JPH06225054A - Multi-media terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the burden on user's operation by communicating with a terminal of the other party based on entry contents of a telephone book, where the attribute value of the terminal of the other party is registered, to promote the automatization of complicated communication procedures. CONSTITUTION:An AGC terminal 30 consists of a CPU part 31 which controls the whole of a system, a memory part 32 like a boot ROM where instructions are stored or a RAM as a working area, a multiplexer/demultiplexer 40 which performs the signal processing prescribed by CCITT recommendation H221 to multiplex/demultiplex plural mediums, etc. Not only telephone numbers and names of terminals of the other parties but also the telephone book where attribute values indicating capabilities of terminals of the other parties is stored in the memory part 32, and the CPU part 31 executes communication with terminals of the other parties based on entry contents of the telephone book. These attribute values are sorted and set by the classification of networks such as ISDN, the classification of encoding of an audio codec or the like, and the classification of functions such as FAX and telewriting.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a multimedia terminal device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a multimedia terminal device which can use various media in combination has come to be used, and such a multimedia terminal device is used in a video telephone, a video conference system, or the like. It has been developed as a communication terminal that exchanges information such as voice and images in real time. Such terminals are mainly composed of a combination of audio (audio) media and image (visual) media. For example, in audio communication, there are a type (telephone type) for exchanging with a handset and a type for exchanging with a microphone and a speaker. The former is used for a terminal such as a videophone that carries out one-to-one communication, and the latter is used for a terminal such as a videophone which carries out plural-to-plural communication.

In addition, for example, AGC (Audio Gr)
The aphonic conference) terminal is also one such multimedia terminal device, but can communicate handwritten information (writing information) and facsimile / document data in addition to voice media.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional multimedia terminal device, the expectation is increasing more and more as the research and development progress, but the line is multiplexed and used. As a result, the communication procedure and communication technology become extremely complicated. What kind of capabilities the partner terminal has, such as a multimedia terminal, a simple ISDN telephone, a facsimile function, a telewriting function, etc. Since the terminal itself does not have a function of organizing and managing such as whether there is a call, a complicated procedure is required to execute call setting, acquisition of additional channels, etc. There was a problem when the load was added.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the operational load on the user by registering the attribute value of the partner terminal in the telephone directory.

[0006]

The invention according to claim 1 is
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a multimedia terminal device capable of using various media in combination,
Based on the contents of the telephone directory stored in the telephone directory storage means for storing the telephone directory in which the TEL number and name of the other terminal are registered and the attribute value indicating the capability of the other terminal is registered And a communication unit that executes communication with the partner terminal.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 2 is, in addition to the configuration of claim 1, assumed that the partner terminal is a multimedia terminal, and BC (information element identifier) of data on Dch, HLC. (High Layer Consistency) and LL
A call is set by C (low layer compatibility), a call connection operation is started, and if the connection is possible, when the connection is completed, the capability of the partner terminal is determined, and the attribute value according to the capability is called. If it is registered in the book and the above connection is not possible, the call connection operation is started with BC (information element identifier) as speech or 3.1 kHz audio, and the speech or 3.1 kHz is started.
When connection is possible as z audio, when the connection is completed, the capability of the other terminal is judged and the attribute value according to the capability is registered in the telephone directory, and the connection of the above speech or the call as 3.1 kHz audio is impossible. In such a case, a registration means for registering the partner terminal as a non-connectable terminal is provided.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention according to claim 3 makes a call to the partner terminal based on the registered contents of the telephone directory in addition to the configuration of claim 1, and based on the attribute value of the phone directory, the partner terminal. If the other terminal has the capability of 2 Bch or more from the registered attribute value, it is determined that it is not necessary to acquire an additional channel if the B does not have the capability of 2 Bch or more. The feature is that additional channel acquisition means for acquiring channels is provided.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the communication with the partner terminal is executed based on the description of the telephone directory in which the TEL number and name of the partner terminal are registered and the attribute value indicating the capability of the partner terminal is registered. . As a result, it becomes possible to automate complicated communication procedures. According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the operation of claim 1, whether the partner terminal is a multimedia terminal device or an ISDN telephone, its attribute value can be automatically registered in the telephone directory. become.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, the partner terminal is 2B based on the attribute value registered in the telephone directory.
When it has the capability of more than ch, it becomes possible to secure an empty Bch and acquire an additional channel.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 10 are views showing an embodiment of a multimedia terminal device according to the present invention, which is an example applied to an AGC terminal. First, the configuration will be described.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the AGC terminal of this embodiment. For example, the terminals that make up the video conference system,
Like the AGC terminal of this embodiment, it has a function such as telewriting that emphasizes the document function, and such a terminal is most suitable for a video conference with a small number of people. And
It is possible to introduce yourself by watching the other person's face on TV, but it is ideal for exchanging and operating documents essential for meetings. 2 to 4 are external perspective views of each component of the AGC terminal.

