JP2005217549A - Portable telephone with camera control function - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a portable telephone with a camera control function by which a further inexpensive remote monitoring system with simple operation can be composed and a sneak thief, robbery in the vehicle, and states of a child and a pet in an empty home can be easily confirmed. <P>SOLUTION: The portable telephone with a camera control function is composed so that a casing B can execute opening/closing operation in U and D directions (vertical operation) and rotating operation in L and R directions (lateral operation) to a casing A, and that a photographing angle of a camera 106 of the casing B can be adjusted. The portable telephone is remotely controlled by an e-mail or the like from a remote controller. Consequently, vertical and lateral positions of a camera angle, a zooming function, and exposure or the like are designated. A photographed image from the camera 106 in the designated setting state is acquired with the e-mail. Sound of a monitoring place is monitored by a microphone. When the sound exceeding the volume preset to a storage is confirmed, photographing with camera is executed. Photographing is executed for every n hour of a certain fixed time. An image difference is extracted for every photographing. The camera angle setting and the zoom adjustment are automatically executed. As a result, a difference is followed so that the difference is constantly located at the center of the photographed image. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a camera-equipped mobile phone, and more particularly to a camera-controlled mobile phone with which a remote monitoring system can be constructed using a camera-equipped mobile phone.

  A conventional remote monitoring system is composed of a television monitoring system installed in the field, an operating device for operating the television monitoring system, and communication means for realizing communication of both using a telephone line or wirelessly. There is also known a remote monitoring system that distributes image information taken by a local TV camera via the Internet and enables remote confirmation of the local situation in real time.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of an example of a conventional remote monitoring system. It comprises a monitoring center 1101, a monitoring device 1105 installed at a monitoring location, and a security company 1104. The monitoring center 1101 includes a central control unit 1102 that centrally manages the status of the monitoring location of the contractor and a communication control unit 1103 that communicates with the monitoring location of the contractor. The monitoring device 1105 is connected to the monitoring center 1101. A communication control unit 1106 for performing communication, an infrared sensor 1108 for recognizing a suspicious person by infrared rays, a plurality of camera units 1109, 1110, and 1111 for monitoring, and a camera control unit 1107 for controlling the camera units Is provided. The security company 1104 is connected to the monitoring center 1101. When a problem such as a vacant nest occurs in the monitoring place, an operation is performed in which the monitoring person rushes to the monitoring place.

In addition, a camera-equipped mobile phone that enables camera shooting by remote control, and can be operated directly by sending a control e-mail from the outside to the camera-equipped mobile phone. It is also known that a subject can be photographed from a remote location without being performed, and the image can be automatically acquired (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2003-281044 A

  In the former former remote monitoring system, it is necessary to construct a remote monitoring system using equipment dedicated to the remote monitoring system, and it is difficult to install such a system in terms of cost, equipment adjustment, installation and other technical aspects. Therefore, it is not widely used in general households.

In addition, since the camera-equipped mobile phone disclosed in Patent Document 1 can obtain a photographed image from a remote location, it is possible to know the state of an answering house or the like. Only a fixed image can be acquired, and it is not possible to obtain a truly useful photographed image. Moreover, a photographed image with a large amount of data is simply transmitted, and transmission efficiency is also improved. It was not suitable.
As described above, the conventional technology cannot constitute a simple remote monitoring system useful for monitoring crimes such as empty burrows and vandalism, and confirming the situation of unattended homes such as pets and children.

(Object of invention)
The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and is equipped with a camera control function capable of constructing a simple remote monitoring system suitable for checking the status of empty burrows, roughing on a vehicle, home pets, children, etc. The purpose is to provide a telephone.
An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile phone with a camera control function capable of constructing a simple remote monitoring system capable of controlling an imaging angle and the like.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a mobile phone with a camera control function that can control camera setting items such as a shooting angle, exposure, and zoom.
An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile phone with a camera control function that can efficiently transmit only useful images for remote monitoring.

  The present invention relates to a camera-equipped mobile phone having a function of remotely monitoring and controlling a camera by a remote operation using a control signal, using, for example, an electronic mail (mail) function and the camera function of the camera-equipped mobile phone. The present invention also relates to a mobile phone with a camera control function having a function of managing acquisition of a useful image by controlling a microphone by remote operation using a mail function and a microphone function of the camera-equipped mobile phone.

  The present invention relates to a camera control method for a mobile phone with a camera control function having a function of attaching an image taken by a camera unit to an email and transmitting the image. Camera for mobile phone with camera control function by mail from remote control device, having means for controlling zoom and exposure, and means for folding hinge having electric motor for controlling vertical and horizontal angles of camera unit By designating the vertical and horizontal positions of the angle, zoom function, exposure, etc., an image captured by the camera at a desired camera angle is returned to the remote control device side by an attached mail.

