JPH11184485A - Karaoke lan system characterized by inter-room communication function - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the KARAOKE LAN system with a function for mediating between users who do not know each other so that the users positively enjoy an inter-room communication by a videoconferencing system by effectively utilizing the function of the KARAOKE LAN system. SOLUTION: A room terminal 1 sends a specific command to a management terminal in response to specific input through a user interface 31 to request the management terminal to intercede with a partener of videoconferencing. Then the management terminal displays an invitation message showing that a partener of videoconferencing is looked for on displays 53 of other room terminals 1 together with a way of answering. An answer through the user interface of a room terminal having received the invitation message is received and processed by the management terminal to make a mutual line connection of a videoconferencing transmitting means and a receiving means between the room terminals having agreed with each other.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a karaoke LAN system in which a karaoke performance device (room terminal) and a karaoke server device (management terminal) respectively installed in a number of guest rooms are connected via a transmission network. The present invention relates to a system that enhances entertainment by promoting communication between rooms.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In Japanese Patent No. 2652474, communication between rooms can be enjoyed by the following system in a store in which a number of guest rooms are provided with karaoke performance devices. A video and audio transmission system that outputs video and audio signals obtained by capturing and recording the interior of the room with the video camera and microphone installed in the guest room to the line connecting the rooms, and video and audio signals transmitted from other rooms through this line And a video and audio receiving system that reproduces and outputs the data on the display and speakers of the cabin equipment.
The operation panel of each guest room has a transmission switch for switching the validity / invalidity of the video / audio transmission system of the own room and a reception switch for selecting from which room the signal is reproduced in the video / audio reception system of the own room. Are provided.

[0003]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 2652474
In the above-described system, when the transmission switch of one room A is enabled and the room A is selected by the reception switch of another room B, the state of the room A can be monitored in the room B. Similarly, by operating the switch, the state of the cabin B can be monitored in the cabin A. This operation state is the same as the communication of the video conference system. In order to execute the above-described communication between the guest room A and the guest room B, it is necessary for the customers of the guest room A and the guest room B to mutually agree on each other and to operate the switches on the operation panel of their own rooms. Another communication is needed to reach such an agreement. If a large number of customers who come to the store can be divided into multiple rooms, there will be no problem in reaching an agreement. However, it is unlikely that such a communication will be performed between strangers who are already in different rooms.

It is assumed that cabin A and cabin B monitor each other upon agreement. In this case, if a guest room A or a guest room B is selected by a reception switch in another guest room having an unrelated person, the state of the guest room A or the guest room B is monitored without permission. Normally, you would hate being monitored somewhere in your room without your knowledge. If so, turn off the transmission switch in your room. Therefore, there is a very low possibility that the above-mentioned communication is established between customers other than those within the company.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to make use of the function of the karaoke LAN system effectively so that a stranger can enjoy communication between guest rooms by a video conference system. An object of the present invention is to provide a system having an intermediary function for linking.

[0006]

A karaoke LA according to the present invention.
The N system has the following requirements (1), (2), and (3). (1) The management terminal and a number of cabin terminals are connected by a transmission line network for communication. The management terminal has and manages a karaoke database, and transfers karaoke data requested from the cabin terminal. The guest room terminal has means for receiving a request input from the user interface, means for obtaining karaoke data from the management terminal, means for processing the karaoke data, outputting accompaniment music as audio, and outputting lyric images synchronized with the music as video. Having. (2) The guest room terminal is a video conference transmitting means for transmitting a video and audio signal picked up and photographed in the guest room with a video camera and a microphone provided in the guest room to a transmission line network, and a video and audio signal transmitted to the transmission line network. And a videoconference receiving means for receiving and receiving the video signal and reproducing / outputting it with a display in a guest room and a speaker. (3) The guest room terminal issues a predetermined command to the management terminal in response to a predetermined input from the user interface, and requests that the remote terminal of the video conference be mediated. The management terminal that has received the mediation request displays on the display of the other guest room terminal an invitation message for requesting a partner of the video conference, along with the way of reply. The management terminal receives a response from the user interface of the guest room terminal that has received the invitation message, and connects the video conference transmitting means and the receiving means between the negotiated room terminals.

