JP4586782B2 - Image transfer device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image transfer apparatus that captures an image captured by an image capturing apparatus installed inside or outside a house and transfers a data file of the image to a terminal apparatus having an image reproduction function through a general-purpose network. Is.

Conventionally, as described in Patent Document 1, an image of a visitor captured by a camera-equipped doorphone slave unit (imaging device) is captured, and a data file of the image is stored in a mobile phone or the like having an image reproduction function. There is provided an interphone master (image transfer device) that transfers data to a terminal device through a general-purpose network (for example, the Internet). In other words, when a visitor who is away is photographed with a doorphone with a camera, an image (still image or moving image) of the visitor is transferred to the cellular phone carried by the householder via the Internet, and the liquid crystal of the cellular phone By displaying the transferred image on the display, it is possible to remotely confirm a visitor who has been away.
JP 2004-135197 A

  By the way, the transfer speed of a general-purpose network (for example, the Internet) used for image transfer by the image transfer apparatus is the type of transmission medium (phone line, optical fiber, CATV) used to connect to the Internet in each dwelling unit. Depending on the degree of congestion of the transmission path from the image transfer device to the terminal device on the Internet or the like. Therefore, when the network transfer rate is slow, the transfer time becomes longer, which hinders the reproduction of images and sounds on the mobile phone, and gives the user anxiety that the image transfer device may have failed. If a new visitor arrives and images are taken with a doorphone unit with a camera before the transfer of the image data of the previous visitor is completed, the image of the previous visitor is transferred. Therefore, there is a possibility that only an image obtained by imaging a subsequent visitor is transferred.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image transfer apparatus that can prevent a captured image from being transferred at all even when the transfer speed is low. .

In order to achieve the above object, the first aspect of the present invention captures an image captured by an imaging device installed inside or outside the house, and stores the data file of the image for a terminal device having an image reproduction function. An image transfer device for transferring data through a general-purpose network, the image data generating means for processing a video signal output from the imaging device to generate one or more still image and moving image data files, and the network Data transmission means for performing data transmission through a plurality of image data files generated by the image data generation means from one video signal output by the imaging device, and transmitting the set of image data file groups as a set and a control means for transferring to the terminal device by means, and storage means for storing a plurality of sets image data file group, the control The stage starts counting a predetermined permissible time after the transfer of the first image data file in the set of image data file groups is completed, and the transfer of the image data file group is completed when the permissible time count ends. If not, the transfer of the image data file being transferred is interrupted, or the transfer of the image data file group is terminated halfway when the transfer of the image data file being transferred is completed, and the allowable time If a video signal is newly output from the imaging device before the transfer of a set of image data files is completed, the transfer of the image data file being transferred is interrupted or the image being transferred When the transfer of the data file is completed, the transfer of the image data file group is completed and the image file generated from the newly output video signal is generated. Transfer the image data files, further possible to transfer the untransferred image data file to which the new image data file group transfer is stored in the storage means after completing or premature ending by the data transmission means to the terminal apparatus It is characterized by.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, there is provided audio data generating means for generating one or more audio data files by performing signal processing on the audio signal output from the imaging device together with the video signal, and the control means comprises One or a plurality of audio data files generated by the audio data generation means are included in a set of image data files and transferred to the terminal device by the data transmission means.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the control means causes the data transmission means to transfer the image data file group to the terminal device in order from the smallest file size when transferring a set of image data files. It is characterized by.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the control means starts counting a predetermined allowable time after completion of transfer of the first image data file in the set of image data files, and ends the counting of the allowable time. If the transfer of the image data file group is not completed, the transfer of the image data file being transferred is interrupted, or the transfer of the image data file group is in progress when the transfer of the image data file being transferred is completed. Therefore, at least one image data file is always transferred to the terminal device regardless of the transfer speed, and the captured image is not transferred at all even if the transfer speed is low. Can be prevented. Furthermore, the transfer operation can be continued for a time substantially equal to the predetermined allowable time, and as many image data files as possible can be subsequently transferred in addition to at least one image data file transferred at the beginning. Further, the control means transfers the image data file being transferred when the allowable time is being counted and a video signal is newly output from the imaging device before the transfer of the set of image data files is completed. When the transfer of the image data file being transferred is completed, the transfer of the image data file group is terminated and the image data file group generated from the newly output video signal is transferred. The delay time until a new image data file group is transferred to the terminal device can be reduced. Further, the control means causes the data transmission means to transfer the untransferred image data file stored in the storage means to the terminal device after the transfer of the new image data file group is completed or halfway completed. Can prevent transmission leakage.

