Abstract: Flow identifier data of layered audiovisual data to be processed on the occurrence of congestion, as well as control code data for initiating or terminating the discard of packet data, is retained. When congestion occurs, selective transmission units perform discard initiation or termination on data having the flow identifier data indicating the layered audiovisual data retained, based on the control code data for performing the discard-initiating or -terminating operation of the packet data.

Abstract: A packet switch identifies a communication flow carried across an IP network, observes the communication flow, and acquires statistics data thereof, such as the number of packets that passed through the switch, the number of discarded packets, time at which the packets arrived at the switch, and time at which the packets were sent out from the switch. The packet switch continues to acquire the statistics data on the communication flow while the communication flow continues. If the packet switch performs a relay function, it sends the locally obtained statistics data to the adjoining packet switch placed downstream. If the packet switch is a node placed on either end edge of the network, it gathers the statistics data obtained by and delivered from other switches in the network and sends the gathered statistics data to the network management system.

Abstract: When one-video program data (layer-coded data) of a plurality of layers is transmitted in a single channel, a video signal is layer-coded in an MPEG system, the layer-coded ES (Elementary Stream) data is converted to a PES (Packetized Elementary Stream) for each layer, and the PES is then converted to a RTP (Real-Time Protocol) packet, which is then converted to a UDP (User Datagram Protocol). An identifier is then annexed to a UDP packet data for each layer to form an IP (Internet Protocol) packet.

Abstract: A packet switch identifies a communication flow carried across an IP network, observes the communication flow, and acquires statistics data thereof, such as the number of packets that passed through the switch, the number of discarded packets, time at which the packets arrived at the switch, and time at which the packets were sent out from the switch. The packet switch continues to acquire the statistics data on the communication flow while the communication flow continues. If the packet switch performs a relay function, it sends the locally obtained statistics data to the adjoining packet switch placed downstream. If the packet switch is a node placed on either end edge of the network, it gathers the statistics data obtained by and delivered from other switches in the network and sends the gathered statistics data to the network management system.

Abstract: A packet switch identifies a communication flow carried across an IP network, observes the communication flow, and acquires statistics data thereof, such as the number of packets that passed through the switch, the number of discarded packets, time at which the packets arrived at the switch, and time at which the packets were sent out from the switch. The packet switch continues to acquire the statistics data on the communication flow while the communication flow continues. If the packet switch performs a relay function, it sends the locally obtained statistics data to the adjoining packet switch placed downstream. If the packet switch is a node placed on either end edge of the network, it gathers the statistics data obtained by and delivered from other switches in the network and sends the gathered statistics data to the network management system.

Abstract: A transfer protocol conversion method and a protocol conversion equipment are disclosed in order to transmits TS packets for a CATV network, a DAVIC network or the like by use of IP packets for the Internet. In a network using TS packets, the transmission is made with an Internet protocol header stored in a private field of an adaptation field defined in the TS packet. An equipment for protocol conversion between a network using TS packets and an Internet forms an IP packet for the Internet by use of the header transferred by the private data. Further, lower 8 bits of the IP address of an IP packet and lower 8 bits of the PID value of a TS packet are made the same and upper 24 bits of the IP address are converted into a 5-bit value so that the converted 5-bit value is made to correspond to upper 5 bits of the PID value.

Abstract: When one-video program data (layer-coded data) of a plurality of layers is transmitted in a single channel, a video signal is layer-coded in an MPEG system, the layer-coded ES (Elementary Stream) data is converted to a PES (Packetized Elementary Stream) for each layer, and the PES is then converted to a RTP (Real-Time Protocol) packet, which is then converted to a UDP (User Datagram Protocol). An identifier is then annexed to a UDP packet data for each layer to form an IP (Internet Protocol) packet.

Abstract: A transfer protocol conversion method and a protocol conversion equipment are disclosed in order to transmits TS packets for a CATV network, a DAVIC network or the like by use of IP packets for the Internet. In a network using TS packets, the transmission is made with an Internet protocol header stored in a private field of an adaptation field defined in the TS packet. An equipment for protocol conversion between a network using TS packets and an Internet forms an IP packet for the Internet by use of the header transferred by the private data. Further, lower 8 bits of the IP address of an IP packet and lower 8 bits of the PID value of a TS packet are made the same and upper 24 bits of the IP address are converted into a 5-bit value so that the converted 5-bit value is made to correspond to upper 5 bits of the PID value.

Abstract: At each network node, a packet classification unit makes a judgement to transfer only a packet necessary to be processed by software to a packet processing program processor and transfer other packets directly to a routing processor. Processing history information indicating the process history executed at each network node on a network route is transferred to the other network nodes so that other network nodes can store the processing history information in respective processing history repository table. Each node refers to this table and further transfers only the packet necessary to be processed by software to the packet processing processor.

Abstract: Flow identifier data of layered audiovisual data to be processed on the occurrence of congestion, as well as control code data for initiating or terminating the discard of packet data, is retained. When congestion occurs, selective transmission units perform discard initiation or termination on data having the flow identifier data indicating the layered audiovisual data retained, based on the control code data for performing the discard-initiating or -terminating operation of the packet data.