  Further, the mobile phone with camera control function has means for monitoring surrounding sounds with a microphone and photographing the camera when confirming a sound higher than a preset volume. Furthermore, the image is taken every N hours, which is a certain time, and the image difference is extracted every time the image is taken, and the camera angle and zoom are automatically adjusted so that the difference (image) location is always in the center (center) of the photographed image. And means for following the difference portion.

  Further, means for remotely controlling the DTMF signal by key operation to control the vertical and horizontal angles, zoom and exposure of the camera, and means for a folding hinge that is rotated to the left and right by an electric motor to realize the left and right angles of the camera And a function of photographing a camera when a local sound is monitored by a microphone and a sound of a volume higher than a preset volume is confirmed in a storage unit.

  The mobile phone with a camera control function according to the present invention is a mobile phone with a camera control function in which shooting by the camera unit can be remotely controlled by a control signal from a remote control device, and the shooting angle of the camera unit is controlled by the control signal. And a control circuit that transmits an image-attached mail attached with an image captured by the camera unit to a remote control device, and the mobile phone housing includes a key switch unit. And a second housing having the camera unit, and a movable mechanism that folds and mutually couples the housings between the end portions of the first and second housings. . The movable mechanism includes an electric motor that drives folding and rotation between the first and second casings, and the camera control unit sets the exposure of the camera unit according to the control signal. Or it has the function to control the setting of zoom photography. Further, the control signal is received as a mail or DTMF signal including control information.

  In the mobile phone with camera control function of the present invention, when the camera unit executes shooting every predetermined time and detects an image portion of a difference between the shot images, it sends an image-attached mail with the shot image attached thereto. An image control unit for instructing is provided, and the image control unit further has a function of automatically adjusting the shooting angle and zoom shooting setting of the camera unit so that the difference image location is located at the center of the screen. It is characterized by having.

  In addition, the mobile phone with camera control function of the present invention includes a microphone unit that collects ambient sounds, and when the collected sound exceeds a predetermined volume, the camera unit performs shooting and attaches a captured image. And a voice monitoring control unit for instructing transmission of the attached image mail.

  The mobile phone with camera control function of the present invention includes a storage unit for storing a password, and a command determination unit for verifying the password stored in the storage unit and the password included in the control signal. The remote control of photographing of the camera unit is enabled by matching the password.

  According to the present invention, since the mobile phone has a camera control function based on a control signal, the camera function can be remotely controlled by a control signal such as an e-mail having a camera function control information or a multi-frequency signal. A simple remote monitoring system can be realized without introducing a monitoring system. In other words, the user places a camera control function mobile phone that can be used on a daily basis in a place where he / she wants to monitor, and operates the camera function of the camera control function mobile phone with a control signal such as an email from a remote control device. It is possible to control the shooting angle, etc., and monitor the situation of pets and children at home, the situation of an answering house such as a vacant nest, and the vandalism of a car by a simple operation at a lower cost. Can give safety and security to the user.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to acquire a photographed image at the time of an abnormality or the like by monitoring the volume of the microphone and detecting the ambient sound at a predetermined volume or higher by photographing the image of the attached mail. Since it is possible to check for abnormalities in the monitoring location, it is possible to eliminate the waste of repeatedly capturing and transmitting images with no abnormalities, and efficiently sending and receiving monitoring images with a huge amount of data Is possible.

  In addition, only when a photographed image is photographed at a predetermined time interval and an image change portion that is a difference between the images is detected from the photographed images before and after that, by sending an image attachment mail of the photographed image, Therefore, it is possible to automatically transmit only useful monitoring images, and it is possible to improve the transmission efficiency of images.

  Furthermore, it is configured to automatically adjust the shooting angle and zoom shooting settings of the camera unit so that the changing image location is located at the center of the screen, thereby tracking and confirming the change location of the sight at the monitoring location Is possible.

Embodiment 1 of a mobile phone with a camera control function according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(Description of configuration)
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a mobile phone with a camera control function. The cellular phone housing (main body) of the first embodiment has a housing A having a key switch unit 104 and function keys on the front side, and a display unit 102 such as a receiver unit 101 and an LCD panel on the front side. The housing B having the camera unit 106 on the side can be opened and closed so that at least the fronts can be closely contacted with each other, and the housing B can be folded with a hinge portion 103 that is relatively pivotably coupled to each other with both housings A and B opened. This is a mechanism for coupling the end portions of each housing, that is, a movable mechanism for coupling the casings A and B so that they can be folded and rotated.