According to the invention of claim 2 , the control means includes one or more audio data files generated by the audio data generation means in a set of image data file groups and transfers them to the terminal device by the data transmission means. Not only images but also sounds can be confirmed on the terminal device.

According to the invention of claim 3 , since the control means causes the data transmission means to transfer the image data file group in order from the file having the smallest file size to the terminal device when transferring a set of image data file groups, within a predetermined allowable time. The number of data files that can be sent can be increased.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the technical idea of the present invention is applied to a recording / transferring apparatus used in an intercom system for a detached house will be described.

  First, the basic configuration of the intercom system will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, this intercom system is a door phone with a camera that is installed outside a dwelling unit (for example, an outside entrance) and transmits a video (video signal) and a voice (audio signal) that image a visitor via a signal line Ls. Interphone master unit (hereinafter, referred to as “door phone slave unit”) 2 and an interphone master unit (hereinafter referred to as “door phone slave unit”) that is installed in the dwelling unit and exchanges video signals and audio signals via the signal line Ls. 1) and one or more (one unit in the illustrated example) camera slave unit 3 that transmits a video image of the monitoring area to the master unit 1 via the signal line Ls. The That is, in the present embodiment, the door phone slave unit 2 and the camera slave unit 3 correspond to an imaging device.

  The intercom unit 2 includes a microphone 20a and a speaker 20b, an audio processing unit 21 that processes an audio signal for a loud call with the main unit 1, a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS, and an optical system such as a lens. A camera unit 22, a modulation unit 23 that frequency-modulates a video signal output from the camera unit 22, and a two-wire / four-wire conversion circuit, and an audio signal output from the microphone 20 a and processed by the audio processing unit 21 The video signal frequency-modulated by the unit 23 (hereinafter referred to as “FM video signal”) is frequency-multiplexed and transmitted to the parent device 1 via the signal line Ls, and at the same time, the parent device 1 via the signal line Ls. Demultiplexing unit 24 that separates the audio signal transmitted from the terminal, operation input receiving unit 25 that receives an operation input of a call button (not shown) by a visitor, and operation of the call button by the operation input receiving unit 25 And a call signal transmission unit 26 for transmitting a call signal to the main unit 1 via the signal line Ls when the reception power. In addition, the operation power supply of each part of the door phone sub unit 2 is supplied from the main unit 1 through the signal line Ls, and the call signal transmission unit 26 changes the line voltage of the signal line Ls. The ringing signal is being transmitted.

  The camera sub unit 3 includes a human body detection unit 30 that detects the presence of a person in the monitoring area, a camera unit 31 that includes a solid-state imaging device such as a CCD or CMOS, and an optical system such as a lens, and a video signal that is output from the camera unit 31. And a control unit 33 that controls the operation of the modulation unit 32 according to the detection result of the human body detection unit 30. The human body detection unit 30 detects the presence of a person in the monitoring region by detecting a heat ray emitted from the human body with a pyroelectric element, and outputs a human body detection signal when the presence of the person is detected. The control unit 33 includes a microcomputer as a main component, and activates the camera unit 31 and the modulation unit 32 when a human body detection signal is output from the human body detection unit 30, and modulates the video of the monitoring area captured by the camera unit 31. The frequency is modulated at 32 and transmitted to the base unit 1 through the signal line Ls. Moreover, the operating power supply of each part of the camera subunit 3 is created from a commercial power supply by a power supply circuit (not shown).

  Base unit 1 includes a voice processing unit 11 for processing a voice signal for a loudspeaking call between microphone 10a and speaker 10b, and door phone slave unit 2, and a two-wire / four-wire conversion circuit. The audio signal processed by the processing unit 11 is transmitted to the intercom unit 2 through the signal line Ls, and the audio signal and the FM video signal that are frequency-multiplexed and transmitted from the intercom unit 2 through the signal line Ls are separated. In addition, a demultiplexing unit 12 that separates the FM video signal transmitted from the camera unit 3, a monitor unit 13 having a display device such as a liquid crystal display, and the FM video signal separated by the demultiplexing unit 12 are demodulated. A video processing unit 14 that processes the demodulated video signal and displays it on the monitor unit 13, and a call signal transmitted from the intercom unit 2 via the signal line Ls A call signal receiving unit 15 that receives the control signal, a control unit 16 that controls the operation of each unit using a microcomputer as a main component, and a control signal transmitting / receiving unit 17 that transmits and receives control signals to and from the recording / transferring device 4 as will be described later. It has.

