JP2002262250A - Video conference device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a video conference device that is easy to carry. SOLUTION: The video conference device is provided by uniting the following into one; an image pickup device 1 for acquiring the image of an object image- formed on an image pickup element and outputting image data, a microphone 2 for acquiring voice and outputting voice data, a network controlling part 204 connected to the network and for transmitting and receiving image data and voice data, a projector 207 for projecting the image data acquired by the image pickup device 1 and reception image data received through the network controlling part 204 to a screen, and a speaker 206 for the voice data acquired by the microphone 202 and reception voice data received through the network controlling part 204 to the outside.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video conference apparatus for realizing a remote conference (hereinafter referred to as a video conference) using audio and video.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Video conferences in which video and audio are transmitted and received at two distant points to conduct a conference have been conventionally performed, and a system for realizing the video conference has been provided.

[0003] In the initial video conference system, images and images were transmitted and received through an analog telephone line, so that high-quality, high-speed images could not be provided. However, in recent years, with the development of broadband communication networks such as the Internet and ISDN, and advances in video compression technology, it has become possible to realize video conferences with high quality and high speed video.

[0004] In addition, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has recommended standards for basic technology of multimedia communication,
Videoconferencing system and videoconferencing software vendors have begun to comply with ITU recommendations, and interoperability between products has become possible.

[0005] The core of the above ITU recommendations is:
T.120 series, which specifies standards for multipoint communication data conferencing, and H.32x, which specifies audio and video standards
It is a series.

[0006] The T.120 series is composed of a plurality of recommendations from T.120 to T.127. In addition, the H.32x series includes H.320 to H.324, all of which specify standards for audio and video. Among them, H.323, which is a regulation on network infrastructure, has received the most attention. H.3
23 covers the technical requirements needed to communicate audio and video data. As an image encoding method,
H.261 (MPEG-1) and H.263 (MPEG-4-Video) are specified, and G.711 (PCM) and G.722 (S
B-ADPCM), G.728 (LD-CELP), G.729 (ACELP), G.72
3.1 (ACELP / MPMLP) is specified. For data transfer, reference is made to T.120, which is a recommendation on data conferencing.

FIG. 15 shows a conventional example of a video conference system based on H.323. Reference numeral 800 denotes a data conference terminal, which is an Ethernet (registered trademark of Fuji Xerox).
And a 10Base-T terminal 801 and an electronic camera 802. A 10Base-T terminal 801 is a connection terminal with a network. Note that data transmission / reception via the network is performed in a format compliant with the above-described H.323.

The electronic camera 802 is a camera for photographing a conference image of a speaker's face and the like, and the photographed contents are used for transmission to a terminal of the other party and image output to a projector described later. You. Reference numeral 803 denotes a speaker with a desktop microphone, which is connected to the data conference terminal 800 via an audio cable 804. The speaker with a table microphone 803 converts a conference voice such as a speaker's voice into an electric signal, and transfers the electrical signal to the video conference terminal 800.

[0009] A speaker with a table microphone 803 converts the voice data of the other party of the conference received by the video conference terminal 800 into voice and loudspeaks. Reference numeral 805 denotes a document presentation device (document camera), and a cable 806 for transmitting image data.
Is connected to the video conference terminal 800. The document presentation device 800 captures an object such as a document placed on the stage 807 with the camera 808, converts the captured image into image data, and transmits the image data to the video conference terminal 800. Reference numeral 809 denotes a projector, which is a cable 81 for transmitting image data.
0 to the video conference terminal 800. The projector 809 converts the image data transmitted from the video conference terminal 800 into optical output information and irradiates it on a screen or the like.

The video conference terminal 800 controls the electronic camera 802, the speaker 803 with a table microphone, the document presentation device 805, and the projector 809 to realize a video conference with the video conference terminal of the other party.

