JPH0622310A - Communication conference system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently handle a moving picture through the use of moving picture channel and voice channel transmission line by coupling a video telephone set and a voice data communication terminal equipment only at the necessary time and sending a proper control instruction from the communication terminal equipment to the telephone set. CONSTITUTION:Voice and data are transferred by using a different channels respectively. When a portrait moving picture of an opposite party is required during communication. A voice data communication terminal equipment II sends a control instruction to a relevant section so as to be connected to a video telephone set 1 in use through a line III connected via an interface. The connection control instruction includes the number of the video telephone set of an opposite party usually. Thus, video telephone sets are connected so as not to set up a voice channel. The voice signal is exchanged at the voice data communication terminal equipment and it is not required to connect and use newly the video telephone set. Thus, a transmission line with a large capacity is allocated for the transfer of moving picture information by providing the voice channel.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication conference system, and more particularly to a communication conference system in which a videophone device and a voice data communication terminal which are independent of each other are effectively combined.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, with the development of digital networks such as ISDN, terminals capable of simultaneously transmitting and receiving a plurality of media have been emerging. One example of such a terminal is ISDN 1
Using the B channel of the book, at the same time while transmitting the document image data to the other terminal and displaying it on the display device while talking in voice, by transmitting handwritten information etc., the conference can be performed while adding or correcting. There is voice data communication to proceed. In addition, as another example, a videophone device is becoming widespread in which ISDN is used to transmit and receive moving image information together with voice to allow a conversation while looking at a person's image of the other party. Furthermore, a video conference system capable of handling voice, moving images, and information other than moving images with one device has been put into practical use.
This is to realize the distribution of materials at the same time by confirming the other person's facial expression on the display and transferring data while talking in voice.

[0003]

The above-mentioned video conference can be realized by using independent video telephones and voice data communication terminals, but in this case, both the video telephone device and the voice data communication terminals can output voice. Since it has a function of transmitting and receiving, it is wasteful that duplicate voices are transmitted and received.
In addition, the operator has to operate both independent devices, which is troublesome. Also, in a video conference system that has both functions configured as one device from the beginning, use the video telephone function and the voice data communication terminal function as independent devices, for example, for different purposes for different parties at the same time. There is a problem that it cannot be used and that the cost is high because both functions are built in.

When the above-mentioned video conference is realized by using independent video telephones and voice data communication terminals, since the voice portions are duplicated, one of the voices is usually turned off. When you want a good quality image, turn off the audio on the videophone side,
This voice channel is used for moving image information transfer, and if high speed data transfer is required, turn off the voice on the voice data communication terminal side and use it for data transfer to use the line efficiently. can do. However, in the former case, since the moving image decoding time in the videophone and the audio decoding time in the audio data terminal are different, for example, a situation occurs where the mouth movement of the person moving image and the sound are not synchronized. Usually, moving image decoding requires more time than audio decoding, so that sound is output earlier than image movement, and a delay circuit is required on the audio side to correct this. It is possible to set the delay amount fixedly for video phones such as videophones whose delay amount can be estimated at the time of design, but for those where voice and video are handled by different terminals,
The amount of delay cannot be fixedly estimated because the decoding processing capacity varies depending on the performance of the connected videophone. Therefore, simply combining the videophone and the voice data communication terminal cannot synchronize the moving image and voice. was there.

[0005]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention realizes (1) dialogue between remote locations by transmitting and receiving moving image information and audio information through two different channels. And a voice data communication terminal for dialogue while exchanging information other than moving images at the same time as voice, the voice data communication terminal having an interface for outputting a control command, and the video telephone device having the control command. The videophone device allocates the capacity for both of the two channels to video transmission according to a control command from the voice data communication terminal, and starts communication with a videophone in a remote place. Alternatively, (2) a videophone device that enables dialogue between remote locations by transmitting and receiving moving image information and audio information on different channels. And a voice data communication terminal that interacts with voice while exchanging information other than moving images at the same time, the voice data communication terminal includes an audio delay circuit for delaying and reproducing a voice signal and an interface for inputting control information. The videophone device has interfaces for outputting control information, and the videophone device transmits voice delay time information to the voice data communication terminal via these interfaces to control the voice delay amount of the voice data communication terminal. It is a feature.

