JPH06253297A - Picture transmitter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operability of the conferring system based on a still picture and to attain natural instruction by mutually communicating a video image of an indicating means such as a finger to a sender and a receiver and displaying the video image while being superimposed on a picture transferred in advance. CONSTITUTION:Prescribed processing is applied to a still video signal from a video camera 1, after A/D-converted and stored in a memory 6 by using both an address signal and a control signal from a fetch address generating circuit 5 and fed to a display memory 11 and an encoder 7 is used to compress data and the result is outputted to a line. A received picture is given to a frame processing section, in which picture data are separate and stored in the memory 11 through a decoder 9 and in the case of an instruction picture, it is stored in the other party's cursor memory 28. A cursor of the other party or an own cursor are superimposed on read picture data by superimposing circuits 20, 21 and the result is displayed on a display device 14. The cursor is binarized by a binary conversion circuit to reduce information quantity. Thus, the conferring operability based on a still picture is improved and the actural instruction by the cursor is executed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image transmission apparatus having a video input device and a display device for transferring a still image by using a communication line, and more particularly, to a still image after the still image is transferred or received. The present invention relates to an image transmission device having a display function of displaying a cursor for designating an arbitrary position in.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a still image is input by a television camera, the input still image is transferred to a device on the other side through a communication line, and a still image sent from the device on the other side is displayed. A videophone system to play on has been realized.

In the conventional image transmission apparatus used in such a video telephone system, an instruction on the display device at an arbitrary position on the display information once transferred is such that the cursor information is coded and transmitted / received at the same time. Was sent and received at the same time. Moreover, the cursor information is designated by operating a key switch or the like.

[0004]

In the image transmission apparatus, it is generally used as a system by being integrated or assembled with some image input means such as a camera, and is also used for communication such as meetings. When used, it is quite likely. Also,
When a person makes a meeting, it is routinely performed while pointing a material with a finger, a writing instrument, etc., and it is desired that the interface means with the device be as close as possible to such a habit. There is.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional method, the operability is poorer than that of the pointing stick and finger pointing, and smooth communication with the other party is hindered. Also, in terms of the device configuration, special means such as a cursor character generator and a cursor position detecting means are required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to enable a more natural instruction and to greatly improve operability.

[0007]

In the present invention, the above object is to provide means for sequentially transferring, as instruction information, an image of a finger or an indicator stick against the background of a single color input through the image input device to the counterpart device. A first storage means for storing the partner instruction information received from the partner device, a second storage means for storing the command information transferred to the partner device, and outputs from the first and second storage means. Alternatively, it is achieved by an image transmission device characterized by comprising means for sequentially superposing on received image data, and means for displaying transmitted / received self and partner instruction information on a display device by superimposing it on an image transferred or received. It

In the above structure, it is desirable to have means for converting multi-valued data after converting the analog video signal input as the instruction information into a digital video signal into binary data. Further, it is preferable that the means for superimposing is configured to superimpose the self-instruction information on the partner instruction information, and it is similarly preferable to have a means for changing the color of each of the superposition instruction information.

[0009]

According to the above construction, the images of the finger or the pointing stick against the background of the single color input through the image input device are sequentially transferred to the partner device as the instruction information, and the partner instruction received from the partner device is received. The information is stored in the first storage means, and the instruction information transferred to the partner device is also stored in the second storage means. The outputs from the first and second storage means are sequentially superimposed on the transferred or received image data,
The transmitted and received self and partner instruction information is displayed on the display device in a superimposed manner on the transferred or received image.

Therefore, it is possible to realize an instruction by a supporting rod such as a finger or a writing instrument, which is basically the basis of communication between people, and to greatly improve operability, affinity, and recognizability.

In the above case, the multivalued data of the instruction information is set to 2
By transmitting as value data, transmission efficiency is improved,
It can be easily distinguished from the still image of the meeting, which is a natural color, and the recognition level can be improved. Further, by displaying the self-instruction information on the partner instruction information, the self-instruction position can be clarified, and the degree of recognition of the instruction information can be significantly improved by changing the display color of the instruction information.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the image transmission apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an image transmission apparatus according to the present invention.

According to the present embodiment, when the still image is transferred and then the image is explained, the instruction means such as an indicator stick or a finger instruction can be used. Shoot with a camera in the background of one color, and transfer the instruction image information that is a part other than a single color to the other party,
Superimpose it on the screen. By sending the instruction information to each other, it is possible to make a meeting based on the still image transferred earlier.

The image transmission device is roughly divided into three blocks, namely an image input / transmission block, a transmitted image reception / display block, and a cursor display block.

The image input / transmission block includes a video camera 1 for picking up an image, an input video processing circuit 2 for processing the picked up image, and an A / D converter 3 for converting the image data into digital data. A capture address generating circuit 5, a capture memory 6 for storing digitized video data, and an encoder 7 for encoding and compressing video information.

