JP2777523B2 - Communication terminal device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication terminal device for a videophone, a video conference system and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional communication terminal device such as a videophone and a video conference system, when a meeting or discussion is held, a document or the like as a material for the talk is mailed in advance as a material or incorporated in the system. Facsimile devices and the like for printing, and video signals displayed on the display device are printed by a printing means such as a printer by operation on the receiving side. (See, for example, JP-A-63-194466)

[0003]

However, mailing a document or the like serving as a story material requires a mailing cost, and using a facsimile apparatus requires a communication line for a communication terminal apparatus such as a videophone or a video conference system. Separately, a communication line is required, increasing costs. Further, when a video signal displayed on a display device is printed on a printing means such as a printer by an operation on a receiving side, there is a problem that a meaningless image is printed unless the operator performs the operation in a timely manner. .

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, a communication terminal apparatus on the transmission side, to a more input video signal to the video signal input means
It includes an identifier adding means for adding an identifier to the video signal designating the printing, to the communication terminal apparatus on the receiving side, detection means for detecting an identifier attached to the video signal designating the printing from the video signal received, the detection or printing a video signal obtained by adding the identifier when detecting a by Ri識 Besshi to means, selection means for selecting or not, is set to the printing by the selection means, said by the detecting means Ri識 Besshi Is provided with a printing means for printing a video signal to which an identifier is added when is detected.

[0005]

The communication means is connected to a communication line and communicates an audio signal, a video signal or a control signal, the video signal input means inputs a video signal transmitted via the communication means, and the video signal output means Outputs the video signal received through the communication means, the identifier adding means attaches an identifier to a specific video signal in the video signal input by the video signal input means, transmits the video signal through the communication means, and Detects the identifier attached to the specific video signal in the video signal received via the communication means, and selects the video signal added with the identifier when the detection means detects the identifier representing the specific video signal. The user selects whether to print or not, and the printing means is set to print by the selection means. When the detection means detects an identifier representing a specific video signal, the printing means prints the video signal to which the identifier is added.

[0006]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a communication terminal device according to one embodiment of the present invention. K is a communication line such as ISDN. Reference numeral 100 denotes a camera as a video signal input unit. Reference numeral 101 denotes an encoding circuit for encoding a video signal input by the camera 100. As an encoding / decoding method, the H.264 standard, which is recommended in CCITT as encoding of video signals for videophone / videoconference systems, has been standardized. 261 (p × 64 Kbit / s encoding system for audiovisual service) will be described as an example. 10
Reference numeral 2 denotes an identifier adding circuit as identifier adding means for adding an identifier to the video signal encoded by the encoding circuit 101 by operating an operation panel described later. Reference numeral 103 denotes a communication control circuit which is connected to the communication line K and serves as communication means for controlling transmission and reception of video signals, audio signals, control signals, and the like handled by the communication terminal device. The sound is input by a microphone or the like (not shown) on the transmitting side, is encoded by an encoding circuit (not shown), is transmitted through the communication control circuit 103, is received by the receiving side via the communication control circuit 103, and is decoded by the decoding (not shown). The signal is decoded by a circuit and output from a speaker (not shown) or the like. Reference numeral 104 denotes an instruction to add an identifier to the video signal coded by the coding circuit 101 by the identifier adding circuit 102, and when the identifier of the specific video signal is detected by the identifier detection circuit described later, the identifier is output by the printer described later. Is an operation panel as selection means for selecting whether or not to print a specific video signal to which is added a. In addition, it is assumed that overall operation of the communication terminal device is performed on the operation panel 104. Reference numeral 105 denotes a monitor serving as a video signal output unit that outputs a video signal output from a switching circuit described later. The monitor 105 receives communication via the communication control circuit 103 according to an output from the switching circuit described below under the control of the operation panel 104. It is possible to output a video signal, a video signal input by the camera 100, and a video signal obtained by synthesizing a video signal input by the camera 100 and a video signal received by communication. Reference numeral 106 denotes a decoding circuit for decoding a video signal received by communication via the communication control circuit 103. 107
Is an identifier detecting circuit as detecting means for detecting an identifier attached to a specific video signal on the transmitting side. Reference numeral 108 denotes a printer as a printing unit that prints a video signal output from a switching circuit described later, and outputs a video signal currently being output to the monitor 105 and an identifier And prints a video signal received by communication via the communication control circuit 103 to which "." Reference numeral 109 denotes an output switching circuit which outputs an image to the monitor 105 by communication via the communication control circuit 103 under control of the operation panel 104, a video signal input by the camera 100, and an input signal by the camera 100. And a video signal obtained by synthesizing the video signal received by communication. The output switching circuit 109 converts the output to the printer 108 to the video signal currently output to the monitor 105 when the operation panel 104 instructs the printing of the video signal currently output to the monitor 105. When a specific video signal to which an identifier is added is selected to be printed on the operation panel 104, the video signal is switched to a video signal received by communication via the communication control circuit 103. Further, the output switching circuit 109 also combines the video signal input by the camera 100 and the video signal received by communication.

