JP4140497B2 - COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, COMMUNICATION CONTROL DEVICE, AND TERMINAL DEVICE - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication system such as a button telephone device, and more particularly to a communication system, a communication control device, and a terminal device that use an image captured by a camera when calling a terminal device.

  Conventionally, as a communication system such as a button telephone device, a communication system that calls a desired terminal device using an image captured by a camera has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In such a communication system, the presence / absence of the other party is determined by performing image processing on the image captured by the camera, and the determination result is displayed on the display device and designated based on the determination result. Call the other party.

The applicant has not yet found prior art documents related to the present invention by the time of filing other than the prior art documents specified by the prior art document information described in this specification.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-292200

However, in such a conventional technique, there are many technical restrictions because the presence / absence is determined by image processing, and there is a problem that a flexible and inexpensive communication system cannot be constructed.
Generally, in order to accurately determine the presence / absence of a user in image processing, it is necessary to set a lot of data such as an image shape pattern indicating the presence / absence of a user's presence on the image, and to be extremely strict and individual. Since a large amount of data is required, dealing with a plurality of images causes an increase in cost. Also, the work burden required for setting cannot be ignored.

Therefore, for example, in the above-described conventional technology, the relationship between the device that transmits the image captured by the camera and the display device that displays the image is fixed due to the above-described technical restrictions, and thus the control target The other party that can be selected as is limited to the range captured by the camera, and other destinations can be selected as control targets such as calling based on images from cameras installed at different locations. Therefore, flexibility as a system cannot be obtained.
The present invention is for solving such problems, a communication system that can easily select an arbitrary destination as a control target based on images captured by a plurality of cameras, and can construct a flexible and inexpensive system, An object of the present invention is to provide a communication control device and a terminal device.

In order to achieve such an object, a communication system according to the present invention includes a plurality of terminal devices that perform voice call or data communication, and a plurality of cameras that respectively capture one or more images corresponding to the terminal devices. A communication system having a display device that acquires a desired image from any one and selectively displays it, and a communication control device that calls a desired terminal device in response to a selection operation on the image displayed on the display device The display device is provided with an operation input unit that detects a selection operation on the control target on the selected and displayed image, and is an image that is selectively displayed on the display device on the communication control device and is called become any one or more of an image showing the situation around the terminal for each image identification information for identifying each related associating the selected position within the image and each of the terminal devices Storage means for storing display information, acquisition means for acquiring image identification information indicating an image when a selection operation is detected by the operation input unit of the display device, and selection position information indicating a selection operation position in the image And selecting any of the association information stored in the storage unit based on the image identification information acquired by the acquisition unit, and calling based on the selected association information and the selected position information acquired by the acquisition unit. A determining unit that determines a terminal device to be a destination and a call control unit that calls the terminal device determined as a call destination by the determining unit .

At this time, the communication control device is determined based on the image identification information acquired by the acquisition means and the selected position information in accordance with the selection operation on the image displayed on the display device that is paired with the terminal device that is engaged in the voice call. Control means for adding or disconnecting the terminal device from the voice call may be further provided for another terminal device to be processed by the control determined by the means.
Further, the display device may acquire an image indicating a surrounding situation of the corresponding terminal device from the camera in accordance with the image selection operation detected by the operation input unit, and display it as an image for performing the selection operation. Further, an image for performing the selection operation may be periodically acquired from the camera and displayed.

Further, the communication control device according to the present invention accommodates a plurality of terminal devices that perform voice call or data communication, and is selected according to a selection operation on an image captured by any of a plurality of cameras and displayed on a display device. A communication control device that calls a desired terminal device , and is an image that is selectively displayed on a display device and that indicates the surrounding situation of any one or more terminal devices that are called destinations. For each piece of image identification information for identification, storage means for storing association information for associating a selected position in the image with each terminal device, image identification information indicating an image selected and displayed on the display device, and The acquisition means for acquiring the selection position information indicating the selection operation position in the selection, and any of the association information stored in the storage means based on the image identification information acquired by the acquisition means Together, determining means for determining a terminal device to be called destination based on the acquired selection location information acquisition means, the association information selected, a call to the terminal device determined as a call destination in this determination means in which and a call control means for performing.

  At this time, the control determined by the determining unit based on the image identification information acquired by the acquiring unit and the selected position information in accordance with the selection operation on the image displayed on the display device that is paired with the terminal device that is in a voice call For other terminal devices to be processed, control means for adding the terminal device to the voice call or disconnecting from the voice call may be further provided.

In addition, the terminal device according to the present invention performs a voice call or data communication with an arbitrary terminal device via a line, and on an image captured by one of a plurality of cameras and displayed on a display unit. A terminal device that calls a desired terminal device in response to a selection operation, and is an image that is selectively displayed on a display unit , and the peripheral status of any one or more terminal devices that are call destinations For each image identification information for identifying each image to be displayed, storage means for storing association information for associating the selected position in the image with each terminal device, and image identification information indicating the image selected and displayed on the display unit And the selection position information indicating the selection operation position in the image, and any of the association information stored in the storage unit based on the image identification information acquired by the acquisition unit While-option, determining means for determining a terminal device to be called destination based on the acquired selection location information acquisition means, the association information selected, the terminal apparatus determined as the callee in this determination means Call control means for making a call .

