초록 ▼

A system for videoconferencing saves travel time and money. To enable participants to see each other continually and simultaneously, and to show documents and objects, equipment is needed, the costs of which vary with the number of locations to be interconnected, and with measures taken for reducing

A system for videoconferencing saves travel time and money. To enable participants to see each other continually and simultaneously, and to show documents and objects, equipment is needed, the costs of which vary with the number of locations to be interconnected, and with measures taken for reducing the needed transmission capacity and the outfit of each terminal. As in known videoconference systems, such as studio, or working place systems, the video and audio signals are switched and/or mixed in the inventive system. The necessary equipment, however, is no longer needed at the respective locations, if a central station for videoconferencing is provided which includes this equipment only in a volume actually necessary for the conference. Each of the connected participant locations only comprises terminal units, the same which are needed for a picture telephone system. In addition, both the video and the audio reception can individually be controlled from each location.

대표청구항 ▼

Communication system for performing a video conference among a plurality of participants who are present at a plurality of independent locations, especially where only a single participant is present at each such location, comprising: a subscriber station at each participant location, each particula

Communication system for performing a video conference among a plurality of participants who are present at a plurality of independent locations, especially where only a single participant is present at each such location, comprising: a subscriber station at each participant location, each particular subscriber station including: video source signal means for generating and transmitting a video source signal taken from a scene at said particular station, video reception signal means for receiving and displaying a video reception signal at said particular station, selector means including video control selector means for generating video control signals regarding individually selectable and collectively combinable pictures from all participating subscriber stations for correspondingly displaying at said particular station either an individually selected full screen picture or an individually combined split screen picture of a plurality of pictures which are correspondingly smaller than said full screen picture, audio source signal means for generating and transmitting an audio source signal from said particular station, audio reception signal means for receiving and converting to sound an audio reception signal at said particular station, and said selector means further including audio control selector means and connection control selector means for generating corresponding control signals; a central station comprising: means for receiving said video source signals and said video control signals from each participating subscriber station and for outputting said video reception signals to each participating subscriber station, video storage means for storing video signals corresponding to said video source signals received from participating subscriber stations, each said video signal to be stored representing either a full screen picture or both a large picture and a small picture, each of which large picture and small picture is correspondingly smaller than said full screen picture, multiplexer means connected to said video storage means and controllable to provide for each of said participating subscriber stations a particular video reception signal representing either an individually selected full screen picture or an individually combined split screen picture of said plurality of smaller pictures or of a corresponding plurality including both a said large picture and said small pictures, video control means connected to said video storage means and said multiplexer means and responsive to said video control signals received from said participating subscriber stations to provide said video reception signals corresponding to either a full screen picture or a split screen picture for each of said participating subscriber stations as individually or collectively selected, programmable write and read means connected to said video storage means and to said video control means for controlling the corresponding size and disposition of large and small pictures for composing a split screen picture, and means for receiving audio source signals and audio control signals from each said participating subscriber station and for outputting audio reception signals to each said participating station, and means for receiving audio connection control signals from each said participating station; and connecting lines connected between each said subscriber station and said control station, each said line having corresponding go and return channels of a sufficient bandwidth for transmitting source signals in a go direction and reception signals in a return direction, and correspondingly for transmitting said video signals in a wideband channel, said audio signals in a medium bandwidth channel and said control signals in a narrow band channel.