[0006]

The two independent devices (videophone and voice data communication terminal) are usually used independently for the intended purpose, and they are combined only when necessary, and an appropriate control command is issued from the voice data communication terminal. By transmitting to a videophone, it is possible to transmit and receive video information using both video channel and audio channel transmission channels, and realize a simple video conference that can efficiently handle moving images. Alternatively, the videophone side transmits the video decoding delay amount peculiar to the terminal to the voice data communication terminal through the interface, while the voice data communication terminal is equipped with a voice delay circuit and the delay amount information is received from the interface. By controlling the audio delay circuit in the terminal itself, the audio and the video are synchronized to enable a natural dialogue.

[0007]

1 is a diagram showing an outline of a communication conference system to which the present invention is applied. In the drawing, I is a videophone device applied to this system, II is a voice data communication terminal,
A line III connects the videophone device I and the voice data communication terminal II. In the videophone I, 1 is a multiplexing unit that multiplexes a plurality of channels on one line, 2 is a moving image processing unit that performs transmission / reception and encoding processing of moving image information using one of the channels, and 3 Is a voice processing unit that transmits and receives and encodes voice using one multiplexed channel, 4 is a control unit that controls the entire apparatus, and 5 and 6 are connected to the moving image processing unit to display or input a person image. A display, a camera, 7 is an operation unit including a dial number and various operation keys, 9 and 10 are respective microphones and speakers, and the above is the structure of a general videophone. In addition to this, in the case of the present invention, 8 is provided as an interface for connection with another device.

On the other hand, in the voice data communication terminal II, 2
Reference numeral 1 is a multiplexing unit for multiplexing a plurality of channels on one line, 22 is a voice processing unit for transmitting and receiving voice and encoding using one channel, and 23 is a moving image using one multiplexed channel. A communication processing unit that encodes information other than information and controls communication, 24 is a control unit that controls the entire apparatus, 25,
26 is a speaker and a microphone, 28 is a display for displaying various transmission / reception information and a guide for inputting, 29 is a tablet used for handwriting input and microcomputer control, and 30 is a scanner for reading and inputting a manuscript or the like. Further, 27 is an interface used especially for the present invention, and the interfaces 8 and 27 of the two devices I and II are connected by a communication path III.

These terminals I and II can usually be used for their respective purposes as completely independent terminals. FIG. 2 shows the channel usage status of the communication path IV such as ISDN at this time, in which (a) shows a videophone and (b) shows voice data communication. The communication path IV such as ISDN includes a moving picture channel 41, a sound channel 42, and a data channel 43. In this case, the sound channel 42 is opened in each communication (a), (b).

FIG. 3 shows the operation when the present invention is applied by connecting two terminals I and II. In FIG. 3A, voice data communication terminals II communicate with each other through a communication network IV such as ISDN. The voice and data are transmitted and received using different channels 42 and 43, respectively. If you need a moving image of the other party during communication,
As shown in the figure (b), the voice data communication terminal II transmits a control command to the videophone of the own side through the line III connected through the interface so as to connect with the videophone of the other side. This connection command usually includes the number of the other party's videophone, etc., so that the videophone can connect a line (set a call) with the other party's terminal. As a result, the videophones are connected to each other as shown in (c), but at this time, unlike the normal connection between the videophones, a connection is made such that an audio channel is not opened. The voice has already been exchanged at the voice data communication terminal side, and it is not necessary to newly use it for the videophone connection. By not providing an audio channel in this way, a transmission line (channel) with a large capacity can be allocated for moving image information transfer, and therefore a higher quality than when using a videophone and an audio data communication terminal separately. High-quality moving image communication becomes possible.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the voice data communication terminal and the videophone to which the present invention is applied.
(A) is a control flow on the side of the voice data communication terminal. When waiting for an operation input (step 1), a video connection request command is received from the operator (step 2) and the videophone connected via the interface to the other party's videophone. And a connection command is sent (step 3). When there is no moving image connection request, a normal predetermined operation is performed (step 4).
On the other hand, on the TV telephone side, as shown in (b), when the connection command is received (step 1), the line is connected as the video terminal from the voice data communication terminal (steps 2 and 3) only the video channel. Is turned on (step 4).
When receiving a connection request from the operation unit of the own terminal, the line connection is executed as a videophone (step 5), and both voice and video channels are turned on (steps 6 and 7). The communication path III for exchanging control information between the two terminals may be wired or wireless and is not particularly limited.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, both the videophone and the voice data communication terminal are provided with an interface for mutual connection, and it is necessary to send and receive a moving image during the communication between the voice data terminals. When an error occurs, a control command requesting the connection with the other party's videophone is sent to this other party through this interface, while the other party's videophone transmits the transmission path for both audio and video channels. By assigning and connecting to video channels,
Voice, video and data can be sent and received efficiently, and videophone and
It is possible to construct a communication conference system capable of handling high-quality moving images as compared with a communication conference using only two voice data communication terminals.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the outline of another embodiment of the communication conference system to which the present invention is applied.
Reference numeral 1 denotes an audio delay circuit, and other parts having the same operations as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