At this time, in response to a selection operation on the image displayed on the display unit, another terminal device to be processed by the control determined by the determining unit based on the image identification information acquired by the acquiring unit and the selected position information Control means for adding the terminal device to the voice call or disconnecting from the voice call may be further provided.
Further, the display device may acquire an image indicating a surrounding situation of the corresponding terminal device from the camera in accordance with the image selection operation detected by the operation input unit, and display it as an image for performing the selection operation. Further, an image for performing the selection operation may be periodically acquired from the camera and displayed.

The present invention is an image that is selectively displayed on a display device when a call is made to a desired terminal device in response to a selection operation on an image that is captured by any of a plurality of cameras and displayed on the display device. In addition, for each piece of image identification information for identifying an image indicating the surrounding situation of any one or more terminal devices that are called destinations , association information that associates the selected position in the image with each terminal device is provided. Image identification information indicating an image selected and displayed on the display device and selection position information indicating a selection operation position in the image are acquired in advance, and stored in a storage unit based on the image identification information. association with selecting one of the information, and determines a terminal device as a callee based on the acquired selection location information from the display device and the association information that is selected, the edge which is determined as a callee who is Since to make calls to the device, select the selected image captured by the plurality of cameras can be easily selected as the control target any destination can be constructed flexible and inexpensive system.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
First, a communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
This communication system comprises a key telephone apparatus as a whole, a communication control apparatus (main apparatus or management server) 1 connected to one or more telephone lines 10 from the network, and an extension transmission line 20 to the communication control apparatus 1. A plurality of telephones (terminal devices) 2 (2A to 2N) accommodated via the network, information terminals (display devices) 3 (3A to 3N) connected to the communication control device 1 via the LAN 30, and a camera 4 The communication control device 1 exchanges and connects calls such as voice calls and data communications between the telephone line 10 and the telephone 2 and between the telephones 2 in the communication control device 1.

Information terminals 3A to 3N made up of personal computers or the like are arranged adjacent to the telephones 2A to 2N, respectively, and these are managed as a pair by the communication control device 1, and each information terminal 3A to 3N is paired with a telephone. Calling operation and incoming call display using 2A to 2N are performed. Note that it is not necessary to provide the information terminal 3 for all the telephones 2.
The camera 4 is a commercially available camera called a web camera that can output an image via a data communication network such as a LAN. These cameras 4 take images of locations where the telephone 2 and the information terminal 3 are installed, for example, the status of each department of the company. These images are distributed in response to access from the information terminal 3 via the LAN 30 and are displayed on the display screen of the information terminal 3.

  In the present embodiment, the selection operation position in the image is indicated for each image identification information unique to each image picked up by the plurality of cameras 4A to 4M and selectively displayed on the screen of the information terminal 3. The selected position information and each telephone set 2 are associated with each other by the association information and managed by the communication control device 1. From the information terminal 3 in accordance with the selection operation on the image displayed on the screen of an arbitrary information terminal 3. The transmitted image identification information and selected position information are acquired by the communication control device 1, and the telephone set 2 to be controlled is determined from the association information corresponding to the image identification information and the selected position information. It is.

[Configuration of communication control unit]
Next, the configuration of the communication control device 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. The communication control apparatus 1 includes an external line interface unit (hereinafter referred to as an external line I / F unit) 11 that controls the termination of the telephone line 10 and an internal line interface unit that performs data transmission with the telephones 2A to 2N via the internal line transmission path 20 (hereinafter referred to as the external line interface unit). 13, an extension I / F unit) 13, a switch 12 that exchanges and connects the external line I / F unit 11 and the extension I / F unit 13, and a communication interface that performs data communication with the information terminals 3 </ b> A to 3 </ b> N via the LAN 30. Part (hereinafter referred to as communication I / F part) 14, control part 15 for controlling each part of communication control device 1 to perform call control of telephone line 10 and telephones 2A to 2N, and necessary for control by control part 15 A storage unit 16 for storing various information is provided.

The storage unit 16 includes a storage device such as a memory and a hard disk. For each piece of image identification information indicating an image captured by each camera 4, the association information 16A that associates the operation position on the image with each telephone, Call control information 16B for managing the operation state and function settings of the telephone 2, and information such as programs used in the control unit 15 are stored.
The control unit 15 includes a microprocessor such as a CPU and its peripheral circuits, and by reading and executing the program in the storage unit 16, the hardware and the program cooperate to realize various functional units. In addition to call control, it performs various management processes for the telephone system.

  The control unit 15 includes an acquisition unit 15A, a determination unit 15B, a call control unit 15C, and the like as the functional units. The acquisition unit 15A receives the image identification information and the selection position information obtained by the information terminal 3 in response to detection of the selection operation on the image captured by the desired camera 4 via the LAN 30 and the communication I / F unit 14. Get. The determination unit 15B determines the telephone set 2 to be controlled based on the image identification information and the selected position information acquired by the acquisition unit 15A. The call control unit 15C performs control related to the transmission operation, the incoming operation, and the call of each of the telephones 2A to 2N based on the call control information 16B in the storage unit 16. Further, processing requested from the information terminal 3 with the telephone 2 determined by the determining means 15B as a control target, for example, a call from the telephone 2 paired with the information terminal 3 to the telephone 2 to be controlled Perform call control.