The image receiving / display block is a decoder 9 for decompressing the compressed and transmitted video data,
It comprises a display memory 11 for storing video data, a D / A converter 12 for analogizing the stored video data, a display circuit 13, a display 14, and a display address generation circuit 15.

Image data from the acquisition memory 6 is also selectively supplied to the display memory 11, and the display memory 1
1, the D / A converter 12, the display circuit, the display unit 14, and the display address generation circuit 15 also function as a monitor unit for the transmitted image.

The block for displaying a cursor is a binary conversion circuit 4 for binarizing a cursor image of a finger or the like captured by the video camera 1 for superimposing the binarized cursor image on a still image. The superposing circuits 20 and 21, the partner cursor memory for storing the partner cursor data transmitted from the partner device, and the own cursor memory 29 for storing the cursor data of the own device.

In addition to the above, the image transmission apparatus switches the capture memory 6 and the decoder 9 with respect to the display memory 11, and transmits / receives a data switch 10 for switching between transmission / reception of images and image data. It is provided with a frame processing unit 16 for processing in a predetermined form at the time of transmission / reception, and a line control unit 8 for controlling the line.

The image transmission apparatus further includes a transmission / reception data switcher 10, a display memory 11, a binary conversion circuit 4, a partner cursor memory 28, a self cursor memory 29, a display address generation circuit 15, a fetched address generation circuit 5, and a frame. A system control unit 18 for controlling the processing unit 16,
An operation unit 19 for giving instructions to the system control unit 18, a voice processing unit 26 connected to the line control unit 8, and a handset 27 connected to the voice processing unit are provided.

First, in transmitting a still image, a video signal obtained as a result of being picked up by the video camera 1 is subjected to processing such as level adjustment by the input video processing 2 and then converted into a digital video signal by the A / D converter 3. To be converted. Then 2
The value conversion 4 is passed through when a still image is sent, and is stored in the acquisition memory 6. The address signal and control signal of the fetch memory 6 are supplied from the fetch address generation circuit 5. The fetching address generation circuit 5 generates a reference clock by the synchronizing signal supplied from the input video processing circuit 2, and based on this, generates a clock signal to the A / D converter 3 and an address signal and a control signal to the fetching memory 6. Supply.

On the other hand, the output of the capture memory 6 is supplied to the display memory 11 for display as a monitor image.
Further, in order to transmit to the other party, the encoder 7 first compresses the information amount. Since there is an upper limit to the transmission speed of the communication line, it takes a considerable time for transmission when handling a large amount of image data. Therefore, the redundant portion of the image information is reduced to compress the information amount. Regarding the encoder 7 and the decoder 9, CCITT standard H.264. This is a publicly known technique by 261 or the like. The image data thus information-compressed by the encoder 7 is processed into a predetermined frame format before being communicated, so that the frame processing unit 16 distinguishes the image data into A: still image and B: instruction image data classification. After being incorporated into the frame structure as shown in FIG. 5, it is output to the line through the line control 8.

Here, as the technology related to frame processing, high-level data link control procedure (HDLC), CCIT
T standard H.264. 221 and the like are known techniques. Further, the technology of the line control circuit 8 is CCITT standard I.S. 430, I.I.
431, Q.I. 921, Q.I. 931 and the like are known.

On the other hand, voice can be talked on the digital line by the handset 27 for sending and receiving words with the voice processing unit for encoding / decoding.

At the time of reception, the transmitted image data passes through the line control circuit 8 and the frame processing unit 16
After the data distinguishing portion and the image data portion of FIG. 5 are separated, the data distinguishing portion is interpreted by the system control unit 18, and when the content of the incoming data is a still image, the data passed through the decoder 9 to the display memory 11 is displayed. To store. If the incoming data is an instruction image, it is stored in the other party cursor memory. The image data read from the display memory 11 by the address signal supplied from the display address generator 15 is superposed by the superimposing circuit 20 by the partner cursor data, and the output is superposed by the superimposing circuit 21 by the own cursor.

The image data on which the respective cursor data are superimposed in this manner is converted into an analog signal by the D / A converter 12, and then a synchronizing signal or the like is added from the display address generator 15 by the display circuit 13 and output as a video signal. It is added to the display 14 and displayed.

On the other hand, the generation of the own cursor occurs in the binary conversion circuit 4, which is shown in detail in FIG. Binary conversion circuit 4
Is a switch circuit capable of selectively switching whether to output the input data as it is under the control of the system control unit 18 or to output only the MSB of the input data and set all the remaining bits to logic 0. When the latter is selected, the input signal is binarized according to the value of MSB.