[0007] Here, the aforementioned H.264. 261 will be described. H. The encoding circuit 261 stores the video signal of the frame before reference as shown in FIG.
08, a motion compensation unit 201 for detecting a difference between the video signal of the frame before reference and the video signal of the current frame, and the video signal of the current frame or the video signal of the previous frame and the video signal of the current frame. The difference is divided into blocks each of which is 8 × 8 data, and a DCT unit 202 that performs DCT (discrete cosine transform) on each of the blocks, a quantization unit 203 that quantizes the result of the DCT, and a two-dimensional array A dimension conversion unit 204 for converting the quantized data into a one-dimensional array, a Huffman coding unit 205 for performing variable length coding on the quantized data, and decoding a frame that has just been coded for reference. Inverse quantization unit 206 for converting
It comprises a unit 207. Here, a frame represents one screen in a continuous video signal.

[0008] In the motion compensation unit 201, the image storage unit 20
8 is compared with the video signal of the previous frame and the video signal of the current frame input from the camera 100 or the like. If it is detected that the difference between them is large, DC
In the T section 202, the video signal of the current frame is
CT (also referred to as an intra-frame mode including the following encoding). If it is determined that this difference is small, DCT is performed on the difference between the video signal of the frame before decoding and the video signal of the current frame (hereinafter, referred to as an inter-frame mode including encoding). DCT is a process of dividing a certain waveform into frequency components of a cosine wave and expressing this by the same number of cosine waves as the number of input samples. Generally, data of a large value is collected in a portion representing a low frequency component. , Small value data is collected in a portion representing a high frequency component. Fluctuations in high-frequency component data are difficult to recognize due to human visual characteristics, and even if small noise occurs in the portion representing the high-frequency component, if it is decoded and output as a video signal to a monitor or the like, humans will not see it. As far as possible, there is not much effect. Quantization unit 20
In No. 3, quantization coefficients are determined in accordance with the communication capacity, required resolution, and the like, and quantization is performed by dividing the data by the quantization coefficients. The dimension conversion unit 204 that converts the converted data into 64 one-dimensional arrays rearranges the low-frequency components in order from a low-frequency component using a method called zigzag scan. In the Huffman encoding unit 205, if the value is 0 among the 64 data after quantization rearranged by the dimension conversion unit 204, the number of consecutive 0s is used as data. Encode the value as data. At this time, variable-length coding is performed in which a short code is given to data with high frequency and a long code is given to data with low frequency. On the other hand, the data quantized by the quantization unit 203 is inversely quantized by the inverse quantization unit 206 and subjected to inverse DCT by the inverse DCT unit 207. Further, in the motion compensation unit 201, if the data subjected to the inverse DCT in the inverse DCT unit is encoded in the intra-frame mode, the data is directly stored in the video storage unit 208 and encoded in the inter-frame mode. If there is, the video signal stored in the video storage unit 208 is added and stored in the video signal storage unit 208. The video signal stored in the video signal storage unit 208 is referred to as the video signal of the previous frame when encoding the next frame. By decoding and using once quantized data as reference data at the time of encoding, the same video signal as that decoded on the receiving side is used as reference data, and by quantizing and dequantizing, Accumulation of the generated error can be suppressed. After that, the same operation is performed for all the blocks constituting one frame, and the process moves to the next frame.

