JP2000083193A - Image transmission system, image transmitter and image pickup device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent increases of required band and delay even when images to be composited are increased and to easily change the method of composition in an image transmission system for transmitting and compositing the plural images. SOLUTION: A transmission line 15 is the transmission line time-divided by access unit and capable of transmitting packets by using the respective access units. A layout information generation means 14 output layout information for indicating the display position after the images of respective image fetch means 11 are composited for each frame. In these respective image transmitters 10, an image conversion means 103 converts the size of the image fetched by the image fetch means 11 to a size indicated at the display position of the received layout information. A counter means 102 measures the number of the access units, and when it becomes the number corresponding to the display position, instructs a delay means 104 of outputting of image signals converted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an image transmission system for synthesizing and displaying images captured from a plurality of cameras, an image transmission device thereof, and an image pickup device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of an example of a conventional image transmission system for synthesizing and displaying images captured from a plurality of cameras. In FIG. 9, reference numeral 1091 denotes an image signal synthesizing device, and 1092-1, 1092-2, and 109.
2-3 is an image signal source such as a television camera, 1093 is an image signal receiving device, 1094-1, 1094-2, and 10
Reference numerals 94-3 denote image signal sources 1092-1 and 1092, respectively.
These are transmission lines for connecting the image signal outputs -2 and 1092-3 to the first, second and third input terminals of the image signal synthesizing device 1091. In this conventional image transmission system, image signal sources 1092-1, 1092-2, and 1092-3 are used.
Are output from the transmission lines 1094-1 and 104-1, respectively.
The image signals are input to the first, second, and third input terminals of the image signal synthesizing device 1091 via 94-2 and 1094-3, are synthesized in the image signal synthesizing device 1091, and are sent to the image signal receiving device 1093. Image signal receiving device 1093
Receives the combined image signal and can display it on display means (not shown). In such a conventional image transmission system, a plurality of transmission paths are required in accordance with the number of image signal sources, and the image signal synthesizing apparatus simultaneously inputs image signals from the plurality of image signal sources on the same screen. Since the images must be synthesized, it is necessary to provide a large-capacity memory, and it takes time to perform the image synthesis processing. Further, the number of image signal sources cannot be increased more than the number of input terminals of the image signal synthesizing device.

FIG. 10 shows, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-32873.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of another conventional image transmission system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H10-209,004. In FIG. 10, reference numerals 1101-2 and 1101-3 denote image signal synthesizing devices;
102-2 and 1102-3 are image signal sources, 1103
Is an image signal receiving device.

Hereinafter, the operation of the conventional image transmission system shown in FIG. 10 will be described. Each of the image signal sources 1102-1, 1102-2, and 1102-3 shown in FIG. 10 is a device that outputs an image signal.
Reference numerals 101-2 and 1101-3 denote devices that combine two image signals to generate one image signal. That is,
The image signal output from the image signal source 1102-1 and the image signal output from the image signal source 1102-2 are synthesized by the image signal synthesis device 1101-2, and the image signal output from the image signal synthesis device 1101-2. And the image signal output from the image signal source 1102-3 are combined by the image signal combining device 1101-3. As described above, the connected image signal sources and the image signal synthesizing device synthesize images one after another. Finally, an image signal in which images of all image signal sources are combined is received and displayed by the image signal receiving device 1103. With the above configuration, an image transmission system that combines and displays images captured from a plurality of image signal sources is configured.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of another conventional image transmission system that combines and displays images captured from a plurality of cameras. In FIG. 11, reference numeral 1111 denotes an image signal synthesizing device, 1112-1, 1112-2, and 11
12-3 is an image signal source such as a television camera, 1113 is an image signal receiving device, 1114 is an image signal source 1112-1,
1112-2, 1112-3, and image signal synthesizing apparatus 1
Reference numeral 111 denotes a connected common transmission path. In this conventional image transmission system, the image signal sources 1112-1 and 1112-1
2-2 and 1112-3 transmit the image signal to the common transmission line 11;
14, the image signal synthesizing device 1111 obtains the image signals transmitted from the respective image signal sources via the common transmission line 1114, synthesizes them, and sends them to the image signal receiving device 1113. The image signal receiving device 1113 receives the combined image signal and displays it on a display unit (not shown). In such a conventional image transmission system, the number of image signal sources is one, regardless of the number of image signal sources. However, if the number of image signal sources increases, the required transmission bandwidth of the transmission line increases. Further, as in the conventional example shown in FIG. 9, the image signal synthesizing apparatus must synthesize image signals from a plurality of input image signal sources on the same screen at a time, so that it is necessary to provide a large-capacity memory. However, it takes time for the image synthesis processing. In order to reduce the required transmission bandwidth, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-256315, each image signal source reduces the data to a resolution required for an image after synthesizing an image signal, and then sets a transmission path. However, even in this case, the image signal synthesizing device temporarily stores the image signals (image signals after data reduction) from the respective image signal sources in a memory, and stores the held image signals in a predetermined layout. The image signal synthesizing apparatus requires a memory to create a synthesized image by rearranging the images.

[0006]

As described above, FIG.
In the conventional image transmission system shown in FIG. 1, image signals output from a plurality of image signal sources are transmitted to a plurality of image signal synthesizing devices 1.
Since images are synthesized in order by 101, there is a problem that the delay increases as the number of image signal sources increases. Further, since each image synthesizing device 1101 requires a memory for synthesizing images, there is a problem that the circuit scale becomes large. Further, there is a problem that the method of synthesizing images, for example, the arrangement of the images from the respective image signal sources on the synthesized screen is predetermined and cannot be easily changed.