1 to 4, 20 is an AGC terminal,
Reference numeral 21 is a monitor, that is, a television which transmits moving images, 22 is a television camera unit, 23 is a printer and a scanner, 24 is a handset unit, 25 is a liquid crystal display unit, 26 is a touch panel unit integrated with the liquid crystal display unit, and 27 and 28, respectively. Is a speaker unit and a microphone unit for hands-free conversation, 29 is a touch pen for tracing on the touch panel 26, and 30 is a moving image codec.

FIG. 5 is a system block diagram on the hardware of the AGC terminal of this embodiment. In FIG. 5, the reference numerals are not the same even if there is the same configuration as that shown in FIGS. In FIG. 5, 30 is AG
The AGC terminal 30 is a C terminal and has the following configuration. That is, 31 is a CPU that controls the entire system
(Central Processing Unit)
32 is a boot ROM (Read O
nly Memory) or a memory unit such as a RAM which is a working area, 33 a timer unit, 34 a voice codec unit for converting voice analog data into digital data, 35 a voice input unit microphone, and 36 voice output 37 is a monitor, 38 is a video codec that encodes and decodes a video signal, 39 is a television camera, and 40 is a CCITT (Int).
international Telegraph and
Telephone Consultative) Recommendation H.264. 221 is a demultiplexing device for demultiplexing and demultiplexing a plurality of media by performing signal processing defined in 221. ISD
N (Integrated Services Deg)
It is a network interface unit connected to an ital network.

An input control unit 42 notifies the system of coordinate data from the writing pad 44. The writing pad 44 inputs the coordinate system pointed by the writing pen 43 to the input control unit 42. 45 is I
/ O (Input / Output) unit, and serial, parallel, SCSI (Small Computer)
r Standard Interface), a keyboard 46 with an interface such as a video, a hard disk 47 for storing image data and the like, a printer 48, a scanner 49 for inputting image data, a floppy disk drive 50 for inputting / outputting programs and image information files. Connected to. Reference numeral 51 is a graphic controller for controlling display on the LCD 53,
A video RAM 52, which is a display memory, is connected. These systems are connected by a system bus 54.

Here, the memory unit 32 is the memory unit 3
2, which executes various programs stored in the telephone book storage means of the present application, stores the TEL number and name of the partner terminal, and stores the phone book in which the attribute value indicating the capability of the partner terminal is registered. To do. CPU part 3
Reference numeral 1 constitutes the communication means of the present application, and executes communication with the partner terminal based on the contents described in the telephone directory.

The CPU section 31 also serves as the registration means of the present application, and assuming that the partner terminal is a multimedia terminal, BC (information element identifier) of data on Dch, HLC.
(High-layer compatibility) and LLC (low-layer compatibility) set up a call to start a call connection operation, and if the connection is possible, when the connection is completed, the capability of the partner terminal is judged and the capability is established. If an attribute value according to is registered in the telephone directory and the above connection is not possible, a BC (information element identifier) is used as a speech or 3.1 kHz audio to start a call connection operation, and as the speech or 3.1 kHz audio. When the connection is possible, when the connection is completed, the capability of the other terminal is judged, the attribute value according to the capability is registered in the telephone directory, and when the call as the above speech or 3.1 kHz audio cannot be connected, The partner terminal is registered as an unconnectable terminal.

