JPH02228158A - Video conference equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable a user to speak with a specific person without troubling an originating subscriber and the other terminals while attending at a conference by performing the local communication of private speaking between designated terminals. CONSTITUTION:A multiple signal sent from each terminal is separated to an input audio signal, an input picture signal, and an audio control signal with signal segmenting parts 18 to 21, and they are inputted to a control signal processing part 30. The terminal which desires the audio local communication and an opposite party are recognized, and information of them is sent to an audio channel control part 31 and a voice level detecting part 23. By the instruction of the control part 31, the voice from the terminal which designates the local communication is transmitted to only the designated terminal, and the voice from the latter terminal is transmitted to only the former, and the voice from the other terminals is transmitted to the former and simultaneously the voice from other terminals is transmitted, as well. Thus, a video conference equipment is obtained where the user can speak with a specific person in private without troubling the other persons while listening to speaker's opinions at time of the attending the conference.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a video conferencing device, and particularly to a video conferencing device that enables confidential voice local communication between desired terminals among a plurality of video conferencing terminals without disturbing other terminals. This invention relates to a video teleconferencing device that enables video teleconferencing.

[Prior Art] FIG. 5 shows a conventional video conference communication controller disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 60-43954.

In FIG. 5, two-way digital transmission lines (6), (7), (8) and (9) led from each video conference terminal are connected to respective signal separation sections (18), (19), and (20). ,(2
1), and the signals multiplexed from each terminal are sent to each signal dividing section (18), (19), (20), (21).
), the audio signal is divided into an audio signal and an image signal.
Audio level detection unit (23) via input signal line (22)
The image signal is input to the audio synthesis section (33), and the image signal is transmitted to the image communication path section (27) via the input image signal line (26).

Then, the audio level detection section (23) detects which terminal has the highest level of audio, and the value is transmitted to the video control section (32).
2) instructs the image communication path unit (27) to output the image of the terminal with the highest level, that is, the terminal where the speaker is located. In response to this command, the image communication path section (27) outputs the image signal! A signal is emitted through the audio signal line (25) at the signal separation units (18), (19), (20), and (21), and is output from the audio synthesis unit (33) through the output audio signal line (25). It is multiplexed with the received signal and sent to each terminal.

In the conventional device having such a configuration, multiplexed signals sent from each terminal are passed through signal separation sections (18) and (19), respectively.
), (20), and (21), where they are separated into an input audio signal and an input image signal.

The input audio signal passes through each input audio signal line (22) and is passed through the audio level detection section (23) and the audio synthesis section (33).
) is entered. The audio synthesis section (33) controls the input audio signal (r4-1) to perform audio addition synthesis, passes through the output audio signal line (25) as an output audio signal, and outputs the signal to the signal separation section (r4-1).
18), (19), (20), and (21).

In addition, the audio level detection section (23) detects changes in the level of the input audio signal, and detects the input audio signal line with the highest level (
22) and transfers information indicating from which signal segmentation section the audio is input to the video control section (32). In other words, there is a speaker at the terminal that is outputting the highest level of input audio, and information indicating which terminal is the speaker is transferred to the video control unit (32). The video control unit (32) uses the information and the current image communication path unit (27).
) and if there is no change, nothing is done, but
If there is a change, the output image signal of the terminal other than the terminal (the speaker is present) with the maximum audio level in the image communication path section (27) is set as the input image signal of the terminal with the maximum audio level. to notify you.

Each of the human image signals passes through an input image signal line (26) and enters an image communication path section (27). Image communication path section (27)
Now, according to the instructions from the video control unit (32), the output image signal is determined from among the input image signals (the image of the terminal with the speaker is sent to the terminal other than the terminal with the speaker, and the image of the terminal with the speaker is sent to the terminal with the speaker). The displayed image is set as the output image.), and the output image signal a (2g) is passed through the signal separation section (1
8) Output to (19), (20), and (21). The signal separation sections (18), (19), (20), and (21) multiplex the output image signal and the output audio signal and send them to each terminal.

Therefore, the display image of each terminal always reflects the image sent from the terminal where the speaker is present, and the output sound of each terminal is obtained by combining the sounds of all the terminals.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] Conventional video conferencing devices are configured as described above, so that each video conference terminal unconditionally outputs the audio from all terminals other than its own. There is a problem in that it is not possible to have a conversation between a specific conference participating point and another conference point during one conference period.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a video conference device that allows voice communication between arbitrary terminals without the knowledge of other terminals.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A video conference device according to the present invention includes a plurality of video conference terminals provided with a controller that selects a terminal desiring local audio communication using a voice control signal, and a video conference communication controller. the video conference communication controller includes a control signal processing unit that receives a voice control signal from the video conference terminal, recognizes mutual terminals desiring voice local communication, and outputs terminal information; Based on the information from this control signal processing unit, a voice call is made in which the audio between the terminals that have specified audio local communication is not sent to other terminals, and the audio from the other terminal is heard by the re-designated terminal. and a road control section.