Further, the conventional image transmission system shown in FIG. 11 has a problem that the required transmission bandwidth of the transmission line increases as the number of image signal sources increases, and the required transmission bandwidth is reduced. Also, in the case where each image signal source reduces the data of the image signal to the resolution required for the synthesized image and then sends it out to the transmission path, the image signal from the image signal source (data reduction) Image signal) is temporarily stored in a memory, and the stored image signal is rearranged in a predetermined layout to create a composite image.
There is a problem that the circuit scale becomes large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to increase the number of image signal sources without increasing the circuit scale, and to transmit an image by which the method of synthesizing images can be easily changed. It is an object to provide a system and an image transmission device used in the image transmission system.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an image transmission system according to the present invention (claim 1) has a transmission path and at least one image transmission device connected to the transmission path. In the image transmission system, the image transmission device inputs an image signal and layout information including current image information specifying a cutout position from the image signal, and outputs only the image signal at the cutout position to a transmission path. It is.

[0010] An image transmission system according to a second aspect of the present invention is the image transmission system according to the first aspect, further comprising a transmission path and at least one image receiving device connected to the transmission path. The receiving device includes image generating means for generating one image from an image signal received from a transmission path.

An image transmission system according to the present invention (Claim 3) is an image transmission system having a transmission path and two or more image transmission devices connected to the transmission path, wherein the transmission path comprises a plurality of transmission paths. It is time-divided into access units, and a device connected to the transmission path can transmit a packet using each access unit.
An image signal and layout information including a display position indicating a position on the image after the synthesis of the image signal are input, the image signal is converted into the size of the display position, and the number of the access units is measured. , And outputs the converted image signal at the timing indicated by the display position.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the image transmission system according to the third aspect, further comprising a layout information generation device that outputs layout information including display positions of the plurality of image transmission devices. It is provided.

Further, in the image transmission system according to the present invention (claim 5), in the image transmission system according to claim 4, the layout information generating device outputs the layout information at one time interval per frame. Things.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image transmission system according to the third aspect, the transmission path is a ring network.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image transmission system according to the third aspect, the image transmission device converts the size of the image as instructed by the layout information. Means and a delay means for measuring the number of usable access units and outputting a converted image when the measured number of access units falls within the range corresponding to the display position.

Further, in the image transmission system according to the present invention (claim 8), in the image transmission system according to claim 3, the layout information includes an original image position specifying a cutout position from an image signal. After the image transmitting apparatus cuts out the image signal at the position designated as the original image position, the image signal is converted into the size of the display position.

The image transmitting apparatus according to the present invention (claim 9) inputs an image signal and layout information including current image information for specifying a cutout position from the image signal, and outputs the image signal at the cutout position. Output only.

Further, the image transmitting apparatus according to the present invention (claim 10) is time-divided into a plurality of access units, and is connected to a transmission path through which a connected apparatus can transmit a packet using each access unit. An image transmission device, comprising: inputting an image signal and layout information including a display position indicating a position on the image after the image signal is synthesized, and converting the image signal into a size of the display position. , Measuring the number of access units, and outputting the converted image signal at a timing indicated by the display position.

The image transmitting device according to the present invention (claim 11) is the image transmitting device according to claim 10, wherein the image converting means for converting the size of the image as instructed by the layout information can be used. Delay means for measuring the number of access units and outputting a converted image when the measured number of access units is in a range corresponding to the display position.

The image transmitting apparatus according to the present invention (claim 12) is the image transmitting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein layout information including an original image position designating a cutout position from the image signal is input, After the image signal at the position designated as the original image position is cut out, it is converted into the size of the display position.

In the image pickup apparatus according to the present invention (claim 13), when a real image is taken as an image signal, layout information including current image information for specifying a cutout position from the image signal is input. , And outputs only the image signal at the cutout position.

Further, the image transmission system according to the present invention (claim 14) includes a transmission path for transmitting a packet, one or more frame synchronization signal receiving devices connected to the transmission path, and one frame synchronization signal transmission In the image transmission system having the device, the frame synchronization signal transmission device transmits a value indicating a time lag from the frame synchronization signal to a transmission path as a frame synchronization packet, and the frame synchronization signal reception device includes: When the frame synchronization packet is received, the phase of the frame synchronization signal is adjusted based on the value.

[0023] In the image transmission system according to the present invention (claim 15), in the image transmission system according to claim 14, the frame synchronization signal transmitting device comprises: a first counter for counting the number of clocks; A first comparing device for comparing the value of the counter of No. 1 with a prescribed fixed value and outputting a frame synchronization signal when they match, and transmitting the value of the first counter to the transmission line as a frame synchronization packet Wherein the frame synchronization signal receiving apparatus compares a second counter for counting the number of clocks with a predetermined fixed value and outputs a frame synchronization signal when the values match. And receiving the frame synchronization packet and presetting the value to the second counter.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 and FIGS. 12 to 14. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image transmission system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In FIG.
10-1, 10-2, 10-3 are image transmission devices, 11-
Reference numerals 1, 11-2 and 11-3 denote image capturing means, 12 denotes an image receiving apparatus, 13 denotes display means, 14 denotes layout information generating means, and 15 denotes a transmission path. Reference numeral 101 denotes layout information receiving means; 102, a counter means for counting packet numbers; 103, an image converting means; 104, a delay means capable of holding data of at least one packet; 121, an image receiving means; Is delay means for holding layout information.

The image transmission system according to the present embodiment
The three image signals captured from the image capturing units 11-1, 11-2, and 11-3 are transmitted, combined, and displayed on the display unit 13.
This is a system for displaying. The layout information generating means 14 instructs the method of the synthesis based on the layout information.
The transmission path 15 is divided into fixed-length access units,
The image transmitting apparatuses 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 detect an access unit used by the own apparatus from the layout information, and transmit an image signal to a transmission path using the access unit. Thus, the image receiving unit 12 receives the image information synthesized on the transmission path. Hereinafter, the detailed operation will be described.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining images handled in the image transmission system according to the present embodiment. An image handled by the image transmission system according to the present embodiment is such that one frame has 352 pixels in the horizontal direction and 240 pixels in the vertical direction, and the ratio of luminance information and two pieces of color difference information is 4: 1: 1 and 30 per second. A frame is a digital image in which each pixel is represented by 8 bits. In the image transmission system according to the present embodiment, this image is divided into 44 blocks in the horizontal direction and 30 blocks in the vertical direction by a block of 8 pixels × 8 pixels. Each block is represented by (block number in the horizontal direction, block number in the vertical direction), and (0, 0) to (43,
29) One image is divided and handled by 1320 blocks. The data amount of each block is represented by a luminance signal 64
The total number of bytes and color difference signals is 2 × 16 bytes, which is 96 bytes.

