JP2002176547A - Composite image system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a composite image system which enable persons at difference places to generate a composite image as if they gathered at the same place. SOLUTION: The composite image system comprises a portable telephone 1, a video telephone device 21, and a server 11 which is connected to them through a communication line. The video telephone device 21 may be a portable telephone set. The user of the portable telephone set 1 photographs himself by a CCD camera 8 and sends the image to the server 11. The server 11 puts images from the portable telephone set 1 and video telephone device 21 together and sends the composite image to them. Respective users view the composite image and send images of different looks, etc., again to the server 11, which composes and sends an image to the respective devices.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a composite image system for composing images of a plurality of persons at remote locations via a communication line.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a device in which a plurality of people gather together in front of a device, insert a coin into the device and perform a predetermined operation, and a photo is immediately output. (Registered trademark)｝ has been developed. on the other hand,
2. Description of the Related Art A technique of combining a plurality of photographs taken in advance to form a group photograph has been conventionally known.

[0003]

However, in the above-described apparatus for group photographs, all the members must gather in front of the apparatus, and a group photograph made of a plurality of photographs shows the expression of each person by the surrounding people. Because it is not possible to fit the photos, the photos will look different. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a composite image system capable of creating a group photo as if a plurality of people in remote locations are gathered in the same place. Is to do.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the invention according to claim 1 has the following features.
A plurality of telephones each having a photographing unit and a display unit; and a server connected to each of the plurality of telephones via a communication line. Transmitting, displaying the combined image transmitted from the server on the display means, wherein the server combines the images transmitted from each of the plurality of telephones and transmits the combined image to each telephone. An image system.

[0005] Further, the invention according to claim 2 is based on claim 1.
The combined image system according to claim 1, wherein each of the phones transmits information on a combined position to the server, and the server moves each image position based on the information on the combined position transmitted from each of the phones. Features.

[0006] Further, the invention according to claim 3 is based on claim 1.
3. The combined image system according to claim 2, wherein the server combines an image transmitted from each of the plurality of telephones with a background image stored in an internal storage unit and transmits the combined image to each telephone. It is characterized by doing.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a composite image system according to the embodiment. In this figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a mobile phone. This mobile phone 1
, 2 is a liquid crystal display, 3 is an off-hook button, 4
Is an on-hook button, 5 is a key switch such as a numeric keypad,
Numeral 6 denotes an antenna, the configuration of which is the same as that of a normal mobile phone. 8 is a CCD (Charge Coupled Device)
The camera is a camera, and image data captured by the CCD camera 8 is transmitted from the antenna 6.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a server for creating a composite image, which is connected to the mobile phone 1 via a wireless line. In the server 11, reference numeral 12 denotes a display device, and reference numeral 13 denotes a control device. Reference numeral 21 denotes a video telephone connected to the server 11 via a public line. In this videophone 21,
Reference numeral 22 denotes a handset, 23 denotes a key switch, and 24 and 25 denote off-hook switches and on-hook switches, respectively. 26 is a CCD camera, and 27 is a liquid crystal display.

Next, the operation of the above-described composite image system will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Now
A case in which a user A of the mobile phone 1 creates a composite image with a user B of the videophone 21 at a remote location will be described. First, the user A operates the key switch 5 of the mobile phone 1 to display a service selection menu on the liquid crystal display 2, and selects "Purikura" from the displayed menu (step SA1). Next, the telephone number of the user B who is the party to be pre-cracked is input by the key switch 5, and then the off-hook switch 3 is turned on (step SA2). As a result, the line between the mobile phone 1 and the server 11 is connected, and the telephone number of the user B is
1 is transmitted. The server 11 receives the telephone number, makes a call connection to the video telephone 21, and notifies the user B that the user A is requesting a print server (step SC
1). Next, the server 11 stores the background list in the mobile phone 1.
Send to

The user B receives the print request from the user A (step SB1) and receives the CCD camera 26.
The image captured by the server 11 is transmitted to the server 11. on the other hand,
The user A selects a background from the background list transmitted from the server 11 and notifies the server 11 (step SA)
3). Next, the camera itself is photographed by the CCD camera 8 and transmitted to the server 11 (step SA4). The server 11 receives the notification of the background from the user A, and receives the user A from the database.
Reads the background image data designated by the user (step SC
2) Then, the images transmitted from the users A and B are combined with the background image (step SC3). Next, the server 11 transmits the composite image to the mobile phone 1 of the user A and the videophone 21 of the user B (step SC4).
The mobile phone 1 and the video phone 21 each display the transmitted composite image (step SA5, step SB3).

