JP3320200B2 - Communication terminal equipment for telecommunication systems - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication terminal for a telecommunications system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a computer is used as main hardware constituting a long-distance communication system represented by a video conference system. In such a communication system, the terminal at the connected point is configured to be displayed as an icon on the terminal at the host side so that the terminal at the host side can know which terminal at which point is connected. Have been. This icon display method registers an icon for each connection port connected to another terminal, and displays an icon corresponding to the connection port when an application program of the video conference system is started. Met.

[0003]

However, in the conventional video conference system, the icons are registered for each connection port on the host side, so that the icons that can be prepared on the host side are uniform and connected. When the number of terminals for the video conference system is large, there is a problem that it is difficult to distinguish each terminal by the icon.

[0004] In addition, when a line connected to a terminal at a plurality of points is changed on the host side, there is a problem that confusion arises as to the correspondence between the terminal at the connected point and the connection port.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and is intended to form and display a unique icon for each terminal of a video conference system at each connected point and to change the connection line on the host side. However, since the icons are not provided for each connection port but are formed according to the data sent from the partner terminal, it is possible to clearly understand the correspondence between the terminal at the connection point and the connection port It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication terminal device for a long-distance communication system.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an icon display data for identifying a partner terminal .
Creating a receiving means for receiving from the other terminal that is connected via a line, based on the icon display data received by the receiving means, an icon creation means for creating an icon for each of the terminal, by the icon creation unit It has a display means for displaying the icons, the icon
The icon creation means is included in the icon display data.
The feature is that an icon is created using bitmap data .

[0007] Preferably, the icon image is created on the display means when a window screen displayed on the display means is closed.

Preferably, the icon display data is displayed.
Data does not contain bitmap data.
If text data is included,
The computer creation means, the received text data,
Using the previously stored bitmap data,
It is characterized by creating a computer . Further, preferably, the icon display data, and feature in that it consists of a header and a text data even without low. Preferably, a bitmap data is added to the icon display data.
Data is not included, the icon creation means
Uses icons stored in advance to create icons
It is characterized in that it is created .

Further, preferably, the header comprises at least an identification number for recognizing the terminal and a flag indicating the type of the icon display data.
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for identifying a partner terminal.
The icon display data, reception means for receiving from the other terminal connected through the circuit,-out based on the received icon display data by said receiving means, create A <br/> icon for each of the terminal an icon creation means for, have a display means for displaying the icon created by the icon creation unit, bitmap de in the icon display data
Data is not included and the text data is
If it is included, the icon creation means
And the previously stored text data
It is characterized in that an icon is created using the bitmap data.

[0010]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a terminal for a video conference system which constitutes a video conference system according to an embodiment of the present invention. And is connected to other video conference system terminals via the network, thereby forming a video conference system as a whole.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a video conference system processing unit which operates in a window environment. The video conference system processing unit 1, for example, synchronizes processing among components or performs error processing. A system controller 2 which controls the whole of the video conference system processing unit 1 for performing the video conference and a video conference such as data transfer / acquisition processing and error processing via the public line 11 with a video conference system terminal of the other party. A communication control unit 3 for controlling communication to be performed; a video processing unit 4 for encoding a video signal from the host-side camera 13 and decoding a video signal from the terminal for the other party's video conference system; The audio signal from the microphone 14 is encoded, and the audio signal from the other party's video conference system terminal is decoded. Processing unit 5 that performs a delay process for synchronizing the image signal with the video signal, and a window that performs a frame process on the video signal from the video processing unit 4 and controls a window displayed on the screen of the display 10. And a processing unit 6.

[0013] The system controller 2, the same configuration as the information processing system such as a computer, the CPU 2 ₁ to the execution of the instruction of the control program, temporarily writes the control program and various data as a storage device RA
And M2 _2, the write control programs and various data as an auxiliary storage device is constituted by a television conference hard disk system power terminal is should also be save the stored contents when it is cut (HD) 2 ₃ . Then, the components 2 ₁ to 2 ₃ is connected to the internal bus 2 ₄ of the system controller 2, the mutual exchange of data is made.

The control program for controlling the video conference system processing unit 1 is stored as an application in the hard disk 2 _3, the application is R from the hard disk 2 ₃ at the start of the video conference system processing unit 1
AM2 ₂ , read from RAM2 ₂ and CPU
It is executed by being loaded to 2 _1.

