JP3380835B2 - Portable videophone - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable videophone capable of transmitting and receiving image and voice data.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, LS has been used in videophone devices.
Due to the advancement of I technology, the circuit of the image processing system has been greatly integrated, and it has become possible to reduce the size and power consumption as well as to make it cordless and portable, and a small liquid crystal display (hereinafter referred to as LCD) in the main body. A portable videophone having a structure in which a micro CCD camera and a micro CCD camera are integrated has been developed.

A conventional portable videophone of this type will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is an external view showing a conventional portable videophone. In FIG. 5, 1 is an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio waves, 2 is a key operation unit for inputting a telephone number and the like, 3 is a microphone for inputting voice. Reference numeral 4 denotes an LCD which is a display unit for displaying a telephone number or the like input from the key operation unit 3 or characters sent from the other party, and image information, and 5 sends image information of the user on the apparatus main body side to the other party. A CCD camera, which is an image pickup unit for, is a speaker that outputs a received sound as a speakerphone.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic structure of a conventional portable videophone. In FIG. 6, 7 is an RF unit for transmitting and receiving radio waves of a line, and 8 is multiplexing / decomposing data of voice and image. A voice / image multiplex / decomposition unit, 9 is a voice codec for compressing / decompressing voice data, and 10 is a voice I / O unit for inputting / outputting voice to / from the microphone 3 and the speaker 6.

Reference numeral 11 is an image codec for compressing / decompressing image data, 12 is a display frame memory, and 13 is C.
A buffer for temporarily storing image data from the CD camera 5, and a system control unit 14 for controlling the entire system based on an input from the key operation unit 3.

In the portable videophone configured as described above, first, the radio wave received from the line via the antenna 1 is demodulated by the RF unit 7 and the voice / image multiplex / decomposition unit 8 is used.
Is decomposed into audio data and image data. The image data is decompressed by the image codec 11, and then the frame memory 1
2 is written and displayed on the LCD 4. On the other hand, the audio data is decompressed by the audio codec 9 and then the audio I /
The audio signal is converted by the O unit 10 and output from the speaker 6.

The image data taken in by the CCD camera 5 at any time is read out from the buffer 13 and compressed by the image codec 11, and the audio signal input from the microphone 3 is output by the audio I / O unit 10 as audio data. And is compressed by the audio codec 9. These are multiplexed by the audio / image multiplex / decomposition unit 8 and then the RF unit 7
The radio wave is modulated by and is output to the line via the antenna 1.

That is, the LCD 4 built in the apparatus body
Since the received image of the other party is displayed and the image of the user of the apparatus main body is captured by the built-in CCD camera 5 and transmitted to the other party, it is necessary to talk while the apparatus main body is close to the face. Therefore, it is necessary to make a voice call by using a hands-free function or an earphone / microphone.

Further, in order to solve the problem that an image cannot be viewed during a call, a wireless videophone in which a display section and a call section can be separated is proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-46556. There is. This is as shown in FIG.
In order to connect the voice communication unit 15 and the image / video unit 16 with an optical modulation signal so as to make the signals non-contact and physically separate them, and to increase the screen size of the image / video unit 16, It is provided with a function of projecting on a projection screen 17 provided outside.

Further, although it is not a portable type, a video input unit and a video unit having an image sending button can be separated by wire with respect to the apparatus main body provided with a video signal modulating unit and a video signal demodulating unit. A telephone terminal device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 14966/1989
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-46413 discloses a cordless TV phone in which a small liquid crystal TV receiver and a conversation handset are detachably attached to a cordless TV phone body and wirelessly connected to each other. Proposed.

[0011] These allow an image of a subject distant from the apparatus main body to be transmitted to the other party, or a telephone call can be made while distant from the apparatus main body while viewing the image of the other party.

[0012]

However, in the conventional portable videophone described above with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, since the main body of the apparatus, the image pickup section 5 and the display section 4 are integrally formed, it is used as a videophone. You can use it, but you have to bring the device body in front of your face to talk. Therefore, you can input the user's voice from the built-in microphone 3 and output the other party's voice from the speaker 6. It is necessary to do so by the so-called hands-free function.