[0007] In addition to the above requirements, preferably, when issuing the intermediation request from the guest room terminal, the guest room terminal to which the invitation message is desired to be transmitted can be designated. Preferably, the management terminal, when displaying the invitation message on the guest room terminal of the negotiation partner, the video conference transmitting means in the room terminal on the side requesting the mediation negotiation and the video conference receiving means in the guest room terminal of the negotiation partner. And a line connection.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS === Overall Configuration of System === As shown in FIG. 1, a number of cabin terminals 1 and one management terminal 2 are connected by a high-speed LAN line 3, and a karaoke LAN system is provided. Has been built. One guest room terminal 1 is provided in each guest room of the karaoke store. The management terminal 2 is installed in, for example, a corner of an office of a karaoke store.
The management terminal 2 uses a workstation-class computer. The system of this embodiment is positioned as a terminal incorporated in the communication karaoke system, and the management terminal 2 communicates with the communication karaoke host device 5 via the telephone network 4.

As the high-speed LAN line 3, for example, "1"
00BASE-T4 "" 100BASE-TX / T4 "
Use products conforming to the high-speed LAN system that has been developed and standardized one after another, such as “100BASE-FX”, “Gigabit Ethernet”, and “ATM-LAN”.
Digital transmission is performed at a transmission speed of 00 Mbit / sec or more.

=== Management Terminal 2 === FIG. 2 shows a configuration example of the management terminal 2. The system control unit 6 has a CPU / RA
It is a processor system including an M-ROM, and is connected to the high-speed LAN line 3 via the LAN interface 7 and to the telephone line network 4 via the modem 8. The user interface 9 is a general console including a display, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like.

Apart from the normal user interface 9,
Microphone 10, Video camera 11, Speaker 12
-A man-machine interface device including the display 13 is provided. These devices are components of a video conference system. The voice and appearance of a person on one side of a conference are captured by a microphone 10 and a video camera 11, and the voice and appearance of the party to be conferenced are represented by a speaker 12 and a display 13.
Will be played back. The audio signal from the microphone 10 and the video signal from the video camera 11 are
A bit stream in the MPEG2 format, in which video and audio are multiplexed, is transmitted by the LAN interface 7 to the high-speed LAN line 3 in the form of a LAN data frame with the destination and source data added. MPEG2 addressed to the management terminal 2 via the LAN interface 7
When the data is received, it is decoded by the MPEG decoder 15. The decoded audio signal is reproduced on the speaker 12 via the amplifier 16, and the video signal is reproduced on the display 13 via the video control unit 17. The image control unit 1
Reference numeral 7 has a function of superimposing and synthesizing the CG image drawn in the video RAM 18 in the bitmap format by the system control unit 6 with the video from the MPEG decoder 15 and displaying the resultant on the display 13.

The management terminal 2 holds and manages a karaoke database 19 and a video database 20. The karaoke database 19 has a hard disk drive and a CD-R.
The OM player is built as a storage, and karaoke data of 10,000 thousands songs is collected. The video database 20 is constructed with a plurality of changer-type DVD players as storages, and, for example, 200 hours of moving images are aggregated in the MPEG2 format. A group of data necessary for outputting one karaoke accompaniment music as audio and outputting a lyrics image as video is karaoke data. The main body of the accompaniment music generation data is MIDI format data, and data such as a chorus encoded with ADPCM is attached to some music. The lyrics drawing data includes timing definition data for adjusting to the progress of the accompaniment music during reproduction. The karaoke data of each song is identified by a song ID. When a request to transfer karaoke data is sent from the guest room terminal 1 to the management terminal 2 via the LAN, the designated music I
The karaoke data corresponding to D is extracted from the database 19 and transferred to the guest room terminal 1 via the LAN.

A plurality of DVD players in the video database 20 are playing back in parallel, each of which outputs a plurality of series of moving pictures (MPEG2 format) having different tastes, Is transmitted to each guest room terminal 1. The management terminal 2 also includes a receiver 21 for digital satellite broadcasting, and receives and demodulates the video / audio data (MPEG2
) Is also transmitted from the LAN interface 7 to each guest room terminal 1. In each guest room terminal 1, the management terminal 2 sends the LA
The video data or the video / audio data transmitted to N is appropriately taken in and reproduced as a background image of lyrics at the time of karaoke performance, or reproduced as an environmental video or music between songs.

=== Room Terminal 1 === FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the room terminal 1. The system control unit 30 is a processor system including a personal computer-class CPU, ROM, and RAM. The system control unit 30 is connected to the high-speed LAN line 3 via a LAN interface 32, and handles all processes other than the karaoke performance process. The user interface 31
It includes an operation panel as a karaoke device and a remote control transceiver. Karaoke performance processing is a special processor system (C
(Including PU, ROM, and RAM). The bus of the system control unit 30 and the bus of the performance control unit 33 are connected via a buffer 34.
The hard disk device 35 is shared by both control units.