When the user A considers that it is better to change the expression by looking at the displayed composite image, the user A again takes a picture of himself with the CCD camera 8 and transmits it to the server 11 (step SA).
4). Similarly, if the user B thinks that it is better to change the expression by looking at the displayed composite image, the CCD camera 2
6 and shoots itself to the server 11 (step S
B2). The server 11 receives these images, synthesizes the images again, and transmits them to the users A and B (step SC).
4). Thereafter, the above steps are repeated until both users A and B are satisfied.

Next, the user A sends to the server 11 data designating the composition position of the image of the user A and the priority of the image before and after the image of the user B (step SA6). The server 11 changes the image position based on the data sent from the user A, performs image composition (step SC3), and transmits the image to the user A (step SC4). The user A displays “O”
If it is determined to be "K", an "OK" instruction is transmitted to the server 11 (step SA7). Similarly, the user B sends, to the server 11, data designating the combination position of the image of the user B and the priority before and after the image of the user A (step SB).
4). The server 11 changes the image position based on the data sent from the user B and performs image synthesis (step SC
3) Send to user B (step SC4). If the user B determines that both the facial expression and the position are “OK”, the user “OK”
Is transmitted to the server 11 (step SB5).

The server receiving the "OK" instruction from user A and user B stores the composite image in the database (step SC5). Next, the composite image is transmitted to the mobile phone 1 or the videophone 21 according to the instruction from the users A and B, or the composite image is printed and transmitted to the user A or B (step SC6).

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to create a composite image by changing the expression, the left-right position, the front-back position, etc. in various ways. Can be obtained.

It should be noted that the sound data may be attached to the completed synthesized image and stored in the database of the server 11, and upon request, the sound data may be transmitted together with the synthesized image. In this case, the mobile phone that has received the data displays the image on the liquid crystal display, and at the same time, reproduces the musical sound data and emits the sound from the ringtone speaker.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of telephones having photographing means and display means,
Each of the plurality of telephones is connected to a server connected via a communication line. Each of the plurality of telephones transmits an image photographed by the photographing means to the server, and displays a composite image transmitted from the server on the display means. And since the server combines the images sent from each of the multiple phones and sends them to each phone, it is possible to create a group photo as if multiple people at remote locations were gathered in the same place effective.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, each telephone transmits information on the composite position to the server, and the server determines the individual image position based on the information on the composite position transmitted from each telephone. Since the user is moved, the effect of freely setting the positional relationship between himself and the other party is obtained. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the server combines the image transmitted from each of the plurality of telephones with the background image stored in the internal storage unit, and transmits the combined image to each telephone. Therefore, a background can be added to the composite image.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1. Mobile phone, 2. Liquid crystal display, 8. CCD camera,
11: server, 21: videophone, 26: CCD camera, 27: display device.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5C052 AA11 DD10 FA02 FA07 FC01 FD09 5C062 AA13 AA37 AB17 AB23 AC05 AC24 AC34 AE10 5C076 AA17 AA19 BA05 CA02 5K101 KK02 KK15 LL12 MM07 NN02 NN06 NN18 NN21

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of telephones having photographing means and display means, and a server connected to each of the plurality of telephones via a communication line, wherein each of the plurality of telephones is photographed by the photographing means. Transmitting an image to the server, displaying the composite image transmitted from the server on the display unit, the server compositing the image transmitted from each of the plurality of telephones and transmitting the composite image to each telephone; A composite image system characterized by the following. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the telephone sets transmits information on a combined position to the server, and the server moves an individual image position based on the information on the combined position transmitted from each of the telephone sets. The composite image system according to claim 1. 3. The server according to claim 2, wherein the server combines an image transmitted from each of the plurality of telephones with a background image stored in an internal storage unit and transmits the combined image to each telephone. The composite image system according to claim 1 or 2.