This hands-free function is easy to implement, but in consideration of the actual usage environment, the user's voice cannot be sufficiently picked up by the built-in microphone 3 from the speaker 6 in the outdoors where there is a lot of ambient noise. Not only is it difficult for the other party's voice to be heard, but the sound from the speaker 6 may be heard by a third party, and the image displayed on the display unit 4 may be seen by a third party. However, there is a problem that confidentiality is lost.

When the handset is brought close to the ears and mouth like a normal telephone without using the hands-free function, the display unit 4 comes close to the side of the face and cannot be used as a videophone.

On the other hand, by connecting an earphone / microphone to the main body of the device, it is possible to eliminate the obstacle caused by using the hands-free function, but either the earphone is purposely attached to the ear for the videophone, or the earphone is left on. However, there is a problem that the usability is very poor.

Further, the one described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-46556 is to place the image / video section 16 separated from the voice call section 15 on a desk or the like and project it on the screen 17, but it can be carried outdoors. If there is no place to place the image / video unit 16 due to time, it is necessary to hold the image / video unit 16 by the hand who does not have the voice call unit 15. That is, it is more convenient to use the voice call unit 15 and the image / video unit 16 as an integrated type for the purpose of only viewing the received image and not capturing the image on the device body side. It is difficult to project an image inside and see, and there is a problem in that the communication unit 15 and the image / video unit 16 are separated, which rather deteriorates usability.

Further, in the case of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 1-149664 (a tabletop type, not a portable type), there is a problem in terms of usability because the apparatus body and the video unit are connected by a cable.

Further, in the case of Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-46413 (a tabletop type, not a portable type), the cordless TV telephone main body and the small liquid crystal TV receiver are made wireless by using radio waves. Therefore, a wide band is required for transmitting image data, which increases the hardware scale, which leads to an increase in cost, and is a major obstacle to the miniaturization and low power consumption required for portable devices. There is a problem that it becomes.

Furthermore, since radio waves are easily intercepted by the outside, the confidentiality of image data is easily lost on the transmission path between the cordless TV telephone body and the small liquid crystal TV receiver. It is not practical because it has various problems such as the influence on other devices and regulations in law.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a portable videophone that allows a user to easily talk while viewing an image and is easy to use.

[0021]

In the portable videophone according to the invention described in claim 1 of the present application, a camera unit having an image capturing camera is detachably provided to the main body of the apparatus and the main body of the apparatus. In addition to providing optical communication means for transmitting and receiving image data to and from the camera unit,
The apparatus main body is integrally provided with image projection means for projecting an image and projection direction changing means for changing the direction in which the image is projected by the image projection means.

That is, since the apparatus main body having the call unit is integrally provided with the image projecting means capable of changing the projection direction arbitrarily, while the apparatus main body is in the state of being close to the face, a plane around the familiar, For example, the image can be viewed by projecting the image on a wall, a memo pad, a notebook, or the like.
Also, by fixing the cordless camera unit somewhere in the periphery or holding it by the person who does not have the device body, an image of the device body can be taken from any position and the device body can be used by the optical communication means. It is possible to send to.

In the portable videophone according to the second aspect of the present invention, an image pickup / display unit having an image pickup camera and an image display unit is provided separately from the apparatus body, and the apparatus body and An optical communication unit for transmitting and receiving image data to and from the image pickup / display unit is provided, and a camera direction adjusting unit for aligning an optical axis of the image pickup camera with a certain direction of the apparatus main body, and an image display unit. It is provided with a viewing angle adjusting means for aligning the center of the viewing angle with a certain direction of the apparatus body.

This makes it possible to automatically orient the optical axis of the image pickup camera and the center of the viewing angle of the image display section toward the face of the caller who has the apparatus body. The restriction on the relative positional relationship with the display unit can be relaxed, and the usability can be further improved.

[0025]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A first embodiment of a portable videophone according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The same parts as those in the conventional example will be designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Is omitted. Here, FIG. 1 is an external view showing the portable videophone of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the portable videophone of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the portable videophone of the present embodiment has a communication device main body 22 having an antenna 1, a microphone 3, a speaker 6, a key operation / display unit 21, and a CCD.
A camera unit 23 having the camera 5 is detachably provided, and an optical signal light receiving unit 24 is provided in the communication device main body 22.
By providing each of the camera unit 23 with the light emitting portion 25 for the optical signal, the communication main body 22 and the camera unit 23 can be optically communicated with each other.

