FI86130B - BILDTELEFONTERMINAL ELLER MOTSVARANDE. - Google Patents

Description

86130

Videophone terminal or similar

The invention relates to a videophone terminal or the like, which comprises a hardware housing and a display device, a camera 5 and a lamp mounted thereon. By videophone terminal is also meant here a video conferencing terminal.

Video conferencing equipment today is usually built in a separate space, where the monitor and camera are placed in a fixed box-10 revenge and the lights on the ceiling. Often, the hardware includes a larger main monitor and two auxiliary monitors. Lighting is a problem, as light must not come directly from the direction of the screen, as this will make the user feel uncomfortable viewing due to glare. Furthermore, the camera is placed close to the 15 monitors, as the user prefers to get an image of the other party directly from the front. Today, the lighting is arranged so that the luminaires are located close to the ceiling and the light comes from above the monitor for the user. Usually the user sits behind a table and according to one solution 20 a lamp is placed on the table top, whereby the light comes from below the monitor for the user. In some cases, the general lighting of the room has been improved with special fixed luminaires for users. Often, however, horizontal lighting is not sufficient, resulting in a significant increase in the contrast of the image, such as the face.

As mentioned above, the user usually sits behind a table, but in one case the user may stand in front of the equipment.

30

When using a videophone, the viewing distance is considerably shorter than when using the above-mentioned video conferencing situation. In this case, the lighting must be arranged with a separate luminaire. It is an object of the present invention to provide a video terminal or the like in which the lighting of a user is arranged as comfortably as possible for him. By means of the invention, it is desired to connect the luminaire to the device itself, so that • the luminaire moves with the device and is always ready for use 2 86130 and correctly oriented and so that the device can be used regardless of the conditions. The characteristic features of the invention are set out in claim 1. In general, the room space and the proximal wall reflect sufficient light from the substantially upwardly directed luminaire 5 to the user, but most preferably the apparatus is provided with a separate reflector according to claim 2. This ultimately makes the equipment completely independent of its location, as the equipment can then also be used in a dark room. According to the invention, horizontal lighting is obtained mainly indirectly. It is particularly advantageous to use the so-called a low-luminance reflector, because in this case, for example, a stable user standing in front of the video conferencing terminal is not dazzled by the lamp on top of the equipment.

15

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a front view of a video conferencing apparatus 20 Figure 2 shows a cross-section of the apparatus of Figure 1 and its use

Figure 3 shows the visual telephone terminal and its use

The video conferencing terminal is built into a housing 1, which is further provided with wheels 5 for moving the device to a more suitable location. The main parts of the equipment are monitor 2 and camera 3 and the so-called a codec (encoder-decoder) for compressing information on the transmission line and separating the information coming therefrom. The codec is preferably mounted inside a hardware housing (not shown).

In a video conference, the user usually sits behind a table 9 and is at a distance of about 2-3 m from the monitor 2. The video camera 3 is placed above the monitor 2. To ensure the lighting, the apparatus 35 comprises a lamp 4 which is directed upwards. The lamp is a so-called a low-luminescent fluorescent lamp that strongly limits the illumination angle. Typically 2 x 36 W fluorescent tubes are used in the luminaire. If the wall and ceiling of the room are 3,861,130 light, they will appropriately reflect the light generated by the luminaire to the user. The luminaire is preferably located close to the rear wall of the housing, whereby when the device is placed close to a light wall, effective indirect lighting towards the user is obtained.

5

If necessary, a rear-view reflector 6 with a sufficiently large surface area is used, so that the lighting is no longer point-like. With the help of a separate reflector, the equipment no longer requires any special space but can be placed in any 10 rooms, regardless of the distance between the walls and the ceiling and the existing lighting.

Figure 2 also shows a standing person who is also able to follow the image of the monitor without being disturbed by a lamp 4 located behind the apparatus 15. The figure shows the limit 7 of effective lighting, below which the user no longer experiences the lighting as intense.

In this type, the reflector is attached to the rear wall 20 of the apparatus and raised. Another possibility is to build a reflector on the equipment as a reversible cover, so that its angle can be adjusted at the same time.

The usage situation of the videophone, Figure 3, differs somewhat from the previous 25 video conferencing events. The sight telephone 11 is placed on a suitable table 10, in front of which the user sits immediately and thus the viewing distance is considerably shorter compared to the previous one. In Fig. 3, the parts of the optic telephone are used in reference numerals as in Figs. 1 and 2. The optic telephone is built into a housing 1 containing a monitor or other display device 2, a camera and a lamp 4, and a codec (not shown). The rear edge of the housing is here hinged by a reversible reflector 6, which provides indirect illumination to the user's face.

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Claims (6)

A videophone terminal or the like comprising a hardware housing (1) and a display device (2), a camera (3) and a luminaire (4) for illuminating a user mounted thereon, characterized in that the luminaire (4) is mounted on the hardware housing (1) on and directed substantially upwards or obliquely to the rear. Videophone terminal according to Claim 1, characterized in that the so-called low fluorescent lamp. Videophone terminal according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the luminaire (4) is mounted close to the rear wall of the housing 15 (1). Videophone terminal according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the apparatus comprises a rotatable or retractable reflector (6). 20 4,86130 Videophone terminal according to Claim 4, characterized in that the reflector (6) is adapted to be lifted above the housing (1) above it. '25 Videophone terminal according to claim 4, characterized in that the reflector (6) consists of a pivotable cover hinged close to the rear wall. «5 86130