial number (absolute ID), a MAC (Media Access Control) address, or the like. In the following description, since the forward processing is the same as the reverse processing, the description of the reverse processing will be omitted.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing information processing of CU1A in the DU information acquisition process (S2).
FIG. 18 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the DU information acquisition process (S2).

The control unit 16 transmits an information acquisition command for acquiring the unit information of the DU2A1-2A4 to the communication unit 11. The communication unit 11 transmits an information acquisition packet carrying an information acquisition command to each DU2A1-1A4 (S21a-S21d). The information acquisition packet is addressed by a relative ID. Therefore, only the address-designated DU2 receives the information acquisition packet.

Each DU2A1-2A4 that has received the information acquisition command transmits an information acquisition packet carrying the unit information to the CU1A according to the information acquisition command (S22a-S22d).

The communication unit 11 receives the information acquisition packet from each DU2A1-2A4 (S23a-S23d).

The control unit 16 reads unit information from the information acquisition packet received by the communication unit 11. The control unit 16 acquires an absolute ID from the unit information (S24). The control unit 16 associates the acquired absolute ID with the relative ID and stores them in the unit connection information DB of the storage unit 13 (S25). Since the control unit 16 has acquired the absolute ID, it is possible to specify the address of the DU 2 using the absolute ID for the processing after the DU information acquisition processing (S2).

In the DU information acquisition process (S2), when a newly connected DU2 exists, the control unit 16 reads the unit setting information DB from the storage unit 13, and the absolute ID of the DU2 and the setting information (initial). Value) and are stored in the unit setting information DB in association with each other.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing information stored in the storage unit 13 of the CU 1 after the DU information acquisition process.
In the figure, the relative IDs "1", "2", "3", and "4" of the four DU2s ring-connected to the terminal numbers "1" and "2" are the absolute IDs "A", "B", "C", and "C". Indicates that it is associated with "D".

By associating the absolute ID with the relative ID, the CU 1 can notify the system administrator or the like of information indicating which absolute ID DU2 is connected to which relative ID via the operation terminal 4. It becomes. Therefore, for example, the system administrator can operate the operation terminal 4 to associate the absolute ID with the user name (proper noun) of the DU 2 and store the DU 2 in the storage unit 13 with the proper noun. Can be managed. Further, for example, the system administrator associates the relative ID with the user name of the DU 2 and stores them in the storage unit 13, so that the proper noun for each seat in the conference room is stored in the display unit 44 of the operation terminal 4 or the like. Can be displayed.

● DU setting process Return to FIG.
Next, the conference system S executes the DU setting process (S3). The DU setting process (S3) is a process for setting the DU 2 based on the unit setting information DB. In the following description, since the forward processing is the same as the reverse processing, the description of the reverse processing will be omitted.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing information processing of CU1A in the DU setting process (S3).
FIG. 21 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the DU setting process (S3).

The control unit 16 reads the unit setting information DB from the storage unit 13 (S31), and transmits a unit setting command for setting the DU 2 to the communication unit 11. The communication unit 11 transmits a setting packet carrying the unit setting command to each DU2A1-2A4 (S32a-S32d). The setting packet includes the absolute ID of DU2 as the packet destination. That is, the destination of the setting packet is addressed by the absolute ID. Therefore, of the DU2s connected to the CU1, only the address-designated DU2 receives the setting packet.

Each DU2A1-2A4 that has received the setting packet changes the unit setting according to the unit setting command (S33a-S33d). Each DU2A1-2A4 updates the unit setting information of the storage unit 23. The unit setting is information that defines the operation of each DU 2, such as a priority setting, a microphone-on-trigger setting described later, and a light emitting color setting of the light emitting unit 28.

The communication unit 11 receives the setting packet from each DU2A1-2A4 whose unit setting has been changed (S34a-S34d). At this time, the setting packet includes information indicating that each DU2A1-2A4 has acquired the command correctly.

When the DU setting process (S3) is completed, the conference system S can be operated (for example, acquisition of voice information from each DU2).

● Operation process Return to Fig. 11.
Next, the conference system S executes the operation process (S4). The operation process (S4) periodically (for example, every 166 μsec) transmits an operation packet from the CU1 to the DU2, executes various commands carried on the operation packet, and monitors the connection status of the DU2 with a counter flag. It is a process to do.

The various commands are, for example, voice acquisition commands. The voice acquisition command is a command in which the CU 1 acquires voice information from the DU 2 to which the voice slot and the voice area are assigned.

As described above, the operation packet may not carry (include) the control command. Even in this case, the operation packet is repeatedly transmitted and received between the CU1 and the DU2. That is, the CU 1 monitors the connection status of the DU 2 by using the counter flag included in the operation packet regardless of the presence or absence of the control command.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing information processing of CU1A in the operation process (S4).
FIG. 23 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the operation process (S4).
Hereinafter, the operation process (S4) will be described by taking as an example the acquisition of voice information from the DU2A2 to which the voice slot and the voice area are assigned. The allocation of the audio slot and the audio area will be described later.

The control unit 16 transmits a voice acquisition command to the communication unit 11. The communication unit 11 transmits an operation packet carrying the voice acquisition command to the DU2A2 to which the voice slot and the voice area are allocated (S41).

Upon receiving the operation packet, the communication unit 21 of the DU2A2 carries the voice information on the voice area of the number assigned to itself in the voice area of the operation packet according to the voice acquisition command, and transmits the voice information to the CU1A (S42).

Here, although not shown, the count value of the counter flag is reset in CU1A and incremented in each DU2A1-2A4 as in the initialization process (S1).

The CU1A receives the operation packet from the DU2A2 (S43). The communication unit 11 transmits information such as a counter flag count value and voice information received by all the terminals of the unit connection unit 12b to the control unit 16. The voice information is received by the voice slot having the same number as the number of the voice area in which the voice information is stored. The processing of voice information will be described later. The control unit 16 confirms (identifies) the connection state (connection method and number of connected units) of the DU 2 from the count value of the counter flag and the terminal number for transmitting / receiving the operation packet (S44). This confirmation is executed every time the communication unit 11 receives an operation packet.

The confirmation of the number of connected DU2s is referred to as a newly acquired counter flag count value (hereinafter referred to as "new DU count value") and a count value stored in the storage unit 13 (hereinafter referred to as "old DU count value"). ) And is executed by comparing. That is, when the new DU count value and the old DU count value match, the control unit 16 determines that there is no change in the number of connected DU2s. On the other hand, when the new DU count value and the old DU count value do not match (when they do not match), the control unit 16 determines that there is a change in the number of connected DU2s.

As described above, the confirmation of the connection method of the DU2 is executed by comparing the terminal number of the terminal that transmitted the operation packet with the terminal number of the terminal that received the operation packet. That is, when the terminal numbers of the terminals that have sent and received the operation packet match, the control unit 16 determines that the connection method of the DU 2 is daisy connection. On the other hand, when the terminal numbers of the terminals that have sent and received the operation packet do not match (when they do not match), the control unit 16 determines that the connection method of the DU 2 is a ring connection.

The control unit 16 reads the unit connection information DB from the storage unit 13 and compares the DU2 connection method stored in the unit connection information DB with the newly acquired DU2 connection method. The control unit 16 determines that there is no change in the connection method of the DU 2 when both connection methods match (same), and determines that there is a change in the connection method of the DU 2 when the two connection methods do not match (different).

When the control unit 16 determines that there is a change in either the number of connected DU2s or the connection method of the DU2, the control unit 16 determines that the connection state of the DU2 has changed. That is, when the new DU count value and the old DU count value do not match, the control unit 16 determines that the connection state of the DU 2 has changed. On the other hand, when it is determined that there is no change in any of them, the control unit 16 determines that there is no change in the connection state of the DU 2.

When there is a change in the connection state of the DU 2 (“Yes” in S44), the conference system S executes the change process (S5). The change process (S5) will be described later.

FIG. 24 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S when the connection state of the DU 2 is changed.
The figure shows an example in which the DU2A3 has a connection abnormality due to a failure or removal. The figure shows only the forward processing of the operation packet without the command for convenience of explanation.

The communication unit 11 of the CU1A transmits an operation packet to the DU2A1 via the first terminal (S41a). The DU2A1 increments the count value of the counter flag of the received operation packet (S42a), and transmits the operation packet to the DU2A2. DU2A2 increments the count value of the counter flag of the received operation packet (S42b).

When a connection abnormality occurs in the DU2A3, the DU2A2 recognizes that it has become the terminal DU2 because the operation packet is not received from one terminal (reverse direction). Therefore, the DU2A2 adds (puts) a return flag to the operation packet (S42c). The DU2A2 transmits an operation packet with a return flag to the CU1A via the DU2A1. At this time, since the DU2A1 has a return flag attached to the operation packet, as described above, the DU2A1 only sends and receives the operation packet without incrementing the count value of the counter flag.

On the other hand, the DU2A4 transmits an operation packet to which the return flag is added to the CU1A in the reverse direction processing, similarly to the DU2A2 (not shown).

The control unit 16 of the CU1A recognizes a change in the connection method of the DU2A1-2A4 (change from a ring connection to a daisy connection) because the terminal numbers of the terminals to which the operation packet is transmitted and received are the same. The control unit 16 recognizes the change in the number of connected DU2s connected to the terminal from the comparison result of the count values of the counter flags of the operation packets. The control unit 16 collates this recognition result with the unit connection information DB and recognizes the change in the connection state of the DU2A1-2A4 (S44).