Specifically, the following operation is performed. The output image data of the electronic camera 802 and the output image data of the document presentation device 805 are transmitted to the other party's video conference terminal via the 10Base-T terminal 801. Output audio data from the speaker 803 with a table microphone to the 10Base-T terminal 801
To the other party's video conference terminal via. Image and audio data from the other party's video conference terminal is received via the 10Base-T terminal 801. Either output image data of the electronic camera 802, output image data of the material presentation device 805, image data received from the other party's video conference terminal, or composite image data obtained by dividing these images into screens is transmitted to the projector 809. I do. The voice data received from the other party's video conference terminal is transferred to the speaker 803 with a desktop microphone.

[0012]

However, the conventional video conference system shown in FIG.
And speaker 803 with table microphone, document presentation device 8
05 and a projector 809. For this reason, the conventional video conference system
It cannot be easily moved and transported, and it is difficult to hold a video conference at any place. Further, in a conventional video conference system, when a video conference is performed, each of the plurality of devices is activated, and unless each of the devices is operated, transmission of an image and a voice to a destination and reception of an image and a voice from the destination are performed. Output was not possible, and the operation was complicated.

An object of the present invention is to provide a video conference apparatus which is easy to transport and easy to operate.

[0014]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to an image pickup apparatus for obtaining an image of a subject formed on an image pickup device and outputting image data, A microphone that outputs the image data, a transmitting and receiving device connected to a network to transmit and receive image data and audio data, and a display device that externally displays image data acquired by the imaging device and received image data received through the transmitting and receiving device, The object described above is achieved by integrating a speaker that outputs audio data acquired by a microphone and received audio data received via a transmission / reception device to the outside. The transmitting / receiving device is connected to a network via an output terminal to transmit and receive image data and audio data, and a network control circuit based on the image data acquired by the imaging device and the audio data acquired by the microphone. An encoding unit for generating transmission data to be transmitted from the circuit and a decoding unit for reproducing moving image data and audio data based on the reception data received by the network control circuit can be provided. An image pickup apparatus includes a lens, an image pickup element, an image control unit that performs timing control of the image pickup element and generates a synchronization signal of an output signal, and an A that converts an output signal into pixel data.
/ D converter and an image generation unit that converts pixel data into image data. A display device configured to generate projection image data based on the image data obtained by the imaging device and / or the reception image data output by the decoding unit; and to convert the projection image data into optical output information. Preferably, the projector is provided with an optical information conversion unit, a light source for the optical output information, and a lens for projecting the optical output information as an image on a screen based on the light from the light source. In addition, the lens and the image sensor are housed in a camera case to form an electronic camera head, and components other than the lens and the image sensor are housed in a main body case to form a main body. It is preferable that the camera head is attached to the main body case via an articulated arm. The encoding unit can be configured to generate transmission data including still image data and moving image data to be transmitted to a network, based on image data from an external camera unit and image data from an imaging device.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment FIG. 1 is an external view of a video conference apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes an electronic camera head unit, 2 denotes a first arm, 3 denotes a second arm, and 4 denotes a video conference device main body. The electronic camera head unit 1 includes a first arm 2, a second arm
And is connected to the video conference device main body 4. Electronic camera head 1 and first arm 2, first arm 2 and second arm 3, second arm 3
And the video conference device main body 4 are joined by a universal joint 5. By adjusting the angles of the three universal joints 5, the electronic camera head unit 1 can be directed to an arbitrary direction of the video conference apparatus to capture an image.

As a result, the video conference apparatus according to the present embodiment can photograph the entire video of the conference room, the speakers, and conference materials (documents, three-dimensional objects) placed near the apparatus main body. That is, the electronic camera head unit 1 is attached to the tip of the articulated arm so that the photographing angle can be freely set.
Further, by adjusting the universal joint 5, the electronic camera head 1, the first arm 2, and the second arm 3 can be folded, and when the video conference device of the present embodiment is carried, It can be stored so that the overhang is not in the way.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the video conference apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 201 is an electronic camera, 202
Is a microphone, 203 is an encoding circuit, 204 is a network control circuit, 205 is a decoding circuit, 206 is a speaker, 207 is a projector, 208 is a 10Base-T terminal,
09 is a D / A conversion element and 210 is an A / D converter.