In other words, based on the voice control signal sent from any terminal, confidential voice local communication is possible only between the designated terminals, and during that time, both terminals can communicate with each other from all other terminals. This allows you to hear audio.

[Operation] According to the present invention, each terminal has a built-in controller that can send a voice control signal requesting voice local communication, and when a voice control signal is issued from any terminal, the television according to the present invention In the conference communication controller, the control signal processing unit determines which terminals will perform audio local communication, and based on that information, audio from all terminals other than the own terminal is sent to those terminals, and the other terminals are Audio from a terminal that is not performing local audio communication (excluding the own terminal's audio) is sent to the terminal.

As a result, terminals performing local voice communication can communicate confidentially with each other, and during this time audio can be heard from all other terminals, resulting in a conference similar to that held in a hall. becomes.

[Example] Next, a more detailed explanation will be given based on an example of the present invention shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of a video conference device according to the present invention, in which a video conference communication controller (1) includes four video conference terminals (2), (3), (4), and (5). , are shown connected via bidirectional digital transmission lines (6), (7), (8), and (9).

Each video conference terminal (2), (3), (4), (5) is
As shown in FIG. 2, there is an interface unit (10) that controls the transmission and reception of signals, a signal processing unit (11) that performs multiplexing processing of video, audio, control signals, etc., and a microphone (12) that inputs audio. ), a speaker (13) that outputs audio,
A camera (14) for inputting images, a display (15) for outputting images, and a controller (16) for instructing the other party with whom local communication is desired.
The sound output from the speaker (13) is sent to the microphone (12)
The device is equipped with an echo canceller (17) and the like to prevent echo phenomena caused by input signals.

FIG. 3 shows a video conference communication controller (1) according to the present invention.
) is a diagram showing an example of the configuration.

In the figure, each video conference terminal (2), (3), (4)
, (5) are bidirectional digital transmission lines (6), (7), (
8), each signal cutting section (18) connected via (9)
, (19), (20), (21) input audio signal lines (2
2) includes a voice level detection section (23) and a voice communication path section (23).
4) is connected to. Similarly, the output audio signal line (25
) connects the input image signal line (
26) connects the output image signal line (2
8) is connected to the output of the image communication path section (27), and the audio control signal line (29) is connected to the control signal processing section (30).

In addition, a voice communication path section (24) and a control signal processing section (30)
An audio communication channel control section (31) that interconnects the audio communication channel section (31), and a video control section (32) that interconnects the audio level detection section (23) and the image communication channel section (27) are provided.

Next, the operation will be explained. In FIG. 1, the video conference terminal (2) has its camera (14), microphone (12),
The image signal, audio signal, and audio control signal output from the controller (16) are sent to the video conference communication controller (1) via the bidirectional digital transmission path (6). Then, the video conference communication controller (1) connects the video conference terminals (2), (3), (4), and (5) with bidirectional digital transmission paths (6), (7), (8), and (9). ) from each terminal via the input image signal line (26) to the image communication path unit (2
Among the image signals collected in 7), the audio level detection unit (23
) with the highest audio level detected by the video conference terminal (2
) is transmitted to all the video conference terminals (2), (3), (4), and (5) via the output image signal II (28). .

The voice signal obtained by the voice communication path section (24) is normally (
N-1) With audio addition, each terminal transmits the audio from all terminals other than itself in a synthesized form, but it is not possible to send audio only to a specific terminal according to instructions from the terminal. , it also has a function that allows you to prevent the audio of a specified terminal from being sent to terminals other than the specified terminal.

The signals sent out as multiplexed signals from each terminal (2), (3), (4), and (5) are sent to a signal separating section (18), respectively.
According to (19), (20), and (21), the input audio signal,
Divided into input image signal and audio control signal. The voice control signal passes through the voice control signal line (29) to the control signal processing section (3
Enter 0).

Here, the terminal desiring local voice communication and the other terminal are recognized, and information indicating which of these terminals are is sent to the voice communication path control section (31) and the voice level detection section (23). Send. The voice communication path control unit (31) transmits the voice of a terminal that has specified voice local communication only to the specified terminal, and prevents the voice of the specified terminal from being transmitted to other terminals other than the specified terminal. The two terminals that do so simultaneously send a command instructing them to listen to the audio from other terminals, and if no terminal specifies audio local communication, the audio from all terminals (N-
1) Synthesize using the audio addition method.