Further, the system controller 2 is interconnected with a communication control unit 3, a video processing unit 4, an audio processing unit 5, and a window processing unit 6, and also connected with a mouse 12 for performing operation input. ing.

The communication control unit 3 includes a communication buffer 3 for temporarily storing data transferred via the public line 11.
₁ and are mutually connected to the video processing unit 4 and the audio processing unit 5.

The input side of the video processing unit 4 is a camera 13
And the output side is connected to the input side of the window processing unit 6. Then, as described above, the video processing unit 4 decodes the video signal from the other party's video conference system terminal, and
3 and outputs the combined data to the communication control unit 3 for transfer to the other party's video conference system terminal.

The voice processing unit 5 is connected with a microphone 14 for inputting the voice of the user on the host side and a speaker 15 for converting the voice signal output from the voice processing unit 5 into voice. The audio signal input from is encoded by the audio processing unit 5,
It is transmitted to the other party's terminal for the video conference system via the communication control unit 3.

Further, the window processing unit 6 is connected to a display 10 on which a screen of a video conference system terminal such as a video output of the other party is output.

The signal data output from the other party's video conference system terminal is first input to the communication control unit 3 and separated into a video signal and an audio signal. Is input to the audio processing unit. The video processing unit 4 performs processing such as decoding of the video signal, and the processing result is output to the window processing unit 6. In the window processing unit 6, a frame processing is performed on the input video signal, and the processing result is output to the display 10.
On the other hand, in the audio processing unit to which the audio signal is input, decoding processing of the audio signal and delay processing for synchronizing the combined audio signal with the video signal are performed, and the processing result is output to the speaker 15. You.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the window processing unit 6 in FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, for convenience of explanation, components other than the window processing unit 6 are also shown. In FIG. 2, the same components as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 1, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The window processing unit 6 performs signal processing on the video signal from the video processing unit 4 so as to match the window size (for example, 600 dots × 400 dots) displayed on the display 10 and also outputs the signal. a framing processing section ₆₁ to impart outward frame of the window to the processed video signals, a plurality of windows displays 10
If it is displayed overlap on writes a window managing section 6 ₂ which performs processing such images are displayed from the top of the window, the information about the window that the window managing section 6 ₂ managed window It is constituted by a database 6 _3.

[0023] The framing processing unit ₆₁ and the window managing section 6 ₂ are connected to each other, the window management section 6 ₂ and the window database 6 ₃ is also connected to each other, further, window managing section 6 ₂ includes a system controller 2 They are interconnected and exchange data with each other. In addition, the framing processing section _61, the output side of the video processing unit 4 is connected to the input side, the input side is connected to a display 10 on the output side, the video signal supplied from the video processor 4 As described above, the framing processing unit 6 ₁
Signal processing, and the processing result is displayed on the display 10.
Is output to

The window management unit 6 _2, framing processing unit 61
When a new window is created in, an identification signal for identifying the size of the window and which video conference system terminal is the output signal for each window (corresponding to the identification signal of claim 7) ) , Manages bitmaps and the like for icons displayed when the window is closed.

Further, the window database 6 ₃ via the window management section 6 _2, it can be rewritten and read its contents. When the user performs operations such as moving the window, changing the size, and displaying icons,
The operation input is inputted to the system controller 2, the control signal from the system controller 2 is input to the window managing section 6 _2. Window managing section 6 ₂ rewrites the contents of the window database 6 ₃ instructs the like the size of the changes to the framing processing unit _61.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of each window information stored in the window database 6 _3, the window database 6 _3, for each window, "Window ID", information such as "window drawing position" There are stored, as described above, the information is rewritten through the window management section 6 _2, also read out.

The control processing executed by the video conference system processing section 1 in the video conference system configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

First, an input device such as a mouse 12 or a keyboard (not shown) is operated by a user, and a control signal corresponding to the operation state is input to the system controller 2. When the instruction of creation is made (step S1), the interrupt request is generated to the CPU 2 ₁ in the system controller 2 by the instruction input. In response to the interrupt request, CPU 2 _1, to output icon drawing data transfer request command to the terminal for the recipient party side video conference system, and outputs to the communication control unit 3 (step S2). CP
Output from U2 ₁ icon rendering data transfer request command is input to the communication control unit 3 through the internal bus 2 ₄ of the system controller 2.

Next, the icon drawing data transfer request command input to the communication control unit 3 is output to the other party's video conference system terminal via the public line 11 according to a well-known data communication procedure. A data transfer request for icon drawing is made to the video conference system terminal on the side (step S3).