H. As shown in FIG. 3, the decoding circuit 261 includes a video storage unit 306 for storing a video signal of a frame before reference, a Huffman decoding unit 305 for decoding a Huffman code, and 64 one-dimensionally arranged arrays. 8x
8 and a dequantizer 303 that dequantizes the two-dimensionally arranged data.
And inverse DCT for inverse DCT transform of the inversely quantized data
A conversion unit 302 and a motion compensation unit 301 that outputs the video signal of the frame currently being decoded as it is, or adds and outputs the video signal of the frame stored in the video storage unit 306.
Consists of

[0010] The Huffman decoding unit 305 calculates the 0
The code obtained by encoding the number of consecutive
The code obtained by encoding the value after quantization in the array of is decoded into the value represented by the code. The dimension conversion unit 304 converts the 64 one-dimensional arrays into 8 × so that the inverse conversion of zigzag scan is performed.
8 into a two-dimensional array. The inverse quantization unit 303 performs inverse quantization by multiplying each numerical value by the quantization coefficient used at the time of encoding. The inverse DCT section 302 converts a signal divided into frequency components of a cosine wave into a video signal. Inverse DCT
The video signal converted by the unit 302 is a difference from the previous frame in the inter-frame mode, and is the video signal itself in the intra-frame mode. In the case of the inter-frame mode, the video signal of the previous frame must be added to the video signal of the difference, and the video signal of the previous frame stored in the video storage unit 306 is converted by the motion compensation unit 301 into the inverse DCT unit 3.
02 is added to the video signal of the difference which is the output of “02”, and the added video signal is output from the motion compensation unit 301. Also,
For the video signal in the intra-frame mode, the motion compensation unit 3
01 outputs the output of the inverse DCT section as it is. The video storage unit 306 stores the output from the motion compensation unit 301 for the next frame.

The communication terminal apparatus of the present embodiment is disclosed as an image / data multiplexing circuit in Japanese Patent Application No. 4-243273 filed by the same applicant as an earlier application as an identifier adding method performed by the identifier adding circuit 102. Method. That is, during the encoding of a specific video signal to which an identifier needs to be added, the identifier adding circuit 102 converts the data of the two-dimensional array of blocks (8 × 8) into one-dimensional data by the dimension conversion unit 204 in the encoding circuit 101. The last data in the block converted into the array is rewritten with, for example, an identifier of 1. The last data in the block converted into the one-dimensional array is the position of the data representing the highest frequency component in the block. As described above, since the noise of the highest frequency component is so indistinguishable as to be visually discerned when decoded, there is generally no problem with regard to deterioration of the video signal and the like. However,
When 1 is used as an identifier, if 1 occurs as the last data in a block after quantization, it is necessary to replace the data with data other than 1 so as not to be mistaken for the identifier on the receiving side. In this embodiment, when no identifier is added, the last data in the block is uniformly replaced with 0.

The identifier detection performed by the identifier detection circuit 107 is performed when the dimension conversion unit 304 of the decoding circuit 106 converts 64 data from a one-dimensional array to a two-dimensional array of 8 × 8 blocks. This is performed by monitoring whether the last data in the block is 0 or 1. A detailed description will be given of a case in which a document image is transmitted as a material on one side and the material is received on the other side during a conversation with a videophone, which is one of the communication terminal devices having such a configuration.