Abstract: At each network node, a packet classification unit makes a judgement to transfer only a packet necessary to be processed by software to a packet processing program processor and transfer other packets directly to a routing processor. Processing history information indicating the process history executed at each network node on a network route is transferred to the other network nodes so that other network nodes can store the processing history information in respective processing history repository table. Each node refers to this table and further transfers only the packet necessary to be processed by software to the packet processing processor.

Abstract: A packet switch identifies a communication flow carried across an IP network, observes the communication flow, and acquires statistics data thereof, such as the number of packets that passed through the switch, the number of discarded packets, time at which the packets arrived at the switch, and time at which the packets were sent out from the switch. The packet switch continues to acquire the statistics data on the communication flow while the communication flow continues. If the packet switch performs a relay function, it sends the locally obtained statistics data to the adjoining packet switch placed downstream. If the packet switch is a node placed on either end edge of the network, it gathers the statistics data obtained by and delivered from other switches in the network and sends the gathered statistics data to the network management system.

Abstract: At each network node, a packet classification unit makes a judgement to transfer only a packet necessary to be processed by software to a packet processing program processor and transfer other packets directly to a routing processor. Processing history information indicating the process history executed at each network node on a network route is transferred to the other network nodes so that other network nodes can store the processing history information in respective processing history repository table. Each node refers to this table and further transfers only the packet necessary to be processed by software to the packet processing processor.

Abstract: At each network node, a packet classification unit makes a judgement to transfer only a packet necessary to be processed by software to a packet processing program processor and transfer other packets directly to a routing processor. Processing history information indicating the process history executed at each network node on a network route is transferred to the other network nodes so that other network nodes can store the processing history information in respective processing history repository table. Each node refers to this table and further transfers only the packet necessary to be processed by software to the packet processing processor.

Abstract: A system and a user interface make it possible to easily edit important items of a program, such as a conference, in a short time using multimedia information.A retrieving file is generated by extracting a keyword from multimedia information input through a dynamic image input unit such as a camera, a voice input unit such as a microphone, a handwritten character input unit, a pointing unit such as a mouse, and a key-input unit such as a keyboard. A report preparation supporting system and a user interface make it possible to easily edit a report in a short time by referring to the retrieving file and retrieving and editing a scene in which an important item appears when the report is prepared.

Abstract: A real time visual communication system capable of improving a correspondence between a received video signal and a received audio signal in real time and improving reality. An AV signal is separated into a video signal and an audio signal, and the output state of the video or audio signal is controlled by the characteristics of the audio or video signal. For example, the sound field, reverberation, and the like are controlled in accordance with the characteristics of the video signal. A suitable image pickup unit is selected in accordance with the characteristics of the audio signal to make the sights of conversation participants coincide with each other. It is possible to reproduce sounds of audio signals well matching video signals and to provide visual communication having good reality because of the combination of matched audio and video signals.

Abstract: An apparatus for obtaining three-dimensional volume data indicative of the shape of an object by processing the video signal resulting from picking up the object has an image projector for projecting a two-dimensional reference optical image containing a large amount of spatial high-frequency components on the surface of the object, a two-dimensional image pickup device for sequentially picking up the image of the object on which the two-dimensional optical image is projected, while the focal plane is being shifted, a range finder for extracting the high-frequency components of an image signal of a very small region including each of a plurality of detection points on the image picked up by said image pickup device, and detecting the best focal plane position where an in-focus condition is given, for each of the plurality of detection points from the change of the high-frequency components with the shift of the focal plane, and a memory for storing data of the best focal plane detected for each of the detecti

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus for a television and a depth-of-field control apparatus used in the same. Image signals corresponding to a plurality of picture images different in focal point or length position are obtained by a mechanism for changing a focal point or length position to produce a new image signal by composing these image signals through a composition circuit, and motion information of an object is obtained by a circuit for detecting a moving portion in the object to control the image composition by the motion information. The focal point or length position is moved in synchronism with an integer multiple of a vertical scanning period of the television. The image signals corresponding to the plurality of picture images different in focal point or length position are obtained within one vertical scanning period determined by the system of the television. The amount of movement of the focal point or length position is controlled in conjunction with a value of a lens aperture of the camera lens.

Abstract: A signal for a first scanning line including a picture element whose signal does not exist and a signal for a second scanning line adjacent to the first scanning line in the same field are obtained in the same period. Then, a coefficient representing the ratio of the level of the signal for the first scanning line to the level of the signal for the second scanning line is calculated. Multiplying by the coefficient the level of the signal for the second scanning line to thereby provide an interpolation signal. The interpolation signal is added to the signal for the first canning line.

Abstract: A registration error detection apparatus which includes a circuit that sums up, for a plurality of adjacent pixels, absolute values of differences between a plurality of image component signals which form a same frame of picture, a circuit which detects the registration error based on the minimum value of the output signals provided by the summing circuit, a first evaluating circuit which evaluates the reliability of the detection result of registration error based on the differential signal between an input test signal and an input reference signal, a second evaluating circuit which evaluates the reliability based on differences between the average value of registration error and individual detection results, a third evaluating circuit which calculates the statistic deviation value of the BPF-processed test signal and the reference signal and evaluating the reliability based on the calculation result, and a circuit which makes a final judgement as to whether the detection result is to be accepted or rejected