Further, the communication device main body 22 is provided with an image projection lens 26 for projecting an image, and the projection lens 26 is moved by a projection direction changing mechanism (not shown) to arbitrarily change the image projection direction. After that, the image can be visually recognized by projecting it on an appropriate plane around it.

Furthermore, in the portable videophone of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the optical communication I / O for photoelectrically converting the optical signal received by the light receiving section 24 and outputting it to the voice / image multiplexing / decomposing section 8 is provided. F27, an optical communication I / F 28 for converting the captured image data compressed by the image compression codec 11b into an optical signal and outputting the optical signal to the light emitting unit 25, and projecting the image data expanded by the image expansion codec 11a from the projection lens 26. And a projection control unit 29 for doing so.

In the portable videophone having the above-mentioned structure, when it is used as a videophone, the communication device main body 22 is held by one hand as in the case of a normal mobile phone, and the camera unit is used. 23 by holding the other hand with another hand or by placing it on a table,
It is fixed at a position where communication can be performed between the light receiving section 24 built in 2 and the light emitting section 25 built in the camera unit 23.

In the transmission process, the transmission image is picked up by the CCD camera 5 built in the camera unit 23,
After being temporarily stored in the memory 13, it is compression-encoded by the image compression codec 11b, converted into the optical communication format by the optical communication I / F 28, modulated, and transmitted from the light emitting section 25 of the optical signal.

The optical signal transmitted from the light emitting unit 25 is received by the light receiving unit 24 of the communication device main body 22, and the optical communication I / F 27
After being subjected to demodulation, error correction, etc., the audio / image multiplex / decomposition unit 8 multiplexes with the audio data input from the microphone 3 and compression-coded by the audio codec 9, and RF
The signal is modulated by the unit 7 and transmitted to the line via the antenna 1.

On the other hand, the reception process is performed in parallel with the above transmission process as follows. The reception data received via the antenna 1 is demodulated by the RF unit 7 and then separated by the voice / image multiplex / decomposition unit 8 into voice data and image data.
The voice data is decompressed by the voice codec 9 and then the voice I
The / O unit 10 converts the audio signal into an audio signal and outputs the audio signal from the speaker 6. The image data is an image expansion codec 11
The original image data is decompressed in a and temporarily stored in the memory 12, and then the projection control unit 29 performs a process for projection, and the projection lens 26 enlarges and projects the image on an external plane.

By the way, in a normal call state, since the communication device main body 22 is located at the ear of the caller, the projected image looks diagonally downward as seen from the caller. However, depending on how the communication device main body 22 is held, it may be projected right below the face. Therefore, a projection direction changing mechanism (not shown) that moves the projection lens 26 vertically and horizontally with respect to the center of the projection direction. Is provided. As a result, regardless of how the communication device main body 22 is held, it is possible to always project the image at the optimum position for the caller.

Although the above is the operation when used as a videophone, it is needless to say that the communication device main body 22 can be used as a normal voice-only mobile phone without image transmission / reception.

Next, a second embodiment of the portable videophone of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
The same parts as those of the conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Here, FIG. 3 is an external view showing the portable videophone of this embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of the portable videophone of this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the portable videophone of this embodiment has a communication device main body 32 having an antenna 1, a microphone 3, a speaker 6, and a key operation / display section 21, and an LCD.
4, the CCD camera 5, and the image pickup / display unit 33 having a mounting portion 36 that can be mounted on the user's wrist are detachably provided, and an optical signal transmitting / receiving portion 34 is provided to the communication device main body 32.
By providing the image pickup / display unit 33 with the optical signal transmitter / receiver 35, the communication main body 32 and the image pickup / display unit 33 can be optically communicated with each other.