In response to the data transfer request, the other party's video conference system terminal transmits the icon drawing data to the host's video conference system terminal via the public line 11, ie, the video conference system processing unit 1. The output data (icon drawing data) is transmitted to the communication control unit 3
It is stored in the communication buffer 3 ₁ of the inner (step S4).
In this embodiment, the icon drawing data transferred from the other party's video conference system terminal is the data shown in FIG.
Specifically, there are two types of data, namely, a 2-byte header and bitmap data (FIG. 6A), a 2-byte header and text data (FIG. 6B), and a 2-byte One having only a header (FIG. 6)
(C)).

[0031] As described above, the icon drawing data is sent to the terminal for a television conference system of the host side, when it is stored in the communication buffer 3 _1, the header of the icon drawing data, an instruction from the CPU 2 ₁ the written from the communication control unit 3 to the RAM 2 ₂ in the system controller 2.

Next, analyzes the header written to the RAM 2 ₂ (header has been transferred), the icon drawing data that has been transferred out of the three types of data, whether any data, i.e., Is bitmap data,
It is determined whether the data is text data or only a header (step S5). Here, three kinds of data exist as the icon drawing data because the state of the other party's video conference system terminal is present. In other words, when the other party's video conference system terminal prepares bitmap data as icon drawing data, the other party's video conference system terminal uses the icon drawing of the host's video conference system terminal. In response to the data transfer request, the 2-byte header and bitmap data of FIG. 6A are transferred, and when only text data is prepared, the 2-byte header of FIG. When both data are not prepared, only the 2-byte header shown in FIG. 6C is transferred.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the bit assignment of the header of each icon drawing data of FIG. 6, and the first byte of the 2-byte header indicates the "identification number" of the terminal for the video conference system. The second byte indicates the type of data following the header. Specifically, when the header of the second byte is “01h” (FIG. 7A), “02h” (FIG. 7B) or “04h” (FIG. 7C),
The subsequent data indicates "bitmap data", "text data", or "no data", respectively. Here, “h” indicates that the previous value is “hexadecimal”, and the value of the header is
It is only necessary that each data is configured to be distinguishable, and it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above values.
Since the header is configured as described above, the type of the transferred data can be determined in step S5.

[0034] In the determination of step S5, when the icon drawing data transferred is bitmap data, CPU 2 _1, to the window managing section 6 _2, icon display bit corresponding to the window being selected an instruction to search for the bit map area in the RAM 2 ₂ should map data is stored. In response to this instruction, the window management section 6 ₂ searches the bitmap area, a communication buffer 3 ₁ of the communication control unit 3 to the bit map area
The bit map data stored in the transfer over the bus 2 ₄ (step S6).

[0035] Next, CPU 2 ₁ is, RAM 2 the bit map data in ₂ into a file, (identification signal corresponds to. Claim 7) bits of the hard disk 2 ₃ are denoted by the identification number of the other side It accumulated in the map database (step S7) (phase the icon creation unit according to claim 7
Hit. Then , the control process is terminated.

[0036] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a bitmap database constructed in the hard disk 2 _3, as shown in the figure, the bitmap database,
Wherein the "identification number" and the "bitmap file" and is stored as a pair (icon creation unit according to claim 7
This is an example showing the storage state of the created icon.
You. ) .

[0037] In the determination of the step S5, when the icon drawing data transferred is text data, first, CPU 2 _1, the text that has been accumulated for the window manager 6 _2, in the communication buffer 3 ₁ an instruction to transfer data to RAM 2 ₂ of the text data area. In response to this instruction, the window management section 6 ₂ transfers the text data through the bus 2 ₄ to RAM 2 ₂ of the region (step S8).

Next, CPU2 ₁ includes a hard disk 2 ₃ for use when the text data has been transferred
The pre-stored common bit map within the RAM 2 ₂
To read via the bus 2 ₄ combines the common bit map data and text data transferred from the terminal for mating videoconferencing system, to create a new bitmap data (step S9).

Next, CPU2 _1, the window management unit 6 ₂
Respect, an instruction to search for the bit map area to the icon display bitmap data corresponding to the selected window is saved in the RAM 2 _2. In response to this instruction, the window management section 6 ₂ searches the bitmap area to be stored, and transfers the new bit map data created in the above in that region (step S1
0).