The image to be handled is not limited to this, and the number of pixels in the horizontal direction is 720, 192.
Any number of pixels, such as 0, and 240,4
An arbitrary number of pixels such as 80, 1080, an arbitrary ratio such as 4: 4: 4, 4: 2: 2, 4: 2: 0 for the ratio of the luminance signal to the chrominance signal, and a number of frames per second of 50, 60 An image signal of an arbitrary format, such as an arbitrary number, an arbitrary number of bits of each pixel such as 6 bits, 10 bits, or 16 bits can be handled. Different formats have different values for the number of blocks or the number of bits in the blocks. Also, if it is not divisible by blocks,
Processing such as changing the shape of the block at the end of the screen to portrait or landscape, or padding invalid pixels may be performed.
Also, the blocks are not limited to 8 pixels × 8 pixels,
Any block such as a block of 4 pixels × 4 pixels or a block of 32 pixels in the horizontal direction × 1 pixel in the vertical direction can be used. It goes without saying that if the size of the block changes, the number of blocks and the number of bits of the block change accordingly.

Image capturing means 11-1, 11-2, 11-
Numerals 3 are means for taking in the images shown in FIG. 2 and outputting them as digital image signals, and are realized by, for example, a camera using a CCD or a combination of a camera using an image pickup tube and analog-to-digital conversion means. The image capturing means is not limited to these, and the VT storing the image may be used.
The present invention can be realized by any means for outputting a digital image signal, such as a means for reproducing an R or a disk, a means for receiving a TV broadcast, and the like.

Image capturing means 11-1, 11-2, 11-
3 are transmitted by the image transmitting apparatuses 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 using the transmission path 15, and received by the image receiving apparatus 12.
The operations of the image transmitting device 10 and the image receiving device 12 will be described later in detail. The display means 13 displays an image signal output by the image receiving device 12.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a layout example of a composite screen of image signals output from the respective image capturing means 11 of the image transmission system according to the present embodiment. 3 (b), 3 (c), and 3 (d) show images captured by the image capturing means 11-1, 11-2, and 11-3, respectively. Reference numeral 36 indicates the position of each original image. FIG. 3 (a) shows a display screen displayed on the screen device of the display means 13. In FIG.
33 denotes image capturing means 11-1, 11-2, 11 respectively.
3 shows a position where an image is displayed. That is, the image captured by the image capturing unit 11-1 is cut out from the image at the position indicated by the original image position 34 and displayed at the position indicated by the display position 31. The image captured by the image capturing unit 11-2 is cut out at the position indicated by the original image position 35 and displayed at the position indicated by the display position 32. The image captured by the image capturing unit 11-3 is the original image position 3
The image at the position indicated by 6 is cut out and displayed at the position indicated by the display position 33. When the size of the original image position and the size of the corresponding display position are different, the image is displayed after processing such as reduction, enlargement, and deformation is performed.
The layout in FIG. 3 is an example, and an arbitrary layout can be selected.

The layout information generating means 14 determines a layout as shown in FIG. 3 and outputs it as layout information. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of layout information expressing the layout shown in FIG. The layout information is represented by a combination of an ID, an original image position, and a display position for each image capturing unit. The original image position and the display position are represented by the upper left block number and the lower right block number, respectively. In the synthesis example shown in FIG. 3, the ID of the capturing means 11-1 is 1, the original image positions are (11, 0) and (43, 29), and the display position is (0, 1).
0) and (21, 29).
D is 2, the original image positions are (0, 0) and (32, 29), the display positions are (22, 10) and (43, 29), the ID of the capturing means 11-3 is 3, and the original image position is Are (0,10) and (4
3, 19), the display position is represented by (0, 0) and (43, 9), and these information are output as layout information.
The method of expressing the block number is not limited to this, and it can be expressed by any method that can specify the position of a block in one image.

The format of the actual layout information is, for example, one image capture by expressing each of the ID, four numbers indicating the original image position, and the four numbers indicating the display position in one byte. The layout information corresponding to the means 11 can be represented by 9 bytes. In the present embodiment, since there are three image capturing means 11, the information is a total of 27 bytes. As the number of image capturing units increases, the data amount of the layout information increases. The format of the layout information is not limited to this, and can take any form as long as all the information shown in FIG. 4 is included, and can be freely designed in each system.

As an example of a method for the layout information generating means 14 to determine a layout, there is a method of outputting previously determined and stored layout information. Alternatively, there is a method of changing the layout by inputting a command related to the screen displayed on the display unit 13. For example, when a command indicating the right direction is input, the original image position and the display position are changed as shown in FIG. That is, the screen is moved to the right as shown in FIG.
To the original image position 64 of (20,0) and (43,29),
The display position 61 is changed to (0, 10) and (15, 29), and the original image position 65 of the image capturing unit 11-2 is changed to (0, 10).
0) and (41, 29), the display position 62 is (16, 1).
0) and (43, 29) and output the layout information. When a command indicating full-screen display of an image from the image capturing unit 11-3 is input, the original image position and the display position are changed as shown in FIG. That is, the original image positions and display positions of the image capturing units 11-1 and 11-2 are all changed to (0, 0), and the original image position 76 of the image capturing unit 11-3 is changed to (0, 0). (43, 29), display position 73
Is changed to (0,0) and (43,29), and the layout information is output.