[Phone configuration]
Next, the configuration of the telephone 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the telephone 2. The telephone 2 is provided with an extension interface unit (hereinafter referred to as extension I / F unit) 21, a display unit 22, an operation input unit 23, a storage unit 24, a control unit 25, and a voice processing unit 26.
The extension I / F unit 21 is a circuit unit that performs data transmission with the communication control device 1 via the extension transmission path 20. The display unit 22 is a circuit unit that performs various displays by controlling the LEDs and the LCD based on instructions received from the communication control device 1 by data transmission. The operation input unit 23 is a circuit unit that detects an operation by a user. The storage unit 24 is a memory that stores various information and programs used for processing operations in the control unit 25.

The control unit 25 has a microprocessor such as a CPU and its peripheral circuits, and functions to control each unit of the telephone 2 in cooperation with the hardware and the program by reading and executing the program of the storage unit 24. Part.
The voice processing unit 26 is a circuit unit having a function of generating a voice call using a call path connected to the communication control apparatus 1 via the extension I / F unit 21 and various notification sounds.

[Configuration of information terminal]
Next, the configuration of the information terminal 3 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information terminal 3. The information terminal 3 is composed of a computer such as a personal computer as a whole, and includes a communication interface unit (hereinafter referred to as a communication I / F unit) 31, a display unit 32, an operation input unit 33, a storage unit 34, and a control unit 35. Yes.
The communication I / F unit 31 is a circuit unit that performs data transmission with the communication control device 1 and the camera 4 via the LAN 30. The display unit 32 is a circuit unit that controls a screen display device such as an LCD to select various images, for example, a menu for selecting the camera 4 for acquiring the image, and a screen for displaying an image acquired from the camera 4. The operation input unit 33 includes a pointing device such as a mouse and a keyboard, and is a circuit unit that detects a user operation, for example, a menu selection or a control target selection operation on an image acquired from the camera 4. The storage unit 34 includes a storage device such as a memory and a hard disk, and is a circuit unit that stores an image acquired from the camera 4 and various information and programs used for processing operations in the control unit 35.

The control unit 35 includes a microprocessor such as a CPU and its peripheral circuits, and reads and executes the program in the storage unit 34 so that the hardware and the program cooperate to control each unit of the information terminal 3. It is a functional part.
As this functional unit, for example, a camera selection unit (not shown) for selecting a camera 4 by displaying a menu in accordance with an instruction from the communication control device 1 or an operation from a user, the LAN 30 from the selected camera 4 is selected. And an image acquisition means (not shown) for acquiring an image via the communication I / F unit 41, and the communication I / F unit according to the selection operation displayed on the display unit 32 and detected by the operation input unit 33. A notification means (not shown) for notifying the communication control apparatus 1 of the image identification information and the selected position information is provided through the communication control device 31. These functional means may be realized by a Web browser function for browsing and transmitting desired information based on the HTTP protocol.

[Camera configuration]
Next, the configuration of the camera 4 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the camera 4. The camera 4 includes a camera having a communication function such as a Web camera as a whole, and includes a communication interface unit (hereinafter referred to as a communication I / F unit) 41, a storage unit 42, an imaging unit 43, an image processing unit 44, and a control unit 45. Is provided.
The communication I / F unit 41 is a circuit unit that performs data transmission with the communication control device 1 and the information terminal 3 via the LAN 30. The storage unit 42 includes a storage device such as a memory and a hard disk, and is a circuit unit that stores captured images and various information and programs used for processing operations in the control unit 45. The imaging unit 43 is a circuit unit that includes an imaging element such as a CCD and photoelectrically converts light taken in via a lens and outputs the result as an image signal. The image processing unit 44 is a circuit unit that converts the image signal obtained by the imaging unit 43 into a format of image data and outputs it.

The control unit 45 has a microprocessor such as a CPU and its peripheral circuits, and reads and executes a program in the storage unit 42, whereby the hardware and the program cooperate to control each unit of the camera 4. Part.
As this functional unit, for example, a distribution unit (not shown) that reads and distributes an image stored in the storage unit 42 in response to a request from the information terminal 3, a request from the information terminal 3, or a regular image pickup Imaging control means (not shown) for controlling the unit 43 and the image processing unit 44 to acquire an image and storing it in the storage unit 42; imaging adjustment for controlling the imaging direction and zoom magnification in response to a request from the information terminal 3 Means (not shown) and the like are provided.

[Configuration of association information]
Next, the configuration of the association information 16A will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a configuration example of the association information 16A. In the present embodiment, a control target is selected by performing a selection operation on an image captured by the camera 4 with a mouse or the like. In this association information 16A, in order to realize such processing, for each piece of image identification information for identifying an image captured by each camera 4, control object information corresponding to the selected position information on the image is associated. Are managed. In the example of FIG. 5, for example, for the image identification information named “Business Promotion Department 1”, the selected position information “A1” here is the area name or coordinate data, the control object information “2350” is the extension number here. Associated. Note that a network address or URL used when accessing the camera 4 from the information terminal 3 may be used as the image identification information.