At this time, the control unit 16 connects to the DU2A3 from the count value "2" of the counter flag of the operation packet received by the first terminal and the count value "1" of the counter flag of the operation packet received by the second terminal. Recognize that an abnormality has occurred. In this way, when a connection abnormality occurs, the CU1A immediately recognizes the occurrence of the connection abnormality and identifies the connection abnormality location.

Return to FIGS. 22 and 23.
When there is no change in the connection state of the DU 2 (“No” in S44), the control unit 16 has the audio information received by all the terminals in the audio slot and the information stored in the storage unit 13 in association with the absolute ID of the DU 2. And are synthesized (processed) to generate synthetic voice information (S45). The synthesis of voice information is executed by synthesizing the voice information stored in the voice areas of the same number in the voice area of each operation packet received by all the terminals.

The synthetic voice information includes, for example, information such as DU2 user (speaker) information, time information, and group information associated with the absolute ID. The synthetic voice information is stored in, for example, a USB memory connected to the external device connection unit 12a of the CU1A, and is transmitted to each DU2A1-2A4. The synthetic voice information transmitted to each DU2A1-2A4 is processed by the control unit 26 of each DU2A1-2A4, converted into sound waves by the speaker 27, and output from the speaker 27.

When generating the synthetic voice information, the control unit 16 confirms whether or not the request flag of the operation packet is added (S46). The request flag will be described later.

When the request flag is given (“Yes” in S46), the conference system S executes the request processing (S6). When the request flag is not given (“No” in S46), the conference system S repeats the operation process (S4).

● Change processing When there is a change in the connection status of the DU2, the conference system S executes the change processing (S5). The change process (S5) is a process of updating the unit connection information stored in the unit connection information DB after changing the connection state of the DU2 to prevent the lack of voice information and the trouble of the voice information synthesis process.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing information processing of CU1A in the change process (S5).

In the change process (S5), in order to update the unit connection information stored in the unit connection information DB, the initialization process (S1), the DU information acquisition process (S2), and the DU setting process (S3) are performed. This is a process to be executed again.

FIG. 26 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S as an example of the initialization process (S1) in the change process (S5). The figure shows a state in which the DU2A3 has a connection abnormality due to a failure or removal. The figure shows only forward processing for convenience of explanation.

In the initialization process (S1), the communication unit 11 of the CU1A transmits the initialization packet to the DU2A1 via the first terminal and also transmits the initialization packet to the DU2A4 via the second terminal. The initialization packet from the first terminal is wrapped back at DU2A2. At this time, the DU2A2 adds a return flag to the initialization packet (S131a). On the other hand, the initialization packet from the second terminal is folded back at DU2A4 (not shown). At this time, the DU2A4 adds a return flag to the initialization packet (not shown).

The communication unit 11 receives the initialization packet from the DU2A1 via the first terminal (S16a), and also receives the initialization packet from the DU2A4 via the second terminal. The control unit 16 stores the new DU count value in the storage unit 13. At this time, the control unit 16 updates the old DU count value with the new DU count value.

The control unit 16 recognizes the connection state of the DU 2 for each terminal of the CU 1, that is, the connection method of the DU 2 and the number of connections (S17). The connection method of DU2A1 and DU2A2 connected to the first terminal of CU1 and the connection method of DU2A4 connected to the second terminal are daisy connections because the terminals for transmitting and receiving initialization packets are the same. On the other hand, the number of DU2s connected to the first terminal is two, and the number of DU2s connected to the second terminal is one.

When the control unit 16 recognizes the connection method of the DU2 and the number of connected units, the control unit 16 generates a relative ID of each DU2 (S18).

The control unit 16 stores the connection method of the DU 2, the number of connected units, and the relative ID in the unit connection information DB of the storage unit 13 (S19). As a result, the connection state of the DU 2 stored in the unit connection information DB of the storage unit 13 and the association between the relative ID and the absolute ID are updated. In this way, when the new DU count value and the old DU count value do not match, the control unit 16 updates the association between the relative ID and the absolute ID. When both connection methods are different, the control unit 16 updates the connection method of the DU 2 stored in the storage unit 13.

The processing contents of the DU information acquisition processing (S2) and the DU setting processing (S3) are the same as the processing contents of the DU information acquisition processing (FIG. 17) and the DU setting processing (FIG. 20) described above.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the unit connection information DB after the change processing.
The figure shows that DU2A3 has disappeared and the relative ID of DU2A4 has been changed from "4" to "3" as compared with FIG. In this way, when the relative ID is changed, the association between the absolute ID and the relative ID is updated, so that there is no problem in the voice information synthesis process before and after the change in the connection state of the DU2.

In the change process, when there is no change in the number of connected DU2s, the relative ID of the DU2 may not be updated and only the connection method of the DU2 may be updated.

● Request processing Return to Fig. 11.
In the operation process (S4), when the request flag is given to the operation packet, the conference system S executes the request process (S6). The request process (S6) is a process of executing command management up to the allocation of the DU2 to the voice slot when there is an utterance request from the DU2.

The request flag is not the command itself, but an on / off of a fixed-length bit given to the operation packet by the user's operation when the DU2 user makes an utterance request. The request flag is added to the operation packet by the control unit 26 of the DU2. The request flag is assigned by the control unit 26 of the DU2 processing the bit of the request flag (for example, when it is on, the bit is set to "1", and when it is off, the bit is set to "0"). .. The DU2 to which the request flag is added is in the command waiting state (request waiting state) from the CU1. The operation packet to which the request flag is added is transmitted from the communication unit 21 of the DU2 to the CU1A. The operation of the user is executed by either an operation by pressing the operation button 25a (hereinafter referred to as "manual trigger") or an operation by the voice of the user (hereinafter referred to as "automatic trigger"). That is, the manual trigger and the automatic trigger are triggers for turning on the microphone 3.

The DU2 in the request waiting state is a state in which the communication unit 21 cannot transmit the voice information to the CU1 (hereinafter, referred to as a “transmission impossible state”). On the other hand, DU2 in a state in which a utterance request (request) is permitted to CU1 (hereinafter referred to as "speakable state") is a state in which voice information can be transmitted to CU1 by the communication unit 21 (hereinafter referred to as "sendable state"). .).

FIG. 28 is a flowchart showing information processing of CU1A in the request processing (S6).
FIG. 29 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the request processing (S6). The figure shows only the sequence of CU1A and DU2A1 for convenience of explanation.

When the request flag is added to the operation packet received by the CU1A, the control unit 16 of the CU1A takes the request flag into the request flag register (storage unit 13) (S61). At this time, the control unit 16 captures the request flag but does not send a command to the DU2. By this process, since the request flag is taken into the register (storage unit 13), the reception omission (missing) on the hardware of the utterance request is eliminated.

Next, the control unit 16 executes mask processing on the bits corresponding to the captured request flag (S62). By this process, the request flag in the request flag register is protected, that is, the request flag cannot be rewritten. As a result, false detection of the request flag is prevented.

Next, the control unit 16 confirms whether or not the request from the chairperson, the system administrator, or the like is rejected (S63). When the request is rejected (“Yes” in S63), the control unit 16 releases the mask (S71).

If the request is not rejected (“No” in S63), the control unit 16 confirms whether or not there is a vacancy between the voice slot and the voice area (S64). When there is a vacancy in the voice slot and the voice area (“Yes” in S64), the control unit 16 transmits an acquisition command for acquiring the content of the request to the communication unit 11. The communication unit 11 transmits a content acquisition packet carrying the acquisition command to the DU2A1 (S65).

The communication unit 21 of the DU2A1 that has received the content acquisition packet transmits the content of the request (utterance request) to the CU1A on the content acquisition packet (S67). The DU2A1 transmits the content of the request to the CU1A and clears the request flag (turns off the bit for the request flag) (S66).

Note that the request flag may be cleared by CU1 instead of DU2.

The communication unit 11 receives the content acquisition packet (S68) and transmits the content of the request to the control unit 16. After acquiring the content of the request, the control unit 16 releases the mask (S69) and allocates the audio slot and the audio area to the DU2A1 (S70). After that, the utterance request from DU2A1 is permitted. The control unit 26 of the DU2A1 switches the state of the communication unit 21 from the transmission impossible state to the transmission enable state. That is, the DU2A1 is in an utterable state.

On the other hand, when the voice slot and the voice area are full (“No” in S64), the control unit 16 waits for the voice slot and the voice area to be free (does not perform any processing on the DU2A1). At this time, the DU2A1 automatically enters the request waiting state. The state of the communication unit 21 of the DU2A1 is a transmission-disabled state.

The conference system S returns to the operation process (S4) after either the case where the DU2 is assigned to the voice slot and the voice area (S70) or the case where the mask is released (S71).

In this way, the conference system S takes in the utterance request from the DU2 by the processing of the periodic request flag, and causes the CU1 to transmit the content acquisition command to the DU2 only when the voice slot and the voice area are free. That is, the conference system S does not send a command each time an utterance request is made. Therefore, in the conference system S, the load of information processing does not become excessive even if there are utterance requests from a plurality of DU2s at one time.