  By the way, in this embodiment, since the door phone slave unit 2 and the camera slave unit 3 are commonly connected to the demultiplexing unit 12 of the master unit 1, in order to avoid collision of video signals transmitted from the respective slave units, The division multiplexing transmission system is adopted. That is, each handset (door phone handset 2 and camera handset 3) is individually assigned to a plurality of time slots defined by a synchronization signal transmitted from the base unit 1 via the signal line Ls, and each handset is assigned to itself. The video signal is transmitted in the time slot assigned to the device, the original video is reconstructed from the video signal received and demodulated in each time slot in the video processing unit 14 of the base unit 1 and displayed on the monitor unit 13. Yes. The video processing unit 14 also performs a process of reducing the reconstructed video and simultaneously displaying a plurality of videos in a divided manner. However, the details of the time division multiplex transmission are well known in the art and will not be described.

  Next, the basic operation of the intercom system will be described.

  When a visitor presses the call button of the door phone cordless handset 2, the operation input receiving unit 25 receives an operation input, and the call signal transmitting unit 26 transmits a call signal to the parent device 1 via the signal line Ls. In the base unit 1, when the call signal is received by the call signal receiving unit 15, the control unit 16 is necessary for operating the audio processing unit 21, the camera unit 22, and the modulation unit 23 to the door phone slave unit 2 through the signal line Ls. An operating power is supplied and the voice processing unit 11 is controlled to ring a ringing tone from the speaker 10b. The door phone sub unit 2 receives power from the main unit 1 and activates the camera unit 22 and the modulation unit 23 to store the visitor's video (FM video signal) in the time slot assigned to the unit. Send to base unit 1.

  In the base unit 1, the FM video signal transmitted from the door phone slave unit 2 is received and demodulated by the video processing unit 14, and the video of the door phone slave unit 2 is reconstructed and displayed on the monitor unit 13. When a householder who hears the ringing tone operates a response button (not shown), the control unit 16 that has received the operation input activates the voice processing unit 11 and can communicate with the intercom sub unit 2. And

  Here, the main unit 1 has a function (recording / recording function) for recording video and audio transmitted from the doorphone sub unit 2 and video transmitted from the camera sub unit 3, and an operation switch (not shown). An operation switch (recording switch) (not shown) when the (answering machine setting switch) is operated and set to the answering machine mode, or when video or video and audio are received from the doorphone slave unit 2 or the camera slave unit 3 ) Is recorded, the video and audio data received by the control unit 16 is recorded in a non-volatile memory (not shown). When an operation switch (reproduction switch) (not shown) is operated, the control unit 16 reads out the video (still image or moving image) recorded in the memory and displays the video on the monitor unit 13 by the video processing unit 14. Is read out and is sounded from the speaker 10b by the sound processing unit 11.

  On the other hand, the video recording and transferring apparatus 4 of the present embodiment separates the audio signal and the FM video signal that are frequency-multiplexed and transmitted from the intercom unit 2 through the communication line Lx branched from the signal line Ls in the base unit 1 and the camera. A signal separation unit 40 that separates the FM video signal transmitted from the slave unit 3, and an audio signal processing unit 41 that converts the audio signal separated by the signal separation unit 40 into a digital signal and compresses it to generate an audio data file. The video signal processing unit 42 that demodulates the FM video signal separated by the signal separation unit 40, converts it into a digital signal, compresses it, and generates a video data file, and controls the parent device 1 via the communication line Lx A control signal for transmitting / receiving a control signal to / from the signal transmitting / receiving unit 17 is connected to the transmitting / receiving unit 43, a control unit 44 having a microcomputer as a main component, and an Internet connection via a communication line Ln And a LAN interface unit 45 for interfacing the data transfer performed with the location 5 and the control unit 44. The audio signal processing unit 41 generates an audio data file by compressing an audio signal converted into a digital signal by a predetermined compression method, for example, an ADPCM (Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation) method. The video signal processing unit 42 compresses the video signal converted into the digital signal by a predetermined compression method, for example, a compression method such as JPEG or GIF for still images and MPEG for moving images. Generate.