In the videophone I, 1 is a multiplexer for multiplexing a plurality of channels on one line, and 2 is one of them.
A moving image processing unit that performs encoding processing and transmission / reception of moving image information using one channel, 3 is a voice processing unit that transmits / receives and encodes audio using one multiplexed channel, and 4 is the entire apparatus. Control units 5 and 6 for controlling, a display connected to the moving image processing unit for displaying or inputting a human image, a camera, 7 an operating unit including dial numbers and various operation keys, 9 a microphone, 10 a speaker, 11
Is an audio delay circuit for synchronizing audio with video display delayed by video decoding processing. The above is the structure of a general videophone, but in the case of the present invention, in addition to this, an interface 8 for connecting to another device is provided.

On the other hand, in the voice data communication terminal II, 2
1 is a multiplexing unit for multiplexing a plurality of channels on one line, 22 is a voice processing unit for encoding and transmitting and receiving voice using one channel, and 23 is a moving image using one multiplexed channel A communication processing unit that encodes information other than information and controls communication, 24 is a control unit that controls the entire apparatus, 25,
26 is a speaker and a microphone, 27 is an interface used especially for the present invention, 28 is a display for displaying various transmission / reception information and a guide for inputting, 29 is a tablet used for handwriting input and icon control, 30 Is a scanner for reading and inputting a document or the like, and 31 is a voice delay circuit. These two devices I, I
The respective interfaces 8 and 27 of I are connected by the communication path III.

When the videophone I operates independently, the received moving image information is sent to the moving image processing unit 2 through one channel of the multiplexing unit 1, where the compression code is decoded and displayed on the display 5. This process is usually very complicated and requires a processing time that is sufficiently perceptible to humans. On the other hand, the received voice information is similarly sent to the voice processing unit 3 through the other channel of the multiplexing unit 1 and decoded in the same manner. However, in the case of voice, the process is terminated immediately because it does not require so complicated process. . Therefore, if the voice is reproduced by the speaker 10 as it is, a mismatch occurs with the moving image on the display 5, and therefore, an audio delay circuit as shown in 11 is generally inserted so that the two are synchronized. . By the way, in the same terminal, the delay difference between the two can be estimated in advance at the time of design, so that the delay amount of the audio delay circuit 11 can be fixedly determined.

When a video conference I and a voice data communication terminal II are used to implement a communication conference by utilizing the video function on the video telephone side and the voice function on the voice data communication terminal side, the above problem can be solved by using the video telephone. A means for notifying the audio data communication terminal of the video decoding processing time is required. Therefore, in the present invention, the video data decoding processing time of the videophone is notified to the audio data communication terminal through the line III, and the audio data communication terminal controls the audio delay circuit 31 based on this information to establish the synchronization of the video and audio. It is a thing.

FIG. 6 shows the channel usage status when the videophone device I and the voice data communication terminal II are operating as completely independent terminals. (A) is a videophone and (b) is a voice. Indicates data communication. As in the case of FIG. 2, 41 is a moving image channel, 42 is an audio channel, and 43 is a data channel, and an audio channel 42 is established in each communication of a videophone and an audio data communication terminal.

FIG. 7 shows a state of channels when two terminals are connected and the present invention is applied. As shown in the figure, the videophone does not use voice and the capacity of voice channels is a moving image. It is used for image communication, which enables higher quality image communication than ordinary videophones. At this time, the voice is handled on the side of the voice data communication terminal, but as described above, the two terminals are connected via the line III, and the video decoding process delay information from the videophone device I is transmitted through the line III. Is passed to the voice data communication terminal II, which synchronizes the moving image and the voice.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of the voice data communication terminal and the videophone to which the present invention is applied.
(A) is a flowchart on the voice data terminal side, and (b) is a flowchart on the videophone side. On the videophone side, as shown in (b), when a circuit connection command is received from the operation unit or the voice data communication terminal (step 1),
The line is connected as a video terminal (step 3), and only the video channel is turned on (step 4). At the same time, the moving picture decoding processing time information is notified to the voice data communication terminal (step 5). On the other hand, on the voice data communication terminal side, as shown in (a), waiting for operation input (step 1)
At this time, when a moving image connection request command is received from the operator (step 2), a connection command for connecting to the partner videophone is sent to the videophone connected through the interface (step 3). After that, it waits for an input from the videophone (step 4), and when the moving image decoding processing time information is received, the audio delay circuit is controlled to delay the audio signal (step 5).