The method of generating layout information is not limited to the above example. A similar change may be made by a command indicating the left direction, or a change may be made to reduce the range of the original image position by a command indicating zoom-up. In addition to the method of changing by command, the original image position and display such as the method of changing the layout based on the operation of the pointing device and the human gaze, the signal detected by the sensor, the method of sequentially selecting the stored layout, etc. Any method of determining the position can be used. The display position does not need to be filled in the entire screen, and there may be a place in the display screen that is not selected as the display position. For places that are not selected as display positions on the display screen, character display or the like can be used.

In the above-described example, after the image at the position indicated by the original image position is cut out of the image taken by the image taking means 11, enlargement, reduction, etc. are performed according to the size of the display position. However, the image captured by the image capturing unit 11 may be directly enlarged or reduced according to the size of the display position. In this case, there is a slight restriction on how each image is displayed on the image after the synthesis, but since it is not necessary to include the position of the original image in the layout information, the number of bytes of the layout information can be reduced.

Next, the transmission path 15, the image transmitting apparatus 10-
1, 10-2, 10-3 and the operation of the image receiving device 12 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining signal transmission in the image transmission system according to the present embodiment. The transmission path is time-divided into access units, and is an arbitrary transmission path that allows any device connected to the transmission path to transmit a packet using each access unit. There are at least 1321 access units in 1/30 second, and each access unit uses at least one block of data length, that is, 9
The configuration is such that a 6-byte packet can be transmitted. 1
The frame time varies depending on the format of the image signal to be handled, and the data length of one block also varies depending on the format of the image signal and the method of dividing the block. When a transmission path 15 whose transmission unit is smaller than the data length of one block is used, one packet may be transmitted using a plurality of transmission units. With such a transmission line, the connection form of the device is a ring type, a bus type,
It can be realized in any form such as a star type, and the physical medium of the transmission path may be a wire such as electricity or light, or a radio wave such as radio waves or infrared rays.

In the image receiving apparatus 12, the delay means 12
Reference numeral 2 measures the time of one frame, and outputs the layout information output from the layout information generating means 14 at an interval of one frame. The layout information is also transmitted as a 96-byte packet, but if one packet cannot store the layout information corresponding to all the image transmitting apparatuses, the packet is divided into a plurality of packets. At this time, the minimum value of the access unit in one frame time of the transmission path must be increased by that amount. That is, when the layout information is divided into two packets, at least 1322 access units are required in one frame time.

In the image transmitting apparatus 10-1, the layout information receiving means 101 inputs the layout information from the transmission line 15, and outputs the original image position and the display position corresponding to the ID of the own apparatus. The image conversion unit 103 cuts out data at the position indicated by the original image position from the image signal output from the image capture unit 11-1, and converts the data to the size indicated by the display position by thinning out pixels or interpolation. Further, when the display position is output from the layout information receiving means 101, the counter means 102 sets its own counter to 0 and increments the counter by 1 for each access unit that can be transmitted by its own apparatus. When the value of the counter reaches the range of the input display position, an output instruction is transmitted to the delay unit 104. Here, if the value of the counter is defined as a packet number, the block (x, y) in the screen is (x + y × 4)
4 + 1). Conversely, if the packet number is z,
(X = (z-1) mod 44), (y = (z-1) / 4
4)). Here, mod 44 is the remainder when divided by 44, and / 44 is the division of the integer calculation, and indicates the truncation of the answer divided by 44. An output instruction is transmitted to the delay unit 104 when the calculated x and y are within the range indicated by the display position.

Upon receiving an output instruction from the counter 102, the delay 104 transmits one block of the converted image signal output from the image converter 103 as a packet. The image transmitting apparatuses 10-2 and 10-3 also perform the same operation as the image transmitting apparatus 10-1 based on the instruction of the original image position and the display position corresponding to the ID of the own node in the layout information.

The image receiving device 12 receives the image information,
1320 packets after the layout information, that is, packets 1 to 1320 are received, an image of one screen is generated, and displayed by the display unit 13. This display means 13
3 is displayed as indicated by the layout information specified by the layout information generating means 14, that is, FIG.
As shown in the layout shown in FIG.
A screen is obtained by combining the screens of 1, 11-2, and 11-3.
Thereafter, the same processing is repeated for each frame.

On the transmission path 15, an identifier for identifying a packet of layout information and a packet of image information is required. The identifier can be realized by any method capable of discriminating between the layout information and the image information, such as a method of providing an identifier for all the packets or a method of providing an identifier having a relatively long data length only for the layout information packet.

Here, in order to change the layout of the screen displayed on the display means 13, that is, to change the layout, the layout information generating means 14 only needs to change the layout information, and the layout can be easily and dynamically changed. Is possible. Further, since the synthesis is performed on the transmission path, the transmission path occupies only a band corresponding to one image, and the band and the delay do not increase due to the increase in the number of image capturing means.

Here, an example of realizing the transmission path 15 of the present embodiment by a ring network will be described. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for describing a detailed configuration of a transmission path of the image transmission system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, 10−
1, 10-2 and 10-3 are image transmission devices, and 11-1 and 1
1-2, 11-3 are image capturing means, 12 is an image receiving device, 13 is display means, and 14 is layout information generating means. These components are the same as the components having the same numbers in the description using FIG. 1, and the operation is as described above. Reference numeral 15 denotes a transmission path. In the transmission path 15, reference numerals 80-1, 80-2, 80-3, and 80-4 denote communication nodes, and reference numeral 81 denotes a network management device.

Each communication node 80 has its own address on the network.
The addresses of 80-2, 80-3, and 80-4 are #
1, # 2, # 3, and # 4. Network management device 8
Reference numeral 1 denotes an apparatus for setting an access unit, and a transmission address (hereinafter referred to as SA) and a reception address (hereinafter referred to as D
The token which designates A) is output. This token is transmitted to all communication nodes 80, and after one round, the network management device 81 terminates. The communication node 80 having the address matching the SA transmits the packet in a section following the token. Packets are also transmitted to all communication nodes 80,
After making a round, the communication node 80 that has transmitted is terminated. DA
The communication node 80 having the address matching with the packet receives the packet.

