JPH09214931A - Distributed image communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [PROBLEMS] In an image communication system in which a plurality of terminals are connected to an image database server through a communication network, high-definition images and smooth moving images are displayed on the terminal in real time even if the communication network has a small capacity and a narrow band. It is possible. SOLUTION: An image storage memory 3 detachable from a terminal 3
2, the terminal image data is stored in advance in the image storage memory 32 and is provided to each terminal 3. When the user of the terminal 3 requests the image information required, the controller 31 of the terminal 3 or the controller 11 of the image database server 1
Searches the terminal image data content management information or location management information storage unit 13, and when the image information is located on the terminal 3 side, refers to the image storage memory 32 without passing through the communication network 2. Then, the terminal image data is obtained, and this is combined with the image data for communication received by the terminal 3 via the communication network 2 or switched to be displayed on the display 33 of the terminal.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image communication system including a plurality of terminals, a communication network, and an image database server, even if the communication network has a small capacity and a narrow band, a high-definition image or a smooth moving image. The present invention relates to a distributed image communication system capable of displaying an image on a terminal.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plurality of terminals are connected to an image database server via a communication network, and the image database server sends image information such as still images and moving images to the terminals according to a request from each terminal. There is an image communication system in which a terminal that receives image information displays it and provides it to the user.

[0003]

In such a conventional image communication system, since the terminal receives and displays the image data for communication from the image database server via the communication network, the quality of the displayed image is improved. However, there is a problem that a large-capacity and wide-band communication network is required in order to receive and display a high-definition image or a smooth moving image in real time because the transmission speed of the communication network is limited. When a small-capacity, narrow-band communication network is used, it is difficult to receive and display high-detailed images and smooth moving images in real time, and the image quality is degraded or image display is required. Then, the terminal side (user side) must be kept waiting, and necessary image data must be transmitted to the terminal after a long time and then displayed.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and image communication capable of displaying high-definition images and smooth moving images in real time even in a small-capacity, narrow-band communication network. The purpose is to realize the system.

[0005]

According to the present invention, in an image communication system comprising a plurality of terminals, a communication network and an image database server, each terminal is provided with a removable image storage memory for storing the image in advance. Image data for terminals is stored in the memory and is provided to each terminal, and the image database server or each terminal manages the location of the image data for the provided terminals, and stores the image data required by each terminal. Search for all or part of the terminal image data provided to the terminal, and if so, combine the terminal image data with the communication image data received by the terminal via the communication network, or A distributed image communication system having a control means for switching and displaying on the terminal is a means for achieving the above object.

In the above-mentioned distributed image communication system, it is preferable that the image storage memory provided in the terminal is a plurality of media of a form suitable for mailing, delivery or distribution. Suitable for increasing data.

Further, in the above distributed image communication system, the image database server stores image information representing a medium of a plurality of image storage memories arranged in the terminal, and the control means of the image database server searches. As a result, when it is detected that the image data required by each terminal is not located in the image storage memory provided in the terminal, it represents a medium for storing the image data in the terminal via the communication network. The stored image information is transmitted, the terminal displays the transmitted image information and guides the user to connect the medium, and a plurality of mediums are provided so that they can be selected on the terminal side. This is suitable for selecting and connecting without error when the user is uncertain what to select.

According to the present invention, the terminal is provided with a removable image storage memory, and the image data for the terminal is stored in advance in the image storage memory and is provided to each terminal. If all or part of the image is stored in the image storage memory, the image information from the image database server is referred to by referring to the image information in the image storage memory without transmitting the image information from the image database server. By combining with or switching between and displaying, a high-definition image or a smooth moving image can be displayed in real time within a range of the image storage memory even in a small-capacity and narrow-band communication network.

