JPH01277081A - Still picture video telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To send a desired video to an opposite side by moving only a camera freely by arranging a video telephone set main body and a camera part independently, and connecting them by radio. CONSTITUTION:A picture signal image-picked up by an image pickup camera 14 is stored once in a picture memory 16a via an A/D conversion circuit 18 and an image controller 15a, and is derived and displayed on a display 17a sequentially. Also, when an image is read out from the memory 16a by a CPU11a, the image is sent to an amplitude phase modulation circuit 10 according to a program stored in a program memory 12. Furthermore, a signal modulated at the circuit 10 is FM-modulated at a modulation circuit 20 and is emitted from an antenna 21 toward the antenna 22 of a telephone set main body 24. Next, an FM signal received at the main body 24 is demodulated to a picture signal at a demodulation circuit 23, and is stored in the picture memory 16 based on a command from a CPU11 via matrix switch 5, and is sent from a telephone line to the opposite side.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an improvement in a still image TV phone device, and particularly to a TV phone device that transmits and receives still images taken by a TV left camera using a telephone line.

C. Prior Art] There is a demand for a videophone that can simultaneously transmit audio and images using a telephone communication line, but current telephone communication lines cannot continuously transmit dynamic images that require a huge amount of data. Because it is difficult to send and receive a still image to the other party during a call, still image videophone devices that transmit still images to the other party during a call are being put into practical use.

This still image videophone device is capable of temporarily interrupting a normal voice call and sending a desired still image, such as the speaker's face, a photo screen, or a picture depending on the content of the call. is possible.

Therefore, according to such a still image videophone device, it is possible to send and receive images over a telephone line, which was previously impossible, and since only one still image is sent each time, the amount of data processing is also limited. This has the advantage that videophones can be put to practical use easily.

A video telephone device capable of transmitting still images of this type is disclosed, for example, in the 1986 issue of Foreign Communication Technology, etc., and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the simple still image video telephone device.

In the figure, (1) is a handset, (2) is a microphone, (3) is an audio input/output circuit, (4) is an analog circuit,
(5) is a matrix switch, (6) is a telephone interface circuit, (7) is a telephone line connection terminal, (8) is a speaker, (9) is a keypad, (10) is an input/output port,
(11) is the CPU, (12) is the program memory, (1
3) is a modulation/demodulation circuit, (14) is a television camera, (15)
is the image controller, (16) is the image memory, (1
7) is a display.

Next, the operation of audio and image signal transmission of this conventional video telephone will be explained based on FIGS. 2 and 3.

In Figure 2, a voice call is made from a handset (1) or a microphone (2) to a telephone line via an audio input/output circuit (3), an analog circuit (4), a matrix switch (5), and a telephone interface circuit (6). Connection terminal (7
) is sent.

° Also, the audio signal from the other party is reproduced by the handset (1) or the speaker (8) via a path opposite to the signal path described above.

Here, when transmitting an image signal, in order to confirm whether the communication partner is a video phone capable of communicating image data in the same data format, an ID code including data regarding the capability is sent. . Then, after receiving the ID code returned from the other party and confirming that the other party has similar capabilities, the image data is transmitted.

That is, in FIG. 2, when the keypad (9) is used to instruct image transmission, the CP is transmitted via the input/output capo (10).
U (11) detects this and stores the program memory (12).
) sends the ID code to the modulation/demodulation circuit (13) according to a program stored in advance. After modulating this ID code into an analog signal, a matrix switch (5
) from the telephone line connection terminal (7). The ID code from the other party is confirmed by the CPU (11) through a route opposite to the signal route described above.

Meanwhile, the images captured by the television camera (14) during this period are converted into images by the image controller (15), stored in the image memory (16), and sequentially derived and displayed on the display (17). The image memory (16) is output to the telephone line connection terminal (7). Also, if there is an ID code or image data from the other party, the matrix switch (5) uses the received carrier signal to determine the destination via the telephone interface. Circuit (6
) is switched from the analog circuit (4) to the modulation/demodulation circuit (13). After the received signal is demodulated by the modulation/demodulation circuit (13), the CPU (11) returns the ID code or stores the data in the image memory (16), and the image controller (15) converts the self-image data and the other party's image data. It is derived one by one and displayed on the display (17).

In addition, when the transmission and reception of the image is completed and the carrier signal from the modulation/demodulation circuit (13) disappears, the matrix switch (5)
) is the telephone interface circuit (6) and the analog circuit (
4) to restore voice calls.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In such conventional videophone devices, the television camera and the telephone body were connected to the telephone line as one unit, so it was difficult to move only the camera freely to project the image. I couldn't say that.