In other words, it sends out a command to make sounds from all terminals other than itself heard in a synthesized form. Based on the command, the voice communication path section (24) connects each input voice signal line (
22), and performs control such as synthesis or selection on the input audio signal, and outputs the signal as an output audio signal via each output signal line (25) to the signal separating section (18), (19),
It is sent to (20) and (21).

FIGS. 4a and 4b show examples of audio output situations at actual terminals. FIG. 4a shows the case of a regular conference, in which the audio from all terminals except the own terminal is output from each terminal. Figure 4 shows the case where voice local communication is performed between terminals (2) and (4), and terminal (
In 2) and (4), the voices of all terminals except the own terminal are output.

Terminal (3) outputs the audio of terminal (5), and terminal (5) outputs the audio of terminal (3). In this way, the audio of the terminal performing local audio communication is not output to other terminals, and the terminal performing local audio communication outputs all audio except for its own terminal.

In the audio level detection section (23), the input audio signal line (22
) Out of the input audio signals input through the control signal processing unit (30), the input audio signals of the selected terminals (terminals that perform audio local communication) are Detects the audio level in the excluded audio signal,
The audio from the input audio signal line with the highest audio level is detected, and information indicating which signal separation section the input signal came from is transferred to the video control section (32).

That is, there is a speaker in the terminal that is outputting the highest level input audio, and information indicating which terminal has the speaker is transferred to the video control unit (32).

The video control unit (32) that has received this information outputs the output image signals of the terminals or all terminals other than the terminal with the highest audio level (where the speaker is present), or the output image signal of the terminal with the highest audio level where the speaker is present. The image communication path section (
27).

The input image signal from each terminal is connected to the input image signal line (16)
and enters the image communication path section (27). Image communication path section (2
In step 7), the output image signal is determined from among the input image signals according to the instructions from the video control unit (32) (the image of the terminal with the speaker is displayed on the terminal other than the terminal with the speaker, and the image of the terminal with the speaker is displayed on the terminal with the speaker). The previously selected image or the image (monitor) of the terminal where the speaker is located is used as the output image.
Output to (19), (20), and (21).

The signal separation sections (18), (19), (20), and (21) multiplex the output image signal and the output audio signal and send them to each terminal.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, this invention has a structure that allows local voice communication with other people while listening to the opinions of the speaker during the meeting, so that the speaker and terminals unrelated to local communication can This has the effect of allowing confidential voice communications to be made while attending a meeting without bothering other people.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration block diagram showing the connection between a video conference terminal and a video conference communication controller according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram showing an example of the video conference terminal according to the present invention, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the video conference communication control I'5 according to the present invention, FIG. 4a and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a video conference communication controller of a conventional video conference device. In the figure, (1) is a video conference communication controller, (2),
(3), (4), and (5) are video conference terminals, (
6), (7), (8), and (9) are bidirectional digital transmission lines, respectively, (10) is an interface section, and (11)
is a signal processing unit, (12) is a microphone, (13) is a speaker, (14) is a camera, (15) is a display, (16)
) is the controller, (17) is the echo canceller, (1
8), (19), (20), and (21) are each a signal separation section, (22) is a human signal line, (23) is a voice level detection section, (24) is a voice communication path section, and (25) is the output audio signal line, (26) is the output image signal line, (27) is the image communication path section, (28) is the output image signal line, (29) is the audio control signal line, and (30) is the control signal processing section. , (31) is an audio communication path control section, (32) is a video control section, and (33) is an audio synthesis section. In addition, in the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts. Agent: Patent attorney Masuo Oiwa (2 others)
+ SuΦzui: Achieki r Deaf 111U Figure 1 Inertia Army a Figure I! Figure 2 Regular results I f' Shinzu Hayashi Local Figure 4 b? 247')j(iiiIIIIf!jj!rifovri(E
Diagram

Claims (1)

[Claims] The video conference communication controller includes a plurality of video conference terminals provided with a controller that selects a terminal desiring audio local communication using a voice control signal, and a video conference communication controller, and the video conference communication controller is configured to control the audio from the video conference terminals. A control signal processing unit that receives a control signal, recognizes mutual terminals that wish to perform local voice communication, and outputs the terminal information; and a terminal that specifies local voice communication based on the information from this control signal processing unit. A video conference device includes an audio communication path control unit that instructs both designated terminals to hear mutual audio so that the audio from the other terminal is not transmitted to other terminals.