JP2007235970A - Mobile videophone terminal and mobile videophone system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically respond, when receiving incoming calls and perform two-way communication, at least containing images. <P>SOLUTION: Personal identification numbers for identifying the callers who are permitted for an automatic response call and mode information which indicates whether an automatic response mode has been set, are stored in a memory. When receiving an incoming call, CPU determines whether an automatic response mode has been set (S2). If the result of the determination is "Yes", the CPU compares the personal identification number in the received calling data, with that stored in the memory (S4). If the personal identification numbers match, automatic response is performed; and then a two-way communication using an image and a voice is made available (S5). However, if automatic response mode has not been set, or if a personal identification number has not yet been entered or there is no match, normal response is carried out (S3). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable videophone terminal having a camera and a monitor and capable of transmitting and receiving images and sounds using a wireless public network.

  Conventionally, it has a camera and a monitor as an image input / output unit, and a microphone and a speaker as an audio input / output unit, and inputs an image input by the camera to the communication partner via the public line network and the microphone. Each encoded audio is encoded and transmitted, while the image and audio transmitted from the communication partner are received / decoded, the image is displayed on the monitor, and the sound is output from the speaker. There is known a portable videophone terminal that can talk while watching.

  On the other hand, the following has been known as an automatic answering function of a telephone.

  (1) A function (so-called P-mail) that automatically goes off-hook and receives a message transmitted by the other party when an incoming call is detected in a mobile phone terminal.

  (2) Use when the phone user is absent or unable to answer the phone, such as when eating at a quiet restaurant, at a concert venue, or attending an important meeting. A function that automatically answers the caller on behalf of the caller and records the message (so-called answering machine).

  (3) A function that is often seen in a car phone, and automatically detects when an incoming signal is detected and allows both parties to talk. This allows you to go off-hook without touching the phone, enabling conversation while driving.

  (4) A basic function of fax, and a function of receiving data by connecting a line when an incoming signal is detected.

  However, none of these functions realizes a smooth two-way call using images and sounds after an automatic response. Moreover, the conventional automatic response function is based on the premise that all incoming calls from an unspecified number of callers are responded, and cannot satisfy the request for automatic response only to incoming calls from specific callers.

  Furthermore, if the mobile videophone terminal is provided with a function capable of remotely operating the receiving side terminal from the calling side terminal, even if the receiver is unfamiliar with complicated operations, both smooth images including images can be obtained. In addition to realizing a two-way call, it is possible to perform a complicated operation by a caller. In addition, if such a function is provided, it can be applied to monitoring use of a mobile videophone terminal.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances. The purpose of the present invention is to enable smooth bidirectional communication even with a party unfamiliar with the operation of the mobile videophone terminal, from a specific caller. It is to enable two-way communication by automatically responding only to incoming calls, and to enable remote operation of the receiver side terminal from the sender side terminal.

  In order to achieve the above object, the mobile videophone terminal of the present invention includes an image display means for displaying an image, a data transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving image data and audio data to / from the counterpart terminal, and a call from the counterpart terminal. And a control means for automatically responding to a call and enabling at least image data transmission / reception by the data transmission / reception means.

  In this configuration, since an automatic response to an incoming call from a partner terminal and at least two-way communication by transmitting and receiving an image is possible, even if the recipient is unfamiliar with the operation of this type of mobile videophone terminal, Smooth bi-directional communication including images.

  The mobile videophone terminal of the present invention compares the information storage means for storing information for specifying a predetermined opponent, the received data at the time of the incoming call and the stored information of the information storage means, and Determining means for determining whether the call is an incoming call, and the control means is capable of transmission / reception by the data transmission / reception means only when the determination means determines that the call is from a predetermined partner. It is characterized by that.

  In this configuration, two-way communication using an automatic response can be selectively performed only for an incoming call from a specific caller. Therefore, security on the receiver side can be ensured. In addition, as information for specifying a predetermined other party, for example, one or both of a caller number and a personal identification number is employed.

  The mobile videophone terminal of the present invention includes an image display means for displaying an image, a data transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving image data and audio data to / from a counterpart terminal, and information for specifying a predetermined counterpart. An information storage means for storing, a determination means for comparing whether the received data at the time of the incoming call and the stored information of the information storage means are an incoming call from the predetermined opponent, and a predetermined by the determination means When it is determined that the incoming call is received from the other party, a control unit is provided that can accept remote operation of the own terminal by the other party.