As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic camera 201 has a lens 300, CCDs 301 and
D control unit 302, A / D converter 303, image generation unit 30
4 In the present embodiment, a CCD is used as an image sensor, but the present invention is not limited to this, and another image sensor such as a CMOS sensor or an artificial retinal chip may be used. In the present embodiment, CC
D301 is provided with an RGB primary color filter, and it is assumed that the RGB pixels have the arrangement shown in FIG. 7; however, the pixel arrangement is different from that of FIG.
It may be a CD. Or C without color filter
It may be a CD. In this case, the conference image and the material image of the video conference are black and white.

The CCD 301, the CCD controller 302, and the A / D converter 303 are housed in the electronic camera head 1, and only the image generator 304 is housed in the TV conference apparatus main body 4. CCD 301, CCD control unit 302 and A /
The D converter 303 and the image generation unit 304 are connected to the cable 3
05, the pixel data and the synchronization signal are transmitted. The cable 305 is connected to the first arm 2,
It is passed through the second arm 3.

The image of the subject formed on the CCD 301 by the lens 300 is converted into an image signal (analog signal) 350 by the CCD 301. CCD controller 3
02 controls the exposure time of the CCD 301 and the output timing of the image signal 350. Thus, the CCD continuously outputs a moving image of the subject at the specified frame rate without interruption. Further, the CCD control unit 302 outputs the image signal 3
50 vertical synchronizing signals 351, a horizontal synchronizing signal 352, and a pixel clock 353 are generated. The A / D converter 303 converts the analog image signal 350 into a digital image signal in synchronization with the pixel clock 353, and generates pixel data (digital signal) 354. The pixel data 354 includes a vertical synchronization signal 351, a horizontal synchronization signal 352, and a pixel clock 3
53 and the image generation unit 30 via the cable 305.
4 is transferred.

The image generation unit 304 has a white balance adjustment unit (R, G, B pixel intensity adjustment) 306, a black level correction unit (R, G, B pixel offset adjustment) 307, and a gamma conversion unit 308. Each unit of the image generation unit 304 performs respective processing on the pixel data 354. Thereafter, the pixel interpolation unit 309 performs an interpolation process, generates RGB data for each pixel from the pixel data 354, and generates the RGB data as image data 250 by using the encoding circuit 203 and the projector 20.
7 is output.

The microphone 202 converts a conference voice (voice of a speaker) of a video conference into an audio signal (analog signal) 2.
Convert to 57. Further, this is converted into audio data (digital signal) 251 by the A / D converter 210 and output to the encoding circuit 203.

The encoding circuit 203 performs an encoding process on the input image data 250 and audio data 251 according to the H.323 standard. As shown in FIG. 4, the encoding circuit 203 includes a moving image resizing circuit 400, a frame memory 401, a frame memory control circuit 402, a moving image compression circuit 403, an audio encoding circuit 404, and a transmission data generation circuit 405. .

The moving image resizing circuit 400 converts the input image data 250 into H.261 and H.263 in frame units.
The resolution is changed to one of the video formats shown in Table 1 conforming to Table 1.

[0025]

[Table 1]

Any one of the above six video formats can be set by the user via the user interface 211 (switch, remote controller, etc. on the video conference unit 4). Reference numeral 258 indicates condition setting data.

The resized image data 450 is stored in the frame memory 401 under the write control of the frame memory control circuit 402. On the other hand, the frame memory control circuit 402 reads data from the frame memory 401 at the selected frame rate. Thereby, the resized image data 450 can be changed to a frame rate conforming to H.261 and H.263. H.26
1, H.263, frame rate is more than 7.5fps and 30fps
It is specified as follows. In order to select an arbitrary frame rate in this range, the present embodiment allows a user to set a network bandwidth limit value via the user interface 211.