Further, the portable videophone of this embodiment is
As shown in FIG. 4, the optical signal received by the light transmitting / receiving unit 34 is photoelectrically converted and output to the voice / image multiplex / decomposition unit 8, and the image data from the voice / image multiplex / decomposition unit 8 is converted into an optical signal. The optical communication I / F 37 for conversion and the captured image data compressed by the image compression codec 11b are converted into an optical signal and output to the light transmitting / receiving unit 35, and the optical signal received by the light transmitting / receiving unit 35 is demodulated to obtain an image. An optical communication I / F 38 for outputting to the decompression codec 11a is provided.

Further, a direction detecting section 39 for detecting a certain direction of the communication device main body 32 from the optical signal received by the light transmitting / receiving section 38.
And a camera direction control unit 40 for controlling the direction of the optical axis of the CCD camera 5 based on a certain direction of the communication device main body 32 detected by the direction detection unit 39, and a certain direction of the communication device main body 32. , And a liquid crystal viewing angle control unit 41 for controlling the orientation of the viewing angle center of the LCD 4.

When the portable videophone having the above-mentioned structure is used as a videophone, the caller can mount the image pickup / display unit 33 on the mounting portion 3 like a wristwatch.
6 is attached to the wrist, and the communication device main body 32 is held by the other hand near the ears like a normal mobile phone.

In the transmission process, the transmission image is picked up by the CCD camera 5 built in the image pickup / display unit 33, temporarily stored in the memory 13, and then compression-coded by the image compression codec 11b to obtain the optical communication I. The signal is converted into an optical communication format by / F28, modulated, and transmitted from the light transmitting / receiving unit 35 of the optical signal.

The optical signal transmitted from the light transmitting / receiving unit 35 is received by the light transmitting / receiving unit 34 of the communication device main body 32, and is transmitted to the optical communication I / F.
After being subjected to processing such as demodulation and error correction at 37, the audio / image multiplex / decomposition unit 8 multiplexes with the audio data input from the microphone 3 and compression-coded at the audio codec 9.
It is modulated by the RF unit 7 and transmitted to the line via the antenna 1.

On the other hand, the receiving process is performed in parallel with the transmitting process as follows. The reception data received via the antenna 1 is demodulated by the RF unit 7, and then separated by the audio / image multiplex / decomposition unit 8 into audio data and image data.
The voice data is decompressed by the voice codec 9 and then the voice I
The audio signal is converted by the / O unit 10 and output from the speaker 6.

Further, the image data is converted and modulated into an optical communication format by the optical communication I / F 37, and then transmitted / received by the light transmitting / receiving section 34.
Sent from. The optical signal from the light transmitting / receiving unit 34 is received by the light transmitting / receiving unit 35 of the imaging / display unit 33, and the optical communication I /
In F38, processing such as demodulation and error correction is performed, original image data is decompressed by the image decompression codec 11a, temporarily stored in the memory 12, and then displayed on the LCD 4.

That is, the received image of the other party is displayed on the LCD 4 of the image pickup / display unit 33 attached to the wrist, and the image of the user on the communication device main body 32 side is picked up by the CCD camera 5 of the image pickup / display unit 33. Sent.
Both image data are compressed and communicated between the communication device main body 32 and the imaging / display unit 33 by an optical signal.

By the way, depending on the relative positional relationship between the image pickup / display unit 33 fixed to the arm and the communication device main body 32 held at the ear, the display image on the LCD 4 may be difficult to see due to the viewing angle, or the CCD camera may be difficult to see. It is assumed that there is a problem that the face of the user is not included in the image captured by 5. In this state, since the communication device main body 32 is located near the ear of the caller, the communication device main body 3 is seen from the imaging / display unit 33.
The face and eyes of the caller are located in a certain direction.

Therefore, the direction detector 39 of the image pickup / display unit 33 detects the direction in which the optical signal received by the light transmitter / receiver 35 is the strongest, and based on this information, the camera direction controller 39 causes the CCD camera 5 to move. The optical axis of is aligned with the direction of the communication device main body 32, and the liquid crystal viewing angle control unit 40 automatically adjusts the center of the viewing angle of the LCD 4 with the direction of the communication device body 32. .
As a result, it is possible to always pick up and visually recognize the image in the optimum state for the caller.