FIG. 6 shows a screen display example when the control object is selected in the information terminal 3. In this example, an image acquired from the camera 4 installed in the “business promotion unit 1” is displayed in response to a camera selection operation on the information terminal 3. In the association information 16A corresponding to the image of the “business promotion section 1”, the location of the user who uses each telephone 2 and the desk on which each telephone is installed in the image according to the selected position information is shown by a broken line in FIG. Regions A1 to A7 as indicated by circles are set, and control targets are associated with each region. For example, the control target “2350” is associated with the area A1.
Therefore, by performing a selection operation in the area A1 with the mouse of the information terminal 3, the determination unit 15B of the communication control device 1 uses the image identification information “business promotion unit 1” and the selected position information “A1” to control the object. “2350” is determined as the telephone 2 to be.

[Operation example of communication system]
Next, the operation of the communication system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the communication system according to the present embodiment. Here, as an operation example of the communication system according to the present embodiment, a case will be described in which an image is displayed on the information terminal 3 to select a control target and an extension call is made to the selected control target telephone. .

  First, a user who uses the paired telephone 2A and information terminal 3A operates the information terminal 3A to request display of the call destination image in order to display an image corresponding to the control target, here, the extension call destination. (Step 100). The control unit 35 of the information terminal 3A detects a display request operation from the user via the operation input unit 33, and sends a terminal information request for requesting terminal information of each telephone corresponding to the call destination image to the call destination. The image is transmitted from the communication I / F unit 31 together with the image identification information set individually for the image and stored in the storage unit 34 (step 101). Further, the control unit 35 of the information terminal 3A performs periodic data acquisition and display of a desired image by performing data communication with the camera 4 that captures the called image via the communication I / F unit 31 and the LAN 30. The screen display on the unit 32 is started (step 102).

  On the other hand, the control unit 15 of the communication control device 1 receives the terminal information request from the information terminal 3A via the LAN 30 and the communication I / F unit 14, and the call control means 15C receives the image identification included in the terminal information request. The association information 16A corresponding to the information is read from the storage unit 16. Then, each control target corresponding to the image, that is, the operation state information of the telephone 2 is acquired from the call control information 16B of the storage unit 16, and is returned as terminal information from the communication I / F unit 14 to the information terminal 3A (step 103). ). This operating status information includes the operating status of the telephone (busy / free), the type of the call (extension / external), the call status (busy / holding), the call type (outgoing / incoming), Various types of information that can be displayed on the telephone 2 such as call partner information and call time can be used.

The control unit 35 of the information terminal 3A receives the terminal information from the communication control device 1 via the LAN 30 and the communication I / F unit 31, obtains it from the camera 4A, and combines it with the image being displayed on the screen 2 to each telephone 2 Is displayed on the screen (step 104).
Thereafter, in response to the selection operation using the mouse by the user (step 105), the control unit 35 includes image identification information of the image displayed on the screen and selection position information indicating a position where the selection operation is performed. A call request is transmitted to the communication control apparatus 1 via the communication I / F unit 14 (step 106).

The control unit 15 of the communication control device 1 acquires the call request from the information terminal 3A, the image identification information included therein, and the selected position information via the LAN 30 and the communication I / F unit 14 using the acquisition unit 15A. To do. Then, the determining unit 15B reads the association information 16A corresponding to the image identification information from the storage unit 16, and determines the telephone set 2, in this case the telephone set 2B, as the control target from the association information 16A and the acquired selected position information. (Step 107).
Then, the call control means 15C transmits an instruction to shift the telephone 2A paired with the information terminal 3A to the ringing state from the extension I / F unit 13 to the telephone 2A (step 110), and the extension I / F unit 13 The extension is called from the telephone 2B (step 111).

The control unit 25 of the telephone 2A receives an instruction from the communication control device 1 via the extension transmission path 20 and the extension I / F unit 21, and controls the voice processing unit 26 to use a speaker receiving function and a hands-free function. The on-hook call state or the off-hook call state by the handset is set, and the display unit 22 is controlled to display that the extension is being called, and the state is shifted to the calling state (step 112).
On the other hand, the control unit 25 of the telephone 2B receives an instruction from the communication control device 1 via the extension transmission path 20 and the extension I / F unit 21, controls the voice processing unit 26, and outputs a ring tone. The display unit 22 is controlled to display an incoming call (step 113).

When the user performs a response operation such as off-hook for the incoming call display on the telephone 2B, the control unit 25 of the telephone 2B detects this by the operation input unit 23 and passes through the extension I / F unit 21. A response is notified to the communication control device 1 (step 114).
The call control means 15C of the communication control device 1 controls the switch 12 in response to the response notification from the telephone 2B, and connects the call path between the telephone 2A and the telephone 2B (step 115). Thereby, an extension call is started between the telephone 2A and the telephone 2B (step 116).