The frame memory control circuit 402 determines that the sum of the above-described video format, the video size specified by the video compression method described later, and the audio size specified by the audio encoding method described below is equal to or less than the set value of the band limit. Is provided with a function of calculating an optimal frame rate so that

The frame memory 401 stores at least one image data resized to the 16CIF format.
It is necessary to have enough capacity to fit the frame. But,
In order to suppress the overtaking of the frame due to the asynchronousness of writing and reading of the frame memory, it is preferable that the capacity of the frame memory 401 can store two or more frames of 16CIF format data.

The frame-converted image data 451 is
The moving image is compressed by the moving image compression circuit 403. Video compression is H.
261 (MPEG-1) or H.263 (MPEG-4-Video). H.263 has a coding efficiency that is at least twice as high as that of H.261, but in order to be compliant with H.323, support for H.261 video compression is essential. The selection of the moving image compression method can be set by the user via the user interface 211. The frame-converted image data 451 is converted into encoded moving image data 452 and output to the transmission data generation circuit 405.

The audio encoding circuit 404 outputs the audio data 25
1 is converted into one of the audio encoding formats shown in Table 2 based on G.711, G.722, G.728, G.729, and G.723.1, and is output as encoded audio data 453.

[0032]

[Table 2]

It is assumed that any one of the above audio encoding formats can be set by the user via the user interface 211. Transmission data generation circuit 405
Are encoded video data 452 and encoded audio data 453
And H. as transmission data 252 to be transmitted over the network.
Integrate with a method based on 323. Since the encoding of an image takes a longer processing time than the audio, and the delay time changes depending on the motion of the video, a lip sync function of delaying the audio data 453 and synchronizing with the video data 452 is also realized here.

The transmission data 252 is subjected to framing processing conforming to H.255 in the network control circuit 204. Specifically, the packetized IP (Internet Pro
is transmitted to the other party's video conference system by RTP (Real Time Protocol) on the tocol. RTP (Real Time Prot
ocol) is a protocol for transmitting stream-type data. Same transport layer protocol as TCP but without retransmission control. In the header of the RTP frame, a payload type identifier and a time stamp signal used for identifying the encoding method of the multimedia data can be embedded. Therefore, when exchanging images and sounds in real time, RTP is more suitable than TCP.
A similar protocol is UDP, but RTP is very different in that it has a function to correct fluctuations in data arrival time.

The RTP according to the present embodiment has a function of notifying a higher-level application of a change in bandwidth on a line, a transmission delay, or the like to a higher-level application.
l) Used as a set. Further, the network control circuit 204 according to the present embodiment has a 10Base-T terminal 208 as an Ethernet (registered trademark of Fuji Xerox) terminal, and performs the above-mentioned network transmission / reception via this terminal. Further, the network control circuit 204 of the present embodiment
225, H.245, H.255 compliant, and performs call control with the other party's video conference system.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the video and audio information of the conference acquired by the electronic camera 201 and the microphone 202 can be transferred to the other party's video conference system.

On the other hand, the video conference apparatus according to the present embodiment has the following functions for acquiring and displaying the conference video and audio of the other party. The network control circuit 204 integrates the individual packets transmitted from the other party's video conference system by RTP, and outputs the received packets to the decoding circuit 205 as received data 253.

The decoding circuit 205 extracts video and audio data from the input received data 253. Further, each of them performs a decoding process based on the H.323 standard. As shown in FIG. 5, the decoding circuit 205 includes an image / audio data extraction circuit 500, a moving image decompression circuit 501, and an audio decoding circuit 50.
2 .

The image / audio data extraction circuit 500 extracts the reception encoded moving image data 550 and the reception encoded audio data 551 from the reception data 253, and outputs them to the moving image decompression circuit 501 and the audio decoding circuit 502, respectively.

In the moving picture decompression circuit 501, H.261 (MPEG-
1), decoding the received encoded moving image data 550 compressed by any of H.263 (MPEG-4-Video) methods. As a result, received image data 254 having a resolution of Sub-QCIF to 16 CIF and a frame rate of 7.5 to 30 fps is obtained.