  In this example, as a movable mechanism, a cylindrical member 108 that rotates on the hinge shaft 107 at the end of the casing A, and two electric motors (hinge motor sections) M1 and M2 such as a pulse motor are provided inside the casing A. By controlling the driving of each electric motor by the number of pulses, the cylindrical member 108 is rotated, and the housing B coupled to the cylindrical member 108 can be rotated by a rotating shaft 109 perpendicular to the hinge axis. Are driven by gears, and the housing B performs an opening / closing operation in the U and D directions (vertical operation) and a rotational operation in the L and R directions (horizontal operation) with respect to the housing A. The photographing angle (direction) of the camera unit 106 of the chassis B can be adjusted. Note that the normal manual opening / closing operation of the casings A and B is performed by rotating the mechanical coupling shaft with the cylindrical member 108 and the casing B in the directions of the hinge shaft and the rotating shaft, respectively, with a predetermined frictional force. It can be easily realized by possible coupling.

  The function of each part of the mobile phone of the first embodiment is as follows. The receiver unit 101 converts the demodulated signal of the received signal into sound and transmits it to the user. The LCD panel 102 displays the setting contents, e-mail contents, camera image, incoming telephone number, outgoing telephone number, etc. of the mobile phone with camera control function. The key switch unit 104 is used as an operation unit for various settings of the mobile phone with camera control function, input of a telephone number, and input of mail characters. The microphone unit 105 converts the voice of the user of the mobile phone with a camera control function into an electric signal.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing functional blocks of the mobile phone with camera control function of the present invention. Antenna 201, transmission / reception circuit 202 that performs transmission / reception and wireless communication control, audio processing circuit 203 that converts audio signals into digital or digital signals into audio, and receiver unit 204 that transmits demodulated audio to the user A control signal for a microphone unit 205 for converting a person's voice into an electrical signal for transmission to a destination and a mobile phone with a camera control function. For example, a password transmitted by e-mail, designation of a camera angle, etc. A command discriminating unit 207, an electric motor of a movable mechanism for controlling the angle of the camera, a camera control unit 208 for controlling exposure, zooming, and the like. In addition, transmission / reception control, audio processing control, display control In addition to various controls of the mobile phone, a control circuit 206 that performs processing for creating a mail (image attached mail) with a photographed image attached To control a key switch unit 209 including a plurality of keys for performing various settings and other various controls, a ring tone output circuit 210, a speaker unit 211 for ringing a ring tone, a camera unit 212, and a camera Set password for discriminating mail, storage history 213, phone number, captured image (data), storage unit 213 for storing various data setting values, display unit 212, and camera angle adjustment of camera unit 212 A hinge motor unit 215 that operates as appropriate and a manner mode setting circuit 216 are provided.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration showing a configuration of a remote monitoring system using the camera-controlled mobile phone of the present invention. The remote monitoring system includes the mobile phone with camera control function 303 according to the first embodiment and a remote operation device 301 that controls the mobile phone with camera control function 303 by mail. Here, the remote operation device 301 can be configured by a general electronic device such as a mobile phone, a personal computer, or a PDA having an e-mail function and an LCD screen capable of displaying a camera image.

  The outline of the mutual functions of the remote control device 301 and the mobile phone with camera control function 303 constituting the remote monitoring system is as follows. The remote operation device 301 uses the mail address of the camera control function mobile phone 303 to transmit the password for controlling the camera function to the camera control function mobile phone 303 at the beginning of the text of the mail 302. . The mobile phone 303 with camera control function recognizes the characters described at the beginning of the mail 302 as a password, and compares the recognized password with the password registered in the mobile phone 303 with camera control function in advance. If this is the case, it is determined that the mail is related to camera shooting, and then the mail text is recognized. When camera shooting is instructed, camera shooting is performed, and a mail (image attached mail) 307 with an image captured by the camera attached to the mail address transmitted from the remote operation device 301 is created and returned.

  When the remote operation device 304 receives the image attachment mail 307, the remote operation device 304 displays the image on the display unit. Since the creation and transmission operation of the image attachment mail is repeatedly performed every predetermined time (N hours) set in advance in the storage unit of the mobile phone 303 with camera control function, the display on the display unit of the remote operation device 304 is displayed. Updated every N hours. When the user of the remote operation device 304 confirms the image on the display unit and determines that adjustment of the camera shooting target or image composition is necessary, the user of the remote operation device 304 operates the remote operation device 304 to include the password. A mail 305 having the text of designation of right / left and up / down of the angle, zoom, wide, etc. is created and transmitted to the mobile phone 306 with a camera control function. When the mobile phone 306 with a camera control function receives the mail 305 specifying the camera angle or the like, the mobile phone 306 adjusts the camera to the angle or the like specified by the mail 305, and the subsequent camera shooting was performed at the adjusted angle or the like. An image-attached mail is created from the image and returned to the remote control device 304.

