JP2000350176A - Video conference system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To freely extend the number of conference groups while suppressing the installation cost by using sub addresses for divisions of conference groups. SOLUTION: The video conference system consists of a plurality of video conference terminals 1a, 1b,...1n and of a communication controller 3 for inter- multi-point communication that interconnects a plurality of the video conference terminals 1a, 1b,...1n via communication lines 2a, 2b,...2n. The communication controller 3 conducts line connection to a video conference terminal depending on a telephone number sent from the video conference terminals 1a, 1b,...1n via the communication lines 2a, 2b,...2n in the case of executing a conference and assigns video conference terminals sending the same sub address to the same conference group according to a sub address having been sent while being attached in this telephone number to execute the video conference.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video conference system comprising a plurality of video conference terminals and a communication control device for multipoint communication connecting the plurality of video conference terminals via a communication line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional video conference system includes a multipoint control unit (multipoint control unit) for multipoint communication which connects a plurality of video conference terminals via a communication line.
t).

[0003] As a video conference terminal, a television used for displaying video information and outputting audio information, a television camera serving as a video information capturing unit, a microphone serving as an audio information capturing unit, and a text information input unit serving as a text information input unit. And a signal control unit such as a multiplexer for controlling the input and output of signals between these components and the corresponding communication line. Another example of the video conference terminal is a personal computer including a display unit, a speaker, a camera, a microphone, and a keyboard and having a built-in modem.

As an example of a communication line, ISDN
(Integrated Service Digit
al Network) line or a dedicated high-speed digital line.

In order to hold a video conference using this video conference system, first, a conference application is made. At this time, a person who participates in the conference using one of the plurality of video conference terminals (hereinafter, simply referred to as “conference participant”) accepts the conference using a telephone. Apply for a meeting with the operator.

The operator replies to the conference participant that the application for the conference will be accepted, and informs the conference participant of the connection destination number (telephone number) used when the conference is held.

[0007] The conference participant remembers this connection destination number (telephone number) by taking notes or the like until the conference is held, and also transmits the connection destination number (telephone number) to other conference participants by the time the conference is held. Number).

At the time of the conference, all conference participants establish a connection between their own video conference terminal and a communication control unit (MCU) via a communication line by using a connection destination number (telephone number). . The communication control device (MCU) distributes the video conference terminals to the same connection destination number (telephone number) to the same conference group and conducts a video conference.

As described above, in the conventional video conference system, one conference group is allocated to each connection destination number (hereinafter, simply referred to as "telephone number").
Therefore, for example, when five conference groups hold a video conference in the same time zone, five types of telephone numbers corresponding to each conference group are required.

In other words, to construct a video conference system in which five conference groups can hold a video conference at the same time, conventionally, it was necessary to obtain five types of telephone numbers from NTT.

[0011]

In this case, the telephone charge (base charge) is determined for each telephone number.
As the number of conference groups that can be held at the same time increases, the number of telephone numbers increases. In addition, since one telephone number is used for each conference group, even if an attempt is made to increase the number of conference groups that can be held at the same time, a new telephone number must be allocated from NTT. There was also a problem that it could not be done. Additionally, if you want to use your preferred phone number, but the phone number was used by someone else,
There was also a problem that it could not be used.

By the way, in the ISDN line, a 20-digit subaddress is added after the telephone number which is the line number, and the user can freely use this subaddress.

The present invention focuses on the communication format of such an ISDN line, and uses the sub-addresses for allocating conference groups, thereby suppressing equipment costs (while making additional contracts for telephone numbers unnecessary). It is an object of the present invention to provide a video conference system in which the number of conference groups can be freely increased.