In the speech decoding circuit 502, G.711 (PCM),
G.722 (SB-ADPCM), G.728 (LD-CELP), G.729 (ACEL)
P) and G.723.1 (ACELP / MPMLP), and decodes the received encoded audio data 551 and outputs it as received audio data 255.

The received voice data 255 is converted by the D / A conversion element 209 into a received voice signal (analog) 256. The speaker 206 receives the received audio signal 25
6 is converted to voice and output to the outside.

Projector 207 receives received image data 2
The image data for projection is generated from the image data 54 and the image data 250, is converted into optical output information, and is irradiated on an external screen or the like. As shown in FIG. 6, the projector 207 includes a projection image generation circuit 600, a frame rate conversion circuit 611, a light source 601, a polarization conversion device 602, a cross dichroic mirror 603, and a folding mirror 60.
4,605, G light reflection dichroic mirror 606, polarization beam splitters 607R, 607G, 607B, reflection type light valves 608R, 608G, 608B, cross dichroic prism 609, and projection lens 61
Has zero. The optical output information indicates that the light source 601
Reflective light valve 608R, 6 on which image information is formed
The optical information is included in the reflected light flux of the illumination light emitted to 08G and 608B.

The image generation circuit 600 for projection uses the following (1) selected by the user via the user interface 211 (switch, remote control, etc. on the video conference unit 4).
The input received image data 254 and / or the image data 250 are edited in accordance with the display methods of (3). (1) Single display of received image (2) Single display of electronic camera image (3) Split screen display of received image and electronic camera image

Specifically, first, the received image data 254 and the image data 250 are resized, and when the above (3) is selected, further synthesis is performed. The composite image data 650 created in this manner is converted by the frame rate conversion circuit 611 into a frame rate suitable for irradiating with a projector (no flicker is generated).
The color signals 651R, 651G, and 651B of GB are output to the reflection type light valves 608R, 608G, and 608B.

The light source light emitted from the light source 601 is incident on a polarization conversion device 602 comprising a fly-eye integrator, a polarization beam splitter array and a half-wave phase plate disposed at a specific location, and is substantially S-shaped. It is converted into polarized light. The substantially S-polarized light is separated by a color separation optical system including a cross dichroic mirror 603 composed of an R / G light reflecting dichroic mirror 603GR and a B light reflecting dichroic mirror 603B, bending mirrors 604 and 605, and a G light reflecting dichroic mirror 606. The light is separated into three colors of R light, G light and B light by the system. The color-separated light is incident on polarization beam splitters 607R, 607G, and 607B arranged for each color light, reflected by a polarization separation unit, and arranged as reflection type light valves 608R, 608G, and 108B arranged near the exit surface.
Is incident on.

The light incident on the light valve for each color light is reflected and emitted by being modulated by the color signals 651R, 651G, 651B of each color. The emitted light is again incident on the polarization beam splitter for each color light, and only the modulated light is extracted (detected) as transmitted light. This detection light is incident on a cross dichroic prism 609 constituting a color combining optical system, and is subjected to color combination to form a projection lens 61.
Incident at 0. The projection lens 610 projects a full-color image on an external screen (not shown).

In this embodiment, a reflection type liquid crystal projector is used as a projector. However, the present invention is not limited to this.
A projector or the like may be used.