First, the karaoke performance processing system will be described. Karaoke data obtained from the management terminal 2 via the LAN is cached in the hard disk device 35. The ID of the requested music input from the user interface 31 is transmitted to the performance control unit 33. The performance control unit 33 reads out the designated karaoke data from the hard disk device 35 and processes it. The MIDI data of the accompaniment music generation data is sequentially input to the synthesizer 43 to generate an audio signal of the music, which is output from the speaker system 41 via the mixing amplifier 39. The singing person's voice signal is input from the microphone 40 to the mixing amplifier 39.

In synchronism with the music generation process, the performance control section 33 sequentially converts the lyrics drawing data into a character string and writes it into the video RAM 42, and also performs a color changing process indicating the progress of the music to the lyrics character string. The bitmap image data drawn on the video RAM 42 is read by the video control unit 37 and displayed on the display 38. As the background video of the lyrics, the MPEG video data transmitted from the management terminal 2 to the high-speed LAN line 3 is appropriately taken in. That M
The PEG data is decoded by the decoder 36, superimposed with the lyrics image by the video control unit 37, and output as a video.

In addition to the functional unit as the karaoke apparatus described above, the cabin terminal 1 of the present invention includes a video conference system similar to the management terminal 2 described above. The voice and shape of the person on the one side of the meeting are captured by the microphone 50 and the video camera 51, and the voice and shape of the meeting partner are reproduced on the speaker 52 and the display 53. The audio signal from the microphone 50 and the video signal from the video camera 51 are encoded by the MPEG encoder 54 to become an MPEG2 format bit stream in which video and audio are multiplexed.
The LAN interface 32 adds destination and source data and sends the data to the high-speed LAN line 3 in the form of a LAN data frame. When the MPEG2 data addressed to the cabin terminal 1 is received by the LAN interface 32, the MPEG2 data is decoded by the MPEG decoder 55. The decoded audio signal is reproduced by the speaker 52 via the amplifier 56, and the video signal is transmitted to the display 53 via the video control unit 57.
Will be played back. The video control unit 57 has a function of superimposing and synthesizing the CG image drawn in the video RAM 58 by the system control unit 30 in the bitmap format with the video from the MPEG decoder 55, and displaying the resultant on the display 53.

=== Procedure for Inter-Room Communication === For example, it is assumed that a customer x in a room X wants to play with a customer y in another room Y in a video conference system. The customer X operates the operation panel or the remote control transmitter of the user interface 31 of the guest room terminal 1X in his / her own room in a predetermined procedure, and indicates that he / she wants to play in a video conference. When this input is recognized by the system control unit 30 of the guest room terminal 1X,
The system control unit 30 issues a command to the management terminal 2 via the LAN, meaning "I want you to mediate a video conference with the guest room Y."

Upon receiving the command, the system control unit 6 of the management terminal 2 sends necessary data to the cabin terminal 1Y of the designated cabin Y via the LAN, and communicates with the display 53 of the cabin terminal 1Y for a video conference. Displays an invitation message indicating that you want it, along with how to respond. FIG. 4 shows an example of this display screen. In this embodiment, in addition to the display of the invitation message in characters, the video camera 51 in the cabin terminal 1X on the side that requested the mediation negotiation
Is displayed in a window in the message screen. In this case, destination data indicating the cabin terminal 1Y is added to the output data of the MPEG encoder 54 of the cabin terminal 1X and transmitted to the LAN. In the guest room terminal 1Y, the video data transmitted from the guest room terminal 1X is received, combined with the message screen of the video RAM 58 by the video control unit 57, and displayed on the display 53. By doing so, the invited party can monitor the appearance of the opponent and respond with a sense of security, and if he / she feels unpleasant, he may refuse the invitation. In the invitation process, the voice captured by the microphone 50 in the cabin X can be generated from the speaker 52 in the cabin Y, and a real-time voice message can be sent.

The customer y of the guest room Y looks at the message display and operates the user interface 31 of the guest room terminal 1Y to input a reply of "OK = permitted" or "NG = denied". This reply is transferred to the management terminal 2 via the LAN.