(Description of operation)
Regarding the camera unit of the mobile phone with camera control function of the present invention, the operation when receiving a camera control mail (camera control mail) from a remote control device will be described.
When controlling the camera function of the mobile phone 303 with a camera control function from a remote control device, the user uses the key switch unit 209 to input a password necessary for security related to the identification of the camera control mail or the use of the remote monitoring system in advance. input. The input password is stored in the storage unit 213 via the control circuit 206. When receiving an e-mail containing a password for camera control transmitted from the remote control device from the antenna 201, the transmission / reception circuit 202 outputs the received e-mail to the control circuit 206, and the command determination unit 207 stores the e-mail in the storage unit 213 in advance. The camera control unit 208 operates the camera unit 212 to take a picture when the stored passwords are checked and matched. The photographed image is returned to the remote control device in a form attached to the mail by the control circuit 206.

  The user confirms the image of the email attached to the image on the LCD screen of the remote control device, and if he wants to change the camera angle, exposure, zoom, etc., the angle is +3 (3 °) to the right and the zoom is x3. (Three times) etc., and instructing by sending it to the mobile phone with camera control function in a mail. The antenna 201 receives mail transmitted from the remote control device. The control circuit 206 determines the control information (control content) of the camera described in the mail by the command determination unit 207. The instruction determination unit 207 outputs the determined camera control content to the camera control unit 208. The camera control unit 208 converts the control content specified by the camera angle or the like into an electric motor drive signal such as the number of pulses or an analog signal, and outputs it to the hinge motor unit 215. The hinge motor unit 215 operates in accordance with the drive signal of the electric motor, thereby adjusting the camera angle in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction.

  Further, for exposure, zoom, and the like, which are the camera control contents described in the camera control mail, the command determination unit 207 determines the control contents, outputs them to the camera control unit 208, and instructs them. The camera control unit 208 adjusts exposure, zoom, and the like by controlling the camera unit 212. Furthermore, the camera control unit 208 outputs a signal for controlling shooting to the camera unit 212 after a certain period of time has elapsed, so that the camera unit 212 performs shooting of the shooting target according to the settings such as exposure and zoom. Then, the photographed image is attached to the reply mail to the remote control device by the control circuit 206 and transmitted.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the operation of the mobile phone with camera control function according to the first embodiment. In order to distinguish between camera control mail and normal mail or to ensure security, the first character of the camera control mail text shall be a password, and the user must previously use the same password as the password described in the camera control mail for the camera shooting function. Register in the mobile phone with camera control function. A mobile phone with a camera control function is installed at a desired monitoring location with the casing A side down, and the shooting direction of the camera unit of the casing B faces the monitoring direction. A camera control mail is transmitted to control the camera angle and camera shooting.

  Usually, a camera control email for camera shooting is sent at the start of remote monitoring, then a camera control email for camera adjustment is sent as many times as necessary, and a camera control email is sent to stop camera shooting at the end of remote monitoring, Desired monitoring is performed by a mobile phone with a camera control function.

Next, the specific operation of the camera control function-equipped mobile phone will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
When the camera control function-equipped mobile phone receives a mail (step 401), the control circuit (command discriminating unit) first extracts and recognizes the first character of the mail text (step 402). Next, the extracted first character is collated with a password registered in advance in the mobile phone with camera control function (step 403). If the passwords match, the camera control mail is recognized and character recognition of the mail body is performed (step 404). If the passwords do not match in step 403, the received mail is handled only as a general mail, and the camera control function does not operate (step 405).

  The first camera control mail is an email instructing the start of camera shooting, the camera control function of the mobile phone with camera control function is turned on (step 406), the camera unit performs camera shooting, and the shot image is taken by the control circuit 206. Attached to the mail and returned to the remote control device by the received mail address (step 407), and the user confirms the image of the monitoring location attached to the mail returned in step 407 on the display unit of the remote control device. Remote monitoring is possible, and the camera's shooting angle and the like can be controlled by sending a camera control mail.

  If the camera control mail for camera adjustment is not received by the mobile phone with camera control function (step 408), the camera unit takes an image in a predetermined direction every N hours, and each taken image is mailed by the control circuit 206. And is returned to the remote control device by the received mail address (step 411).

When the user confirms the image and adjusts the camera shooting function settings etc. installed at the monitoring location, the camera control email is included in the body text of the camera control email and the camera control function is included. Send to mobile phone.
In this case, the camera control function-equipped mobile phone receives and recognizes the camera control mail by the same mail reception, initial character recognition and password matching as in steps 402 to 403 (step 408). Is recognized (step 409). The camera control mail has control details for camera adjustment, and according to the control details, the camera control unit 208 of the control circuit instructs the camera unit to perform exposure, zooming, or the like. Various settings such as instructing the motor to control the up / down / left / right angle of the camera are performed (step 410), and the subsequent operations are performed under the camera setting conditions performed in step 410, and images are attached every N hours. A mail is returned to the remote control device (step 411).

  When the camera control mail for camera adjustment is continuously transmitted from the user (steps 412 and 408), the control of the camera function according to the control content is repeated, so that the display unit of the remote control device has a camera control function. Observe the situation of various monitoring locations by zooming etc. That is, the captured image is updated and displayed every predetermined N hours on the display unit of the remote control device, and a camera control mail is transmitted during that time, so that adjustment of camera angle, exposure, zoom, etc. can be controlled. is there.