At this time, the call control unit 15C updates the operation state information of the telephones 2A and 2B in the call control information 16B of the storage unit 16 to the extension call state. Further, the call control means 15C transmits the operating state information of the telephone 2B to the information terminal 3A via the communication I / F unit 14 (step 117).
The control unit 35 of the information terminal 3A controls the display unit 32 to display images sequentially acquired from the camera 4A on the screen (step 118), and operation state information of the telephone 2B notified from the communication control device 1 Is updated and displayed (step 119).

Thereafter, when an end-of-call operation such as on-hook is performed on the telephone 2B (step 120), the control unit 25 of the telephone 2B controls the voice processing unit 26 and the display unit 22 accordingly to release the call state. At the same time, the communication control device 1 is notified of the end of the call (step 121).
The call control means 15C of the communication control device 1 sets the operation state information of the telephones 2A and 2B in the call control information 16B of the storage unit 16 to the idle state (no call state) in response to the call termination notification from the telephone 2B. Update and notify the telephone 2A of the end of the call (step 122). As a result, the control unit 25 of the telephone 2A controls the voice processing unit 26 and the display unit 22 to cancel the call state and end the call (step 123).

  Further, the call control means 15C of the communication control device 1 controls the switch 12 to release the call path between the telephone 2A and the telephone 2B (step 124), and transmits a screen display end instruction to the information terminal 3A (step 125). ). In response to this, the control unit 35 of the information terminal 3A ends the image acquisition from the camera 4A and the image display on the display unit 32 (step 126).

As described above, in the present embodiment, for each piece of image identification information unique to each image picked up by the plurality of cameras 4A to 4M and selectively displayed on the screen of the information terminal 3, the selection operation position in the image is indicated. The selected position information and each telephone set 2 are associated with each other by the association information and managed by the communication control device 1. From the information terminal 3 in accordance with the selection operation on the image displayed on the screen of an arbitrary information terminal 3. Since the transmitted image identification information and selected position information are acquired by the communication control device 1, the telephone set 2 to be controlled is determined from the association information corresponding to the image identification information and the selected position information. Any other party can be selected as a control target based on images taken by a plurality of cameras.
Therefore, when the telephone is arranged at a remote location, for example, even when the telephone is arranged on a different floor or room, it can be dealt with only by setting the association information, and is limited to the place where the telephone is installed. The system can be constructed flexibly without any problems.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5 described above, the association information can be composed of image identification information, selection position information, and control target information, and does not require image data for image processing of the presence / absence of the user. . Therefore, it is not necessary to store a large amount of data and can be realized with a relatively small storage capacity. Furthermore, there is no need to set image data, the work load when updating the system can be reduced, and the product cost and management cost can be greatly reduced.
Further, since the image identification information and the selected position information are acquired from the information terminal 3 and the control target is determined by the determination unit of the communication control device 1 using the association information, the communication control device 1 associates each image. Information can be centrally managed, and the configuration and workload required for holding, setting, and updating association information can be reduced compared to the case where association information is provided for each information terminal 3.

  In addition, an image showing the status of the other party is displayed in real time, and the control target is selected by a selection operation on the display screen, for example, a click operation with a mouse. Not only the seat / absence, but also the surroundings can be checked visually. Accordingly, it is possible to accurately grasp various situations such as when the other party is not seated but is near the seat and can answer the telephone, and can provide a user with many choices, thereby constructing a user-friendly system.

  In addition, when selecting a control target based on an image acquired from a camera, the operation state information of each control target is acquired from the communication control device and displayed together with the image. You can choose well. At this time, the operation state information of each control object may be displayed together on the periphery of the image acquired from the camera, and the operation state information of each control object is individually displayed at the position of each control object on the image. May be. In addition, a frame indicating an area for selecting each control target may be displayed. Similar to the display of operation state information using LEDs on a general telephone, the operation state information is indicated by the color of the frame and lighting / flashing. May be displayed. Alternatively, the operation state information of the control target may be displayed in response to a display request for each control target using a context menu or the like.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a communication system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the communication system according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Here, as an operation example of the communication system according to the present embodiment, a control target is selected by referring to an image on the information terminal 3 during a call, and the selected control target telephone is added to / from a conference call. A case where cutting is performed will be described. The configuration of the communication system is the same as that in FIG. 1 described above, and a description thereof is omitted here.

First, it is assumed that the telephone 2A is making an extension call with the telephone 2B as in the operation sequence of FIG. 7 described above (step 130). Here, when the telephone call 2C is added to the extension call and the three-party conference call is performed, the telephone 2C to be added on the image displayed on the information terminal 3A is displayed in the same manner as in Step 105 described above. A selection operation is performed (step 131).
The control unit 35 of the information terminal 3A notifies the communication control device 1 of a conference call addition request including the image identification information of the image and the selected position information in response to the selection operation for a new control target during a call ( Step 132).