  In this configuration, even if the receiver is unfamiliar with the operation of this type of mobile videophone terminal, in addition to realizing smooth two-way communication including images, the caller can perform complicated terminal operations on behalf of the receiver. It becomes possible to do. In addition, the mobile TV phone terminal can be applied to a surveillance TV application. In addition, as information for specifying a predetermined other party, for example, one or both of a caller number and a personal identification number is employed.

  According to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(A) Since it automatically responds to incoming calls from the other party's terminal and enables at least two-way communication by sending and receiving images, children and the elderly who are unfamiliar with the operation and who are not good at complicated terminal operations are recipients. Even so, bidirectional communication including images can be performed smoothly, and operability and convenience can be improved.

(B) Since automatic answering communication can be selectively performed only for incoming calls from specific callers, even incoming calls from callers who have no knowledge or are not so familiar The security on the receiver side can be maintained, and there is no fear that the private side will be peeped at by itself.

(C) Since it is possible to execute a control command for remote operation transmitted together with image data and audio data from the calling terminal, even if the receiver is unfamiliar with the operation, not only smooth bidirectional communication, The caller can perform a complicated operation on behalf of the receiver, and two-way communication using the functions of the portable videophone terminal can be performed.

  It is also possible to use a portable videophone terminal as a monitoring television.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view of a mobile videophone terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are side views of the mobile videophone terminal shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the mobile videophone terminal 20 includes a display (image display means) 21 made of a liquid crystal plate in front of the terminal body 20a. The display 21 is configured to display communication function information and / or image information in a mobile phone device such as a telephone number and electric field pictograph.

  The terminal main body 20 a is provided with a camera 22 on the front side at the top thereof, and an image is taken by the camera 22. A plurality of operation keys 23 are provided below the display 21, and various operations can be performed by pressing these keys 23.

  For example, the keys 23a and 23b are hook switches, which are off-hooked when the key 23a is depressed, and on-hook when the key 23b is depressed. The key 23c is a call mode changeover switch. When the key 23c is pressed, the call mode is switched to any one of a voice mode, a video mode, and an image & voice VP mode. Can do. Further, a key 23 for setting the automatic response mode is also provided.

  The terminal main body 20a is provided with a speaker 25 on the side of the camera 22 at the upper part thereof, and a microphone 26 is provided on the lower side thereof, and voice input is performed by the microphone 26. Sounds, alarms, etc. can be emitted. In addition, an extendable antenna 27 is provided at the upper end of the terminal main body 20a, and a built-in wireless unit (data transmission / reception means) not shown in FIGS. It communicates voice data.

  On the other side of the terminal main body 20a, an external power output connection unit 28 connected to an AC power source such as an outlet via an adapter and an external audio output unit 29 connected to an earphone or the like are provided. In addition, the terminal body 20a is provided with a battery cover 24 attached to and detached from a storage part in which a battery is stored on the back side thereof. The battery cover 24 can be rotated within a range of a predetermined angle. A stand 24a connected to the head is provided. And the terminal main body 20 is supported in the state which inclined with respect to the installation surface by rotating this stand 24a in the direction which expands an angle.

  The key operation at the time of calling is normally performed by pressing the key 23 and inputting the telephone number of the other party, and then pressing the key 23a to enter the off-hook state. Normally, this is done by pressing the key 23a in response to a ring tone or incoming vibration to enter an off-hook state. In the mobile videophone terminal 20 of the present embodiment, a predetermined number follows the other party's telephone number. When the personal identification number is entered, the other party's mobile videophone terminal 20 automatically responds to the incoming call, enabling two-way communication using images and voice.

  Next, functions and operations of the mobile videophone terminal 20 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 1 is a CPU (control means) for controlling the entire terminal, and 2 is a memory (information storage means) for storing various data. In addition to the control program, the memory 2 stores information (hereinafter referred to as a personal identification number) for identifying the other party who has permitted the automatic answering call, externally input image data, and the like.

  First, transmission and reception of images and sounds performed after line connection will be described. As described above, the call mode of the portable videophone terminal 20 is a voice-only voice mode or an image-only picture depending on the state of the change-over switches 3, 4, and 5 that are driven in accordance with the pressing operation of the key 23c. It is possible to switch between three levels of mode and VP mode by image & sound.