When the user ends the image acquisition or monitoring by the mobile phone with camera control function, the remote control device transmits a camera control mail describing the control details of stopping camera shooting to the mobile phone with camera control.
In this case, the mobile phone with a camera control function receives and recognizes this camera control mail by the same processing as in steps 402 to 403 (step 412), determines that the camera control mail is a camera shooting stop, and sets the camera control function. It is set to OFF (step 413), and the remote monitoring operation ends.

(Other embodiment 2 of this invention)
Next, another embodiment 2 of the mobile phone with camera control function according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(Description of configuration)
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing functional blocks according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the surrounding sound such as the monitoring place where the mobile phone with camera control function is installed is detected, and when an abnormality is detected, the camera is photographed, and the photographed image is remotely transmitted as an attached mail. It is configured to send a reply to the operating device. In the second embodiment, control such as increasing the sensitivity of the microphone unit 205 is performed, and the sound detected from the microphone unit 205, the microphone control unit 501 that detects the volume of noise and the like, the sound detected by the microphone control unit 501, It is recognized whether or not the volume of noise or the like is equal to or higher than a set value of a volume stored in advance in the storage unit 213 (above a predetermined volume). And a volume monitoring control unit 502 that controls to perform shooting. In the figure, blocks having the same functions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  When the camera photographing of the mobile phone with camera control function is controlled, necessary passwords and volume (level) setting values are input to the mobile phone with camera control function using the key switch unit 209 in advance. The input password and volume setting values are stored in the storage unit 213 via the control circuit 206. The operation when the camera control mail of the present embodiment is received from the remote operation device will be described.

  When the camera control mail transmitted from the remote operation device is received from the antenna 201, the transmission / reception circuit 202 outputs the received mail to the control circuit 206. The command determination unit 207 checks the password against a password stored in advance in the storage unit 215 and confirms the match, and the camera control functions such as the camera unit 212 and the camera control unit 208 are turned on. The mobile phone with camera control function starts shooting with the camera unit 212 by the camera control unit 208, creates an image attachment mail with the image taken by the control circuit 206 attached, and sends it back to the remote control device via the transmission / reception circuit 202. . The user of the remote control device can check the image taken by the mobile phone with camera control function on the LCD screen of the display unit.

  When the user changes the camera angle, exposure, or zoom, the instruction is sent to the mobile phone with a camera control function by writing to the camera control mail by right +3, zoom × 3, or the like. When the camera 201 is received by the antenna 201 and the transmission / reception circuit 202, the control circuit 206 determines the control content of the camera described in the camera control mail by the command determination unit 507. The instruction determination unit 207 outputs the determined control content to the camera control unit 208.

  The camera control unit 208 converts the control content of the camera angle into an electric motor drive signal and outputs it to the hinge motor unit 215. The hinge motor unit 215 operates according to the drive signal and adjusts the left, right, up and down of the camera angle. The Further, control contents such as exposure and zoom of the camera are converted into signals for controlling them and output to the camera unit 212 to adjust exposure, zoom and the like.

  In the second embodiment, the microphone control unit 501 sets the sound, noise, and the like collected by the microphone unit 205 so as to be detected with high sensitivity and detects the volume, and the volume monitoring control unit 502 detects the volume by the microphone control unit 501. Compared with the volume of the voice, noise, etc., and the set value of the volume stored in the storage unit 213 in advance, the camera control unit 208 is controlled only when the volume higher than the set value is recognized. The control unit 208 operates the camera unit 212 to take a picture. The photographed image is attached to the mail by the control circuit 206 and sent back to the remote control device operated by the user as an image attached mail.

(Description of operation)
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the operation of the second embodiment. A user registers an arbitrary password and a set value (numerical value) of a prescribed volume in a mobile phone with camera control function in advance, and then installs it at a monitoring location, etc., and controls the mobile phone with camera control function from a remote control device Send control mail.

  The mobile phone with camera control function extracts the first character of the mail body of the received mail (step 401) and recognizes it by the control circuit 206 (step 402). Next, the password registered in the mobile phone with camera control function is checked in advance (step 403). If the password matches, the camera control mail is recognized, and then the text of the mail body is recognized ( Step 404), the control content is judged (step 404). If the passwords do not match at step 403, the received mail is handled only as a general mail (step 405).

  The first camera shooting email is an email instructing the start of camera shooting. The camera control function of the mobile phone with camera control function is in the operating state (ON) (step 406), the camera unit takes an image, and the shot image is It is attached to the mail and returned to the remote control device by the address of the received mail (step 407). The user can confirm the image of the monitoring location attached to the mail returned in step 407, and remote monitoring is realized.