  The control signal transmission / reception unit 43 communicates with the control signal transmission / reception unit 17 of the base unit 1 via the communication line Lx in a frequency shift keying (FSK) method using a carrier wave having a frequency different from that of either the audio signal or the FM video signal. The control signal is transmitted and received. The LAN interface unit 45 conforms to a standard LAN standard such as 10BASE-T or 100BASE-TX, and is connected to the control unit 44 via the communication line Ln formed of a twisted pair cable (LAN cable). Data communication with the device 5 is interfaced.

  The Internet connection device 5 is, for example, an ADSL modem, an ONU, or a cable modem, and a communication device (such as a recording / transfer device 4 or a personal computer) connected to the communication line Ln is connected to a telephone line or optical line. It is connected to the Internet 100 through a subscriber communication network using a fiber or a CATV coaxial line as a communication medium. However, since this type of Internet connection device 5 is well known in the art, detailed illustration and description thereof will be omitted.

  Here, the control unit 44 of the recording / transferring device 4 has a function of transferring a video data file and an audio data file to the center device 6 connected to the Internet 100 via the Internet connection device 5. The center device 6 corresponds to a so-called file server, stores the video data file and the audio data file transferred from the recording / transferring device 4, and associates the video data file and the audio data file with the recording / transferring device 4 in advance. A service for transferring to a registered mobile terminal (for example, a mobile phone having an Internet connection function) 7 is provided. That is, if the base unit 1 is set to the absence recording mode when going out, the video and audio of a visitor who has visited while absent is transferred from the recording / transferring device 4 to the center device 6, and further from the center device 6 Since the video and audio are transferred to the mobile phone 7 carried by the householder of the dwelling unit, it is possible to check the video and audio of a visitor who has visited while using the mobile phone 7.

  The transfer operation of the recording / transfer apparatus 4 will be described in more detail. As described above, when the base unit 1 is set to the answering machine mode, when a call signal is received by the call signal receiving unit 15 of the base unit 1 by a visitor operating the call button of the intercom handset 2. The control unit 16 of the base unit 1 executes the answering processing described above, and the control signal transmission / reception unit 17 calls the recording / transfer apparatus 4 from the doorphone sub unit 2 via the communication line Lx. Notify (call event occurrence). When the control signal transmission / reception unit 43 receives the call event occurrence notification based on the control signal, the control unit 44 of the recording / transferring device 4 notifies the center device 6 of the occurrence of the call event through the Internet from the LAN interface unit 45 and the voice. The signal processing unit 41 and the video signal processing unit 42 are caused to generate an audio data file and a video data file. Here, in the intercom system according to the present embodiment, the FM video signal and the audio signal are continuously transmitted from the doorphone slave unit 2 for a certain time after the call button is operated. A plurality (for example, three) of still picture video data files (hereinafter referred to as still picture files SF1, SF2, and SF3) and one moving picture video data from the FM video signal and the audio signal received within the predetermined time. A file (hereinafter referred to as a moving image file MF) is generated by the video signal processing unit 42 and one audio data file (hereinafter referred to as an audio file EF) is generated by the audio signal processing unit 41. The control unit 44 transfers a data file group including three still image files SF1, SF2, and SF3, one audio file EF, and one moving image file MF from the LAN interface unit 45 to the center device 6 through the Internet 100.

  At this time, the time (transfer time) required to complete the transfer of a set of data files from the recording / transfer apparatus 4 to the center apparatus 6 depends on the upstream transmission speed in the Internet connection apparatus 5, and the center apparatus When access to 6 is concentrated, the transfer time becomes long. Therefore, the transfer time from the recording / transferring device 4 to the center device 6 becomes longer, which causes troubles in the reproduction of still images, moving images, and audio on the mobile phone 7, and the recording / transferring device 4 fails for the user. There is a risk of anxiety about whether or not it exists. In addition, when a new visitor visits and the call button of the doorphone cordless handset 2 is operated before the transfer of one set of data file group is completed, the transfer of the data file group corresponding to the previous visitor is not completed. Therefore, the data file group corresponding to the subsequent visitor cannot be transferred, and there is a possibility that the video and audio of all the visitors cannot be confirmed.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 44 of the recording / transferring apparatus 4 starts counting a predetermined allowable time Tm after the transfer of the first data file (for example, the still image file SF1) in the set of data files is completed, If the transfer of the data file group has not been completed when the count of the allowable time Tm is completed, the transfer of the data file being transferred is interrupted at that time, or the transfer of the data file being transferred is completed Thus, the transfer of the data file group is terminated halfway (see FIG. 2B). In the latter case, for example, in FIG. 2B, the count of the allowable time Tm is completed during the transfer of the audio file EF, so that the transfer of the audio file EF is completed and the moving image that should have been transferred immediately afterwards. The file MF (see FIG. 2A) is not transferred. However, if the transfer rate is sufficiently high, it is possible to complete the transfer of a set of data files within the allowable time Tm as shown in FIG. Therefore, at least one image data file (for example, still image file SF1) is always transferred from the center device 6 to the mobile phone 7 regardless of the transfer speed from the recording / transfer device 4 to the center device 6 through the Internet 100. Therefore, even when the transfer speed is low, it is possible to prevent the captured image (still image or moving image) from being transferred to the center device 6 and the mobile phone 7 at all.