The above is the operation when used as a videophone, but the communication device main body 32 can be used as a normal voice-only mobile phone without image transmission / reception, and the image pickup / display unit 33 does not transmit / receive images. Sometimes it can function as a digital wristwatch. In addition, in this embodiment, since the image pickup / display unit 33 is attached to the wrist like a wristwatch, it does not take much time to carry and install the image pickup / display unit 33, and while talking on a mobile phone. It is possible to use it in a natural posture as if you are looking at a wristwatch, and it is possible to improve usability.

In the above embodiment of the present invention, the image codec 11 for compressing / decompressing the image data is provided, but it is also possible to perform communication by using non-compressed data without this. Needless to say. Also,
It is obvious that the image data may be any image data that can be used as an image of a videophone, regardless of whether it is a moving image or a still image.

[0049]

In the portable videophone according to the invention of claim 1, the camera unit which is separable from the apparatus body is fixed somewhere in the periphery, or is held by the person who does not have the apparatus body. As a result, it is possible to capture an image of the apparatus main body from a desired position and send it to the apparatus main body by the optical communication means. As a result, not only the face of the user,
Various images can be taken and transmitted to the other party.

Further, since the apparatus main body is integrally provided with the image projecting means capable of arbitrarily changing the projection direction, the apparatus main body can be used for talking in the state of being close to the face, and the surrounding planes familiar to the user.
For example, the image can be viewed by projecting the image on a wall, a memo pad, a notebook, or the like. As a result, the image can be easily viewed during a call without using a hands-free function or an earphone / microphone.

Further, since the image projecting means capable of arbitrarily changing the projecting direction is integrally provided in the main body of the apparatus, there is no need to worry about fixing the display section when used outdoors.
It is possible to optimally see the projected image while holding the device body with one hand and talking.

In the portable videophone according to the second aspect of the present invention, the relative positional relationship between the apparatus main body and the image pickup / display unit can be maintained even during a call, and an image of optical wireless communication due to an obstacle or the like can be obtained. Since data errors can be reduced, usability can be improved.

In the portable videophone according to the invention of claim 3, the imaging / display unit is attached to a part of the body, and the videophone is used in a natural posture as in the normal use of the mobile phone. Not only is this possible, but there is no need to carry the imaging / display unit or place it in place, which greatly improves usability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing a first embodiment of a portable videophone of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration in the first embodiment of the portable videophone of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an external view illustrating a second embodiment of a portable videophone of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a portable videophone according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an external view showing a conventional portable videophone.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional portable videophone.

FIG. 7 is an external view illustrating another conventional portable videophone.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 antenna 3 microphone 4 LCD 5 CCD camera 6 speakers 7 RF section 8 Audio / Image multiplex / decomposition unit 9 audio codecs 10 Audio I / O section 11a Image decompression codec 11b image compression codec 12 memories 13 memory 21 Key operation / display 22 Communication unit 23 Camera unit 24 Light receiving part 25 Light emitting part 26 Projection lens 27 Optical communication I / F 28 Optical communication I / F 29 Projection control unit 32 Communication device body 33 Imaging / display unit 34 Transmitter / receiver 35 Transmitter / receiver 36 Installation part 37 Optical communication I / F 38 Optical communication I / F 39 Direction detector 40 Camera direction controller 41 LCD viewing angle controller

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04N ^7/ 14-7/15 H04M 1/02-1/23

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. In a portable videophone capable of transmitting and receiving image and audio signals, a camera unit having an image capturing camera is provided separably from the device body, and an image is provided between the device body and the camera unit. An optical communication unit for transmitting and receiving data is provided, and an image projection unit for projecting an image and a projection direction changing unit for changing the direction in which the image is projected by the image projection unit are provided on the apparatus body. A portable videophone characterized by being integrated. 2. A portable videophone capable of transmitting and receiving an image and an audio signal, wherein an image pickup / display unit having an image pickup camera and an image display section is provided separately from the device body, and the device body and the image pickup unit are picked up. An optical communication means for transmitting and receiving image data to and from the display unit is provided, a camera direction adjusting means for aligning the optical axis of the image capturing camera with a certain direction of the apparatus body, and a field of view of the image display section. A portable videophone, comprising: a viewing angle adjusting means for aligning the center of a corner with a certain direction of the device body. 3. The portable videophone according to claim 2, wherein the imaging / display unit is attachable to a part of a user's body.