The other party is specified by inputting information for identifying the other party such as a telephone number on the operation panel 104,
The communication control circuit 103 negotiates for communication connection, starts communication, captures the face of the speaker with the camera 100, inputs sound with a microphone (not shown), and controls the operation panel 104 on the monitor 105. Output switching circuit 109
To output either the face of the speaker of the own terminal, the face of the speaker of the partner terminal, or the composite of the face of the speaker of the own terminal and the face of the speaker of the partner terminal, and output the voice. A conversation is performed as a videophone by outputting the sound using a speaker (not shown). With the start of the communication, in the encoding circuit 101, the video signal of the first screen (one frame) of the video signal input by the camera 100 is encoded in the intra-frame mode. Whether the mode is suitable for the inner mode or the inter-frame mode is determined, and the coding is appropriately performed in the suitable mode. The video signal encoded by the encoding circuit 101 is transmitted to the communication circuit 1
03 and transmitted to the communication line K. At this time, the identifier adding circuit 102 is connected to the dimension conversion unit 20 in the encoding circuit 101.
In step 4, the last data in the block converted from the two-dimensional array data of the block (8 × 8) into the one-dimensional array is rewritten to 0 which is not an identifier representing a specific video signal.

Further, the decoding circuit 106 is a communication control circuit 1
A video signal received from the communication line K via the communication circuit 03 is decoded and output to the output switching circuit 109. Monitor 105
Is an output switching circuit 10 controlled by the operation panel 104.
9 to output a video signal input from the camera 100, a video signal decoded by the decoding circuit 106, or a video signal obtained by combining the two.

Usually, in a videophone, the camera 100
Is set to capture the face of the speaker, and the video signal output to the monitor 105 is also changed by switching the operation panel 104 to the face of the speaker of the own terminal, the face of the speaker of the partner terminal, or the talk of the own terminal. Of the speaker and the face of the speaker of the partner terminal. Also, in such a videophone, the direction of the camera 100 is changed or the camera
It is also possible to copy a document, a photograph, or the like and send it to the partner terminal by operating the speaker to place it before 00.

In this videophone, when printing is instructed on the operation panel 104, the output of the output switching circuit 109 to the printer 108 is switched to the video signal currently output to the monitor 105. And the printer 10
Reference numeral 8 prints the video signal currently output to the monitor 105. If the user selects to print a specific video signal to which an identifier has been added on the operation panel 104, the output switching circuit 109 transmits the video signal received by communication to the printer 108 via the communication control circuit 103. Is output.

Even when the identifier of the specific video signal is detected by the identifier detection circuit 107 on the operation panel 104, if the printer 108 has selected not to print the specific video signal to which the identifier has been added, the identifier detection circuit 107 107 is not operating. If it is selected to print the video signal to which the identifier is added, the identifier detection circuit 107 continues to monitor the video signal received from the communication line K via the communication control circuit 103.

If it is necessary to transmit the material during the videophone conversation, the material to be transmitted by the speaker on the transmitting side is directed to the camera 100 and the material switch (not shown) on the operation panel 104 is turned on. Press. Then, the encoding circuit 1
01 starts encoding in the intra-frame mode at the start of encoding of the next frame, and continues encoding in the intra-frame mode during the encoding of the frame. Identifier addition circuit 10
Reference numeral 2 denotes the last data in the block converted from the data of the two-dimensional array of the block (8 × 8) into the one-dimensional array by the dimension conversion unit 204 in the encoding circuit 101 by an identifier representing a specific video signal. Rewrite to one. The rewriting of the data into the identifier in the identifier adding circuit 102 is performed during the encoding of the frame. When the encoding of this frame is completed, the identifier adding circuit 102
, The last data in the block converted from a two-dimensional array of blocks (8 × 8) into a one-dimensional array is rewritten to 0.

Thereafter, the video signal of the frame is variable-length coded by the Huffman coding unit 205 and
3 to the communication line K. Operation panel 104
In the case where the identifier of the specific video signal is detected by the identifier detection circuit 107 and the printer 108 selects the printing of the video signal to which the identifier has been added, the identifier is received from the communication line K via the communication control circuit 103. The Huffman decoding unit 30 of the decoding unit 106
5 and the dimension conversion unit 304 converts the 64 data from a one-dimensional array to a two-dimensional array of 8 × 8 blocks, the identifier detection circuit 107 determines whether the last data in the block is 0 or not. Watch for one. When the identifier detection circuit 107 detects that the last data in the block is 1, the video signal being decoded is identified as a specific video signal, and the decoding circuit 106 When the decoding of the video signal is completed, the printer 108 is instructed to print the video signal. The printer 108 prints a video signal to which an identifier output from the output switching circuit 109 is added in accordance with a print instruction from the identifier detection circuit 107.