[0009]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a basic embodiment of the present invention. An image communication system is configured by connecting a plurality of terminals 3 to the image database server 1 via a communication network 2. The image database server 1 includes an image file 12 that stores image data and a location management information storage unit 13 for the image data, and a control unit that manages the location of the image data and controls the provision of the image data to the terminal 3. 11
Built-in. The terminal 3 includes a removable image storage memory 32 and a display 33, and the image database server 1
To the desired image data and the received image data, the image data in the image storage memory 32, or an image data display unit 33 combining these image data.
The control unit 31 for controlling the display of the

In the above structure, the removable image storage memory 32 provided in the terminal 3 is an optical recording type compact disc (CD-ROM) or optical recording conventionally used as a peripheral device for a computer. Various removable storage devices such as used cards, semiconductor recording type IC cards and flash memories, and magneto-optical recording type magneto-optical disks can be used. The image data to be displayed to the user of the terminal 3 is a normal video signal or HDT.
Various image data information related to video display, such as V signals, CG data for computer graphics, and audio signals, are stored as targets.

The image data to be displayed is not only stored in the image database server 1, but also stored in the image storage memory 32 of the terminal 3 in advance and provided to each terminal 3. Utilizing the detachability of the image storage memory 32, the image storage memory medium itself as an object such as mail, delivery, binding to magazines, etc. is delivered to the user, and the medium is delivered to the user. Connect to 3 and deploy. When an IC card, a flash memory, a magneto-optical disk, or other freely writable memory medium is used as the image storage memory 32, not only the medium distribution but also the communication network 2
It is also possible to use a method of transmitting image data to the image storage memory 32 of the terminal 3 by file transfer of data via the terminal and pre-arranging the image data.

The image database server 1 has the image storage memory 3 connected to the terminal 3 before the service is provided.
The type of image data provided in 2 is investigated and confirmed via the communication network 2. The survey confirmation is performed by transmitting and receiving image data content management information indicating the number, name, type, attribute, content, accommodation position, etc. of the image data provided in the terminal 3. The image data content management information is transmitted from the terminal 1 side to the image database server 1, and the image database server 1 confirms the location management information of the entire image data and stores it in the location management information storage unit 13. By referring to the location management information accumulated in this way, it is possible to know the location of the required image data such as whether it is provided in the terminal 3, where in the image database server 1, or the like.

When a user requests the required image information from the terminal 3 by a number, a name, etc., the control unit 31 in the terminal 3 or the control unit 11 in the image database server 1 causes the image data content management information or the location management information. The storage unit 13 is searched for the location of the required image information. When the requested image data is located in the image storage memory 32 in the request terminal 3, the image data is directly referred to from the image storage memory 32 in the terminal 3 and displayed. In this case, the quality of the displayed image is irrelevant to the transmission speed limit of the communication network 2,
The image quality and definition stored in the image storage memory 32 can be displayed as they are.

If the requested image data is not located in the image storage memory 32 in the request terminal 3, the image data is transmitted from the image database server 1 to the terminal 3 and displayed. In this case, the image data is displayed under the constraint condition of the definition of the image and the smoothness of the moving image according to the speed limit of the transmission path of the communication network 2.

As described above, the communication image data received by the terminal 3 from the image database server 1 via the communication network 2 and the terminal image data provided in each terminal 3 are combined or switched and displayed on the terminal 3. Can be realized. As a result, it is possible to provide the information with the best quality within the range of the image information that has been allocated to the terminal 3 in advance.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention, and shows an embodiment in which the present invention is extended to a case where a terminal has a plurality of image storage memories.

In the present embodiment, when a plurality of image storage memories for terminals are distributed as physical media, it is unknown to the user of the terminal which one of them needs to be connected to the terminal, or This is an example of an embodiment that realizes a function of assisting a user in selecting connection of an image storage memory when it is unknown what kind of image storage memory is connected to the terminal at the time of use.

In FIG. 2, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. The image database server 1 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a label image information storage unit 14 in addition to that shown in FIG. Also, the terminal 3
Then, it is assumed that a plurality of image storage memory media 321 are selected as the image storage memory 32 and can be attached and detached.