  In response to the conference call addition request, the control unit 15 of the communication control apparatus 1 acquires the image identification information and the selected position information included in the conference call addition request by the acquisition unit 15A. As in step 107, the control target is determined from the association information 16A corresponding to the image identification information and the selected position information (step 140). Then, an extension call is made by the call control means 15C to the telephone set 2C determined as the control target (step 141), and the telephone set is controlled by controlling the switch 12 in response to the response from the telephone set 2C (step 142). The call path of the telephone 2C is connected to the call path with 2B to form a conference path (step 143). Thereby, the three-way call by the telephones 2A, 2B, 2C is started (step 144).

At this time, the call control means 15C updates the operation state information of the telephones 2A, 2B, 2C in the call control information 16B of the storage unit 16 to the extension conference call state. The call control unit 15C transmits the operation state information of the telephones 2B and 2C to the information terminal 3A via the communication I / F unit 14 (step 145).
The control unit 35 of the information terminal 3A controls the display unit 32 to display images sequentially acquired from the camera 4A on the screen (step 146), and the operation state information of the telephone 2B notified from the communication control device 1 Is updated and displayed (step 147).

When the telephone 2C is disconnected from the conference call, the selection operation of the telephone 2C to be disconnected is performed on the image displayed on the information terminal 3A in the same manner as in Step 105 described above (Step 150).
The control unit 35 of the information terminal 3A performs communication control on a conference call disconnection request including the image identification information of the image and the selected position information in response to a selection operation on a control target participating in the conference during the conference call. The device 1 is notified (step 151).

In response to the conference call disconnection request, the control unit 15 of the communication control apparatus 1 acquires the image identification information and the selected position information included in the conference call disconnection request by the acquisition unit 15A, and the determination unit 15B As in step 107, the control target is determined from the association information 16A corresponding to the image identification information and the selected position information (step 152).
Then, the call control means 15C notifies the end of call to the telephone set 2C determined as the control target (step 153), and the conference path is released by controlling the switch 12 to disconnect the telephone call path of the telephone set 2C. (Step 154). As a result, the extension calls of the telephones 2A and 2B are started (step 155).

At this time, the call control means 15C updates the operation state information of the telephone 2C in the call control information 16B of the storage unit 16 to the idle state (no call state), and updates the telephones 2A and 2B to the extension call state. The call control unit 15C transmits the operation state information of the telephone 2C to the information terminal 3A via the communication I / F unit 14 (step 156).
The control unit 35 of the information terminal 3A controls the display unit 32 to display images sequentially acquired from the camera 4A on the screen (step 157), and the operation state information of the telephone 2B notified from the communication control device 1 Is updated and displayed (step 158).

In this way, when a new control target is selected during a call, a telephone set selected as the control target is added to form a conference call, and the other party is selected as the control target during the call. In this case, since the telephone selected as the control target is disconnected from the conference call, the addition / disconnection of the telephone related to the conference call can be controlled with a very simple operation.
In FIG. 8, instead of individually disconnecting any telephones participating in the conference call, the call control means 15C controls the switch 12 to temporarily put the telephone on hold and exclude it from the conference call. In response to the same selection operation, the call may be returned to the call again.

  When selecting the control target in steps 131 and 150 in FIG. 8, images from other cameras 4 may be acquired and displayed as in steps 100 to 105 in FIG. In addition, an image of an arbitrary camera can be selected and displayed, and a desired control target can be easily selected in a wide range without being limited to the image including the other party who started the call first. In addition, when displaying images on the screen, the number of images to be displayed is not limited to one, and a plurality of images acquired from different cameras may be displayed in parallel on the same screen. It is possible to call a plurality of control objects located at the same time, and when making a conference call, a plurality of destinations can be selected very easily.

  In FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 described above, the extension call and the addition / disconnection of the conference call have been described as examples of the control for the selected control target. However, the contents of the control are not limited to this, but are general. Various types of control can be performed on the selected control target, such as extension / incoming calls, external line outgoing / incoming calls, hold, transfer, data communication, facsimile communication, and destination status display. Good. At this time, for example, a desired control may be selected from a plurality of controls using a context menu displayed when the control target of the image is right-clicked with the mouse. Various controls can be performed on the controlled object.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 9, a communication system according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system according to the third exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
In each of the embodiments described above, the button telephone apparatus in which the telephone 2 and the information terminal 3 are used as a pair has been described as an example of the communication system. However, the present invention is not limited to the above system configuration.

  That is, in the above system configuration, the camera 4 corresponds to an image distribution unit that distributes an image corresponding to the other party, and the information terminal 3 selects an image display unit that selectively displays the image, and a selection operation for the control target using the image. This corresponds to the object selection means for detecting. And the communication control apparatus 1 performs predetermined control with respect to the determined control object which determines the said control object using the correlation information from the image identification information acquired from the object selection means, and selection position information, and the determined control object It corresponds to the control means. Accordingly, the configuration having these means is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG.