The analog video signal is sent to the A / D converter 1
It is converted into a digital signal by 3 and its output is
It is generally composed of a plurality of bits from the least significant bit LSB to the most significant bit MSB.
Only the upper bits of the cursor image are used as information, and the other lower bits are fixed as logic 0 and output. As a result, it is converted into a signal as shown in FIG. This is because the amount of information is too large to handle cursor data (instruction information) such as fingers captured by a video camera as multi-valued data, and it is not necessary in terms of recognition level. By binarizing, the amount of information can be reduced and the transmission efficiency can be improved.

The self-cursor information thus obtained is transmitted to the partner device via the capture memory 6, the encoder 7, the frame processing section 16 and the line control circuit 8 and stored in the self-cursor memory 29. After that, it is superimposed on the display data by the superimposing circuit 21 as described above.
It is also displayed on its own display 14.

Further, in the partner device which has received the cursor information,
The partner cursor information output from the decoder 9 is stored in the partner cursor memory 28 and then displayed as described above.

Further, the information of the other cursor and the own cursor is superimposed by the switch circuits 22 and 24 as shown in FIG. 6, but before that, they are distinguished by the color designating circuits 23 and 25 for designating the respective display colors. The color can be specified. With the configuration of this superposition circuit, the opponent cursor is superposed on the image data from the display memory 11, and the self cursor is superposed on it.

FIG. 2 is a usage image of the image transmission apparatus according to this embodiment. In FIG. 2, the image transmission device is composed of a main body to which a monitor 14 is attached, a video camera 1 for taking an image, and a sheet D as a background of a single color. In (a), the subject C is captured as a still image,
C'displayed as a still image on the monitor 14 is sent to the other party. The state after being sent is shown in (b).
In (b), the subject C is imaged and displayed as C ′ on the own monitor and the partner monitor, and in this image, a video A ′ of the hand A of the user and a video B ′ of the hand B of the partner are captured. B'is displayed on both monitors. As a result, when the user moves his or her hand while watching the screen on the background D of a single color, A'and B'also move accordingly, so that it is possible to make a meeting by finger instruction.

[0034]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, means for sequentially transferring, as instruction information, the image of a finger or an indicator stick against the background of a single color input through the image input device, First storage means for storing the partner instruction information received from the partner device, second storage means for storing the command information transferred to the partner device, and transfer or reception of outputs from the first and second storage means Since it has means for sequentially superimposing on the image data that has been transmitted and means for displaying the transmitted and received self and partner instruction information on the transmitted or received image on the display device, it is basically the basic communication between people. That is, it is possible to realize an instruction by a supporting rod such as a finger or a writing instrument, and it is possible to greatly improve the operability, affinity, and recognizability of this type of device.

Further, by making the instruction information into binary data, it is possible to distinguish from the main information for improving the transmission efficiency, and each step is effective in improving the recognition degree and the operability.

Further, it is possible to further improve the recognizability by changing the color of each cursor.

Further, by displaying the superimposed position of the cursor indicating the display position of the user above the main information and the partner instruction information, it is possible to move quickly and to clarify the display position of the user depending on the display status of the screen. There are effects of each stage.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of an image transmission device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a general use state of the image transmission device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a detailed diagram showing a detailed circuit configuration of a binary conversion circuit in the image transmission device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a waveform diagram for explaining an output signal of the binary conversion circuit shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram schematically showing the structure of a frame.

6 is a detailed diagram showing a detailed circuit configuration of a superimposing circuit in the image transmission device shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Video Camera 2 Input Image Processing Circuit 3 A / D Converter 4 Binary Conversion Circuit 5 Capture Address Generation Circuit 6 Capture Memory 7 Encoder 8 Line Control Circuit 9 Decoder 10 Transmit / Receive Data Switcher 11 Display Memory 12 D / A Converter 13 Display Circuit 14 Display 15 Display address generation circuit 16 Frame processing unit 18 System control unit 19 Operation unit 20, 21 Superimposition circuit 22, 24 Switch circuit 23, 25 Color designation circuit 26 Voice processing unit 27 Handset

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An image transmission device comprising a video input device and a display device for transmitting and receiving still images, wherein a video image of a finger or an indicator stick against the background of a single color input through the video input device is transmitted to a partner device. Means for sequentially transferring as instruction information, first storage means for storing the other party instruction information received from the partner device, second storage means for storing the instruction information transferred to the partner device, and first and second It is provided with a unit for sequentially superimposing the output from the storage unit on the transferred or received image data, and a unit for superposing the transmitted and received self and partner instruction information on the transferred or received image and displaying it on the display device. Image transmission device. 2. The image transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for converting multi-valued data after converting an analog video signal input as instruction information into a digital video signal into binary data. . 3. The image transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the superimposing means is configured to superimpose the self-instruction information on the partner instruction information. 4. The image transmission device according to claim 1, further comprising means for changing the color of the superposing instruction information.