Television conversation/monitoring system changing transmission capacity responsive to state change in remote location

• US 5,751,339 A
• Filed: 10/12/1995
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Toshio, Ishida, Kiyoshi, Aramaki, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/542,031
• Time in Patent Office: 943 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93-98, 379/93.08, 379/93.09, 379/93.11, 379/93.17, 379/93.21, 379/93.29, 348/14-20, 370/524, 370/522, 370/468, 370/467, 370/264
• US Class Current: 348/14.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0428 Integrated services digital network, i.e. systems for transmission of different types of digitised signals, e.g. speech, data, telecentral, television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13034 A/D conversion, code compression/expansion
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13179 Fax, still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13248 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1332 Logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13332 Broadband, CATV, dynamic bandwidth allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13337 Picturephone, videotelephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1337 Operator, emergency services

Abstract

A television conversation/monitoring system connecting a central station and a plurality of terminal stations through an ISDN line. The central station has a picture/sound conversation/monitoring device, a picture input/output device, a sound input/output device, a system control portion and an ISDN line terminal device, and each of the terminal stations has a picture/sound conversation/monitoring device, a system control portion, a picture input/output device, a sound input/output device, a terminal station state change detecting device and an ISDN line terminal device. The central-station-side system control device has a function to control the line capacity, so that conversation and monitoring can be performed with a plurality of terminal stations simultaneously while the line capacity is changed in accordance with the state of terminals.

Claims

1. A television conversation/monitoring system in which a plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems and one central-station-side terminal system are connected to each other through an integrated service digital communication network so that pictures and sounds are transmitted and received between said terminal-station-side terminal systems and said central-station-side terminal system,

wherein each of said plurality of terminal station-side terminal systems includes:

a first picture input means;

a first picture encoding means for encoding a picture signal inputted from said first picture input means;

a first sound input means;

a first sound encoding means for encoding a sound signal inputted from said first sound input means;

a state detection means for outputting a state and a state change in a terminal station as state information and state change information respectively;

a first multimedia multiplex means for multiplexing said picture signal encoded by said first picture encoding means and said sound signal encoded by said first sound encoding means, receiving said state information and said state change information from said state detection means, and transmitting a signal including said picture signal, said sound signal, said state information and said state change information to said communication network;

a first multimedia separation means for separating a signal received from said communication network into a sound signal, a picture signal and other signals;

a first sound decoding means for decoding said sound signal separated by said first multimedia separation means;

a first sound output means for outputting said sound signal decoded by said first sound decoding means;

a first picture decoding means for decoding said picture signal separated by said first multimedia separation means;

a first picture output means for outputing said picture signal decoded by said first picture decoding means; and

a first system control means connected to said first multimedia separation means for analyzing the signals other than said sound signal and said picture signal, and controlling the terminal system in accordance therewith, and

wherein said central-station-side terminal system includes;

a second picture input means;

a second picture encoding means for encoding a picture signal inputted from said second picture input means;

a second sound input means;

a second sound encoding means for encoding a sound signal inputted from said second sound input means;

a plurality of second multimedia multiplex means the number of which is equal in number to a plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously to said central-station-side terminal system, each of said second multimedia multiplex means multiplexing said picture signal encoded by said second picture encoding means and said sound signal encoded by said second sound encoding means;

a plurality of second multimedia separation means the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously to said central-station-side terminal system, each of said second multimedia separation means separating said signal received from said communication network into a sound signal, a picture signal and other signals;

a plurality of second sound decoding means the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously to said central-station-side terminal system, each of said second sound decoding means decoding a sound signal separated by a corresponding one of said second multimedia separation means;

a second sound output means for selecting and outputting one of decoded sound signals the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously;

second picture decoding means the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously, each of said second picture decoding means decoding a picture signal separated by a corresponding one of said second multimedia separation means;

a second picture output means for combining, into one picture scene, the whole of the decoded picture signals the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously, and outputting the combined one picture scene; and

a second system control means connected to said second multimedia multiplex means and said second multimedia separation means, and for analyzing said state information and said state change information, controlling said terminal-station-side terminal systems, giving instructions to said second multimedia multiplex means in response to a predetermined detected state change as indicated by said state change information to switch during communications the transmission capacity for transmissions with respect to at least one selected terminal-station-side terminal system, and sending transmission capacity switch information to the at least one selected terminal-station-side terminal system;

wherein said central-station-side terminal system communicates with at least a sub-plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems simultaneously.

2. A television conversation/monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said second system control means includes a command input means, and said second system control means gives instructions to corresponding ones of said second multimedia multiplex means to change the transmission capacity in accordance with a command inputted by an operator via said command input means.

3. A television conversation/monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein each of said state detection means of said terminal-station-side terminal systems includes a sensor means for detecting the an entrance and exit of persons into the terminal station, and an emergency notice means, and outputs the output of said sensor means and the state of said emergency notice means as said state change information.

4. A television conversation/monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein said second system control means of said central-station-side terminal system analyzes said state change information transmitted by said terminal-station-side terminal systems, and at the same time gives instructions to ones of said second multimedia multiplex means corresponding to the terminals transmitting said state change information indicating said predetermined detected state change to thereby change the transmission capacities thereof.

5. A television conversation/monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said first system control means in each of said terminal-station-side terminal systems is connected to said first picture encoding means, and switches the encoding resolution of said first picture encoding means in accordance with a switching transmission capacity when said first system control means receives said transmission capacity switch information.