[VP mode]
When the call mode is set to the VP mode, the change-over switches 3, 4 and 5 are all operated in the state indicated by the solid line in FIG. The image captured by the camera 22 is encoded by the image codec 11 and sent to the multiplexing / separating means 12. On the other hand, the voice input from the microphone 26 is sent to the voice codec 13 for image communication via the changeover switch 4, where it is encoded and sent to the multiplexing / demultiplexing means 12.

  The multiplexing / separating means 12 multiplexes the image data from the image codec 11 and the audio data from the audio codec 13 for image communication. Then, multiplexed data obtained by multiplexing these image data and audio data is sent to the time division multiplexing circuit 14 via the changeover switch 3 and transmitted from the antenna 27 via the radio unit 15.

  Conversely, when the other party's mobile videophone terminal 20 receives the multiplexed data with the antenna 27, the multiplexed data is multiplexed / demultiplexed via the radio unit 15, the time division multiplexing circuit 14, and the changeover switch 3. 12 where it is separated into image data and audio data.

  The separated image data is decoded by the image codec 11 and an image is displayed on the display 21. The separated audio data is decoded by the audio codec 13 for image communication, and audio is emitted from the speaker 25.

[Voice mode]
When the call mode is set to the voice mode, the change-over switches 3, 4 and 5 are all operated in the state indicated by the broken line in FIG. The voice input from the microphone 26 is sent to the voice codec 16 for voice communication via the changeover switch 4 and encoded, and transmitted from the antenna 27 via the changeover switch 3, the time division multiplexing circuit 14, and the radio unit 15. Is done.

  On the contrary, when the other party's mobile videophone terminal 20 receives the voice data by the antenna 27, the voice data is sent to the voice codec 16 for voice communication via the radio unit 27, the time division multiplexing circuit 14, and the changeover switch 3. To be decoded, and sound is emitted from the speaker 25.

[Image mode]
When the call mode is set to the image mode, only the changeover switch 4 is operated in a state indicated by a broken line in FIG. An image captured by the camera 22 is encoded by the image codec 11 and transmitted from the antenna 27 via the multiplexing / separating means 12, the changeover switch 3, the time division multiplexing circuit 14, and the radio unit 15.

  Conversely, when the other party's mobile videophone terminal 20 receives the image data with the antenna 27, the image data is transmitted via the radio unit 15, the time division multiplexing circuit 14, the changeover switch 3, and the multiplexing / separating means 3. It is sent to the image codec 11 and decoded, and an image is displayed on the display 21.

[Call / Receive]
The calling party normally presses the key 23 to input the other party's telephone number, and then presses the key 23a to make a call. The other party's mobile videophone terminal 20 automatically responds to this call. In order to realize a two-way call using images and sounds, it is necessary to key-in a personal identification number following the other party's telephone number.

  Then, the calling video data including the VP identification data indicating that the call mode is the VP mode and the key code entered in addition to the other party's telephone number and the like is transmitted from the mobile videophone terminal 20 of the calling party. (See FIG. 5). This call data is input to the CPU 1 via the antenna 27, the radio unit 15, and the time division multiplexing circuit 14 in the mobile videophone terminal 20 of the other party.

  Next, the CPU 1 performs the process shown in FIG. In this figure, the “automatic answering mode” is a response that enables a two-way call in the VP mode when there is an incoming call from a specific party who has permitted an auto answering call without pressing the key 23a. Refers to the mode. On the other hand, the “normal response mode” refers to a response mode in which a two-way call is not possible even if an incoming call is received from the calling party unless the key 23a is pressed. These modes can be switched by pressing the key 23, and the memory 2 stores mode information indicating whether or not the “automatic response mode” is set.

  When detecting an incoming call (step S1), the CPU 1 determines whether or not the automatic response mode is set by a key operation (step S2). This determination is made based on the mode information stored in the memory 2. If the determination result in step S2 is “No”, that is, if the automatic response mode is not set, the process proceeds to step S3 to perform a normal response process.

  On the other hand, when the determination result of step S2 is “Yes”, that is, when the automatic response mode is set, the originator is authenticated (step S4). This authentication is performed based on whether or not the code number in the call data received by a determination unit (determination means) (not shown) in the CPU 1 matches the code number stored in the memory 2 in advance. When a plurality of password numbers are stored in the memory 2, all the password numbers are determined.