  The communication system according to the present embodiment is composed of a button telephone device as a whole, and is not provided with the information terminals 3 (3A to 3N) as compared with the first embodiment (see FIG. 1) described above. The image display unit and the object selection unit of the information terminal 3 are different from each other in that the display unit 22 and the operation input unit 23 of the telephone 2 are realized. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here. 9, the same or equivalent parts as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  As described above, since the image display means and the object selection means of the information terminal 3 are realized by the display unit 22 and the operation input unit 23 of the telephone 2, the paired information terminal 3 is required as shown in FIG. Thus, the same effect as described above can be obtained. At this time, the image from the camera 4 may be directly acquired from the camera 4 via the LAN 30 by providing the telephone 2 with the same data communication function as the communication I / F unit 31 of the information terminal 3, and via the communication control device 1. You may get it at

[Fourth Embodiment]
Next, a communication system according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system according to the fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
In the third embodiment described above, the function of the information terminal 3 is realized by the telephone 2. However, in the present embodiment, on the contrary, the information terminal 3 is connected to the information processing unit 26 of the telephone 2, for example. Is provided. Other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here. 10, the same or equivalent parts as in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  As described above, since the call function similar to the voice processing unit 26 of the telephone 2 is provided in the call function, as shown in FIG. Is obtained. At this time, the voice data for the voice call may be exchanged with the information terminal 3 to be controlled via the LAN 30 and the communication control device 1 by the IP call technique.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Next, a communication system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
In the first embodiment described above, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the case where the communication control device 1 manages the association information 16A and the communication control device 1 includes the determination unit 15B has been described as an example. In the present embodiment, the determination unit of the communication control device 1 is provided in the information terminal 3, and based on the association information set in advance in the information terminal 3 based on the image identification information and the selected position information from the target selection unit. A control target is determined, and a control request including target identification information indicating the control target is notified to the communication control device 1.

As described above, since the information to be controlled is determined by each information terminal 3 and notified to the communication control device 1, it is not necessary to determine the control target in response to a request from each information terminal 3 in the communication control device 1. The processing burden on the communication control device 1 can be reduced.
At this time, the association information may be distributed from the communication control device 1 to the information terminal 3 according to the update, or may be distributed to the information terminal 3 from a management server or the like separately connected to the LAN 30. The processing burden on the communication control device 1 can be further reduced.
Further, when the image display means and the object selection means are provided in the telephone as in the third embodiment, the determination means may be provided in the telephone 2 in the same manner as described above, and the same effect as described above can be obtained. .

[Sixth Embodiment]
Next, a communication system according to the sixth exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system according to the sixth exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
The communication system according to the present embodiment manages the information terminal (terminal device) 3 including the determination unit and the control unit of the communication control device 1 described above in addition to the configuration of FIG. 3, the camera 4, and each information terminal 3. And the management server 5 to be configured.

In the present embodiment, a control target, for example, another information terminal 3 is determined by the determination means of the information terminal 3, and desired control is directly performed on the control target from the information terminal 3. .
As a result, as shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to perform data communication or the like with the desired control target, here, the information terminal 3 via the LAN 30 without the need for the telephone 2, both of which have a call function. Then, a voice call can be performed in the same manner as an IP phone. Further, the operating state of each information terminal 3 distributed from the management server 5 can be displayed together with the image from the camera 4. Similar effects can be obtained by using a data communication network such as the Internet instead of the LAN 30.

[Seventh embodiment]
Next, a communication system according to the seventh exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication system according to the seventh exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
The communication system according to the present embodiment includes a telephone (terminal device) having the image display means and the object selection means of the information terminal 3 described above and the determination means and control means of the communication control device 1 described above in addition to the configuration of FIG. ) 2, a camera 4, and a private branch exchange 6 that accommodates each telephone 2 via an extension line 60.

The telephone 2 according to the present embodiment operates as a single telephone connected to the private branch exchange 6 instead of the extension telephone of the key telephone apparatus described above, and is also connected to the LAN 30. Accordingly, the telephone 2 has the same external line termination function as the external line I / F unit of the communication control device 1 instead of the internal line I / F unit 21 of FIG. 2 and is similar to the communication I / F unit 31 of the information terminal 3. It has a data communication function.
Then, the telephone 2 acquires a desired image from the camera 4 via the data communication network 50 and displays it on the display unit 22, and the determination unit of the telephone 2 determines the selection operation detected by the operation input unit 23. A control target, for example, another telephone set 2 is determined, and control such as calling is directly performed on the control target.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, a voice call or the like with a desired control target can be performed as a single telephone through the private branch exchange 6 without requiring the communication control device 1, and both have a communication function. If so, data communication and facsimile communication can be performed via the private branch exchange 6 and the LAN 30. In addition, the operating state of each telephone 2 distributed from the private branch exchange 6 can be displayed together with the image from the camera 4. Similar effects can be obtained by using an exchange constituting a public telephone network instead of the private branch exchange 6 or using a data communication network such as the Internet instead of the LAN.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication system concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a structural example of the telephone set of FIG. It is a structural example of the information terminal of FIG. It is a structural example of the camera of FIG. It is a structural example of association information. It is an example of a screen display at the time of control object selection. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the communication system concerning the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the communication system concerning the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication system concerning the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication system concerning the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication system concerning the 6th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication system concerning the 7th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication control apparatus, 10 ... Telephone line, 11 ... External line I / F part, 12 ... Switch, 13 ... Extension I / F part, 14 ... Communication I / F part, 15 ... Control part, 15A ... Acquisition means, 15B ... Determining means, 15C ... call control means, 16 ... storage section, 16A ... association information, 16B ... call control information, 2, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2N ... telephone, 20 ... extension transmission path, 21 ... extension I / F , 22 ... display unit, 23 ... operation input unit, 24 ... storage unit, 25 ... control unit, 26 ... audio processing unit, 3 ... information terminal, 30 ... LAN, 31 ... communication I / F unit, 32 ... display unit , 33 ... operation input section, 34 ... storage section, 35 ... control section, 4, 4A, 4M ... camera, 41 ... communication I / F section, 42 ... storage section, 43 ... imaging section, 44 ... image processing section, 45 ... Control unit, 5 ... Management server, 50 ... Data communication network, 6 ... Private branch exchange, 60 ... Extension line