Further, when there is no space between the voice slot and the voice area, the DU2 that has made the utterance request automatically enters the request waiting state. Therefore, the conference system S does not need to respond to all utterance requests from the DU 2, and the load of information processing is reduced.

Further, the utterance request from DU2 is performed by processing the bit of the request flag, not by the command. Therefore, the area occupied by the request flag in the packet can be set to, for example, several bytes. As a result, the information processing load of the conference system S for the utterance request is reduced.

The flow of request processing in the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment. That is, for example, the confirmation of the vacancy between the voice slot and the voice area (S64) may be executed after the transmission / reception of the content acquisition packet.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart showing another information processing of CU1A in request processing.
The request process (S6a) shown in FIG. 28 is shown in FIG. 28, except that confirmation of availability between the voice slot and the voice area (S64a) is executed immediately before the allocation of the voice slot and the voice area (S70). Same as request processing. That is, in the request process (S6a) shown in the figure, when the request flag capture process (S61), the mask process (S62), the confirmation process of whether or not the request is rejected (S63), and the request are rejected (S63 "" Yes ”) process (S71) and allocation process (S70) between the audio slot and the audio area are the same as the request process (S6) shown in FIG. 28.

If the request is not rejected (“No” in S63), the control unit 16 transmits an acquisition command to the communication unit 11. The communication unit 11 transmits a content acquisition packet carrying the acquisition command to the DU2A1 (S65a).

The DU2A1 that has received the content acquisition packet clears the request flag (S66), puts the content of the request (utterance request) on the content acquisition packet, and transmits it to the CU1A (S67).

The communication unit 11 receives the content acquisition packet (S68a) and transmits the content of the request to the control unit 16. After acquiring the content of the request, the control unit 16 releases the mask (S69a) and confirms the vacancy between the voice slot and the voice area (S64a). When there is a vacancy in the voice slot and the voice area (“Yes” in S64a), the control unit 16 allocates DU2A1 to the voice slot and the voice area (S70). At this time, the DU2A1 is in an utterable state. On the other hand, when there is no space between the sound / voice slot and the voice area (“No” in S64a), the control unit 16 waits for the sound / voice slot and the voice area to become free.

The flow of each process of the conference system according to the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment. That is, for example, the conference system S may execute each process by an appropriate parallel process instead of the series process.

Further, as described above, various packets transmitted from the CU 1 to the DU 2 include a counter flag and a request flag. That is, the monitoring of the connection state of the DU2 by incrementing the counter flag is always performed in various packets transmitted from the CU1 to the DU2 regardless of the presence or absence of a command. Further, the request flag can always be added to various packets transmitted from the CU 1 to the DU 2.

● Operation of the light emitting unit of the DU 2 in the request processing The light emitting state of the light emitting unit 28 of the DU 2 changes according to the operating state of the DU 2 during the request processing (S6). That is, for example, the light emitting pattern of the light emitting unit 28 becomes a blinking pattern when the DU 2 is in the request waiting state (transmission impossible state), and becomes a lighting pattern when the DU 2 is in the utterance enable state (transmission enable state). Further, when the request of the DU 2 is rejected, only the first light emitting unit 28a of the light emitting unit 28 blinks at an interval shorter than the blinking pattern in the request waiting state, and only the user is notified that the request is rejected. The light emitting pattern of the light emitting unit 28 of the DU 2 to which the request flag is not given indicates a light-off pattern or a dimmer lighting pattern. In this way, the light emitting unit 28 functions as a notification unit that visually notifies the operating status of the DU 2.

● Operation of a conference system with multiple CUs ●
Next, the operation of the conference system including the plurality of CU1s will be described.

FIG. 31 is a flowchart showing information processing of the conference system S including a plurality of CU1s.
After the conference system S is started, the conference system S has an initialization process (S1), a CU connection status confirmation process (S101), a DU information acquisition process (S2), a slave CU information acquisition process (S102), and a slave. DU initialization process (S103), slave DU information acquisition process (S104), slave CU DB information acquisition process (S105), DU setting process (S3), slave DU setting process (S106), and priority re-priority. The setting process (S107) and the operation process (S4) are executed. The slave CU is a CU1 set as a slave. The slave DU is a DU2 connected to a CU1 set as a slave.

The flow of each process of the conference system according to the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment. That is, for example, the conference system S may execute each process by an appropriate parallel process instead of the series process.

Hereinafter, CU1A (hereinafter referred to as "master CU") in FIG. 1, DU2A1-2A4 connected to the master CU (hereinafter referred to as "master DU"), and CU1B connected to the master CU (hereinafter referred to as "slave CU"). DU2B1-2B4 (hereinafter referred to as "slave DU") connected to the slave CU will be described as an example.

The master DU is ring-connected to the first terminal and the second terminal of the master CU via a communication line. The slave DU is ring-connected to the first terminal and the second terminal of the slave CU via a communication line. The slave CU is connected to the third terminal of the master CU.

The master CU (CU1A) is set as a master by, for example, a system administrator or the like changing the CU unit information described later. The slave CU (CU1B) is set as a slave by, for example, a system administrator or the like changing the CU unit information described later. The control of the conference system S including a plurality of CUs is performed by the master CU.

● Initialization process First, the conference system S executes the initialization process (S1) of the master DU connected to the master CU. The initialization process (S1) is the same as the initialization process (FIG. 12) described above.

● CU connection status confirmation process Next, the conference system S executes the CU connection status confirmation process (S101). The CU connection status confirmation process (S101) is a process of recognizing the connection method and the number of connected CU1s of another CU1 connected to the CU1. The CU connection status confirmation process (S101) is repeatedly executed during the operation of the conference system S.

FIG. 32 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the CU connection state confirmation process.

The control unit 16 of the master CU transmits a CU connection status confirmation command for confirming the connection status of the CU to the communication unit 11 of the master CU. The communication unit 11 of the master CU transmits a CU connection status confirmation packet carrying the CU connection status confirmation command from the third terminal to the slave CU (S1011). The control unit 16 of the master CU resets the count value of the counter flag included in the packet transmitted to the slave CU. That is, the count value of the counter flag included in the packet transmitted from CU1A to CU1B is "0". The counter flag included in the packet transmitted from CU1A to CU1B is used to count the number of slave CUs connected to the master CU.

The control unit 16 of the slave CU that has received the CU connection status confirmation packet increments the count value of the counter flag (S1012). The communication unit 11 of the slave CU transmits a CU connection status confirmation packet including an incremented counter flag to the master CU.

The communication unit 11 of the master CU receives a CU connection status confirmation packet from the slave CU via the third terminal (S1013).

The control unit 16 of the master CU stores information such as the count value of the counter flag included in the CU connection status confirmation packet received by the communication unit 11 of the master CU in the storage unit 13 of the master CU.

The control unit 16 of the master CU recognizes the connection state of the CU 1 (S1014) in the same manner as the recognition of the connection state of the DU 2 (S17) described above. That is, for example, the control unit 16 of the master CU recognizes that one slave CU is daisy connected based on the count value of the counter flag.

When the control unit 16 of the master CU recognizes the connection state of the CU 1, it generates a relative ID of each CU 1 (S1015).

The control unit 16 of the master CU stores the connection method of the CU 1, the number of connected units, and the relative ID in the unit connection information DB of the storage unit 13 of the master CU (S1016).

The CU connection status confirmation process (S101) is periodically and repeatedly executed during the operation of the conference system S. That is, the CU connection status confirmation packet is periodically and repeatedly transmitted and received between the master CU and the slave CU. Each time the control unit 16 of the master CU receives the connection status confirmation packet from the slave CU, the newly acquired counter flag count value (hereinafter referred to as “new CU count value”) and the storage unit 13 of the master CU are stored. Compare with the stored count value (hereinafter referred to as "old CU count value"). When the new CU count value and the old CU count value match, the control unit 16 of the master CU determines that the connection state of the CU 1 has not changed. On the other hand, when the new CU count value and the old CU count value do not match (when they do not match), the control unit 16 of the master CU determines that the connection state of the CU 1 has changed. The control unit 16 of the master CU stores the new CU count value in the storage unit 13 of the master CU. That is, the control unit 16 of the master CU updates the old CU count value with the new CU count value.

When the connection status of the slave CU changes, such as when a connection error occurs in the slave CU or when a new slave CU is connected, the comparison results between the new CU count value and the old CU count value do not match. It becomes. When the comparison results do not match, the control unit 16 of the master CU updates the information stored in the unit connection information DB stored in the storage unit 13 in the connected state of the newly recognized slave CU. Therefore, when a connection abnormality occurs in the slave CU, the master CU immediately recognizes the occurrence of the connection abnormality and identifies the connection abnormality location. Further, when the connection state of the slave CU is changed, the master CU updates the information stored in the unit connection information DB, so that there is a problem such as a synthesis process of voice information before and after the change of the connection state. Does not occur.

● DU information acquisition process Next, the conference system S executes the DU information acquisition process (S2) of the master DU. The DU information acquisition process (S2) is the same as the DU information acquisition process (FIG. 17) described above.

● Slave CU information acquisition process Next, the conference system S executes the slave CU information acquisition process (S102). The slave CU information acquisition process is a process for acquiring CU unit information of the slave CU. The CU unit information is a CU1 serial number (absolute ID), MAC address, or the like.

FIG. 33 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the slave CU information acquisition process (S102).

