JPH04120889A - Videophone device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a video telephone device, particularly a television that transmits an image together with sound by switching between an image of a telephone caller and an image of a calligraphy or painting placed near the caller. Relating to telephone devices. [Prior Art 1] A videophone is configured to include, in addition to a telephone main body, a display that displays an image of the other party, and a television camera that takes an image to be sent to the other party. By the way, in addition to transmitting a self-image of the caller during a normal conversation, there are cases where the caller wants to transmit an image such as a calligraphy or drawing and have a conversation about the calligraphy or drawing. Characteristics of the subject of both the caller and the calligraphy are that the caller faces the display, whereas calligraphy is usually placed perpendicular to the caller on a desk, etc., so that the caller cannot see the calligraphy. One example is that the lower side of the calligraphy is placed toward the person making the call, so that the caller can have a conversation. It is necessary to change the direction of image input depending on objects with different characteristics. That is, when transmitting an image of the caller, it is necessary to input the image to the television camera from the direction facing the display surface of the display, and when transmitting a calligraphy or drawing, it is necessary to input the image from the direction of the surface of the stand on which the videophone is placed. The following methods are known or conceivable for changing the direction of image input. (1) A method in which a camera for portraits and a camera for documents are prepared and switched depending on the subject. (2) A method that allows the camera to move freely (including making it removable from the main body of the device) and changes the direction of the camera depending on the subject. (3) A method of changing the direction of image input using optical means such as a mirror when inputting calligraphy and drawings (Patent Publication, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-92
No. 82). [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] The method (1) above requires two cameras, which increases the overall scale of the device. Furthermore, two systems of video signal input from the camera are generated, and signal processing is required to switch between these signals. For this reason as well, the circuit scale increases. The method (2) above allows image input with one camera, but if the camera is made removable, a means for fixing the camera is required for stationary subjects such as documents and paintings. Also, even if you do not remove it, the camera must be moved horizontally so that the bottom side of the document is directed toward the caller.
It is necessary to move the device by 80 degrees and by 90 degrees in the vertical direction, which requires a large number of mechanically moving parts, complicating the structure and operation of the device. The method (3) above requires an optical system outside the television camera, which increases the overall scale of the device. Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to eliminate the need for external equipment and limit it to the mechanically moving parts of the device.
The object of the present invention is to provide a means for achieving miniaturization and economicalization of equipment. [Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides (1) when inputting calligraphy and drawings, the direction of the television camera is oriented within one plane relative to when inputting the caller's own image; (2) Provide means to change the order in which image signals from the television camera are written into or read out from the frame memory according to changes in the subject. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, means is provided for detecting a change in the subject based on a change in the orientation of the television camera. Due to the nature of videophones, the mechanism that rotates around an axis within one plane is preferably fixed by rotating the camera at a fixed position by approximately 90° so that the speaker can easily see the calligraphy and images and there is less distortion of the image. [Function] In the videophone of the present invention, the mechanical operating portion of the television camera can be minimized by the means (1). However, as explained in Fig. 4, simply rotating the television camera 90 degrees downward will not allow the image to be displayed if the bottom side of the caller is facing the caller so that the caller can have a conversation while looking at the calligraphy. When scanning, the top and bottom of the calligraphy and images are reversed. Therefore, by means of (2) above, it is possible to reverse the writing or reading order of the frame memory. Therefore, it is only necessary to provide a rotation mechanism that rotates within one plane and a simple control circuit that changes the reading order of the frame memory, and it is sufficient to provide a rotation mechanism that rotates within one plane and a simple control circuit that changes the reading order of the frame memory. Both rotational movements are not required. (Embodiment) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of one embodiment of a videophone according to the present invention. In the figure, the portion surrounded by dotted lines is The other features of the present invention are the same as the conventional ones. First, the conventional parts will be briefly explained. This videophone has the following features:
Camera device 2, frame memory 3.7 encoding circuit 4,
Transmission interface 5, compounding circuit 6, post-processing circuit 6
, display 9. A signal from a television camera 1 is converted into a video signal by a preprocessing circuit 2, and then the video signal is input to a frame memory 3, where it is compressed and encoded by an encoding circuit 4. Address 11 of frame memory 3 is frame memory address control circuit 1
Generated by 2. The encoded signal is converted into a predetermined transmission signal by the transmission interface 5, and the transmission signal is transmitted to the other party's terminal via the transmission path 10. A video signal sent from the other party via the transmission path 10 is input to the decoding circuit 6 via the transmission interface 5, decoded, and then written to the frame memory 7. Address 13 of frame memory 4 is generated by frame memory address control circuit 14. The data in the frame memory 4 is converted into a video signal for a display 9 by a post-processing circuit 8. As a result, the image of the other party is displayed on the display device 9. The telephone main body 15 conducts voice communication with the other party via the transmission interface 5. Next, the portion (within the dotted line) according to the present invention will be explained. The operating modes of this device include a person mode in which an image of a caller is transmitted and received, and a calligraphy mode in which a calligraphy image is transmitted and received. First, the first feature of the present invention, "imaging direction rotation unit J2