  If the determination result in step S4 is “No”, that is, if the caller does not input a password, or if the input password is different, the process proceeds to step S3, and a normal response process is performed. Is called. On the other hand, if the determination result in step S4 is “Yes”, that is, if the personal identification number entered by the calling party is valid, it is determined that the incoming call is from the other party who permitted the automatic answering call. The process proceeds to step S5 to perform an automatic answering call process.

  In step S5, the CPU 1 goes off-hook to connect the line regardless of whether the key 23a is pressed or not, and enables a two-way call in the VP mode. At this time, when the call mode on the receiving side is set to the voice mode or the image mode, the switches 3, 4 and 5 are operated by the control signal from the CPU 1, and the call mode is automatically switched to the VP mode. .

  As described above, the mobile videophone terminal 20 of the present embodiment automatically responds to incoming calls from the other party's mobile videophone terminal 20 and enables two-way calls using images and voices. Even if a child or an elderly person who is not good at complicated terminal operations is a receiver, the two-way call using images and sounds can be performed smoothly, and the operability and convenience can be improved.

  In addition, since the automatic answering call can be selectively performed only for incoming calls from a specific caller, for incoming calls from callers who are not familiar or not so familiar, Security on the receiver side can be maintained, and there is no fear that the private side will be looked into without permission. Of course, if the terminal is turned off, the automatic answering call will not be made.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The mobile videophone terminal 20 according to the present embodiment is characterized in that it can accept a remote operation from the mobile videophone terminal 20 on the caller side, and the basic functions and operations according to the first embodiment This is the same as the mobile videophone terminal 20. Therefore, below, only a difference is demonstrated, using the same code | symbol.

  The memory 2 stores a personal identification number for identifying the other party who is permitted to remotely operate the portable videophone terminal 20 on which the memory 2 is mounted. Then, the determination unit (determination means) of the CPU 1 determines whether or not the personal identification number and the personal identification number in the received call data match, and if they match, accepts a remote operation from the calling method. .

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the transmission data transmitted from the calling mobile videophone terminal 20 includes a control command for remote operation in addition to voice data and image data. Then, the CPU 1 identifies the type of each data (sound, image, command, etc.) by the header portion, and executes the control command when recognizing the header portion indicating that the subsequent data is a remote control command. To do.

  As described above, the mobile videophone terminal 20 according to the present embodiment not only executes a control command based on a key operation or a control program stored in a memory, but also transmits an image from the mobile videophone terminal 20 that is the outgoing call. Because remote control commands sent with data and voice data can be executed, even if the recipient is not familiar with the terminal operation, the caller can not only realize a smooth two-way call including images. However, a complicated operation can be performed on behalf of the receiver, and a two-way call using the functions of the mobile videophone terminal 20 can be performed. It is also possible to use the portable videophone terminal 20 as a monitoring television.

  In the above embodiment, the automatic response and the remote operation permission are described solely depending on the personal identification number. However, in order to further enhance the security and to identify the sender, the calling number (sender number) Can also be used as an element for determining automatic response and permission for remote operation. Since this calling number is generally known from the past, description thereof is omitted here.

1 is a front view of a mobile videophone terminal according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a right view of a portable videophone terminal. It is a left view of a portable videophone terminal. It is a functional block diagram of a portable videophone terminal. It is a figure which shows a part of call data transmitted from a portable videophone terminal. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process performed by CPU of a portable videophone terminal at the time of an incoming call. It is a figure which shows the data sequence transmitted from the mobile videophone terminal which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 CPU (control means)
2 Memory (information storage means)
15 Radio unit (data transmission / reception means)
21 Display (image display means).

Claims (2)

Image display means for displaying an image;
Data transmission / reception means for transmitting / receiving image data and audio data to / from a counterpart terminal;
Information storage means for storing information for identifying a predetermined opponent;
A determination means for comparing the received data at the time of the incoming call and the stored information of the information storage means to determine whether the call is from the predetermined opponent;
And a control means for enabling remote operation of the self-terminal for bidirectional communication by the other party when the determination means determines that the incoming call is from a predetermined other party. Video phone terminal.   2. The mobile videophone terminal according to claim 1, wherein the information for specifying the predetermined partner is one or both of a caller number and a password.

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