The control unit 16 of the master CU transmits an information acquisition command for acquiring the CU unit information of the slave CU to the communication unit 11 of the master CU. The communication unit 11 of the master CU transmits an information acquisition packet carrying an information acquisition command to the slave CU (S1021).

The slave CU that has received the information acquisition command transmits the CU unit information on the information acquisition packet to the master CU in accordance with the information acquisition command (S1022).

The communication unit 11 of the master CU receives the information acquisition packet from the slave CU (S1023). The communication unit 11 of the master CU transmits CU unit information to the control unit 16 of the master CU.

The control unit 16 acquires the absolute ID of the slave CU from the CU unit information (S1024). The control unit 16 reads out the unit connection information DB, associates the absolute ID with the relative ID, and stores them in the unit connection information DB (S1025).

● Slave DU initialization process Next, the conference system S executes the slave DU initialization process (S103). The slave DU initialization process (S103) is a process of initializing the unit settings of the slave DU connected to the slave CU and recognizing the connection state of the slave DU.

FIG. 34 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the slave DU initialization process (S103).

The control unit 16 of the master CU transmits an initialization command for initializing the slave DU to the communication unit 11 of the master CU. The communication unit 11 of the master CU transmits an initialization packet carrying an initialization command from the third terminal to the slave CU (S1031a).

The slave CU that has received the initialization packet transmits the initialization packet to the slave DU from both directions of the first terminal and the second terminal (S1031b). The slave DU initializes the unit settings according to the initialization command and increments the count value of the counter flag (S1032). The slave DU transmits an initialization packet in which the count value of the counter flag is incremented to the slave CU. The initialization packet is transmitted between the slave DUs as in the initialization process (FIG. 12).

The communication unit 11 of the slave CU receives an initialization packet from the slave DU via the first terminal and the second terminal (S1033b). The control unit 16 of the slave CU stores information such as the count value of the counter flag included in the initialization packet received by the communication unit 11 of the slave CU in the storage unit 13 of the slave CU.

The control unit 16 of the slave CU recognizes the connection state of the slave DU (S1035b) and generates a relative ID of the slave DU (S1036b). This relative ID is an ID used by the slave CU to control the slave DU.

The control unit 16 of the slave CU associates the connection method of the slave DU with the number of connections and the relative ID and stores them in the unit connection information DB of the storage unit 13 of the slave CU (S1037b).

The communication unit 11 of the slave CU transmits the received initialization packet to the master CU (S1034b).

The communication unit 11 of the master CU receives an initialization packet from the slave CU via the third terminal (S1033a). The communication unit 11 of the master CU transmits information such as the count value of the counter flag obtained from the received initialization packet to the control unit 16 of the master CU. The control unit 16 of the master CU stores information such as the count value of the counter flag in the storage unit 13 of the master CU.

The control unit 16 of the master CU recognizes the connection state of the slave DU (S1035a) and generates a relative ID of the slave DU (S1036a). This relative ID is an ID used by the master CU to control the slave DU.

The control unit 16 of the master CU associates the connection method of the slave DU with the number of connections and the relative ID and stores them in the unit connection information DB of the storage unit 13 of the master CU (S1037a).

● Slave DU information acquisition process Next, the conference system S executes the slave DU information acquisition process (S104). The slave DU information acquisition process (S104) is a process for acquiring unit information of the slave DU connected to the slave CU.

FIG. 35 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the slave DU information acquisition process (S104).

The control unit 16 of the master CU transmits an information acquisition command for acquiring unit information of the slave DU to the communication unit 11 of the master CU. The communication unit 11 of the master CU transmits an information acquisition packet carrying an information acquisition command to the slave CU via the third terminal (S1041a).

The slave CU that has received the information acquisition packet transmits the information acquisition packet to the slave DU from both directions of the first terminal and the second terminal (S1041b). The slave DU carries the unit information on the information acquisition packet and transmits the unit information to the slave CU according to the information acquisition command (S1042). The information acquisition packet is transmitted between the slave DUs in the same manner as in the DU information acquisition process (FIG. 17).

The communication unit 11 of the slave CU receives the information acquisition packet from the slave DU (S1043b).

The control unit 16 of the slave CU acquires the absolute ID of the slave DU from the unit information included in the information acquisition packet received by the communication unit 11 of the slave CU (S1045b). The control unit 16 associates the absolute ID with the relative ID and stores them in the unit connection information DB of the storage unit 13 of the slave CU (S1046b). That is, the control unit 16 of the slave CU is to update the association between the relative ID and an absolute ID in the slave CU. Therefore, even if the connection state between the master CU and the slave CU is changed, the slave CU can operate standalone. As a result, before and after the change of the connection state of the slave CU, there is no problem of information such as voice information synthesis processing.

The communication unit 11 of the slave CU transmits an information acquisition packet to the master CU (S1044b).

The communication unit 11 of the master CU receives an information acquisition packet from the slave CU via the third terminal (S1043a).

The control unit 16 of the master CU acquires an absolute ID from the unit information included in the information acquisition packet received by the communication unit 11 of the master CU (S1045a). The control unit 16 of the master CU associates the absolute ID and the relative ID and stores them in the unit connection information DB of the storage unit 13 of the master CU (S1046a).

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the storage unit 13 of the master CU after the slave DU information acquisition process. In the figure, the relative IDs "5", "6", "7", and "8" of the four DU2s ring-connected to the terminal numbers "1" and "2" of the slave CU (ID "2") are the absolute IDs "8", respectively. Indicates that it is associated with "E", "F", "G", and "H". The figure shows that the relative ID “1” of one CU1 daisy connected to the terminal number “3” is associated with the absolute ID “β”.

● DB information acquisition process of the slave CU Next, the conference system S executes the DB information acquisition process (S105) of the slave CU. The slave CU DB information acquisition process (S105) is a process in which the master CU acquires the unit setting information of the slave DU stored in the unit setting information DB held by the slave CU.

FIG. 37 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the DB information acquisition process (S105) of the slave CU.

The control unit 16 of the master CU transmits a DB information acquisition command for acquiring the unit setting information of the slave CU to the communication unit 11 of the master CU. The communication unit 11 of the master CU transmits a DB information acquisition packet carrying the DB information acquisition command to the slave CU via the third terminal (S1051).

The control unit 16 of the slave CU reads the unit setting information DB from the storage unit 13 of the slave CU, and transmits the unit setting information of the slave DU designated as the master CU to the communication unit 11 of the slave CU. The communication unit 11 of the slave CU transmits a DB information acquisition packet carrying the unit setting information of the slave DU to the master CU (S1052).

The communication unit 11 of the master CU receives the DB information acquisition packet from the slave CU via the third terminal (S1053). The communication unit 11 of the master CU transmits the unit setting information of the slave DU obtained from the received DB information acquisition packet to the control unit 16 of the master CU.

The control unit 16 of the master CU stores the unit setting information of the slave DU included in the DB information acquisition packet received by the communication unit 11 of the master CU in the unit setting information DB of the storage unit 13 of the master CU (S1054). By this process, the master CU can specify the unit setting information of the slave DU owned by the slave CU.

● DU setting process Next, the conference system S executes the DU setting process (S3) of the master DU connected to the master CU. The DU setting process (S3) is the same as the DU setting process (FIG. 20) described above.

● Slave DU setting process Next, the conference system S executes the slave DU setting process (S106). The slave DU setting process (S106) is a process for setting the slave DU connected to the slave CU.

FIG. 38 is a sequence diagram showing information processing of the conference system S in the slave DU setting process (S106).

The control unit 16 of the master CU reads the unit setting information DB from the storage unit 13 of the master CU (S1061), and transmits a unit setting command for setting the slave DU to the communication unit 11 of the master CU. The communication unit 11 of the master CU transmits a setting packet carrying the unit setting command to the slave CU (S1062a).

The slave CU that has received the setting packet transmits the setting packet to the slave DU (S1062b). The slave DU that has received the setting packet changes the unit setting according to the unit setting command (S1063).

The communication unit 11 of the slave CU receives the setting packet from the slave DU that has executed the change of the unit setting (S1064b).

The communication unit 11 of the slave CU transmits the received setting packet to the master CU (S1065b).

The communication unit 11 of the master CU receives the setting packet from the slave CU (S1064a).

● Priority resetting process Next, the conference system S executes the priority resetting process (S107). The priority resetting process (S107) sets the priority of each CU1 and the conference system S when the connection state between the CU1s is changed (the new CU count value and the old CU count value do not match). It is a process that automatically sets the overall priority and resolves the contradiction that occurs between them. The contradiction state is a state in which the number of DU2s for which priority is set is the same as the maximum number of utterable words or larger than the maximum number of utterable words. That is, for example, the contradiction state is a state in which the number of DU2s for which the priority of the entire conference system S is set is 7 when the maximum number of utterances of the entire conference system S is 5. This inconsistent state can occur, for example, when a CU1 having a priority set on four DU2s is connected to a CU1 having a priority set on three DU2s.

FIG. 39 is a flowchart showing information processing of the CU1 in the priority resetting process of the CU1 included in the conference system S.

The control unit 16 of the master CU reads the unit setting information DB from the storage unit 13 of the master CU (S1071). The control unit 16 of the master CU refers to the unit setting information DB, and refers to the number of DU2s for which priority is set (hereinafter referred to as “priority setting number”) and the maximum of the entire conference system S set in the master CU. Compare with the number of speakers set (S1072).