A group address can be set to SA and DA. When set to SA, any device belonging to the group can transmit, and when set to DA, all devices belonging to the group can be transmitted. The device is ready to receive.
Here, the group address including (# 1, # 2, # 3, # 4) is #G. The transmission path 15 is for one frame time,
That is, in 1/30 second, SA and DA are #G
1321 tokens are output. Here, the time of the frame and the number of tokens output at the time of the frame are not limited to these, and have different values depending on the format of the image signal to be handled and the block used. Also, the address is not limited to the above value,
Can take any value. In addition, as long as the SA and DA output 1320 #G tokens during one frame time, the network management device does not necessarily need to continuously output these tokens. The SA or DA can also output a token designating an address other than #G, thereby enabling other communication on the transmission line 15.

In the communication node 80-1, the receiving means 8
01 is sent to the image transmitting apparatus 10-1 and the selecting unit 803. The selection means 803 determines the S
If A indicates #G and data has been input from the image transmitting device 10-1, the data input from the image transmitting device 10-1 is output; otherwise, the receiving means 80
1 to output the received packet. The other communication nodes 80-2, 80-3, and 80-4 perform the same operation as the communication node 80-1.

With the above configuration, a transmission path in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment can be configured. However, the transmission path used in the present invention is not limited to this, and may have another configuration using a ring-type network, or may have a configuration applied to a bus-type network or a star-type network. It is a transmission path that is time-divided into units and allows any connected device to transmit packets using each access unit. At least 1321 packets are transmitted in one frame time, that is, 1/30 second. And an arbitrary transmission path capable of transmitting a packet of at least one block data length, that is, a 96-byte packet using each access unit can be used.

Although not specifically shown, the image capturing means 11-2 and the display means 13 operate by generating a frame synchronization signal based on the timing at which the layout information is transmitted. This eliminates the need for a frame memory for compensating for frame synchronization shifts, and can reduce the circuit scale.

As described above, in the image transmission system according to the present embodiment, the image signals by the plurality of image capturing means connected to the transmission line can be synthesized on the transmission line, and the image signal is determined by the transmission band and the processing. An image transmission system in which the delay does not depend on the number of connected image capturing means, and which can easily and dynamically change the synthesizing method can be configured.

It should be noted that not all the access units on the transmission path 15 are used by the image transmitting device 10 and the image receiving device 12, but may be used for other communications. At this time, each of the image transmission devices 10-1, 10-2, 1
0-3 may have a configuration in which access units are used in an order corresponding to the position shown in the display position. For example, an access unit usable by the image transmission system of the present embodiment and an access unit usable by another communication are identified by using an identifier, and the access unit usable by the image transmission system of the present embodiment is identified. This can be realized by a configuration in which the counter means 102 increases the counter by one each time. Alternatively, it can be realized by a configuration in which the counter is incremented by one when the counter unit 102 detects an access unit transmitted by the image transmission device 10-1, 10-2, or 10-3 on the transmission path 15. With such a configuration, a further effect is obtained that the transmission path can be shared with other communications.

In the present embodiment, the transmission path 15 transmits a token specifying a group address including the addresses of the image transmitting apparatuses 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 and the image receiving apparatus 12. However, it is not limited to this. The transmission path 15 calculates the output order of each image transmitting apparatus 10 based on the layout information output by the layout information generating means 14, and sets the address of the image transmitting apparatus 10 in the SA of each token in order. Such a configuration may be used, and the same effect can be obtained. In this case, the counter unit 103 is not required in each image transmission device.

In this embodiment, the layout information generating means 14 is connected to the image receiving device 12, but the present invention is not limited to this. Any configuration may be used as long as the layout information is transmitted at time intervals of one frame, such as a configuration in which the layout information generating means 14 directly outputs the layout information to the transmission path 15, and the same effect is obtained. . A similar effect can be obtained by a configuration in which the layout information is transmitted through a transmission path different from the image signal.

Further, in the present embodiment, the frame is synchronized by the layout information. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration in which a packet or signal for frame synchronization is separately set and the value of the counter of the counter means 102 is reset to 0 by this frame synchronization can be realized, and the same effect can be obtained.
In this case, the layout information may be transmitted at an arbitrary timing, and all the image transmitting devices 10 update the layout information at the same timing, such as updating the layout information at the beginning of the next frame. Such a configuration may be used.

In this embodiment, the image signal is transmitted without being compressed, but the present invention is not limited to this. The image transmitting device 10 may transmit each block after compression-encoding the block, and may display the image after decompressing it in the image receiving device 12. According to this, since the data amount of each block to be transmitted is reduced, the data amount of the packet transmitted in each access unit can be reduced, so that a further effect that the band used can be reduced is produced.

As another embodiment of the transmission path 15, I
There is EEE1394. IEEE 1394 is a bus-type transmission path, and one cycle is 125 microseconds. A channel is set for the transfer of the synchronous data, and the time for occupying the bus in each cycle time is determined for each channel. Each device connected to the transmission path transfers data using this channel. When IEEE 1394 is used as a transmission path of the image transmission system according to the present embodiment, a plurality of channels are used. Each channel is
The occupation time of the bus in each cycle is set to be equal to or longer than the time corresponding to 96 bytes, and each image transmitting apparatus transmits a 96-byte packet using each channel. The number of prepared channels is equal to or greater than the number of packets that must be transmitted in each cycle time. With such a configuration, the transmission path 15 of the image transmission system according to the above-described embodiment can be realized.