This invention was made to solve the problem,
To provide a still image videophone device in which a camera can be freely moved by independently arranging a videophone main body and a camera section.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a still image TV phone device that transmits and receives still images captured by a TV camera using a telephone line, in which a TV phone main body and a camera part are connected to each other. It is characterized by being arranged independently.

The camera unit includes an imaging camera, a storage unit that stores an image signal captured by the camera as image data based on a command from a CPU, a modulation circuit that modulates the stored image data into a wireless signal, and a modulation circuit that modulates the stored image data into a wireless signal. and an antenna that transmits the received signal wirelessly to the main body of the TV phone.

According to the present invention, since the TV telephone main body and the camera section are arranged independently, only the camera section can be moved freely to project a desired image and transmit it to the other party. can do.

That is, since the camera section includes an imaging camera, a storage section that stores image data, and a modulation circuit that modulates the stored image data into a wireless signal, the image signal captured by the camera is The video data taken into the storage section and read out from there is modulated and transmitted as a wireless signal to the TV phone main body.

[Example] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numerals (1) to (17) in the TV telephone main body (24) indicate the same components as those of the conventional example shown in FIG. 2, and their explanations will be omitted.

The characteristic feature of the present invention is that TV? The main body (24) of the i-phone and the camera section (25) are arranged independently.

The camera unit (25) includes an imaging camera, a storage unit that stores an image signal captured by the camera as image data based on a CPU instruction, and a modulation unit that modulates the stored image data into a wireless signal. The modulated signal is transmitted wirelessly to the TV telephone main body (24) by an antenna.

In this embodiment, an image signal (analog) captured by an imaging camera (14) is converted to a digital image signal via an A/D conversion circuit (18), and is input to an image controller (15a). . This digital image signal is quantized by the image controller (15a), stored in the image memory (16a), and sequentially displayed (
17a). This display (17a
) serves as a viewfinder, allowing you to check what you have photographed.

Also, the image memory (
16a), this image data is sent to the amplitude phase modulation circuit (19) according to a program stored in advance in the program memory (12).

Further, the signal modulated by the amplitude phase modulation circuit (19) is wirelessly FM modulated by the modulation circuit (2o), and is transmitted to the antenna (
21) is transmitted to the antenna (22) of the telephone body (24).

Note that the CPU (11a) in the camera section (25)
, image controller (15a).

The image memory (16a) and program memory (12a) are the aforementioned CPU (11), image controller (15), and image memory (16), respectively.

This corresponds to the program memory (12).

Next, in the TV telephone main body (24), the received FM signal is demodulated into an image signal by a demodulation circuit (23), and this image signal is sent to the above-mentioned second
The image is stored in the image memory (16) based on a command from the CPU (11) using the same means as shown in the figure, and is sent to the other party via the telephone line.

As explained above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the camera section itself can be moved arbitrarily from the main body of the TV phone and is equipped with its own memory and display for storing image signals, so that the captured images can be Information can be temporarily stored and can be supplied to the phone main body as image data if necessary.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, this invention arranges the main body of the TV phone and the camera unit independently and connects them wirelessly, so that only the camera can be moved freely and the desired image can be transmitted to the other party. can do.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a still image TV phone device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional still image TV phone device, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the image transmission means of a conventional TV phone device. FIG. In the figure, (11) and (11a) are CPUs. (12), (12a) is the program memory, (14
) is an imaging camera, (15), (15a) is an image controller, (16), (16a) is an image memory, (17), (17a) is a display, (19)
is an amplitude phase modulation circuit, (20) is an FM modulation circuit, (21
), (22) is an antenna, (24) is a TV telephone main body, and (25) is a camera section. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or corresponding parts. Agent Patent attorney Masuo Oiwa (2 others) Videophone Switchboard Videophone (sequence diagram showing image transmission means) Figure 3 Procedure auxiliary equipment (self-produced)

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a still image TV phone device that transmits and receives still images captured by a TV camera using a telephone line, a TV phone main body and a camera section are arranged independently, and the camera section includes an imaging camera and an image signal captured by the camera. a storage unit that stores the image data as image data based on instructions from a CPU, a modulation circuit that modulates the stored image data into a wireless signal, and an antenna that transmits the modulated signal wirelessly to the TV phone main body. Still image TV characterized by being equipped with
Telephone device.