Claims (10)

A display device that obtains and selectively displays a desired image from any of a plurality of terminal devices that perform voice call or data communication and a plurality of cameras that respectively capture images corresponding to the one or more terminal devices; A communication system including a communication control device that calls a desired terminal device according to a selection operation on an image displayed on a display device,
The display device
An operation input unit that detects a selection operation on a control target on the selected and displayed image,
The communication control device includes:
For each piece of image identification information for identifying an image that is selectively displayed on the display device and that indicates an image indicating the peripheral situation of any one or more of the terminal devices that are called destinations , Storage means for storing association information for associating the selected position with each terminal device;
Acquisition means for acquiring image identification information indicating an image when a selection operation is detected by the operation input unit of the display device and selection position information indicating a selection operation position in the image;
Based on the image identification information acquired by the acquisition unit, the user selects any of the association information stored in the storage unit, and the selected association information and the selected position information acquired by the acquisition unit determining means for determining a terminal device to be called destination based on,
A communication system comprising: call control means for calling a terminal device determined as a call destination by the determining means . The communication system according to claim 1,
The communication control device includes:
In response to a selection operation on an image displayed on a display device that is paired with a terminal device that is engaged in a voice call, the control determined by the determination unit based on the image identification information and the selection position information acquired by the acquisition unit A communication system further comprising control means for adding to or disconnecting from the voice call of the terminal device for another terminal device to be processed. The communication system according to claim 1,
In response to the image selection operation detected by the operation input unit, the display device acquires an image indicating a surrounding situation of the corresponding terminal device from the camera and displays the image as an image for performing the selection operation. A featured communication system. The communication system according to claim 3,
The communication system, wherein the display device periodically acquires and displays an image for performing the selection operation from the camera. Accommodates a plurality of terminal devices for performing a voice call or data communication, the communication to make calls to a desired terminal device in accordance with the selection operation on the image displayed on the imaging display apparatus in one of a plurality of cameras A control device,
For each piece of image identification information for identifying an image that is selectively displayed on the display device and that indicates an image indicating the peripheral situation of any one or more of the terminal devices that are called destinations , Storage means for storing association information for associating the selected position with each terminal device;
Acquisition means for acquiring image identification information indicating an image selected and displayed on the display device and selection position information indicating a selection operation position in the image;
Based on the image identification information acquired by the acquisition unit, the user selects any of the association information stored in the storage unit, and the selected association information and the selected position information acquired by the acquisition unit determining means for determining a terminal device to be called destination based on,
A communication control apparatus comprising: call control means for calling a terminal device determined as a call destination by the determination means . The communication control device according to claim 5 , wherein
In response to a selection operation on an image displayed on a display device that is paired with a terminal device that is engaged in a voice call, the control determined by the determination unit based on the image identification information and the selection position information acquired by the acquisition unit A communication control device, further comprising a control unit that adds or disconnects the terminal device from the voice call with respect to another terminal device to be processed. It performs a voice call or data communication between any terminal devices via a line, to a desired terminal device in response to the selection operation on the image displayed on the imaging display unit in one of a plurality of cameras a terminal device that performs the call for,
For each piece of image identification information for identifying an image that is selectively displayed on the display unit and that indicates an image of the surrounding state of any one or more of the terminal devices that are called destinations , Storage means for storing association information for associating the selected position with each terminal device;
Acquisition means for acquiring image identification information indicating an image selected and displayed on the display unit and selection position information indicating a selection operation position in the image;
Based on the image identification information acquired by the acquisition unit, the user selects any of the association information stored in the storage unit, and the selected association information and the selected position information acquired by the acquisition unit determining means for determining a terminal device to be called destination based on,
A terminal apparatus comprising: call control means for making a call to a terminal apparatus determined as a call destination by the determining means . The terminal device according to claim 7,
Regarding another terminal device that is a processing target of the control determined by the determination unit based on the image identification information and the selection position information acquired by the acquisition unit in response to a selection operation on the image displayed on the display unit A terminal device further comprising control means for adding the terminal device to a voice call or disconnecting from the voice call. The terminal device according to claim 7,
The display device is characterized in that, in response to a predetermined image selection operation, the display device acquires an image indicating a surrounding situation of the corresponding terminal device from the camera, and displays it as an image for performing the selection operation. The terminal device according to claim 9,
  The display device is characterized in that an image for performing the selection operation is periodically acquired from the camera and displayed.

Images