0 will be explained using FIG. (1) In person mode, the imaging unit
That is, the camera faces the caller and is typically oriented toward the display screen of the display. (2) In the document/image mode, the imaging section faces in the direction of the document/image, that is, in the downward direction. As a result, image input can be switched by simply rotating the camera about 90 degrees around the rotation axis without changing the positions of the caller and the document or drawing that are the subjects. It should be noted that the position of the document is not limited to the above-mentioned position, and it is clear that the present invention will have the same effect even if the document is located at a position opposite to the person talking with the television camera as the target point. Next, the second feature of the present invention, the frame memory address control circuit 12, will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. (1) Changes in the imaging direction rotation unit 20 are detected by the imaging direction rotation detection unit 21, and the portrait mode and document mode are determined. Depending on the determination result, the subject switch 22 linked to the imaging direction rotation detection section 21 is switched as appropriate. This signal selects one of the character address counter 23 and the calligraphy address counter 24. (2) Assume that the camera is scanned in the order shown in FIG. 2, ie, from top to bottom in the vertical direction and from left to right in the horizontal direction. In the portrait mode, writing to and reading from the frame memory 3 is performed in the same order as the camera scans, as shown in FIG. (3) In the document mode, writing to the frame memory is performed in the reverse order of camera scanning as shown in FIG. 3, ie, from bottom to top in the vertical direction and from right to left in the horizontal direction. The readout is performed in the same order as the camera scan, as shown in FIG. (4) As a result, the video signal after the encoding circuit appears to be a correct signal in the upper and lower directions. Therefore, on the receiving side, images in the correct orientation can be obtained without making any changes to the device. Note that in (3), writing to the frame memory 3 is performed in the same order as the camera scans in Figure 2, and reading is performed in the reverse order of the camera scans as shown in Figure 3, with the same effect. can get. Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
．． 17.18, (for example, from a measuring device, etc.) is also applied to the case where images are captured by a single camera by switching the imaging direction and transmitted. Furthermore, the following forms are also included in the present invention. (1) As a means for switching the order of writing and reading from the frame memory 3, two address counters are provided in the embodiment, one for people and one for drawings, but only one address counter is used to increment the counter. You can also switch between and decrement. Furthermore, the order of writing or reading may be switched using a lookup table in the ROM. (2) In the embodiment, a change in camera orientation is detected by a subject selection switch linked to an imaging direction rotation detection unit, but means for determining whether an input image is a calligraphy or drawing using a pattern recognition method. Use. (3) The quick-rotation part of the camera may be one in which the camera is manually rotated directly or mechanically, or an indirect means in which the camera is rotated by a switch or a motor may be used. Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, by adding a relatively simple circuit, it is possible to input images of subjects having different characteristics, such as people and drawings, using a single camera. As a result, (1) additional equipment is no longer required, and the overall equipment size can be reduced. (2) The calligraphy and drawings can be placed in a direction that is easy for the caller to see, and the conversation can be carried out while using the calligraphy and drawings in a natural manner.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of one embodiment of the videophone according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the positional relationship between the camera, the caller, and the picture in the frame, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a camera and a subject in another embodiment. Explanation of symbols 1...TV camera, 2...Preprocessing circuit, 3.7 frame memory, 4...encoding circuit, 5...transmission interface, 6...decoding circuit, 8...rear processing circuit,
9...Display, 10...Transmission line, 11.13
...Address, 12.14...Frame memory address control circuit, 15...Telephone body, 16.17.18
... Subject, 20... Imaging direction rotation unit, 21... Imaging direction rotation detection unit, 22... Subject selection switch, 23
・・Address counter for people, 24 ・・Address counter for calligraphy and drawings. Representative Patent Attorney Susuki 1) Yuki Toshi

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A telephone main body, a display that displays an image of the other party, a television camera that photographs a subject to be sent to the other party, and records an image signal taken by the television camera. A videophone device comprising: means for rotating the direction of the television camera according to a change in the subject; means for detecting a change in the subject; and writing into the frame memory according to the change in the subject. or means for switching the reading order. 2. The video telephone device according to claim 1, wherein the means for detecting the change in the subject is based on a change in the orientation of the television camera. 3. In claim 1, the subject is a person or a calligraphy or drawing, and the means for switching the order of writing to or reading from the frame memory has means for switching according to the image pattern of the television camera output signal. A videophone device characterized by: 4. In claim 1, the subject is a person and a calligraphy or painting arranged at a position substantially orthogonal to the person,
A video telephone device characterized in that the means for rotating the direction of the television camera is configured to rotate approximately 90° about a rotation axis. 5. A television camera whose imaging direction changes within a plane and rotates on its axis, a frame memory that stores image signals from the television camera, and a circuit that encodes the image signals read from the frame memory and generates television image signals. and a position detecting means for detecting the imaging direction of the television camera, and a means for switching the reading or writing order of the frame memory in accordance with the imaging direction of the television camera detected by the position detecting means. Device.