Further, as still another embodiment of the transmission path 15, the transmission path is divided into frames, each frame is further divided into slots, and a device connected to the transmission path specifies in advance a slot that can be used in the frame. An example using a transmission line as described above is given. When such a transmission path is used in the image transmission system according to the above-described embodiment, any image transmission device may transmit, and the image reception device receives a slot, and the image reception device transmits all image transmissions. The slot to be received by the device may be determined in advance. In the present invention, the slot in the transmission path corresponds to an access unit on the transmission path 15, and when used in the image transmission system according to the above embodiment, each slot can transmit 96 bytes or more. 30
What is necessary is just to set so that 1321 or more slots exist in 1 / second time.

In the above description, the driving path 15
Is divided into a plurality of access units, and the image transmitting apparatus 10 transmits an image signal to the driving path 15 using the access unit corresponding to the display position indicated by the layout information. It is not limited to.
The image transmitting apparatus 10 is configured to cut out an image at a position indicated by the layout information from one image and transmit only the cut out image to the transmission path 15 at an arbitrary transmittable timing. However, a configuration may be used in which one display image is generated from the image signal transmitted from each image transmission device 10 using a storage unit such as a frame memory. Accordingly, the present invention is applicable to an arbitrary transmission path, and has an effect that the band used in the transmission path 15 can be reduced. Examples of such a configuration are shown in FIGS.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the image transmission system according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 12, reference numerals 11-1, 11-2, and 11-3 denote image capturing means,
Reference numerals 200-1, 1200-2, and 1200-3 denote image transmitting devices, 1201 denotes a layout information receiving unit, 1203 denotes an image converting unit, 1204 denotes a delay unit, 1202 denotes an image receiving device, 1221 denotes an image receiving unit, and 1222 denotes a frame memory. , 13 are display means, 1240 is layout information generating means, and 1250 is a driving path. Hereinafter, the operation of the image transmission system shown in FIG. 12 will be described focusing on differences from the operation of the image transmission system shown in FIG. Note that the layout information only needs to include at least the current image position in the layout information shown in FIG.

First, the operation of the image transmitting apparatus 1200-1 will be described. The layout information receiving unit 1201 passes the current image position indicated in the layout information received from the transmission path 1250 to the image converting unit 1203. Image conversion means 12
In step 03, only the image in the area indicated by the current image position is cut out from the image captured by the image capturing unit 11-1, and output to the delay unit 1204. The delay unit 1204 is connected to the transmission line 1
The image signal is output to the driving path at a timing at which the image signal can be output to the driving path. Here, the image signal may be transmitted as it is, or may be transmitted after being compressed by a compression process. Further, the delay unit 1204 is not always necessary. When using the transmission path 1250 that can transmit at any timing,
Not required. Alternatively, if the image conversion unit 1203 and the image capture unit 11-1 are configured to be able to store information and output information at a timing that allows transmission to the transmission path 15, the delay unit 1204 is unnecessary.

Image transmitting device 1200-2, 1200-3
Performs the same operation as the image transmitting apparatus 1200-1. The layout information generating means 1240 generates and outputs only display information from among the layout information generated by the layout information generating means 14 described with reference to FIG. Also,
The transmission path 1250 is any transmission path for transmitting digital information.

Next, the operation of the image receiving device 1220 will be described. The image receiving unit 1221 receives image information including a part of at least one image transmitted from each image transmission device. The received image information is stored in the frame memory 122
2 is written. At this time, the data is written at a position corresponding to the display position. In the image receiving unit 1221, the image signal before writing to the frame memory is
Arbitrary processing such as changing the size of the image in the vertical or horizontal direction, converting the luminance value and color of the pixel, and cutting out the image may be performed. The image written in the frame memory 1222 is displayed on the display unit 13.

As described above, according to the image transmission system having the configuration shown in FIG. 12, the effect that the band used in the transmission path 15 can be reduced can be obtained. In addition,
Although the layout information generating unit 1240 transmits the layout information including the current image position, which is information indicating the position of the image, the layout information generating unit 1240 may include information indicating the display size of the image. In that case, the image conversion unit 1203 cuts out the area at the current image position from the image, and if the size indicated by the display size is smaller than the size of the current image position,
Convert to display size and send. This allows
Further, the necessary bandwidth in the transmission path 1250 can be reduced. Of course, the layout information generating unit 1240 may be configured to transmit the information indicating the display size only when the display size is smaller than the size of the current image position.

As described above, according to the image transmission system having the configuration shown in FIG. 12, as shown in FIG. 13, at least a part of the image captured by each of the image capturing means 11-1, 11-2, and 11-3. Can be applied to an arbitrary system that cuts out and combines and displays as shown in FIG. This means that no limitation is imposed on the method of configuring the display screen, the method of cutting out the image, and the like. Also, compared to transmitting all image signals of one image by all the image transmission apparatuses 10 connected to one transmission path 1250, it is possible to reduce the bandwidth required for the transmission path. Here, as the transmission path 1250 to be used, any transmission path capable of transmitting digital information can be used.

The image transmitting apparatus 1200 may have any configuration so as to cut out an image at a position indicated by the layout information from one image and transmit only the cut out image to the driving path. The device 1220 may have any configuration that constitutes one display image from one or more received image signals, and is not limited to the configuration illustrated in FIG. it can.

Incidentally, it goes without saying that the image capturing means and the image transmitting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 12 can be constituted as one single apparatus. Here, a device in which an image capturing unit that captures an actual image and converts it into an image signal and an image transmitting device are combined is referred to as an image capturing device. The configuration of the image capturing apparatus is not limited to the configuration described in the image transmission system having the configuration illustrated in FIGS. The same effect can be obtained by an arbitrary configuration in which information indicating a position to cut out an image, such as layout information, is input from the outside and at least an image signal at a position to cut out the image is output. .

As another example of the image pickup device, a configuration in which the image converting means 1203 is eliminated and the image capturing means 11 outputs only the image signal of the area at the designated current image position can be considered. Such an example is shown in FIG. FIG.
, 1401 is an image capturing device, 1201 is layout information receiving means, 1402 is image capturing means, 1204
Is a delay means. Here, layout information receiving means 1
The operations of 201 and the delay means 1204 are the same as the operations of the devices denoted by the same reference numerals in FIG. The image capturing unit 1402 outputs information on the area of the current image position specified by the layout information receiving unit 1201 and transmits the information via the delay unit 1204. For example, when the image capturing unit 1402 is an image capturing unit configured by a CCD or an image pickup tube, only information on the indicated display position is read by scanning and output.