As described above, the video conferencing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is an essential function for realizing a video conference conforming to H.323.
Image output, audio output, and network transmission / reception are provided in one device. That is, the lens and the image sensor are housed in a camera case to form an electronic camera head,
The components other than the lens and the imaging element were housed in a main body case to form a main body, and an electronic camera head was attached to the main body case via an articulated arm so that the imaging angle of the imaging element became free. Therefore, a video conference device with improved portability can be provided. Therefore, it occurred in the conventional video conference system,
There is an effect that it is possible to prevent a problem that it is difficult to hold a video conference at an arbitrary place because it cannot be easily moved and transported. In the first embodiment, since the essential functions of the video conference are connected in the device,
There is also an effect that it is not necessary to perform cable wiring and connection confirmation at the time of starting up and moving the apparatus. Further, since there is no need to perform data transfer between the devices, parallel-to-serial conversion processing of data necessary for performing this is not required. In addition, the video conference apparatus according to this embodiment has a user interface 211 such as a switch or a remote controller on the apparatus main body, and thereby all functions in the apparatus (for example, an imaging device, a microphone, a transmission / reception device, a display device, Alternatively, there is an effect that the setting of the speaker, the selection of the display image on the display device, and the like can be integrally controlled.

Second Embodiment A video conference device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is obtained by adding a still image transmission / reception function to the video conference device according to the first embodiment. The external view of the video conference device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a video conference apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 8, the same components as those in the first embodiment of FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the differences will be mainly described. The configuration of the video conference apparatus according to the first embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 2, but the functions of the encoding circuit 903, the network control unit 904, the decoding circuit 905, and the projector 907 are different. The internal configuration of the electronic camera 201 is the same as in FIG.

FIG. 9 shows an encoding circuit 903 according to the second embodiment. Note that the same elements as those of the encoding circuit 203 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and differences will be mainly described.

When the user issues a still image capture instruction via the user interface 211, the still image acquisition /
The compression circuit 1006 converts one of the input image data 250
Image compression is performed on the frame. As a still image compression method, JPEG is well known, but the present invention is not limited to this. Further, when a wide transfer band of the network can be secured, it is possible to pass the still image compression function and not perform image compression.

The network control unit 904 has a function of transmitting the input coded still image data 957 to the network in accordance with T.120 in addition to the function of the network control unit 204 of the first embodiment. . Specifically, the coded still image data 957 is packetized and converted into TCP (Trans
mission Control Protocol) to the other party's video conference system. The transmission of the still image data by the TCP is performed independently of the transmission of the moving image data and the audio data by the RTP.

As described above, in the second embodiment of the present invention, the still image information such as the document acquired by the electronic camera 201 can be transferred to the other party's video conference system.

On the other hand, in order to acquire and display still image data transmitted from the other party's video conference system, the video conference apparatus according to the second embodiment has the following functions. The network control unit 904 integrates the individual packets transmitted by the TCP from the other party's video conference system, and as the reception encoded still image data 958, the decoding circuit 90
5 is output.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a decoding circuit 905 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as those of the composite circuit 205 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and differences will be mainly described. The received encoded still image data 958 is sent to the still image decompression circuit 1103 in the decoding circuit 905.
And is output to the projector 907 as received still image data 959.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a projector 907 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as those of the projector 207 of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 6 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and differences will be mainly described.

The projection image generation circuit 1200 in the projector 907 includes the following four items (1) to (4) selected by the user via the user interface 211 (switch, remote control, etc. on the video conference unit 4). In order to display an image in one of the display modes, the input received image data 254, image data 250, and still image data 959 are edited. (1) Single display of received image (2) Single display of electronic camera image (3) Single display of still image (4) Split screen display of the above three images

Specifically, first, the still image data 959 is stored in the internal frame memory, and the received image data 254,
The image data 250 and the still image data 959 read from the internal frame memory are resized. When the above (4) is selected, the images are combined. The composite image data 650 created in this manner is output to the subsequent frame rate conversion circuit 611, and projected on a screen (not shown) in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

The video conference apparatus according to the second embodiment configured as described above can transmit and receive still image data. As a result, a still image such as a conference material and a moving image such as a conference video necessary for a video conference can be acquired by a single electronic camera, so that an inexpensive device can be provided.

Third Embodiment A video conference device according to a third embodiment of the present invention is obtained by adding a connection function of an external camera unit to the video conference device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a video conference device according to the third embodiment. The first shown in FIG.
The same elements as those of the video conference device according to the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and differences will be mainly described.