If the user determines that the camera needs to be adjusted while checking the image, the camera control email containing the control details for adjusting the camera angle, exposure, zoom, etc. Send to phone.
In this case, the mobile phone with camera control function receives and recognizes this camera control mail by the same mail reception, initial character recognition and password matching as in steps 402 to 403 (step 408), and then the mail body text. A character is recognized (step 601). The camera control mail has control details for camera adjustment. According to the control details, the camera control unit of the control circuit adjusts the angle, exposure, zoom, and the like from the camera control unit to the camera unit (step 602). Photographing is performed and an image-attached mail is returned (step 407). The same control within the predetermined time can be continued, and the camera adjustment can be appropriately performed by the camera control mail.

  When a predetermined time elapses, the portable device with camera control function monitors the volume of the sound collected from the microphone unit with the voice monitoring control unit 502 (step 603). The voice monitoring control unit 502 determines whether or not the volume is equal to or higher than a set value (numerical value) MdB of a prescribed volume preset by the user (step 604). When the value is equal to or greater than MdB, the audio monitoring control unit 502 controls the camera control unit 208, the camera unit performs camera shooting, and the control circuit 206 attaches the captured image to an email and sends it back to the remote control device (step 605). Thereafter, when a large abnormal sound or the like occurs in the surroundings, an image attached mail is returned in steps 604 to 605. For example, when a loud sound is generated due to a broken window glass or the like, the camera is automatically photographed as an abnormal state, and an email attached with an image is notified to the remote control device. If the surrounding volume is less than MdB, the process returns from step 604 to monitoring in step 603, and if the monitored volume is kept below MdB, the camera shooting and the transmission of the image-attached mail remain in a paused state.

  When the user transmits a camera control mail for stopping the camera control function from the remote operation device to the mobile phone with camera control function, the mobile phone with camera control function turns off the camera control function and the remote monitoring operation ends (step 607). .

(Other embodiment 3 of this invention)
Next, another embodiment 3 of the mobile phone with camera control function of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(Description of configuration)
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing functional blocks according to another embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the third embodiment, when a change appears in the camera shooting target, the camera shooting and the reply of the image attached mail are started, and the changed part is tracked and shot. Recognize the difference between the previous and next shot images for each shot based on the shot image obtained by camera shooting, and if there is a difference, take a camera shot and send an email attached to the image. And an image control unit 809 that controls the angle of the camera unit and the like so as to track the difference portion. In the figure, blocks having the same functions as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  Next, the configuration will be described using a block diagram of another embodiment 3 of the present invention. The user inputs a necessary password in advance using the key switch unit 209 when performing camera control from the remote operation device. The input password is stored in the storage unit 213 via the control circuit 206. Thereafter, when a camera control mail in which a password transmitted from the remote control device is described is received from the antenna 201, the transmission / reception circuit 202 outputs the received mail to the control circuit 206. The command determination unit 207 collates the password of the camera control mail with the password stored in advance in the storage unit 213, and if they match, the camera control unit 701 and the like are in the operating state (ON). Thereafter, the portable device with a camera control function controls the camera unit 212 by the camera control unit 701 and performs photographing every certain n hours. Further, the hinge motor unit 215 adjusts the angle of the camera unit 813 so that the difference portion of the photographed image is positioned at the center of the photographed image by a signal controlled from the camera control unit 701, and the difference portion of the photographed image is the photographed image. Adjust the zoom function so that it is positioned at the center of.

  Thereafter, until the user transmits a camera control mail for stopping the camera control function from the remote control device to the mobile phone with camera control, the mobile phone with camera control takes a picture every n hours, and the difference between the shot images is obtained. When this occurs, the captured image is attached to the e-mail and sent back to the remote control device, and the operation of adjusting the camera angle and zoom is repeated so that the difference is located at the center of the captured image. As described above, the third embodiment is characterized in that the camera unit automatically follows and shoots when the mobile phone with a camera control function recognizes the moving subject from the difference between the camera shot images.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an image captured by the camera according to the third embodiment. The tracking operation of the difference part of the captured image will be described with reference to FIG. First, the user adjusts camera shooting and camera angle, zoom, and exposure according to the present embodiment. The camera-controlled mobile phone starts an operation of repeating photographing every n hours that is a certain time. A finder 801 shows an initial photographed image. When the mark 802 moves to the right and moves to the position of the mark 804 like the finder 803, a difference occurs in the photographed image, and the mobile phone with camera control function displays the image. Take a picture, attach the image to an email and send it back to the remote control device. Next, the image control unit 702 controls the camera control unit 701 so that the position of the mark 804 is positioned at the center of the finder screen, and adjusts the camera angle and zoom. The adjusted image is indicated by a viewfinder 805. Similarly, when the mark 806 moves again to the lower right of the screen, the image control unit 702 captures the image by recognizing the difference between the screens, attaches the image to a mail, and returns the image to the remote control device. The captured image is indicated by a viewfinder 807. Thereafter, the image control unit 702 adjusts the camera angle and zoom so that the mark 808 is positioned at the center of the screen. A viewfinder 809 shows the image after adjustment. The mark 810 is automatically controlled so as to be positioned at the center of the screen.