[0014]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a video conference system according to the present invention comprises a plurality of video conference terminals and a multipoint communication system for connecting the plurality of video conference terminals via a communication line. Video communication system comprising a communication control device for communication, wherein the communication control device performs a line connection with the video conference terminal using a telephone number transmitted from the video conference terminal via the communication line when the conference is held. In addition, according to the sub-address transmitted by being added to the telephone number, the video conference terminal transmitting the same sub-address is allocated to the same conference group and the video conference is performed. In other words, if the same phone number has a different sub-address,
Since the telephone numbers are allocated to different conference groups, even if the telephone number is only one line, the conference groups can be distributed by the number of sub-addresses following the telephone number, and the conference can be held simultaneously.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of a video conference system according to the present invention. This video conference system includes a plurality of video conference terminals 1a, 1b,... 1n, and a plurality of video conference terminals 1a, 1b,. Communication control unit (MCU) 3 for multipoint communication
It is composed of

Each of the video conference terminals 1a, 1b... 1n
As shown in FIG. 2, a television 11 used for displaying video information and outputting audio information, a television camera 12 serving as a video information capturing unit, a microphone 13 serving as an audio information capturing unit, Keyboard 1 as input unit
4 and a signal control unit 15 such as a multiplexer for controlling the input and output of signals between the communication lines (ISDN lines) 2a, 2b... 2n corresponding to these components. .

In the above configuration, in the present embodiment, the communication control unit (MCU) 3 transmits each of the communication lines 2 from each of the video conference terminals 1a, 1b.
a, 2b... 2n are connected to the respective teleconference terminals 1a, 1b... 1n, and according to the subaddress added to the telephone numbers and transmitted. Then, the video conference terminal that has transmitted the same subaddress is allocated to the same conference group, and the video conference is performed.

Hereinafter, a processing procedure from reservation of a video conference to implementation of the video conference will be specifically described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. However, the flowchart of FIG. 3 shows the operation of the group control processing when the communication control device (MCU) 3 holds the conference.

First, an arbitrary conference participant A1 applies for a conference to an operator who is accepting a conference by using a telephone or the like. That is, the conference participant A1
Informs the operator of the conference start date and time, the conference end date and time, the number of video conference terminals participating in the conference, and information on the ID number and password of the video conference terminal participating in the conference. The operator determines whether or not the application for the conference can be accepted while confirming the meeting application reception slip or the like at hand. This determination is made based on, for example, whether or not the communication control unit (MCU) 3 has free space for the number of video conference terminals participating in the conference and free space for the sub address.

As a result, when the application for the conference can be accepted, the operator responds to the conference participant A1 that the application for the conference is accepted, and enters the telephone number used for holding the conference into the sub-address. To the conference participant A1. For example, the telephone number transmitted here is "01-2345-6789", and the subaddress is "1", that is, "01-2345-6789 * 1".
Assume that

The operator performs a meeting reception process for the group of the meeting participants A1. That is, the conference start date and time, the conference end date and time, the number of video conference terminals participating in the conference, the ID number and password of the video conference terminal participating in the conference, and the telephone number for participating in the conference (“01-2345-6789”). * 1 ”) is registered in the communication control unit (MCU) 3.

On the other hand, the conference participant A1 memorizes the telephone number (“01-2345-6789 * 1”) by taking a note or the like until the conference is held, and participates in another conference by the time the conference is held. This telephone number is also transmitted to persons A2 to Am.

If another conference participant B1 applies for a conference during the same overlapping time period on the same day, the operator determines whether or not the conference application can be accepted in the same manner as described above and can accept it. In that case, the conference participant B
1 is transmitted, including a telephone number and a sub-address used when the conference is held. For example, the telephone number transmitted here is “01-2345-6789”, and the subaddress is “2”, that is, “01-2345-6789 * 2”.
Assume that

The operator performs a conference reception process for the group of the conference participants B1. That is, the conference start date and time, the conference end date and time, the number of video conference terminals participating in the conference, the ID number and password of the video conference terminal participating in the conference, and the telephone number for participating in the conference (“01-2345-6789”). * 2 ”) is registered in the communication control unit (MCU) 3.

On the other hand, the conference participant B1 remembers the telephone number (“01-2345-6789 * 2”) by taking notes or the like until the conference is held, and joins another conference by the time the conference is held. This telephone number is also transmitted to persons B2 to Bn.

In this way, when an operator has applied for a conference from an arbitrary conference participant, and the conference is an application for an overlapping time zone on the same day, the same telephone number (ie, “ 01-2345-678
9)), and inform the conference participants by adding a different subaddress. As a result, for example, when five conference groups hold a conference in the same time period on the same day, the telephone numbers assigned to the conference groups are “01-2345-6789 * 1”,
"01-2345-6789 * 2", "01-2345"
−6789 * 3 ”,“ 01-2345-6789 * ”
4 "and" 01-2345-6789 * 5 ". That is, the same telephone number is different only in the subaddress that follows. In other words, only one telephone line “01-2345-6789” can hold conferences in five conference groups at the same time.