  In addition, a new visitor visits and the call button is operated before the transfer of the set of data files that was counting the allowable time Tm is completed, and an audio signal and an FM video signal are transmitted from the doorphone slave unit 2. If the data file is transferred, the control unit 44 interrupts the transfer of the data file being transferred at that time, or ends the transfer of the data file group when the transfer of the data file being transferred is completed and outputs the new data file. Since the data file group generated from the FM video signal and the audio signal is transferred, the delay time until the new data file group is transferred to the center device 6 and the cellular phone 7 can be reduced. . However, storage means (memory) for storing the generated data file group is provided in the control unit 44, and the transfer of the new data file group is completed or halfway for the data file group whose transfer is interrupted in the middle. If an untransferred data file is read from the storage means and transferred after completion, it is possible to prevent a data file from being transferred. Furthermore, there is no need to fix the order of data files to be transferred within a set of data files. For example, data files with smaller file sizes are transferred in order according to the capacity (file size) of the generated data file. By doing so, the number of data files that can be transmitted within a predetermined allowable time can be increased.

  In the above-described embodiment, the video signal transmitted from the doorphone slave unit 2 to the master unit 1 and the recording / transfer device 4 is an FM video signal that is frequency-modulated. A signal may be transmitted. Further, instead of frequency multiplexing the video signal, the audio signal, and the control signal, time division multiplexing transmission may be performed. Furthermore, the recording / transferring device 4 may be built in the parent device 1.

It is a block diagram which shows embodiment of this invention. It is a time chart for operation | movement description same as the above.

Explanation of symbols

1 Intercom master unit 2 Door phone slave unit with camera (imaging device)
3 Camera subunit (imaging device)
4 Record transfer device 5 Internet connection device 6 Center device 7 Mobile phone (terminal device)
41 Audio signal processing unit (audio data generating means)
42 Video signal processing unit (image data generating means)
44 Control unit (control means)
45 LAN interface (data transmission means)

Claims (3)

An image transfer device that captures an image captured by an imaging device installed in or outside the home and transfers a data file of the image to a terminal device having an image playback function through a general-purpose network,
Image data generating means for processing one or more still image and moving image data files by processing video signals output from the imaging apparatus, data transmission means for transmitting data through the network, and output from the imaging apparatus A plurality of sets of image data files generated by the image data generation means from one video signal to be transferred to the terminal device by the data transmission means, and a plurality of sets of image data files . Storage means for storing a group of image data files ,
The control means starts counting a predetermined permissible time after the transfer of the first image data file in the set of image data file groups is completed, and transfers the image data file group when the permissible time count ends. If the transfer is not completed, the transfer of the image data file being transferred is interrupted, or the transfer of the image data file group is terminated halfway when the transfer of the image data file being transferred is completed, and the permissible time If a video signal is newly output from the imaging device before the transfer of a set of image data files is completed, the transfer of the image data file being transferred is interrupted or the transfer is in progress. When the transfer of the image data file is completed, the transfer of the image data file group is finished and the image data file is generated from the newly output video signal. And transferring the image data file group, is further transferred Untransferred image data file to which the new image data file group transfer is stored in the storage means after completing or premature ending by the data transmission means to the terminal apparatus An image transfer apparatus. Audio data generating means for generating one or more audio data files by signal-processing audio signals output from the imaging apparatus together with the video signals;
2. The image according to claim 1 , wherein the control means includes one or more audio data files generated by the audio data generation means in a set of image data file groups and causes the data transmission means to transfer to the terminal device. Transfer device. Control means, an image transfer apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the to be transferred to the terminal device by the data transmission means sequentially from the file size smaller files when transferring a set image data file group.

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