Reference numeral 1311 denotes a USB terminal, which is connected to the external electronic camera unit 2201 via a cable.
The external electronic camera unit 2201 has the same function as the electronic camera 201. A USB control circuit 1312 controls USB transfer with the external electronic camera unit 2201. As a result, the second image data 1360 is transmitted from the external camera unit 2201 and input to the encoding circuit 1303. A plurality of USB terminals 1311 may be provided so that a plurality of external camera units can be connected.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an encoding circuit 1303 according to the third embodiment. The same elements as those of the encoding circuit 1303 according to the second embodiment shown in FIG. 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and differences will be mainly described.

A selector 1407 determines a connection destination between the image data 250 from the electronic camera 201 and the second image data 1360 from the external electronic camera unit 2201. In the present embodiment, the selector 1407
As shown in FIG. 4, the movable contacts a and b are configured to be switched between a solid line and a two-dot chain line in accordance with the connection state of the external camera unit 2201. That is, when the external camera unit 2201 is not connected, the image data 250 from the integrated electronic camera 201 is stored in the image resizing circuit 400 and the still image acquisition / compression circuit 10.
06. When the external camera unit 2201 is connected, the image data 250 is connected to the still image acquisition / compression circuit 1006, and the second image data 1360 is connected to the image resizing circuit 400.

The above connection method may be reversed.
In addition, the user can change the connection method using the user interface 211
It is also possible for the user to give an instruction via. As described above, in the third embodiment, two electronic cameras can be used to simultaneously acquire a still image such as a conference material and a moving image such as a conference video and transfer the video to the other party's video conference system.

The video conference apparatus according to the third embodiment has a multiplexer 1313 as shown in FIG. The image data 25 is output by the multiplexer 1313.
Either 0 or the second image data 1360 is output to the projector 907. If the external camera unit 2201 is not connected, the image data 250
Is output. When the external camera unit 2201 is connected, the second image data 1360 is output to the projector 907. The user may specify via the user interface 211 whether to output the image data 250 or the second image data to the projector 907.

In the third embodiment, by externally attaching the external electronic camera unit 2201, there is an effect that a system capable of simultaneously acquiring the still image and the moving image can be provided.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be realized in various forms. For example,
The electronic camera head 210 is mounted on the tip of the articulated arm so that the shooting angle can be freely changed. However, any form that can change the shooting angle and can be integrated with the main body can be used. Good.

[0070]

As described above, in the video conference apparatus according to the present invention, image acquisition, audio acquisition, image output, audio output, and network transmission / reception which are essential functions for realizing a video conference are integrated as one apparatus. Have been. For this reason, it is possible to provide a video conference system that is excellent in portability and transportability, and it is difficult to move and transport the video conference in a conventional video conference system. This has the effect of preventing a problem that it is difficult to hold the event.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a video conference device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a video conference device according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an electronic camera of the video conference device shown in FIG. 2;

4 is a configuration diagram of an encoding circuit of the video conference device shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a decoding circuit of the video conference device shown in FIG. 2;

6 is a configuration diagram of a projector of the video conference device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a pixel array of an image sensor of the video conference device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a video conference device according to a second embodiment.

9 is a configuration diagram of an encoding circuit of the video conference device shown in FIG.

10 is a configuration diagram of a decoding circuit of the video conference device shown in FIG.

11 is a configuration diagram of a projector of the video conference device shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a video conference device according to a third embodiment.

13 is a configuration diagram of an encoding circuit of the video conference device illustrated in FIG.