When the number of priority settings is equal to or greater than the maximum number of speakers set (“Yes” in S1072), the control unit 16 of the master CU is not currently connected among the DU2s in which the unit setting information is stored in the unit setting information DB. The priority setting of the DU (hereinafter referred to as "non-connected DU") 2 is turned off one by one (S1073). The process of turning off the priority setting of the non-connected DU2 is executed in order from the DU2 in which the unit setting information is stored in the unit setting information DB of the CU1 (CU1B in the present embodiment) having a large relative ID value. That is, the processing of the slave DU connected to the slave CU (priority update) has priority over the processing of the master DU connected to the master CU (priority update).

When the number of priority settings is smaller than the maximum number of speakers set (“No” in S1072), the conference system S ends the priority reset process (S107).

Next, the control unit 16 of the master CU compares the number of priority settings with the maximum number of speakers set (S1074). When the number of priority settings is equal to or greater than the maximum number of speakers set (“Yes” in S1074), the control unit 16 of the master CU confirms (specifies) the remaining number of unconnected DU2s (S1075). When there is a remaining number of unconnected DU2s (“Yes” in S1075), the control unit 16 of the master CU continues the process of turning off the priority setting of the unconnected DU2s (S1073).

When there is no remaining number of unconnected DU2s (“No” in S1075), the control unit 16 of the master CU turns off the priority setting of the currently connected DUs (hereinafter referred to as “connected DUs”) 2 one by one. (S1076). The process of turning off the priority setting of the connection DU2 is executed in order from the DU2 having the largest relative ID among the DU2s connected to the CU1 having the larger numerical value of the relative ID.

Next, the control unit 16 of the master CU compares the number of priority settings with the maximum number of speakers set (S1077). When the number of priority settings is equal to or greater than the maximum number of speakers set (“Yes” in S1077), the control unit 16 of the master CU continues the process of turning off the priority setting of the connection DU2 (S1076).

When the number of priority settings becomes smaller than the maximum number of speakers set (“No” in S1074, “No” in S1077), the control unit 16 of the master CU stores in the unit setting information DB of the storage unit 13 of the master CU. Update the unit setting information that has been set. The control unit 16 of the slave CU is stored in the unit setting information DB of the storage unit 13 of the slave CU in conjunction with the update of the unit setting information stored in the unit setting information DB of the storage unit 13 of the master CU. Update the unit setting information. As a result, the priority setting for each DU2 stored in the storage unit 13 of each CU1 is updated. The conference system S ends the priority resetting process (S107).

In this way, the conference system S automatically changes the priority setting of the DU 2 when the connection state between the CUs 1 is changed. In other words, the conference system S updates the priority setting for each DU2 that can be spoken when the new CU count value and the old CU count value do not match. Therefore, in the conference system according to the present invention, the above-mentioned contradiction state does not occur. Further, the conference system S eliminates the need for the system administrator to set the priority according to the connection state between the CU1s. Therefore, the burden of resetting the priority of the system administrator is reduced.

In the priority reset process, when the number of slave CUs connected decreases in the CU connection status confirmation process, that is, the number of slave CUs connected (old CU count value) stored in the storage unit 13 of the master CU is new. It may be executed when it is larger than the number of connected slave CUs (new CU count value) recognized in (when there is a mismatch). That is, for example, the priority resetting process may be performed so that when the number of connected slave CUs decreases, the number of DU2s for which the priority is set before and after the change in the number of connected units becomes the same. Specifically, the priority resetting process raises the priority of the priority authority of some master DUs among the priority authority of the master DU stored in the storage unit 13 of the master CU (or sets the priority). It may be processed so as to turn it on).

Further, in the priority reset processing, when an increase in the number of slave CUs connected is confirmed in the CU connection status confirmation processing, some of the priority privileges of the master DU stored in the storage unit 13 of the master CU are mastered. It may be processed to lower the priority of the priority authority of the DU (or turn off the priority setting). That is, when the number of connected slave CUs (old CU count value) stored in the storage unit 13 of the master CU is smaller than the newly recognized number of connected slave CUs (new CU count value) (when they do not match), The priority resetting process does not lower the priority of the priority authority from the slave DU described above, but lowers the priority of the priority authority of some master DUs (or turns off the priority setting). You may.

● Operation process Next, the conference system S executes the operation process (S4). The operation process (S4) is the same as the operation process (FIG. 22) described above, except that the master CU manages the connection status of the slave CU and the slave DU, the voice information of the slave DU, and the like. That is, the master CU repeatedly sends and receives operation packets to and from the master DU, and repeatedly sends and receives operation packets to and from the slave DU via the slave CU. At this time, the slave CU repeatedly sends and receives operation packets to and from the slave DU.

● Conference mode ●
The conference system S includes a conference mode. The conference mode specifies a combination of the setting items "override", "mic on trigger (priority setting)", and "mic on trigger (priority not set)" among various setting items that define the operation of the conference system S. Information (union information). In other words, the conference system S specifies a combination of override, microphone-on-trigger (priority setting), and microphone-on-trigger (priority non-setting) settings based on the conference mode. Each of the setting items will be described later.

FIG. 40 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the conference mode.
The figure shows that the conference system S includes three conference modes, "free talk mode", "request talk mode", and "full remote mode". The figure shows a combination of each setting content of override, microphone-on-trigger (priority setting), and microphone-on-trigger (priority not set) for each conference mode.

The figure shows, for example, that in the case of the conference mode “free talk mode”, any one of “off”, “on / FIFO”, and “off / FIFO” can be selected as the setting content of the setting item “override”. Further, in the figure, for example, in the conference mode "request talk mode", either "manual trigger" or "automatic trigger" can be selected as the setting content of the setting item "mic-on trigger (priority setting)". Is shown. Furthermore, the figure shows that, for example, in the case of the conference mode "full remote mode", the setting item "mic on trigger (priority not set)" cannot be set. Each setting content for each setting item shown in the figure will be described later.

Before the conference mode is selected, the conference system S stores in the storage unit 13 of the CU 1 in advance information indicating a combination of the information for specifying the conference mode shown in FIG. 40 and the setting contents of each setting item. .. The conference system S refers to the storage unit 13 based on the information for specifying the conference mode input from the operation terminal 4 operated by the system administrator, that is, the union information, and "overrides" corresponding to the conference mode. Specify each setting content of "Mike on trigger (priority setting)" and "Mike on trigger (priority not set)". That is, the storage unit 13 stores the union information and the information that specifies the setting content for each setting item in association with each other.

● Setting item "Override"
The override is a setting item related to an allocation method for determining "on" or "off" of the override in the allocation of the voice slot and the voice area to the DU2 to which the request flag is given.

The override is the end of the DU2 utterance to which the voice slot and the voice area have already been allocated when the utterance request is made (the request flag is given to the operation packet) when the voice slot and the voice area are full. This is a process of allocating a voice slot and a voice area to the DU2 for which an utterance request has been made without waiting for. The override includes the allocation method when it is "on" and the allocation method when it is "off". When the override is "on", the override performs processing according to the allocation method of either FIFO (First In First Out) or LIFO (Last In First Out).

The FIFO is an allocation method in which the voice slot and the voice area of the DU2 that is first allowed to speak are removed from the DU2 to which the voice slot and the voice area are already assigned. In the FIFO, the DU2 to which the voice slot and the voice area are assigned is tossedly deallocated from the voice slot and the voice area.

The LIFO is an allocation method in which, of the DU2s to which the voice slot and the voice area are already assigned, the voice slot and the voice area of the DU2 to which the last utterance is permitted are removed. In LIFO, of the voice slot and the voice area, only the DU2 to which the last empty voice slot and the voice area are allocated (speech is permitted at the previous timing) is replaced.

On the other hand, the allocation method when the override is "off" is an allocation method in which the voice slot and the voice area of the DU2 whose utterance has been completed are removed from the DU2 to which the voice slot and the voice area have already been allocated. .. That is, the voice assigned to the DU2 (a) to which the utterance has been completed waits for the DU2 to which the utterance request has been made to finish the utterance of the DU2 (referred to as a) to which the voice slot and the voice area have already been allocated. Slots and audio areas are allocated. That is, the above-mentioned request processing (FIG. 28) is a processing executed when the override is “off”.

Information that identifies any of the plurality of allocation methods (hereinafter referred to as “allocation method information”) is stored in the storage unit 13 in association with the union information. For example, the conference mode "free talk mode" is associated with the allocation method corresponding to each of the setting contents "off", "on / FIFO", and "on / FIFO" of the setting item "override". The allocation method information is information included in the control information described above. That is, for example, when the setting content "ON / FIFO" is selected in the setting item "override", the conference system S requests the utterance according to the allocation method in which the allocation between the audio slot and the audio area is removed. An audio slot and an audio area are assigned to the existing DU2.

● Setting item "Mic on Trigger"
The microphone-on-trigger is a mode related to a trigger setting for adding a request flag (utterance request) to an operation packet, that is, a method for applying a request flag. The microphone-on-trigger is a setting item "mic-on-trigger (priority setting)" for 2p of a DU with a priority set (hereinafter referred to as "priority setting DU") and a DU without a priority (hereinafter referred to as "priority non-setting DU"). ) Includes the setting item "mic on trigger (priority not set)" for 2n. The microphone-on trigger is a trigger for turning on the microphone 3 attached to the DU 2, and includes the above-mentioned two giving methods of "manual trigger" and "automatic trigger". In the microphone-on-trigger, either "manual trigger" or "automatic trigger" is selected.