Then, at the start of the conference on the day, the conference participants of each conference group transmit a telephone number including the subaddress previously transmitted from the video conference terminal,
By transmitting the D number and the password, the communication control device (M
CU) 3 is established (S1). The communication control unit (MCU) 3 determines the corresponding conference group registered at the time of the conference reservation from the telephone number including the transmitted subaddress (S2, S3). Then, the ID number and the password transmitted next are compared with the ID number and the password registered as the conference group at the time of the conference reservation, and when they match (when it is determined Yes in S4), Then, the video conference terminal is allocated to the determined conference group (S5).

More specifically, when the telephone number “01-2345-6789 * 1” including the subaddress is transmitted from the video conference terminal (for example, 1a) of the conference participant A1, the communication control unit (MCU) 3 Distributes the video conference terminal 1a to, for example, a conference group GA. Also,
From the video conference terminal (for example, 1b) of the conference participant A2, the telephone number “01-2345-6789” including the subaddress is provided.
* 1 ”is transmitted, the communication control unit (MCU) 3
Distributes the video conference terminal 1b to the same conference group GA.

On the other hand, the telephone number "01" including the subaddress is transmitted from the video conference terminal (for example, 1e) of the conference participant B1.
When “−2345-6789 * 2” is transmitted, the communication control unit (MCU) 3 sorts the video conference terminal 1 e into, for example, a conference group GB. Conference participant B
When the telephone number “01-2345-6789 * 2” including the sub address is transmitted from the video conference terminal 2 (for example, 1f), the communication control unit (MCU) 3 places the video conference terminal 1f in the same conference group GB. Distribute.

Thus, the communication control unit (MCU)
3 assigns a conference group according to the sub-address each time a telephone number including a sub-address assigned thereto is transmitted from each of the video conference terminals 1a, 1b... 1n. As a result, conferences of a plurality of conference groups are simultaneously performed using the same telephone number.

In the above embodiment, any of the conference groups GA, GB,
.. Are described as the same telephone number, but may be different telephone numbers. For example, in the above five examples,
The first two conference groups are "01-2345-678
9 * 1 "," 01-2345-6789 * 2 ",
One conference group is "01-2345-6788 *
3 "," 01-2345-6788 * 4 "," 01-2 "
345-6788 * 5 ", the conference group can be sorted as long as the subaddress is different. That is, a feature of the present invention is that conference groups are sorted by subaddress, and it does not matter whether or not telephone numbers are the same.

[0033]

According to the video conference system of the present invention,
The communication control device performs a line connection with the video conference terminal by using a telephone number transmitted from the video conference terminal via the communication line at the time of the conference, and according to a sub address added to the telephone number and transmitted, Since the video conference terminals that have transmitted the same subaddress are configured to be allocated to the same conference group, it is possible to conduct conferences of a plurality of conference groups with one telephone number in the same time zone. So you do n’t have to worry about phone number resources,
The number of conference groups can be freely increased by the number of sub-addresses. In addition, since conferences of a plurality of conference groups can be held simultaneously over one telephone line, equipment costs can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of a video conference system of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a more specific configuration of the video conference terminal.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining a conference group distribution processing operation performed by the communication control device when a conference is performed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1a, 1b... 1n Video conference terminal 2a, 2b... 2n Communication line (ISDN line) 3 Communication control unit (MCU) 11 TV 12 TV camera 13 Microphone 14 Keyboard 15 Signal control unit

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A video conference system comprising: a plurality of video conference terminals; and a communication control device for multipoint communication connecting the plurality of video conference terminals via a communication line, wherein the communication control device At the time of the conference, the line connection with the video conference terminal is made by the telephone number transmitted from the video conference terminal via the communication line, and the same sub address is added according to the sub address added to this telephone number and transmitted. A video conference system wherein the video conference terminals that have transmitted the video conference are allocated to the same conference group to conduct a video conference.