14 is a configuration diagram of a selector of the video conference device shown in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional video conference device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: Electronic camera head section 2, 3: Arm 4: Video conference device main body 201: Electronic camera 202: Microphone 203, 903, 130
3: coding circuit 204: network control circuit 205, 90
5: decoding circuit 206: speakers 207, 90
7: Projector 2201: External electronic camera unit

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5C022 AA12 5C064 AA02 AB02 AC01 AC02 AC04 AC12 AC16 AD02 AD08 AD14 5K101 KK04 KK07 LL05 MM04 MM06 NN06 NN07 NN18 NN40 SS07

Claims (12)

[Claims] 1. An imaging device for acquiring an image of a subject formed on an image sensor and outputting image data, a microphone for acquiring audio and outputting audio data, and a microphone connected to a network for connecting the image data and audio. A transmission / reception device for transmitting / receiving data, a display device for externally displaying image data acquired by the imaging device and reception image data received via the transmission / reception device, and audio data acquired by the microphone and the transmission / reception device. A video conference device, which integrates a speaker for outputting received voice data received via the external device. 2. A transmission / reception device comprising: a network control circuit for transmitting / receiving image data and audio data by connecting to a network via an output terminal; and an image data acquired by the imaging device and acquired by the microphone. Encoding means for generating transmission data to be transmitted from the network control circuit based on audio data; and decoding means for reproducing moving image data and audio data based on reception data received by the network control circuit. The video conference apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the imaging device includes a lens, an imaging device,
An image control unit that performs timing control of the image sensor and generates a synchronization signal of an output signal, an A / D converter that converts the output signal into pixel data, and an image generation unit that converts the pixel data into image data The video conference apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: 4. An image synthesizing section for generating image data for projection based on image data obtained by said imaging device and / or received image data output from said decoding means, said display device comprising: An optical information conversion unit that converts image data into optical output information; a light source for the optical output information; and a lens that projects the optical output information as an image on a screen based on light from the light source. The video conference device according to claim 1, wherein the video conference device is a projector. 5. An electronic camera head section in which the lens and the image sensor are housed in a camera case; components other than the lens and the image sensor are housed in a main body case to form a main body; The video conference apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the electronic camera head is attached to a main body case via an articulated arm so that the electronic camera head can be freely moved. 6. The encoding unit generates transmission data including still image data and moving image data to be transmitted to a network, based on image data from an external camera unit and image data from the imaging device. 3. The video conference apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: 7. A moving image resizing means for converting the resolution of the image data into one of a plurality of preset resolutions, and a frame rate of the image data being set in advance. A frame memory that converts to an arbitrary frame rate within the specified range, and image data whose resolution and frame rate have been converted
Moving image compression means for generating encoded moving image data by compressing with any one of a plurality of predetermined moving image compression methods; and a plurality of predetermined sound encoding Audio encoding means for performing encoding by any one of the audio encoding methods to generate encoded audio data, and transmission data for generating transmission data by synthesizing the encoded video data and the encoded audio data. A decoding unit configured to extract the encoded moving image data and the encoded audio data from the received data; and the encoded moving image data are set in advance. Moving image decompression means for reproducing image data by decompressing in any one of a plurality of moving image decompression methods; and a plurality of predetermined decoding methods for decoding the encoded audio data. Audio decoding means for decoding and decoding audio data by any one of the decoding methods, wherein the network control circuit performs packetization of transmission data, packet integration of reception data, and transfer management. The video conference apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: 8. The encoding means extracts one arbitrary frame in the image data as still image data and outputs it as transmission data to the network control circuit, wherein the network control circuit outputs a packet of the transmission data. The video conference apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein still image data is transmitted over a network by performing conversion and transfer management. 9. The still image data compression means for compressing the extracted still image data by a still image compression method to generate encoded still image data, and further comprising: 10. The video conference device according to claim 8, wherein the video conference device outputs to the network control circuit as transmission data. 10. The network control circuit performs packet integration and transfer management of received data, and the decoding unit outputs the received data as still image data to the projector to perform network reception and reception of still image data. The video conference apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the video conference is performed. 11. The video conference apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said received data is output to said projector as still image data after said decoding means has decompressed by a still image compression method. 12. The image synthesizing unit of the projector has a storage unit for storing the still image data output from the decoding unit, and the still image data stored in the storage unit.
The video conference according to any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein a projection image is generated from one or more data of a received image output from the decoding unit and image data acquired by the imaging device. apparatus.