Information that identifies any of the plurality of granting methods (hereinafter referred to as “granting method information”) is associated with the union information and stored in the storage unit 13. For example, the conference mode "request talk mode" is associated with the grant method corresponding to the setting content "manual trigger" of the setting item "mic on trigger (priority setting)". The grant method information is information included in the control information described above. The granting method information is stored in the storage unit 13 in association with the allocation method information.

● Conference mode "Free talk mode"
The free talk mode is a conference mode in which the user of the DU 2 to which the voice slot is assigned can freely speak. A voice slot and a voice area are always assigned to the priority setting DU2p. A voice slot and a voice area are assigned to the priority non-setting DU2n according to the selected allocation method. In the free talk mode, the voice slot and the voice area are automatically allocated, so that the situation of refusing the utterance request does not occur. Therefore, the operation terminal 4 is not always necessary in the free talk mode.

The setting item "override" in the free talk mode is selected from one of the three setting contents of "off", "on / FIFO", and "on / FIFO".

The setting item "mic on trigger" in the free talk mode is set individually for each DU2. That is, for example, DU2 in which the manual trigger is selected and DU2 in which the automatic trigger is selected may be mixed.

● Conference mode "Request talk mode"
The request talk mode is a conference mode in which the utterance request of the priority non-setting DU2n is performed by a manual trigger. A voice slot and a voice area are always assigned to the priority setting DU2p. The priority non-setting DU2n is selected to allow or deny the utterance request based on the request from the operation terminal 4.

In the setting item "Override" in the request talk mode, the setting content "Off" cannot be selected. That is, in the request talk mode, one of "on / FIFO" and "on / FIFO" is selected as the override setting content.

In the setting item "mic on trigger" in the request talk mode, only the manual trigger is selected for the setting of the priority non-setting DU2n.

● Conference mode "Full remote mode"
The full remote mode is a conference mode in which it is possible to speak a priority non-set DU2n by operating from the operation terminal 4. In the priority setting DU2p, a voice slot and a voice area are always assigned. In the priority non-setting DU2n, the utterance is permitted based on the request from the operation terminal 4.

In the setting item "Override" in the full remote mode, the setting content "Off" cannot be selected. That is, in the full remote mode, one of "on / FIFO" and "on / FIFO" is selected as the override setting content.

In the setting item "mic on trigger" in the full remote mode, the trigger of the priority non-setting DU2n cannot be set.

● Operation of the conference system based on the conference mode ●
Next, the operation of the conference system based on the conference mode will be described. The conference system S operates based on a method of allocating the audio slot and the audio area of each DU2 and a method of assigning a request flag, which are determined according to the conference mode selected from the plurality of conference modes.

FIG. 41 is a flowchart showing information processing of the conference mode selection (S200).
The conference mode selection (S200) is, for example, between the DU information acquisition process (FIGS. 17 and 18) and the DU setting process (FIGS. 20 and 21) in the information processing executed by the conference system S described above. Will be executed.

First, the operation terminal 4 reads union information from the storage unit 13 of the CU 1 (master CU) connected to the operation terminal 4 by an operation of a system administrator or the like, and stores it in the storage unit 43 (S2001).

Then, the conference mode is selected (S2002). That is, for example, the operation terminal 4 informs the system administrator or the like via the preparation screen described later from the free talk mode (S201), the request talk mode (S202), and the full remote mode (S203). One conference mode is selected based on the above. The control unit 46 of the operation terminal 4 identifies the union information according to the selected conference mode from the plurality of union information stored in the storage unit 43 (S2003). Here, for example, when the conference mode "free talk mode" shown in FIG. 40 is selected, the control unit 46 of the operation terminal 4 is set to "off" by the system administrator or the like as the setting content of the setting item "override" of each DU2. A screen for selecting from "ON / FIFO" and "ON / FIFO" is displayed on the display unit 44. Similarly, the control unit 46 of the operation terminal 4 gives the system administrator or the like a "manual trigger" as the setting contents of the setting items "mic-on trigger (priority setting)" and "mic-on trigger (priority not set)" of each DU2. The display unit 44 displays the screen to be selected from the "automatic trigger". By operating the screen displayed on the display unit 44, the method of allocating the voice slot and the voice area for each DU 2 and the method of assigning the request flag are determined. The communication unit 41 of the operation terminal 4 transmits the determined allocation method of the voice slot and the voice area for each DU2 and the request flag assignment method to the CU1 as the specified union information (S2004). The CU 1 stores the union information received from the operation terminal 4 as unit setting information for each DU 2 in the storage unit 13 (for the DU 2 in which the unit setting information is already stored, the unit setting information stored in the storage unit 13). Is updated). The CU 1 executes the above-mentioned DU setting process (FIGS. 20 and 21) based on the updated unit setting information, and changes the unit setting for each DU 2. As a result, the conference system S operates based on the selected conference mode.

● In the conference mode “free talk mode” As described above, the DU2 makes an utterance request based on the individually set microphone-on trigger.

FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing information processing of CU1 in the free talk mode.
First, the control unit 16 of the CU 1 waits for an utterance request from the DU 2 (“No” in S2011). When there is an utterance request from the DU2 (“Yes” in S2011), the control unit 16 of the CU1 confirms whether the DU2 that made the utterance request is the priority setting DU2p or the priority non-setting DU2n (S2012).

When the DU2 that made the utterance request is the priority setting DU2p (“Yes” in S2012), the control unit 16 of the CU1 allocates a default voice slot and a voice area to the priority setting DU2p (S2013).

When the DU2 that made the utterance request is the priority non-set DU2n (“No” in S2012), the control unit 16 of the CU1 confirms the vacancy between the voice slot and the voice area (S2014).

When there is a vacancy in the audio slot and the audio area (“Yes” in S2014), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 allocates the vacant audio slot and the audio area to the priority non-setting DU2n (S2015).

When there is no space between the audio slot and the audio area (“No” in S2014), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 confirms the override setting contents of the priority non-setting DU2n (S2016).

When the override setting content is "on" ("Yes" in S2016), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 sets the audio slot and the audio area to the priority non-setting DU2n according to the setting content of either FIFO or FIFO. Forcibly assign (override) (S2017).

When the override setting content is “off” (“No” in S2016), the control unit 16 of the CU1 again checks the availability of the audio slot and the audio area (S2014). At this time, the priority non-setting DU2n is in the utterance waiting state (request waiting state) until the voice slot and the voice area are vacant.

● In the conference mode “request talk mode” As described above, in the request talk mode, the microphone-on trigger of the priority non-setting DU2n is set to the manual mode in advance. The microphone on trigger of the priority setting DU2p is set in advance to either the automatic mode or the manual mode.

FIG. 43 is a flowchart showing information processing of the CU 1 in the request talk mode.
The control unit 16 of the CU 1 waits for an utterance request from the DU 2 (“No” in S2021). When there is an utterance request from the DU2 (“Yes” in S2021), the control unit 16 of the CU1 confirms whether the DU2 that made the utterance request is the priority setting DU2p or the priority non-setting DU2n (S2022).

When the DU2 that made the utterance request is the priority setting DU2p (“Yes” in S2022), the control unit 16 of the CU1 allocates a default voice slot and a voice area to the priority setting DU2p (S2023).

When the DU2 that made the utterance request is the non-priority setting DU2n (“No” in S2022), the control unit 16 of the CU1 lists the non-priority setting DU2n in the utterance request list (S2024). The utterance request list is, for example, a table in which DU2s that have made utterance requests are arranged in the order of request.

The priority non-setting DU2n listed in the utterance request list is in the request waiting state until either the permission or the denial of the utterance request is selected. The permission and denial of the utterance request are selected, for example, by the operation of the operation terminal 4 such as the chairperson.

When the permission of the utterance request is selected (“Yes” in S2025), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 sets the voice slot and the voice area in the priority non-setting DU2n according to the setting contents of either the FIFO or the FIFO. Forcibly allocate (S2026). At this time, the control unit 16 of the CU 1 deletes the priority non-setting DU2n for which the utterance request is permitted from the utterance request list (S2027).

When the utterance request is rejected (“No” in S2025), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 deletes the priority non-setting DU2n from the utterance request list (S2028).

● In the conference mode “Full remote mode” As described above, in the full remote mode, nothing is set (off) for the microphone on trigger of the priority non-set DU2n. That is, the priority non-setting DU2n cannot make an utterance request. The microphone on trigger of the priority setting DU2p is set in advance to either the automatic mode or the manual mode.

FIG. 44 is a flowchart showing information processing of CU1 in the full remote mode.
First, the control unit 16 of the CU 1 waits for either a utterance request from the DU 2 or a request from the operation terminal 4 (“No” in S2031). When there is a request (“Yes” in S2031), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 confirms whether the request is an utterance request from the DU 2 or a request from the operation terminal 4 (S2032). As described above, the utterance request is made only by the priority setting DU2p. The request from the operation terminal 4 is made to the priority non-setting DU2n.

When the request is an utterance request (“utterance request” in S2032), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 allocates a default voice slot and a voice area to the priority setting DU2p that made the utterance request (S2033).