Further, the CPU section 31 also serves as the additional channel acquisition means of the present application, calls the partner terminal based on the registered contents of the telephone directory, and the partner terminal of 2 Bch or more is determined from the attribute value of the telephone directory. If the terminal does not have the capability, it is determined that the acquisition of the additional channel is not necessary, and if the partner terminal has the capability of 2 Bch or more from the registered attribute value, the idle B is available.
The ch is secured and an additional channel is acquired.

The above attribute values are classified and set according to the type of network, the type of coding (voice codec, video codec), and the type of function (FAX, telewriting, etc.). An example of setting the attribute value is shown in Table 1 below.
Shown in.

[0020]

[Table 1]

From Table 1 above, the attribute value A is a normal analog telephone of the PSTN network, the attribute value B is the G3 facsimile connected to the PSTN network, and the attribute value C is the G.F. ISDN telephone with 771 voice codec,
The attribute value D indicates a G4 facsimile connected to the ISDN network. The attribute value E is a device having both functions of the attribute values C and D. 771 and G4 facsimile function. The attribute value H is the voice G.
It is a so-called videophone that has 771 and video capabilities. The attribute value H has the G4 facsimile function in addition to the attribute value G. The attribute value I is obtained by adding a telewriting function to the attribute value H.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the data structure of the above-mentioned telephone directory. If not registered in the phonebook, start
t and end are connected by a pointer. The telephone directory is composed of a name, a telephone number, an attribute value, and a NEXT ID. When one phonebook structure is registered, s
The start and name are connected by a pointer, and NEXTI
End is connected to D by a pointer. When additionally registered, the name of the structure newly registered in NEXTID is connected by the pointer.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows an example of a flowchart of registration in the telephone directory. Normally, first, enter the phone number in the S1, S ₂
, The other terminal is assumed to be a multimedia terminal (hereinafter, also referred to as AV (audio / visual terminal), and call setup is performed to make a call. Call setup is performed on Dch, but AV call,
Identification of a telephone, a facsimile device, etc. is performed by BC (information element identifier), HLC (higher layer compatibility), and LLC (lower layer compatibility) of data on Dch. A telephone number is input, and a call acquisition operation on Dch as an AV call is started (Setup portion in FIG. 8). At this time, BC, HL
An AV call is set to C and LLC. The receiving terminal is A
If it is a V terminal, the connection is completed in S ₃ , and the process proceeds to S ₄ and C
CITT Recommendation H.264 The initial capacity exchange sequence is executed according to 242. Thereby determining the attribute of the AV terminal (e.g. 2B or without the ability of, and without receiving capabilities such as video), and additionally registers the attribute value corresponding to the capacity S ₅ in the phonebook. When the connection is not possible in S ₃ , for example, the reason why the connection cannot be established on Dch is when a message such as “mismatch of partner attribute” or “no partner route” is received from the network. In this case, the receiving side terminal may not be an AV terminal. There is a nature. However, when the starting terminal is a multimedia terminal, it can be connected to an ISDN telephone, a PSTN telephone, and a facsimile machine. Therefore, if connection is not possible in S ₃ ,
Initiates a call connection operation to BC as a speech or 3.1kHz audio S _6. If the connection is completed in S ₇ , the attribute value is additionally registered in the telephone directory in S ₈ , and if the connection cannot be established, it is registered in S ₉ as an unconnectable terminal. Note that the flowchart of FIG. 7 excludes a state in which connection cannot be established due to a busy destination or an error in the network.

FIG. 8 shows an example of a sequence from multimedia terminal equipment (between X terminal and Y terminal) and call connection to call release in this embodiment. When Setup is performed on the X terminal (calling side), Se is also set on the Y terminal (calling side).
The first channel is established when tup arrives and returns CONN. The mode is initialized on Bch. After this mode initialization, multi-frame synchronization detection is performed, and when synchronization is established, an initial capability exchange sequence is performed and the capability BAS (Basic Activity) of both terminals is performed.
Subset) are notified to each other. Here mode OF
Audio is connected by (56K audio). If telewriting or the like is performed here, mode switching is performed, and mode switching is performed in order to flow telewriting data at MLP6.4K.