When the user determines the selection of the image storage memory 32 for the terminal, it is very difficult to search only by the number of the image storage memory 32. A picture of a label attached to the physical image storage memory medium 321 itself,
An effective method is to check and confirm by looking at the name, drawing, etc. of the medium contents printed on the label of the image storage memory medium 321 or the jacket of the case. Labels and jacket images are important retrieval and memory indexes for users.

In the present embodiment, the image data content management information managed by the image database server 1 is stored together with the image of the label or jacket of the physical medium of the image storage memory, and the location of the entire image data is stored. Create management information. Further, if necessary, each user stores a plurality of image storage memories, including the types of physical media, in each memory, and creates location management information for the entire image data. The image data of the label or jacket of the physical medium associated with the location management information is stored in the label image information storage unit 14.

When a user requests the required image information from the terminal 3 by its number, name, etc., the control unit 31, 11 in the terminal 3 or the image database server 1 stores the terminal image data content management information or location management information storage. If the requested image data is present in the image storage memory 32 in the requesting terminal 3 at that time, it is directly searched for the image storage in the terminal 3. It is displayed by referring from the memory 32.

If the requested image data is not located in the image storage memory 32 in the request terminal 3, the image database server 1 instructs the terminal 3 to replace the physical medium 321 of the image storage memory 32. . At this time, the image images of the required medium label and jacket are transmitted at the same time and displayed on the display unit 33 of the terminal 3 as shown in the figure to replace the physical medium 321 of the image storage memory 32 or to change the connection. Give instructions. The user looks at the image of the label or jacket displayed on the display 33,
Using the index as a clue, the owned image storage memory medium 321 is searched, selected, and connected.

If the user has not changed the connection to the required image storage memory 32, the image database server 1
Send and display the image data connected to the inside. In this case, the image is displayed under the condition that the definition of the image and the smoothness of the moving image are restricted according to the speed limit of the transmission path of the communication network.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In an image communication system including a plurality of terminals, a communication network, and an image database server, each terminal is provided with a detachable image storage memory, and the terminal image data is stored in the image storage memory in advance. If all or part of the image information required by the terminal is located in the image storage memory, the image information in the image storage memory will not be sent from the image database server. The image information from the image database server can be combined with or switched from one to another for display, so that even in a small-capacity, narrow-band communication network, high-precision real-time information can be obtained within the image storage memory range. Images and smooth moving images can be displayed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram showing a first embodiment example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an expanded exemplary embodiment showing a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image database server 11 ... Control part 12 ... Image file 13 ... Location management information storage part 14 ... Label image information storage part 2 ... Communication network 3 ... Terminal 31 ... Control part 32 ... Image storage memory 321 ... Image storage memory Medium 33 ... Indicator

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued Front Page (72) Inventor Shigeru Ikeda 3-19-2 Nishishinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An image communication system comprising a plurality of terminals, a communication network, and an image database server, wherein the terminal is provided with a removable image storage memory, and the terminal image data is previously stored in the image storage memory. The image database server or each terminal manages the location of the image data for the deployed terminal, and all or part of the image data required by each terminal is stored in the terminal. Control to search for the location of the deployed image data for the terminal, and if there is, control to combine or switch the image data for the terminal and the image data for communication received by the terminal via the communication network and display it on the terminal. A distributed image communication system comprising means. 2. An image storage memory provided in a terminal,
The distributed image communication system according to claim 1, wherein the distributed image communication system is a plurality of media in a form suitable for mailing, delivery, or distribution. 3. The image database server stores image information representing a medium of a plurality of image storage memories arranged in the terminals, and the control means of the image database server requires each terminal as a result of the search. When it is detected that the image data is not located in the image storage memory provided in the terminal, the stored image information representing the medium for storing the image data is transmitted to the terminal via the communication network. 3. The distributed image communication system according to claim 1, wherein the terminal displays the transmitted image information and guides the user to connect the medium.