When the request is a request from the operation terminal 4 (“terminal operation” in S2032), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 confirms the availability of the voice slot and the voice area (S2034).

When the voice slot is empty (“Yes” in S2034), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 allocates the free voice slot and the voice area to the priority non-setting DU2n for which the operation terminal 4 is requested to speak (S2035). ).

When there is no space between the audio slot and the audio area (“No” in S2034), the control unit 16 of the CU 1 sets the audio slot and the audio area in the non-priority setting DU2n according to the setting content of either the FIFO or the FIFO. And are forcibly assigned (S2036).

● Summary of Conference Modes As described above, the conference system S includes a plurality of selectable conference modes in which the settings of the microphone-on-trigger mode and the override mode are combined. Therefore, for example, an employee of the general affairs department who prepares the operation setting of the conference system S immediately before the start of the conference can easily select the optimum conference mode from the plurality of conference modes. It is possible to prepare for the operation setting of the conference system S.

● Input screen of operation terminal ●
Various control information for controlling the operation of the conference system S is input via an input screen displayed on the display unit 44 of the operation terminal 4, and is stored in the storage unit 13 of the CU 1. The input screen is a screen used by a system administrator or the like when inputting or changing control information. That is, for example, the input screen is a screen for inputting the settings of CU1 and DU2. As described above, the control information includes, for example, information regarding the system setting of the conference system S, information regarding the priority, an utterance request list, and the like. The control unit 46 of the operation terminal 4 reads the control information corresponding to the input screen from the storage unit 13 of the CU 1 and displays it on the display unit 44.

The input screens are, for example, a conference system initial setting screen (hereinafter referred to as "initial screen"), a conference preparation screen (hereinafter referred to as "preparation screen"), a conference progress screen (hereinafter referred to as "progress screen"), and the like. including. The control unit 46 of the operation terminal 4 selects the input screen of 1 based on a predetermined condition described later. That is, for example, the control unit 46 determines whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied, and based on the result of the determination, the input screen displayed on the display unit 44 is divided into an initial screen, a preparation screen, and a progress screen. Select from. Predetermined conditions are, for example, the state of physical / communication connection between CU1 and DU2 (presence / absence of connection, etc.), completion of setting of a specific item, occurrence of an abnormality in the connection state of DU2, and specific DU ( For example, the connection status of an interpreter unit, etc.). That is, for example, the control unit 46 determines whether or not specific control information among the plurality of control information is stored in the storage unit 13 of the CU 1, and whether or not the DU 2 is connected to the unit connection unit 12b. The result of the determination, the result of the determination as to whether or not a specific DU2 out of a plurality of DU2s is connected to the unit connection portion 12b, and the connection abnormality of the DU2 connected to the unit connection portion 12b occur. The input screen displayed on the display unit 44 is selected based on the result of the determination as to whether or not the image is displayed.

FIG. 45 is a schematic view showing a selection screen of an input screen displayed on the display unit 44 of the operation terminal 4 included in the conference system S.
In the figure, selectable items are indicated by solid lines, and non-selectable items are indicated by broken lines.

When the conference system S is activated, a selection screen is displayed on the display unit 44 of the operation terminal 4. The selection screen is, for example, a screen in which a system administrator or a person who prepares for the operation setting of the conference system S selects one of the initial screen, the preparation screen, and the progress screen. ..

The input screen that can be selected and displayed on the selection screen changes according to, for example, the communication state between the CU 1 and the DU 2. That is, for example, when the CU1 and DU2 is impossible communication, of the input screen displayed on the selection screen, only the initial screen can be selected. The inability to communicate between CU1 and DU2 means, for example, a state in which DU2 is not connected to CU1. When the CU1 and the DU2 can communicate with each other, the preparation screen and the progress screen can be selected from the input screens displayed on the selection screen. Communicatable between CU1 and DU2 means, for example, a state in which DU2 is connected to CU1. The input screen that can be selected and displayed on the selection screen is determined by the control unit 46 of the operation terminal 4. In this way, by changing the selectable input screen according to a predetermined condition, it becomes easy for the person who inputs the information to select the input screen, and various settings based on the predetermined condition are made. Therefore, erroneous operations and erroneous inputs such as inconsistencies between the set contents can be reduced.

In the selection screen of the present embodiment, the input screen that can be selected may change depending on, for example, the authentication information input to the login screen.

Further, the selection screen may display, for example, a screen in which information regarding the priority setting is input when the CU 1 and the plurality of DUs 2 can communicate with each other.

Further, the selection screen may display, for example, a screen in which communication information is input to the initial screen when the CU 1 and the plurality of DUs 2 cannot communicate with each other.

Furthermore, the selection screen may be a mode in which, for example, when a DU corresponding to a specific use such as an interpreter unit is connected to the CU 1, a screen in which information regarding settings corresponding to the specific use is input is displayed.

Furthermore, the input screen that can be selected on the selection screen is not limited to the present embodiment. That is, for example, the input screen that can be selected on the selection screen may include another input screen such as a maintenance screen.

● Initial screen FIG. 46 is a schematic diagram of the initial screen.
The initial screen is, for example, a screen in which the system administrator inputs / changes the settings of the conference system S. The information displayed on the initial screen is related to information related to the system settings of the conference system S, for example, communication information used by CU1 such as a subnet mask to identify DU2 (for communication between CU1 and DU2), and firmware. Information for initial setting of the conference system S such as information and terminal setting information of CU1.

When the input of information is completed on the initial screen, CU1 and DU2 can communicate with each other. When the input of information is completed on the initial screen, the preparation screen and the progress screen can be selected on the selection screen.

● Preparation screen FIG. 47 is a schematic diagram of the preparation screen.
The preparation screen is, for example, a screen in which a person who prepares for the operation setting of the conference system S inputs the setting of each DU2. The information displayed on the preparation screen is unit setting information of each DU2, for example, information on priority setting, information on microphone-on-trigger setting, notification information such as emission color of light emitting unit 28 of DU2, and the like. This information is displayed in the preparation screen in association with the relative ID of DU2, for example.

The unit setting information displayed on the preparation screen, for example, the unit setting information of the DU2 connected to the CU1 in the past, is the information stored in the unit setting information DB. On the other hand, the unit setting information of the DU2 newly connected to the CU1 is the factory setting (initial value) of the DU2 as described above.

FIG. 48 is a schematic view of a preparation screen after inputting information.
In the figure, the information newly input from the preparation screen shown in FIG. 47 is underlined.

● Progress screen FIG. 49 is a schematic diagram of the progress screen.
The progress screen is a screen in which, for example, a person who advances the meeting, such as the chairman, inputs information for controlling the operation of each DU2. The information displayed on the progress screen is information related to the control of each DU2, such as an utterance request list and information related to the conference mode.

The progress screen is used, for example, by the chair when the request talk mode or the full remote mode of the conference mode described above is selected. For example, the operation terminal 4 displays the utterance request list on the progress screen and allows the chairperson to select permission or denial for the utterance request on the progress screen.

● Summary of Input Screens As described above, in the conference system S, the input screen 1 is selected by the control unit 46 of the operation terminal 4 based on a predetermined condition. Therefore, the conference system S avoids inconsistencies between the input setting contents. That is, the conference system according to the present embodiment realizes reliable setting work with a simple configuration.

Each input screen in the present invention may have a different GUI (Graphic User Interface) display mode depending on the items displayed on the screen. That is, for example, in the conference system S, the initial screen may be displayed in an accordion format, the preparation screen may be displayed in a wizard format, and the progress screen may be displayed in a tab format.

Further, in each input screen in the present invention, the items displayed on the display unit 44 may be different depending on the authority of the person who operates the operation terminal 4. As a result, input or change of information different from the authority of the person who operates the operation terminal 4 is prevented.

● Summary According to the embodiment described above, the conference system S periodically transmits a packet including a counter flag from the CU1 to the DU2, and stores the information stored in the database in which the relative ID and the absolute ID are associated with each other. Update. In the conference system S, even if a connection error occurs in DU2 and the relative ID is changed, the association between the relative ID and the absolute ID is updated. Therefore, information such as voice information before and after the change in the connection state of DU2 is performed. There is no discrepancy. That is, the conference system according to the present invention can reliably manage the connection state of the CU and the DU2, and can continuously acquire information from the DU when a connection abnormality occurs.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the conference system S automatically changes the priority setting when there is a connection or disconnection between the CU1s. Therefore, in the conference system according to the present invention, the above-mentioned contradiction state does not occur. Further, the conference system according to the present invention does not require the system administrator to set the priority according to the connection state between the CUs. Therefore, the conference system according to the present invention reduces the burden of resetting the priority of the system administrator.

Further, according to the embodiment described above, the conference system S takes in the utterance request from the DU2 by processing a periodic request flag, and causes the CU1 to transmit a command according to the free space between the voice slot and the voice area. .. That is, the conference system S does not send a command from DU2 to CU1 each time an utterance request is made. Therefore, the conference system according to the present invention does not receive an excessive load of information processing even if there are utterance requests from a plurality of DUs at one time. As a result, the conference system S according to the present invention does not require higher processing power than a system in which the DU receives a command from the CU each time an utterance request is made.

Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, the DU2 that has made the utterance request automatically enters the request waiting state when there is no space between the voice slot and the voice area. Therefore, the conference system according to the present invention does not need to respond to all utterance requests on the software, and the load of information processing on the software is reduced.

Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, in the conference system S, the input screen of 1 is selected by the control unit 46 of the operation terminal 4 based on a predetermined condition. Therefore, the conference system according to the present invention can avoid a contradiction between the contents set by the person who inputs the information. That is, the conference system according to the present invention realizes reliable setting work with a simple configuration.

Furthermore, according to the embodiment described above, the conference system S selects a conference mode in which the override and the microphone-on trigger are associated with each other, thereby performing an allocation method of the audio slot and the audio area of each DU2. Set the request flag assignment method. Therefore, for example, even if the person does not require specialized knowledge such as an operator, the conference system S can be easily selected from a plurality of conference modes by appropriately selecting the optimum conference mode from the contents of the conference and the composition of participants. You can prepare the operation settings. That is, the conference system according to the present invention is excellent in convenience of setting work.

● Summary of the conference system according to the present invention ●
The features of the conference system according to the present invention described above are summarized below.

(Feature 1)
Multiple control units (CU),
Have
Of the plurality of control units, one control unit is a master control unit and the other control unit is a slave control unit.
The master control unit repeatedly sends and receives CU connection status confirmation packets to and from the slave control unit.
The CU connection state confirmation packet includes a CU counter flag used for counting the number of the slave control units.
The master control unit
With the MCU communication unit (communication unit 11),
MCU storage unit (storage unit 13) and
MCU control unit (control unit 16) and
With
The slave control unit
SCU control unit (control unit 16) and
SCU communication unit (communication unit 11) and
With
The MCU control unit resets the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet transmitted to the slave control unit.
The MCU communication unit transmits the CU connection status confirmation packet to the slave control unit.
The SCU control unit increments the count value of the CU counter flag.
The SCU communication unit transmits the CU connection state confirmation packet including the CU counter flag whose count value is incremented to the master control unit.
The MCU storage unit stores the count value of the CU counter flag the master control unit is included in the CU connection status confirmation packet received from the slave control unit,
In the MCU control unit, each time the master control unit receives the CU connection status confirmation packet from the slave control unit, the count value stored in the MCU storage unit and the master control unit control the slave. The count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection status confirmation packet received from the unit is compared with the count value.
A conference system that features that.

(Feature 2)
The MCU control unit includes the count value stored in the MCU storage unit and the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. , Are not matched, the count value stored in the MCU storage unit is updated with the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection status confirmation packet.
The conference system described in Feature 1.

(Feature 3)
Multiple discussion units,
With
Each of the plurality of discussion units is connected to the control unit of any one of the plurality of control units via a communication line.
Of the plurality of discussion units, some of the discussion units are controlled so that they can speak.
The MCU storage unit stores the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit, and stores the priority authority.
The MCU control unit includes the count value stored in the MCU storage unit and the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. , Updates the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit connected to the master control unit stored in the MCU storage unit.
The conference system described in Feature 2.

(Feature 4)
The plurality of control units repeatedly send and receive operation packets to and from the plurality of discussion units.
The operational packet contains a DU counter flag used to count the number of discussion units.
The conference system described in Feature 3.

(Feature 5)
In the MCU control unit, the count value stored in the MCU storage unit is based on the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. When is also large, the priority of some of the priority privileges of each talkable discussion unit connected to the master control unit stored in the MCU storage unit is raised.
The conference system described in Feature 3.

(Feature 6)
In the MCU control unit, the count value stored in the MCU storage unit is based on the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. When is also small, the priority of some of the priority privileges for each talkable discussion unit connected to the master control unit stored in the MCU storage unit is lowered.
The conference system described in Feature 3.

(Feature 7)
Multiple discussion units,
With
Each of the plurality of discussion units is connected to the control unit of any one of the plurality of control units via a communication line.
Of the plurality of discussion units, some of the discussion units are controlled so that they can speak.
The MCU storage unit stores the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit.
The MCU control unit includes the count value stored in the MCU storage unit and the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. When, is inconsistent, the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit stored in the MCU storage unit is updated.
The conference system described in Feature 2.

(Feature 8)
The update of the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit is more than the update of the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit connected to the master control unit, the talkable discussion connected to the slave control unit. Prioritize the update of the priority authority for each unit,
The conference system described in Feature 7.

(Feature 9)
The slave control unit includes an SCU storage unit.
The SCU storage unit stores the priority rights for each of the utterable discussion unit to be connected to the slave control unit,
The SCU control unit updates the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit connected to the slave control unit in conjunction with the update of the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit.
The conference system described in Feature 8.

(Feature 10)
Multiple discussion units,
With
Each of the plurality of discussion units is connected to the control unit of any one of the plurality of control units via a communication line.
Of the plurality of discussion units, some of the discussion units are controlled so that they can speak.
The MCU control unit compares the number of discussion units that can speak with the maximum number of speaker settings set in the master control unit, and the number of discussion units that can speak is set to the maximum speaker. When the number is greater than or equal to the number, the number of talkable discussion units is changed so that the number of talkable discussion units becomes smaller than the maximum speaker setting number.
The conference system described in Feature 2.

(Feature 11)
The change in the number of talkable discussion units is performed from the talkable discussion unit connected to the slave control unit.
The conference system according to feature 10.

S Conference System 1 Control Unit (CU)
2 Discussion unit (DU)
3 Microphone 4 Operation terminal 11 Communication unit 12 Connection unit 13 Storage unit 14 Display unit 15 Operation unit 16 Control unit 20 Housing 21 Communication unit 22 Connection unit 23 Storage unit 24 Display unit 25 Operation unit 26 Control unit 27 Speaker 28 Light emitting unit 28a 1st light emitting unit 28b 2nd light emitting unit

Claims (10)

With multiple control units
With multiple discussion units
Have
Each of the plurality of discussion units is connected to the control unit of any one of the plurality of control units via a communication line.
Of the plurality of discussion units, some of the discussion units are controlled so that they can speak.
Of the plurality of control units, one control unit is a master control unit and the other control unit is a slave control unit.
The master control unit repeatedly sends and receives CU connection status confirmation packets to and from the slave control unit.
The CU connection state confirmation packet includes a CU counter flag used for counting the number of the slave control units.
The master control unit
With the MCU communication department
MCU storage and
MCU control unit and
With
The slave control unit
SCU control unit and
With SCU communication department
With
The MCU control unit resets the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet transmitted to the slave control unit.
The MCU communication unit transmits the CU connection status confirmation packet to the slave control unit.
The SCU control unit increments the count value of the CU counter flag.
The SCU communication unit transmits the CU connection state confirmation packet including the CU counter flag whose count value is incremented to the master control unit.
The MCU memory unit, said count value of the CU counter flag the master control unit is included in the CU connection status confirmation packet received from the slave control unit, a priority rights for each of the utterable discussion units, the Remember,
The MCU control unit
Each time the master control unit receives the CU connection status confirmation packet from the slave control unit, the count value stored in the MCU storage unit and the CU received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. Compare with the count value of the CU counter flag included in the connection status confirmation packet,
When the count value stored in the MCU storage unit and the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit do not match. The priority authority for each talkable discussion unit stored in the MCU storage unit is updated.
A conference system that features that. The MCU control unit includes the count value stored in the MCU storage unit and the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. , Are not matched, the count value stored in the MCU storage unit is updated with the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection status confirmation packet.
The conference system according to claim 1. Of the plurality of discussion units, some discussion units are connected to the master control unit, and the remaining discussion units are connected to the slave control unit.
The MCU control unit includes the count value stored in the MCU storage unit and the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. , Updates the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit connected to the master control unit stored in the MCU storage unit.
The conference system according to claim 1. The plurality of control units repeatedly send and receive operation packets to and from the plurality of discussion units.
The operational packet contains a DU counter flag used to count the number of discussion units.
The conference system according to claim 3. In the MCU control unit, the count value stored in the MCU storage unit is based on the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. When is also large, the priority of some of the priority privileges of each talkable discussion unit connected to the master control unit stored in the MCU storage unit is raised.
The conference system according to claim 3. In the MCU control unit, the count value stored in the MCU storage unit is based on the count value of the CU counter flag included in the CU connection state confirmation packet received by the master control unit from the slave control unit. When is also small, the priority of some of the priority privileges for each talkable discussion unit connected to the master control unit stored in the MCU storage unit is lowered.
The conference system according to claim 3. The update of the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit is more than the update of the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit connected to the master control unit, the talkable discussion connected to the slave control unit. Prioritize the update of the priority authority for each unit,
The conference system according to claim 1. The slave control unit includes an SCU storage unit.
The SCU storage unit stores the priority rights for each of the utterable discussion unit to be connected to the slave control unit,
The SCU control unit updates the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit connected to the slave control unit in conjunction with the update of the priority authority for each talkable discussion unit.
The conference system according to claim 7. The MCU control unit compares the number of discussion units that can speak with the maximum number of speaker settings set in the master control unit, and the number of discussion units that can speak is set to the maximum speaker. When the number is greater than or equal to the number, the number of talkable discussion units is changed so that the number of talkable discussion units becomes smaller than the maximum speaker setting number.
The conference system according to claim 2. The change in the number of talkable discussion units is performed from the talkable discussion unit connected to the slave control unit.
The conference system according to claim 9.

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