As described above, the image capturing device 1401 may be configured so that the image capturing means 1402 outputs the area at the designated current image position as a captured image signal. This makes it possible to configure an image transmission system that can achieve the same effect without an image conversion unit.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image transmission system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 15, reference numeral 1510 denotes a frame synchronous receiving apparatus, 1515 denotes a frame synchronous transmitting means, and 1511 and 1511.
16 is a comparison means, 1512 and 1517 are counters, 15
13 and 1518 are clock generation means. One transmission line is connected to one frame synchronization transmission device 1515 and one or more frame synchronization reception devices. Each frame synchronization transmission device 1515 and frame synchronization reception device 1510
Are nodes on different transmission paths and supply a frame synchronization signal.

In the frame synchronous transmitting apparatus 1515, the clock generated by the clock generating means 1518 is counted by the counter 1517. The clock generating means 1518 is composed of a crystal that outputs a fixed clock, a PLL device that generates a clock based on a reference signal transmitted through a transmission path at regular intervals, and the like. Counter 151
The value of 7 is compared by the comparing means 1516, and when the value becomes equal to the frame frequency, the comparing means 1516 outputs a frame synchronization signal. The value of the counter 1517 is
It is cleared by this frame synchronization signal. Further, the value of the counter 1517 is transmitted to the transmission path as a frame synchronization packet. That is, the frame synchronization packet is
This indicates the offset from the frame synchronization signal.
Here, the transmission path is an arbitrary transmission path for transmitting a packetized digital signal. Typically, there is the transmission path described in the first embodiment. In this transmission path, not only frame synchronization packets but also other digital signals such as data, audio, and images are multiplexed and transmitted.

In the frame synchronization receiving device 1510, the operation of generating a frame synchronization signal using the clock generation means 1513, the counter 1512, and the comparison means 1511 is exactly the same as that of the frame synchronization transmission device 1515. The difference is that when a frame synchronization packet is received, its value is preset in the counter 1512. Thereby, the counters 1512 and 151 of the frame synchronization transmission device 1515 and the frame synchronization reception device 1510
The value of 7 is always constant, and a frame synchronization signal of the same phase is output at each node. The frame synchronization packet must be transmitted at least once at system startup. Thereafter, transmission may be performed at an arbitrary interval. The interval may be determined based on the accuracy of the clock generated by the clock generator, the target reliability, and the like.

The frame synchronous transmission device 151 as described above
5 and the frame synchronous receiving device 1510 are applicable not only to the image transmission system of the present embodiment but also to any image transmission system, and a plurality of nodes connected to a transmission path for performing packet transmission have the same phase of the frame. The effect that a synchronization signal can be obtained is obtained. For example, when the frame synchronization transmission device 1515 and the frame synchronization reception device 1510 of the present embodiment are applied to the image transmission system of the first embodiment, the frame synchronization transmission device 1515 and the frame synchronization reception device 1510 are connected to the image transmission device and the image reception device. Supply. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and it can be connected to a device that is connected to the transmission path and operates with the same frame synchronization signal. Such examples are common in devices that handle images, for example, a system including a plurality of VTRs and an image editing device that edits images output from the VTRs, combining a plurality of imaging devices and images output from the imaging devices, Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to a system including a display device for switching and displaying. In these systems, when each device uses a frame synchronization signal having a different phase, a delay process for matching the phases is required. By using the image transmission system of the present embodiment, a frame synchronization signal having the same phase can be passed to each device connected to the transmission path using the transmission path for transmitting the packet. As a result, since each device operates with the frame synchronization signal having the same phase, delay processing or the like for adjusting the phase is unnecessary. If an image signal is transmitted using a transmission path for transmitting a packet, there is an effect that an additional cable for a frame synchronization signal is not required.

[0072]

As described above, according to the present invention (claim 1), in an image transmission system having a transmission path and at least one image transmission apparatus connected to the transmission path, the image transmission apparatus comprises: An image signal and layout information including current image information designating a cutout position from the image signal are input, and only the image signal at the cutout position is output to a transmission line. This has the effect that the amount of information can be reduced.

According to the present invention (claim 3), in an image transmission system having a transmission path and two or more image transmission devices connected to the transmission path, the transmission path is divided into a plurality of access units. Time-division, the device connected to the transmission path can transmit a packet using each access unit, the image transmission device, the image signal, on the image after the synthesis of the image signal Layout information including a display position indicating the position is input, the image signal is converted into the size of the display position, the number of access units is measured, and the converted image is displayed at the timing indicated by the display position. Since signals are output, image signals can be synthesized by a plurality of image capturing units connected to the transmission path, and the delay of the transmission path band and processing is reduced by the number of connected image capturing units. There is an effect that can realize an image transmission system that does not exist.

According to the present invention (claim 4), the image transmission system according to claim 3 further comprises a layout information generating device for outputting layout information including display positions of the plurality of image transmitting devices. Thus, there is an effect that an image transmission system that can easily and dynamically change the combining method can be realized.

According to the present invention (claim 5), in the image transmission system according to claim 4, the layout information generating device outputs the layout information at one time interval per frame. Accordingly, there is an effect that the frame synchronization between the image capturing unit and the image display unit can be easily achieved.

According to the present invention (claim 9), in the image transmitting apparatus, an image signal and layout information including current image information for specifying a cutout position from the image signal are input, and the cutout position of the cutout position is input. Since only the image signal is output, the information amount of the output image signal can be reduced.