(Description of operation)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the operation of the third embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation of the third embodiment will be described.
The user registers an arbitrary password setting, image difference detection, and difference position tracking function setting in advance in the mobile phone with camera control function. The mobile phone with camera control function extracts the first character of the mail text from the received mail (step 401) and recognizes it by the control circuit 206 (step 402). Further, it is checked against a password registered in advance in the mobile phone with camera control function (step 403). If the passwords match, it is recognized as a camera control mail and character recognition of the mail body is performed (step 404). If the passwords do not match, the received mail is handled only as a general mail and the camera control function does not operate (step 405).

  The first camera shooting email is an email instructing the start of camera shooting. The camera control function of the mobile phone with camera control function is in the operating state (ON) (step 406), the camera unit takes an image, and the shot image is It is attached to the mail and returned to the remote control device by the address of the received mail (step 407). The user can confirm the image of the monitoring place attached to the mail returned in step 407.

If the user determines that the camera needs to be adjusted while checking the image, the camera control email containing the control details for adjusting the camera angle, exposure, zoom, etc. Send to phone.
In this case, the mobile phone with camera control function receives and recognizes this camera control mail by the same mail reception, initial character recognition and password matching as in steps 402 to 403 (step 408), and then the mail body text. A character is recognized (step 901). The camera control mail has control details for camera adjustment. According to the control details, the camera control unit of the control circuit adjusts the angle, exposure, zoom, and the like from the camera control unit to the camera unit (step 902). Photographing is performed and an image-attached mail is returned (step 407). The same control within the predetermined time can be continued, and the camera adjustment can be appropriately performed by the camera control mail.

  When the user adjusts the camera angle and zoom (steps 901 and 902) or does not adjust, a predetermined time elapses, and the mobile phone with camera control function starts shooting every n hours (step 903). Then, the image control unit 702 of the mobile phone with a camera control function recognizes the presence or absence of a difference from the previous captured image every time the image is captured (step 904). If the difference is detected, the control circuit attaches the captured image to the mail and sends it back to the remote control device (step 905). Next, the image control unit 702 adjusts the angle of the camera unit by driving the electric motor of the hinge unit so that the difference point is located at the center of the captured image, and also performs zoom adjustment by the camera control unit (step 906). .

  If there is no difference in the photographed images in step 904, the mobile phone with camera control function continues to photograph every n hours, which is a certain time (step 903), and repeats step 904 or steps 904 to 906. The above operation is performed until a camera control mail containing a command for stopping the camera control function from the remote operation device is received (step 907). If a camera control function stop mail is received in step 907, the mobile phone with camera control function turns off the camera control function (step 908).

(Other embodiment 4 of this invention)
Next, another embodiment 4 of the mobile phone with camera control function of the present invention will be described. In the first to third embodiments described above, an example in which mail including control information is used as a control signal from a remote control device has been described. However, as another embodiment of the present invention, a multi-frequency signal (Dual Tone Multi frequency: "DTMF signal") can be used. This control can be performed, for example, by transmitting a DTMF signal to a voice line in an off-hook operation state by an automatic response function of a mobile phone with a camera control function for a normal incoming call.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an overall configuration of the fourth embodiment in which a remote control of a mobile phone with a camera control function is performed using a DTMF signal. In the fourth embodiment, the use of the cellular phone 1001 is shown as a remote control device, and by pressing a key switch 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1006 of a selection key or a cursor key, different DTMF signals 1009 are controlled by a camera. Call the function-equipped mobile phone 1007. The mobile phone with camera control 1007 controls the angle, exposure, zoom, and the like of the camera built in the mobile phone with camera control function 1007 according to the received DTMF signal 1009. The figure shows an example in which a mark 1008 that is a subject is photographed as an image, and an e-mail is used to reply to an image photographed by the mobile phone with camera control function 1007 as in the other embodiments. To the remote control device 1001.

  The transmission of the image attachment mail 1010 is repeated until the user of the remote operation device 1001 transmits the DTMF signal 1009 for terminating the camera remote operation function to the mobile phone with camera control function 1007 as in the first embodiment. In addition, similar to the second and third embodiments, it can be configured to transmit only when a difference between ambient sounds or captured images occurs.

  As an example of the camera remote operation according to the fourth embodiment, for example, when the user of the mobile phone 1001 captures the mark 1008, the camera angle is moved upward by pressing the key switch 1002 having a cursor function or the like. When the key switch 1003 is pressed, the camera angle is moved to the right. When the key switch 1005 is pressed, the camera angle is moved to the left. When the key switch 1004 is pressed, the camera angle is moved downward. By moving and zooming in with a long press, it is possible to shoot according to each setting, and further, as the cellular phone with camera control function 1007 performs camera shooting when the key switch 1006 is pressed, Send a DTMF signal. The mobile phone with camera control function 1007 determines each DTMF signal in the control circuit and controls the camera control unit to execute the corresponding camera operation, and attaches the photographed image to an email as an image attached email 1010 as a remote operation device. Control to transmit to 1001 is performed.