When there is no request for video connection, the voice data communication terminal II executes a normal predetermined operation ((a) step 6). Therefore, the videophone also operates normally, that is,
Videophone call connection ((b) step 6), voice channel ON ((b) step 7), video channel ON ((b)
Perform step 8). It should be noted that this flow chart describes an example of the operation, and in addition to this, it is also possible to read the delay amount from the voice data communication terminal by a polling method when necessary.

As described above, according to this embodiment, two independent terminals, that is, a videophone and a voice data communication terminal are used to hold a communication conference by using the moving image of the videophone and the voice function of the voice data communication terminal. When realizing it, an interface for mutual connection is provided in both terminals, and video decoding delay time information is transmitted from the videophone to the voice data terminal, while the voice data communication terminal is equipped with a voice delay circuit, Based on the above, it is possible to construct a communication conference system that realizes a natural dialogue by controlling an audio delay circuit and synchronizing audio and video.

[0023]

According to the invention of claim 1, it is necessary to provide an interface for interconnection to both the videophone and the voice data communication terminal, and to transmit and receive a moving image during the communication between the voice data terminals. When this occurs, a control command requesting connection to the other party's videophone is sent to this videophone through this interface, while the videophone transmits video and audio channels to and from the other party's videophone. By connecting and connecting to, audio, video,
It is possible to construct a communication conference system capable of efficiently transmitting and receiving data and capable of handling high-quality moving images as compared with a communication conference using two videophone / voice data communication terminals. Effect of the invention of claim 2: When two independent terminals, a videophone and a voice data communication terminal, are used to implement a communication conference by utilizing the moving image of the videophone and the voice function of the voice data communication terminal, both terminals are realized. An interface for mutual connection is provided to the video data transmission delay time information from the videophone to the voice data terminal, and the voice data communication terminal includes a voice delay circuit, and the voice delay circuit is based on the information. It is possible to construct a communication conference system that realizes a natural dialogue by controlling the control and synchronizing the voice and the video.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a communication conference system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a conventional channel configuration when a videophone and a voice data communication terminal are in operation.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing, in time series, channel allocation between a voice data communication terminal and a videophone when the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a videophone and a voice data communication terminal when the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing another embodiment of the communication conference system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a conventional channel configuration when a videophone and a voice data communication terminal are in operation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing channel assignment of a voice data communication terminal and a videophone when the present invention is applied.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating operations of a voice data communication terminal and a videophone when the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Video phone multiplexing unit, 2 ... Video phone moving image processing unit, 3 ... Video phone audio processing unit, 4 ... Video phone control unit, 5 ... Video phone display, 6 ... Video phone camera, 7 ... videophone operation part, 8 ... videophone interface part, 9 ... videophone microphone,
Reference numeral 10 ... Videophone speaker, 11 ... Videophone audio delay circuit, 21 ... Audio data communication terminal multiplexing unit, 22
... voice processing unit of voice data communication terminal, 23 ... communication processing unit of voice data communication terminal, 24 ... control unit of voice data communication terminal, 25 ... speaker of voice data communication terminal, 26 ... microphone of voice data communication terminal, 27 ... interface part of voice data communication terminal, 28 ... display of voice data communication terminal, 29 ... tablet of voice data communication terminal, 30 ... scanner of voice data communication terminal, 31 ... voice delay circuit of voice data communication terminal, I ... TV Telephone device, II ... Voice data communication terminal, III ... Video telephone device I
A line that connects the voice data communication terminal II to the communication line IV.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A videophone device for communicating between remote places by transmitting and receiving moving image information and audio information through two different channels, respectively, while exchanging information other than a moving image at the same time as voice. A voice data communication terminal, wherein the voice data communication terminal has an interface for outputting a control command, the videophone device has an interface for inputting the control command, and the videophone device is provided from the voice data communication terminal. The communication conferencing system is characterized in that the capacity for both of the two channels is allocated to moving image transmission by the control command of 1) and communication with a videophone at a remote place is started. 2. A video telephone device that realizes a dialogue between remote places by transmitting and receiving moving image information and voice information on different channels, and voice data for dialogue while exchanging information other than a moving image at the same time as voice. The audio data communication terminal comprises an audio delay circuit for delaying and reproducing an audio signal and an interface for inputting control information, and the videophone device has an interface for outputting control information. The video conference device transmits the audio delay time information to the audio data communication terminal via the videophone device, and controls the audio delay amount of the audio data communication terminal.