If the video is to be lengthened, the operation of acquiring the second channel is performed by Dch in order to acquire the additional channel. When the second channel is established on Dch, the second channel is initialized. When the initialization is completed, the procedure goes to the mode switching procedure. In mode switching, a "Video ON" command is sent to the conventional command BAS to switch modes and exchange images. The disconnection procedure is mode 0 forced setting, video, ML
After P is removed from the communication and only voice (0F) communication is performed, the call is disconnected by Dch after the first channel and the second channel.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a capability exchange sequence performed at the time of mode initialization. After the call connection is completed, H.264. Ability BASE based on 221 frames
Start sending T repeats. The A bit is set to 0 when multiframe synchronization is detected. When they are synchronized with each other, the command BAS is subsequently transmitted. Figure 1
0 is an example of a flow chart showing a procedure for acquiring an additional channel. First, in P ₁ , a call is made from the telephone directory, and in P ₂ , it is determined whether the partner ability is 2B or more based on the attribute value.
On the other hand, if the partner terminal does not have the attribute value of 2B or more, it is not necessary to acquire the additional channel, and therefore it is determined to be unnecessary in P ₆ . On the other hand, if P ₂ has an attribute value of 2B or more, an additional channel may be acquired. Therefore, at P ₃ , another vacant Bch is secured. Then, for example, when there is a call connection request from another terminal at P ₄ , the incoming call is rejected at P ₇ , and an acquisition instruction is issued in preparation for the acquisition request for the additional channel from the own terminal or the same terminal. to, a call for additional channel acquisition at P _5.

As described above, in this embodiment, the attribute value of the partner terminal can be registered in the telephone directory, and the call setting and the call can be made based on the attribute value of the telephone directory. Since the terminal can automatically execute complicated communication procedures such as acquisition of additional channels, the burden on the user can be reduced, and the attribute value of the telephone directory can be automatically registered. The load on the user's operation can be significantly reduced.

[0028]

According to the present invention, since communication with a partner terminal is executed based on the description content of the telephone directory in which the attribute value of the partner terminal is registered, automation of complicated communication procedures can be promoted, The operational load on the user can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a multimedia terminal device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the monitor and codec.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of the AGC master unit.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the printer / scanner.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the system configuration.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the telephone directory.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the attribute value registration flow.

FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram from the call connection to the call release.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the capability exchange sequence.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow of acquiring the additional channel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 30 AGC terminal 31 CPU section 32 Memory section 33 Timer section 34 Voice codec section 35 Microphone 36 Speaker section 37 Monitor 38 Video codec 39 Television camera 40 Multiplexing device 41 Network interface section 42 Input control section 43 Writing pen 44 Writing pad 45 I / O section, 46 keyboard 47 hard disk 48 printer 49 scanner 50 floppy disk drive 51 graphic controller 52 video RAM 53 LCD 54 system bus

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. In a multimedia terminal device capable of using various media in combination, a TEL number and a name of the partner terminal are registered and a telephone directory in which an attribute value indicating the capability of the partner terminal is registered is stored. A multimedia terminal device, comprising: a telephone book storage means; and a communication means for executing communication with a partner terminal based on the contents of the telephone book stored in the telephone book storage means. 2. A BC (information element identifier) of data on Dch, HL, assuming that the partner terminal is a multimedia terminal.
A call is set up by C (higher layer compatibility) and LLC (lower layer compatibility), a call connection operation is started, and if the connection is possible, the capability of the partner terminal is judged when the connection is completed, and If an attribute value according to the capability is registered in the telephone directory and the above connection is impossible, a BC (information element identifier) is used as a speech or 3.1 kHz audio to start a call connection operation, and the speech or 3.1 kHz audio is started. When the connection is completed, the ability of the other terminal is judged when the connection is completed, and the attribute value according to the ability is registered in the telephone directory, and the call or the call as 3.1 kHz audio cannot be connected. The registration means for registering the partner terminal as an unconnectable terminal is provided.
The described multimedia terminal device. 3. If the other terminal is called based on the registered contents of the telephone directory and the other terminal does not have the capability of 2 Bch or more from the attribute value of the telephone directory, it is determined that acquisition of an additional channel is not necessary, The additional channel acquisition means for securing an available Bch and acquiring an additional channel when the partner terminal has a capability of 2 Bch or more from the registered attribute value is provided. Multimedia terminal equipment.