  In the above embodiment, the structure using the hinge shaft and the rotation shaft as the movable mechanism of the mobile phone with camera control function is shown, but various modifications of the mechanism can be implemented. For example, it is apparent that the present invention can be implemented by applying a movable mechanism or the like shown in FIG. 1 so that the camera unit 106 can move vertically and horizontally with respect to the housing B.

  In addition, as the above-described embodiment, the second embodiment controls transmission of a mail attached with a camera using a camera control function-equipped mobile phone, and controls the transmission of a mail attached with a photograph when a difference between photographed images occurs. Although Embodiment 3 has been described as an independent embodiment, a combination thereof is also possible. In other words, it can be configured to send a photograph-attached mail by an abnormal sound and an image change. Furthermore, in any of the embodiments, the DTMF signal of Embodiment 4 can be used as a control signal.

  Furthermore, the time interval such as every N (n) time in the periodic shooting and the transmission of the image attached mail in the above embodiment is a number in consideration of the confirmation of the image on the remote control device and the control time of the camera unit. It can also be configured to be controlled from a remote control device so as to obtain a necessary interval such as a minute interval.

  In the above embodiment, the camera control mail is determined based on the password match when all mails are received. However, the password match is limited to the first camera control mail and the subsequent camera control mail (camera adjustment mail). Etc.), this process can be omitted.

It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the mobile telephone with a camera control function of this invention. It is a figure which shows the functional block of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the remote monitoring system using the mobile telephone with a camera control of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of operation | movement of the mobile telephone with a camera control function of this Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the functional block of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of operation | movement of the mobile telephone with a camera control function of this Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows the functional block of other Embodiment 3 of the mobile telephone with a camera control function of this invention. It is a figure which shows the camera picked-up image of this Embodiment 3. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of operation | movement of the mobile telephone with a camera control function of this Embodiment 3. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of Embodiment 4 which performs remote control of the mobile telephone with a camera control function by a DTMF signal. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the conventional remote monitoring system.

Explanation of symbols

101, 204 Receiver unit 102, 214 Display unit (LCD panel)
103 Hinge unit 104, 209 Key switch unit 105, 205 Microphone unit 106, 212 Camera unit 107 Hinge shaft 108 Gear 109 Rotating shaft 201 Antenna 202 Transmission / reception circuit 203 Voice processing circuit 206 Control circuit 207 Command determination unit 208 Camera control unit 210 Ring tone Output circuit 213 Storage unit 215 Hinge motor unit 208 Camera control unit 501 Microphone control unit 502 Volume monitoring control unit 702 Image control units 801 to 809 Viewfinders M1 and M2 Hinge motor

Claims (9)

  The camera unit is a mobile phone with a camera control function that can be remotely controlled by a control signal from a remote control device, and a camera control unit that controls the shooting angle of the camera unit by the control signal, and the camera unit And a control circuit that transmits an image-attached mail with an image attached to a remote control device.   The cellular phone housing is composed of a first housing having a key switch portion and a second housing having the camera portion, and each housing is folded and rotated between end portions of the first and second housings. The mobile phone with camera control function according to claim 1, further comprising a movable mechanism that can be coupled.   3. The mobile phone with camera control function according to claim 2, wherein the movable mechanism includes an electric motor that drives folding and rotation between the first and second casings.   4. The camera control function according to claim 1, wherein the camera control unit has a function of controlling an exposure setting or a zoom shooting setting of the camera unit according to the control signal. 5. Mobile phone.   5. The mobile telephone with a camera control function according to claim 1, wherein the control signal is received as a mail or DTMF signal including control information.   A voice monitoring control unit that includes a microphone unit that collects ambient sounds and instructs the camera unit to perform shooting and send an image-attached email with the shot image attached when the collected sound exceeds a predetermined volume The mobile phone with a camera control function according to claim 1, wherein the mobile phone has a camera control function.   The camera unit includes an image control unit that performs shooting every predetermined time and instructs the transmission of an image-attached mail attached with the shot image when a difference image portion between the shot images is detected. The mobile phone with a camera control function according to any one of claims 1 to 6.   8. The camera control according to claim 7, wherein the image control unit has a function of automatically adjusting the shooting angle and zoom shooting setting of the camera unit so that the difference image portion is positioned at the center of the screen. Functional mobile phone.   A storage unit for storing a password; and a command determination unit for verifying a password stored in the storage unit and a password included in the control signal. 9. The mobile phone with a camera control function according to claim 1, wherein the mobile phone has a camera control function.

Images