Further, similarly to step S7,
CPU 2 ₁ is a bitmap data written in the RAM 2 ₂ of the bitmap area into a file, after accumulated in the hard disk 2 ₃ are denoted by the identification number of the other party (step S11), and terminates the control process I do.

If it is determined in step S5 that the transferred icon drawing data is only the identification number for distinguishing the other party's video conference system terminal from the video conference system terminal at another location, first, , CPU2
₁ retrieves the identification number transferred from the bitmap database in the hard disk 2 ₃ (step S12 in FIG. 5).

If the transferred identification number does not exist in the bitmap database in the search in step S12, the identification number is newly registered in the bitmap database (step S13), while the transferred identification number is registered. If the number exists in the bitmap database, the process skips step S13 and proceeds to step S14.

[0043] At step S14, CPU 2 ₁ retrieves the bitmap file corresponding to the identification number from the bitmap database. At this time, if the corresponding bitmap file exists, CPU 2 ₁ is
After the bit map file corresponding to the identification number of the hard disk 2 ₃ it was transferred to the bitmap area of the RAM 2 ₂ (step S15), and terminates the control process.

On the other hand, if the corresponding bitmap file does not exist in the search in step S14, the CPU 2
_1, through the window management section 6 ₂ searches the bitmap area of the RAM 2 _2, after transferring the said common bit map in the hard disk 2 ₃ to the bit map area in RAM 2 ₂ (step S16), and the The control processing ends.

As described above, according to this embodiment,
If the icon drawing data obtained from the other party's video conference system terminal via the public line is bitmap data, the bitmap data is displayed as it is as an icon, and the icon drawing data is text data. In the case of, the text data and the common bitmap prepared in advance on the host side are combined and displayed as an icon, so that a unique icon can be displayed for each terminal of the other party's video conference system, and Even when the line of the terminal for the video conference system is changed by the terminal for the video conference system on the host side, the correspondence between the terminal on the partner side and the connection port can be clearly grasped. Then, by re-registering the icons, confusion in the correspondence between the icons displayed on the screen and the terminals connected to the connection ports is prevented.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since an icon image is formed for each of a plurality of connected terminals, a unique icon can be displayed for each terminal,
Furthermore, for example, even when the connection line is changed on the host side, the icon is not provided for each connection port, but is formed according to data received from the partner terminal, so that the terminal at the connection point and the connection port Can be clearly understood.

Further, preferably, the header comprises at least a recognition number for recognizing the terminal for the video conference system at the connection point and a flag indicating the type of the icon display data. The most suitable icon can be displayed according to the icon display data.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a terminal for a video conference system that forms a video conference system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a detailed configuration of a window processing unit in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a window database in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a control process executed by the system controller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a control process executed by the system controller of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating types of icon drawing data received by the video conference system terminal of the embodiment.

7 is a diagram illustrating bit assignment of a header of each icon drawing data of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a bitmap file database constructed on the hard disk of FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 System controller (acquisition means) 6 Window processing unit (display means)

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A icon display data for remote terminal identification, and receiving means for receiving from the other terminal that is connected via a line, based on the icon display data received by said receiving means, each of said terminal on the icon generating means for generating an icon, it has a display means for displaying the icon created by the icon creation unit, the icon creation unit, data for the icon display
Create an icon using the included bitmap data
Communication terminal device which is characterized in that formed. 2. The communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the icon image is created on the display unit when a window screen displayed on the display unit is closed. 3. A bit map for the icon display data .
Data is not included, and the text data
If the icon creation means includes
The received text data is stored in advance
This <br/> communication terminal apparatus according to claim 1, wherein to create an icon by using the appropriate bit map data. 4. The communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the icon display data includes at least a header and text data. 5. A bit map for the icon display data .
If no update data is included, create the icon
The means uses icons stored in advance to
2. The communication terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the communication terminal device creates a communication terminal. 6. The communication according to claim 3, wherein the header includes at least an identification number for recognizing the terminal and a flag indicating a type of the icon display data. Terminal device. 7. A icon display data for remote terminal identification, and receiving means for receiving from the other terminal connected through the circuit,-out based on the received icon display data by said receiving means, said terminal and icon generating means for generating icons for each, have a display means for displaying the icon created by the icon creation unit, include bitmap data in the icon display data
Is not included and contains text data.
The icon creation means receives the received text.
Text data and bitmaps stored in advance
A communication terminal device for creating an icon using data .