When receiving the rejection reply, the management terminal 2 displays a message to that effect on the display 53 of the cabin terminal 1X. If you receive a license response,
Similarly, after displaying a message that conveys the reply content on the display 53 of the guest room terminal 1X, the M
The video and audio data of the PEG encoder 54 is added to the cabin terminal 1Y
The destination data indicating the cabin terminal 1X is added to the video / audio data of the MPEG encoder 54 in the cabin terminal 1Y, and the data is transmitted to the LAN. With this, the cabin terminals 1X and 1Y
Means that the video conference transmitting means and the receiving means are connected to each other via a line, and communication between the guest rooms X and Y can be achieved using the video conference system.

Although the above description has been directed to a one-to-one video conference, it is also possible to execute a video conference between three or more guest rooms. Therefore, when requesting the management terminal 2 for mediation negotiation, a method of transmitting the invitation message to all the guest rooms without specifying the guest room to be transmitted may be adopted.

=== Others === In the above description, the process is performed without any human involvement on the management terminal 2 side. When there is a store manager at the management terminal 2, the above system configuration can be utilized as follows. The display 13 and the speaker 12 of the management terminal 2 can monitor the video and audio signals captured and picked up by the video camera 51 and the microphone 50 of each cabin terminal 1, and thus can be used as a cabin monitoring system. In addition, the image and voice of the store manager can be picked up by the video camera 11 and the microphone 10 of the management terminal 2 and can be monitored by the displays 53 and speakers 52 in all guest rooms or a specific guest room. This allows manager-led videoconferencing between the store manager and each customer, which can be used for various communications. Video and audio of an arbitrary advertisement can be sent from the management terminal 2 to the guest room terminal 1 and can be played from the display 53 and the speaker 52 of the guest room.

In the above embodiment, all the terminals are connected by one system of the high-speed LAN line 3 so that all data can be exchanged. This is a system configuration that can be realized without any problem if the transmission speed is sufficiently high. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a management terminal and each guest room terminal are connected by a video / audio line of a CATV system to provide a transfer path for a karaoke video signal and a video conference system video signal, and to provide a 10BASE
-Using a relatively slow LAN line like -T
The present invention can be implemented by various system configurations and transmission line networks.

[0025]

According to the present invention, the management terminal is mainly provided with an intermediary function for connecting unknown customers so that the functions of the karaoke LAN system can be effectively utilized and the communication between guest rooms by the video conference system can be positively enjoyed. Was. As a result, the characteristics of the karaoke box, which is a personal entertainment space, and the fun of using the communication media based on the advanced technology of the video conference system can be mixed well, and a novel entertainment service that has never existed before can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of a karaoke LAN system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a management terminal in the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a cabin terminal in the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a display example of an invitation message screen in the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Room terminal 2 Management terminal 3 High-speed LAN line 7 LAN interface 32 LAN interface

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A karaoke LAN system characterized by communication between guest rooms, the following requirements (1):
(2) and (3) are provided. (1) The management terminal and a number of cabin terminals are connected by a transmission line network for communication. The management terminal has and manages a karaoke database, and transfers karaoke data requested from the cabin terminal. The guest room terminal has means for receiving a request input from the user interface, means for obtaining karaoke data from the management terminal, means for processing the karaoke data, outputting accompaniment music as audio, and outputting lyric images synchronized with the music as video. Having. (2) The guest room terminal is a video conference transmitting means for transmitting a video and audio signal picked up and photographed in the guest room with a video camera and a microphone provided in the guest room to a transmission line network, and a video and audio signal transmitted to the transmission line network. And a videoconference receiving means for receiving and receiving the video signal and reproducing / outputting it with a display in a guest room and a speaker. (3) The guest room terminal issues a predetermined command to the management terminal in response to a predetermined input from the user interface, and requests that the remote terminal of the video conference be mediated. The management terminal that has received the mediation request displays on the display of the other guest room terminal an invitation message for requesting a partner of the video conference, along with the way of reply. The management terminal receives a response from the user interface of the guest room terminal that has received the invitation message, and connects the video conference transmitting means and the receiving means between the negotiated room terminals. 2. The karaoke LAN system according to claim 1, wherein when the room terminal issues the intermediation request, the room terminal to which the invitation message is to be transmitted can be designated. 3. The karaoke LAN system according to claim 1, wherein the management terminal, when displaying the invitation message on the guest room terminal of the negotiation partner, requests the mediation negotiation. And the video conference receiving means in the cabin terminal of the negotiation partner is connected by line.