According to the present invention (claim 10), the image is time-divided into a plurality of access units, and is connected to a transmission path through which a connected device can transmit a packet using each access unit. A transmitting device for inputting an image signal and layout information including a display position indicating a position on an image after the image signal is synthesized, converting the image signal into a size of the display position, Measure the number of units,
Since the image signal after the conversion is output at the timing indicated by the display position, image signals by a plurality of image capturing units connected to the transmission path can be synthesized, and the bandwidth and processing of the transmission path Therefore, there is an effect that an image transmission apparatus constituting an image transmission system in which the delay due to the above does not depend on the number of connected image capturing units can be realized.

According to the present invention (claim 13), in the image pickup apparatus, when a real image is taken in as an image signal, layout information including current image information for specifying a cutout position from the image signal is used. Since the configuration is such that only the image signal at the cutout position is input and output, the information amount of the output image signal can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention (claim 14), there is provided a transmission path for transmitting a packet, one or more frame synchronization signal reception apparatuses connected to the transmission path, and one frame synchronization signal transmission apparatus. In the image transmission system, the frame synchronization signal transmitting device transmits a value indicating a time lag from a frame synchronization signal to a transmission path as a frame synchronization packet, and the frame synchronization signal receiving device receives the frame synchronization packet. Then, since the phase of the frame synchronization signal is adjusted based on the value, there is an effect that frame synchronization of the same phase can be obtained at different nodes of the transmission path for transmitting the packet.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image transmission system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an image signal handled in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining screen composition in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining layout information in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining image information transmission in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining another example of screen composition in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining another example of screen synthesis in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration of a transmission path in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a conventional image transmission system.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of another conventional image transmission system.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration of still another conventional image transmission system.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration of another image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining another screen synthesis in the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a configuration of an image pickup device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an image transmission system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10-1, 10-2, 10-3 Image transmitting device 11-1, 11-2, 11-3 Image capturing means 12 Image receiving device 13 Display means 14 Layout information generating means 15 Transmission path 101 Layout information receiving means 102 Counter means 103 Image conversion means 104 Delay means 121 Image reception means 122 Delay means 31, 32, 33, 61, 62, 63, 73 Display position 34, 35, 36, 64, 65, 66, 76 Original image position 80-1 , 80-2, 80-3, 80-4 communication node 81 network management means 801 receiving means 802 transmitting means 803 selecting means

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. An image transmission system having a transmission line and at least one image transmission device connected to the transmission line, wherein the image transmission device includes an image signal and a current image specifying a cutout position from the image signal. An image transmission system, comprising inputting layout information including information and outputting only an image signal at the cutout position to a transmission path. 2. The image transmission system according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmission path, and at least one image reception device connected to the transmission path, wherein the image reception apparatus outputs one of the image signals received from the transmission path. An image transmission system comprising: an image generation unit configured to generate one image. 3. An image transmission system having a transmission path and two or more image transmission apparatuses connected to the transmission path, wherein the transmission path is time-divided into a plurality of access units and connected to the transmission path. The transmitted device can transmit a packet using each access unit. Inputting, converting the image signal to the size of the display position, measuring the number of access units, and outputting the converted image signal at a timing indicated by the display position, Transmission system. 4. The image transmission system according to claim 3, further comprising a layout information generation device that outputs layout information including display positions of the plurality of image transmission devices. 5. The image transmission system according to claim 4, wherein the layout information generating device outputs the layout information at one time interval for one frame. 6. The image transmission system according to claim 3, wherein said transmission path is a ring-type network. 7. The image transmission system according to claim 3, wherein the image transmission device measures an image conversion unit that converts an image size as instructed by the layout information, and counts the number of available access units. An image transmission system comprising: a delay unit that outputs a converted image when the number of measurements of the access unit reaches a range corresponding to the display position. 8. The image transmission system according to claim 3, wherein the layout information includes an original image position that specifies a cutout position from an image signal, and the image transmission device specifies the original image position. An image transmission system for extracting an image signal at a certain position and converting the image signal into a display position size. 9. An image transmitting apparatus, comprising: inputting an image signal and layout information including current image information designating a cutout position from the image signal, and outputting only the image signal at the cutout position. 10. An image transmission device which is time-divided into a plurality of access units and is connected to a transmission path through which a connected device can transmit a packet using each access unit, comprising: an image signal; Layout information including a display position representing the position on the image after the image signal is synthesized is input, the image signal is converted into the size of the display position, the number of the access units is measured, and the display position is calculated. An image transmitting apparatus, which outputs the image signal after the conversion at a timing shown. 11. The image transmitting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein an image converting means for converting the size of the image as instructed by the layout information, and the number of usable access units are measured, and the number of access units is measured. And a delay unit for outputting a converted image when the image reaches a range corresponding to the display position. 12. The image transmitting apparatus according to claim 10, wherein layout information including an original image position designating a cutout position from said image signal is input, and an image signal at a position designated as said original image position is cut out. And then converting the image into a display position. 13. When a real image is taken as an image signal, layout information including current image information specifying a cutout position from the image signal is input, and only the image signal at the cutout position is output. An image pickup device characterized by the following. 14. A transmission path for transmitting a packet, one or more frame synchronization signal receiving devices connected to the transmission path,
In the image transmission system having one frame synchronization signal transmission device, the frame synchronization signal transmission device transmits a value indicating a time lag from the frame synchronization signal to a transmission path as a frame synchronization packet, An image transmission system, wherein the synchronization signal receiving device, upon receiving the frame synchronization packet, adjusts the phase of the frame synchronization signal based on the value. 15. The image transmission system according to claim 14, wherein the frame synchronization signal transmitting device compares a first counter that counts the number of clocks with a value of the first counter and a predetermined fixed value, A first comparing device that outputs a frame synchronization signal when they match with each other, and transmits the value of the first counter to a transmission line as a frame synchronization packet. A second counter for counting, a second comparator for comparing the value of the second counter with a predetermined fixed value, and outputting a frame synchronization signal when the values match, and receiving the frame synchronization packet, An image transmission system, wherein the value is preset in the second counter.