6. A television conversation/monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said second system control means in said central-station-side terminal system connected to said second picture output means and said second sound output means, and gives instructions of expansion/expansion-release of corresponding picture plans and switch of sound when the transmission capacity is changed.

7. A television conversation/monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said first multimedia multiplex means in each of said terminal-station-side terminal systems transmits said state change information through a D-channel.

8. A television conversation/monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said first multimedia multiplex means in each of said terminal-station-side terminal systems multiplexes said state change information together with said sound signal and said picture signal, and transmits a multiplexed signal through a B-channel.

9. A television conversation/monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said second system control means of said central-station-side terminal system and said first system control means of said terminal-station-side terminal systems have connection terminal number information, and both said first and second system control means compare transmission terminal information in a D-channel call setting-up signal with said connection terminal number information, perform connection procedures when both information coincide, and perform release completion procedures when both information do not coincide.

10. A method for changing transmission capacity in a television conversation/monitoring system for transmitting and receiving pictures and sounds between a plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems and a central-station-side terminal system, which are connected to each other through an integrated service digital communication network, comprising:

the step of conducting simultaneous communications between at least a sub-plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems and said central-station-side terminal system;

the step in which each of said terminal-station-side terminal systems transmits state change information when the state of the terminal station is changed; and

the step in which said central-station-side terminal system changes during communications the transmission capacity for transmissions with respect to at least one selected terminal-station-side terminal system in accordance with said received state change information.

11. A television conversation/monitoring system in which a plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems and one central-station-side terminal system are connected to each other through an integrated service digital communication network so that pictures and sounds are transmitted and received between said terminal-station-side terminal systems and said central-station-side terminal system,

wherein each of said plurality of terminal station-side terminal systems includes:

a first picture input means;

a first picture encoding means for encoding a picture signal inputted from said first picture input means;

a first sound input means;

a first sound encoding means for encoding a sound signal inputted from said first sound input means;

a state detection means for outputting a state and a state change in a terminal station as state information and state change information respectively;

a first multimedia multiplex means for multiplexing said picture signal encoded by said first picture encoding means and said sound signal encoded by said first sound encoding means, receiving said state information and said state change information from said state detection means, and transmitting a signal including said picture signal, said sound signal, said state information and said state change information to said communication network;

a first multimedia separation means for separating a signal received from said communication network into a sound signal, a picture signal and other signals;

a first sound decoding means for decoding said sound signal separated by said first multimedia separation means;

a first sound output means for outputting said sound signal decoded by said first sound decoding means;

a first picture decoding means for decoding said picture signal separated by said first multimedia separation means;

a first picture output means for outputing said picture signal decoded by said first picture decoding means; and

a first system control means connected to said first multimedia separation means for analyzing the signals other than said sound signal and said picture signal, and controlling the terminal system in accordance therewith, and

wherein said central-station-side terminal system includes;

a second picture input means;

a second picture encoding means for encoding a picture signal inputted from said second picture input means;

a second sound input means;

a second sound encoding means for encoding a sound signal inputted from said second sound input means;

a plurality of second multimedia multiplex means the number of which is equal in number to a plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously to said central-station-side terminal system, each of said second multimedia multiplex means multiplexing said picture signal encoded by said second picture encoding means and said sound signal encoded by said second sound encoding means;

a plurality of second multimedia separation means the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously to said central-station-side terminal system, each of said second multimedia separation means separating said signal received from said communication network into a sound signal, a picture signal and other signals;

a plurality of second sound decoding means the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously to said central-station-side terminal system, each of said second sound decoding means decoding a sound signal separated by a corresponding one of said second multimedia separation means;

a second sound output means for selecting and outputting one of decoded sound signals the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously;

second picture decoding means the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously, each of said second picture decoding means decoding a picture signal separated by a corresponding one of said second multimedia separation means;

a second picture output means for combining, into one picture scene, the whole of the decoded picture signals the number of which is equal in number to the plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems connected simultaneously, and outputting the combined one picture scene; and

a second system control means connected to said second multimedia multiplex means and said second multimedia separation means, and for analyzing said state information and said state change information, controlling said terminal-station-side terminal systems, giving instructions to said second multimedia multiplex means in response to a predetermined detected state change as indicated by said state change information to switch during communications the transmission capacity selectably to a higher transmission capacity or a lower transmission capacity for transmissions with respect to at least one selected terminal-station-side terminal system, and sending transmission capacity switch information to the at least one selected terminal-station-side terminal system;

wherein said central-station-side terminal system communicates with at least a sub-plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems simultaneously and selectably switches transmission capacitors overtime to both said higher transmission capacity and said lower transmission capacity.

12. A method for changing transmission capacity in a television conversation/monitoring system for transmitting and receiving pictures and sounds between a plurality of terminal-station-side terminal systems and a central-station-side terminal system, which are connected to each other through an integrated service digital communication network;

comprising;

the step of conducting simultaneous communications between at least a sub-plurality of said terminal-station-side terminal systems and said central-station-side terminal system;

the step in which each of said terminal-station-side terminal systems transmits state change information when the state of the terminal station is changed; and

the step in which said central-station-side terminal system changes during communications the transmission capacity selectably to a higher transmission capacity or a lower transmission capacity for transmissions with respect to at least one selected terminal-station-side terminal system in accordance with said received state change information;

wherein said contrast-station-side terminal system and selectably switches transmission capacitors overtime to both said higher transmission capacity and said lower transmission capacity.