As described above, it is possible to instruct a specific video signal on the transmitting side and print the specific video signal on the receiving side. In the above embodiments, the videophone is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and can be used for a device that transmits a video signal, a device that receives a video signal, and a device that transmits and receives a video signal. .

In the above embodiment, a camera is used to input a specific video signal such as a material. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a document camera or a scanner may be used. Further, in the above-described embodiment, H.264 is used for encoding. 261 is used, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can also be used for an arbitrary encoding method and an unencoded video signal, and an additional method for identifying a specific video signal is not limited to this. The identifier may be added in another way. When multiplexing cannot be performed on a video signal, a control signal related to communication may be used.

Further, in the above embodiment, the identifier for identifying the specific video signal is added to all the blocks of the frame when encoding the specific video signal.
The present invention is not limited to this, and a specific video signal may be identified by adding an identifier to one of the blocks in the frame.

[0023]

As described above in detail, according to the communication terminal apparatus of the present invention, the receiving side detects the identifier assigned to the specific video signal on the transmitting side among the video signals transmitted by communication. This makes it possible to identify and print a document such as a calligraphy, and it is not necessary to mail a calligraphy or the like serving as a talk material, thereby eliminating a mailing cost. Further, there is no need to use a facsimile machine, and therefore, a communication line for the facsimile machine is not required.

Further, since an identifier can be added to a video signal required as a material on the transmission side, the problem of printing a meaningless image signal can be solved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a communication terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 261 is a functional block diagram of an encoding process.

FIG. FIG. 261 is a functional block diagram of the decryption processing of H.261.

[Explanation of symbols]

 K communication line 100 camera 101 encoding circuit 102 identifier addition circuit 103 communication control circuit 104 operation panel 105 monitor 106 decoding circuit 107 identifier detection circuit 108 printer 109 output switching circuit 201 motion compensation section 202 DCT section 203 quantization section 204 dimension conversion Unit 205 Huffman encoding unit 206 inverse quantization unit 207 inverse DCT unit 208 video storage unit 301 motion compensation unit 302 inverse DCT unit 303 inverse quantization unit 304 dimension conversion unit 305 Huffman decoding unit 306 video storage unit

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An audio signal or a video signal connected to a communication line.
Walking is a communication means for communicating control signals, in a communication terminal apparatus for video and a monitor <br/> means for outputting a video signal received via the communication means, received via said communication means Specify printing from video signal
Detecting means for detecting an identifier attached to a video signal to the selection means either selected or not to be printed an image signal obtained by adding the identifier when detecting a by Ri識 Besshi the detecting means, the selected is set to the printing by means a communication terminal apparatus and a printing means for printing an image signal obtained by adding the identifier when detecting a by Ri識 Besshi said detecting means <br/>. 2. An audio signal or a video signal connected to a communication line.
Walking is a communication means for communicating control signals, monitor outputting a video signal input means for inputting an image signal transmitted via the communication means, a video signal received through said communication means
A communication terminal apparatus for video and a motor unit, to the video signal input by the video signal input means
An identifier attaching means for attaching an identifier to the video signal designating the print and transmitting via the communication means; and designating the print from the video signal received via the communication means.
Detecting means for detecting an identifier attached to a video signal to the selection means either selected or not to be printed an image signal obtained by adding the identifier when detecting a by Ri識 Besshi the detecting means, the selected is set to the printing by means a communication terminal apparatus and a printing means for printing an image signal obtained by adding the identifier when detecting a by Ri識 Besshi said detecting means <br/>.