JPH0322781A - Automatic answering video telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately transmit a message which can not be sent only in voice by recording image information as message contents. CONSTITUTION:A transmitting circuit consists of a microphone 1, an automatic answering circuit 2, a transmitting and receiving circuit 3, a telephone line 4, a camera 5, an A/D converter 6, a memory 7, a P/S circuit 8, and a modulating circuit 9. A receiving circuit consists of a speaker 10, a demodulating circuit 11, an S/P circuit 12, a memory 13, a D/A converter 14, and a monitor 15; and the automatic answering circuit 2 is equipped with a magnetic tape 17 for answering and a magnetic tape 18 for messages. Then a pure voice signal and a still picture voice signal are recorded on a magnetic tape 18 while a signal for discriminating them is put in between and the recording contents of the magnetic tape 18 are reproduced as a voice and a picture. Thus, the image information can also be recorded, so necessary information can accurately be transmitted to an opposite party.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an answering video telephone device that is capable of recording image information. [Prior Art] Currently, various answering machines have been proposed, but all of these devices record voice messages. [Problem to be solved by the invention] Therefore, it has been difficult to accurately convey information. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an answering video telephone device that can also record image information so that necessary information can be accurately transmitted to the other party. [Means for Solving the Problems] For this purpose, the present invention records a pure audio signal and a still image audio signal on a magnetic tape with a signal that distinguishes them in between in a videophone device equipped with a camera and a monitor. and a reproducing means for reproducing audio and image of the recorded contents of the magnetic tape. The audio circuit is closed until the image creation is completed in the above image playback.
Can be put into ute state.

〔Example〕

Examples of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a telephone device according to one embodiment.

First, in the transmitting circuit, a pure voice signal from the microphone 1 is transmitted to the telephone line 4 from the transmitting/receiving circuit 3 via the answering machine circuit 2. Further, the image captured by the camera 5 is digitized by the A/D converter 6 and stored in the memory 7. and,
The image data read out from the memory 7 is converted from parallel data to serial data by a P/S circuit 8, converted to an audio signal by a modulation circuit 9, and then sent from a transmitting/receiving circuit 3 via an answering machine circuit 2 to a telephone line 4. is sent to. On the other hand, in the receiving circuit, a voice signal from a telephone line 4 is received by a transmitting/receiving circuit 3, passes through an answering machine circuit 2, and the pure voice signal is reproduced as it is by a speaker IO. Further, the video signal converted to an audio signal is demodulated by a demodulation circuit 11 to remove the audio signal and take out video data, which is converted from serial data to parallel data by an S/P circuit and stored in a memory 13. . The data read from the memory l3 is converted into analog data by the D/A converter l4 and reproduced on the monitor 15.

Then, when the still image transfer switch 16 is turned on on the transmitting side, one frame of the image captured by the camera 5 is recorded in the memory 7, and then read out at a speed corresponding to the transmission speed of the telephone line 4, The signal is sent to the telephone line 4 as an audio signal by the S circuit 8 and the modulation circuit 9. On the receiving side, when receiving the operation signal of the switch 16 on the sending side sent from the other side, the pure audio circuit including the speaker 10 is cut off (muted) and the image data sent is stored in the memory 13. become. Then, from the time when writing to the memory l3 starts, the image stored in the memory 13 is displayed on the monitor l5.
The image is reproduced as a still image, and when the writing to the memory 13 is completed, the pure audio circuit including the speaker becomes operable (off mute).

The answering machine circuit 2 is equipped with a response magnetic tape 17 and a message magnetic tape 18, and the response magnetic tape 17 receives a pure voice response signal, a response still image audio signal, a still image transfer start signal, a still image transfer end signal, etc. It is recorded in advance. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the answering machine circuit 2. If the answering machine circuit 2 on the receiving side is turned on, when the sending side makes a call, the answering magnetic table 17 of the answering machine 2 on the receiving side starts playing, and the pre-recorded "pure voice" Response 1 = Or Still image transfer start signal 1 = Or Still image audio signal 1 Still image transfer end signal J = Or Pure voice response J = Or Recording start signal'' Reproduction is performed in the order of transmitted to.

Therefore, on the transmitting side, after receiving this recording start signal,
``Pure audio message'' = Still image transfer start signal j → ``Still image audio signal'' R Still image transfer end signal 1 => r Pure audio message''
→r When the signals are transmitted in the order of call end signal 1, they are sequentially recorded in the form of voice signals on the message magnetic table l8. Here, for the ``r still image transfer start signal'' and the ``r still image transfer end signal'', an operation signal of the switch 16 may be used, or a predetermined pressing signal of a specific dial key may be used. In addition, even if the receiving side sets a certain time in advance to end the message recording and automatically issues a call end signal and ends the call after that time has elapsed, the message recording end can also be done by detecting that the transmitting side goes on-hook. It may be terminated as a call end signal.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of reproduction of message contents recorded on the message magnetic tape 1B. First, since "R Pure Voice Message" (voice) is played back, this sound is played back from the speaker 10. The following still image transfer start signal 1 (transfer start) is also reproduced in the same way. Next r still image audio signal j
When (image) is played back, the still image is written into the memory 13 and played back on the monitor 15. From this point on, the audio signal is muted and no audio is played back from the speaker 10 (silence). This ξUT state continues until the reproduction of the still image transfer end signal j is completed, that is, until the image is completely written into the memory 13. Then, when r pure audio message j (audio) is subsequently played back, the mute is canceled and the audio is played back from subika lO. This continues until the reproduction of the subsequent "still image transfer start signal" (transfer start) is completed. The above-mentioned still image reproduction continues until the next recorded still image is reproduced or the call ends. Thereafter, audio playback, audio mute, and still image playback are repeated as described above, depending on the recorded content.

Note that when observing a still image for a long time, it is sufficient to enter the pause state before the next transfer start signal arrives.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, image information can also be recorded as message content, so messages that are difficult or impossible to convey using voice alone can be accurately conveyed. Additionally, since signals that distinguish between pure audio signals and still image audio signals are recorded simultaneously, multiple calls can be recorded and played back in succession.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an answering video telephone apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of message recording, and FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of message reproduction.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a videophone device equipped with a camera and a monitor, a recording means for recording a pure audio signal and a still image audio signal on a magnetic tape with a signal that distinguishes them interposed therebetween;
An answering video telephone device characterized in that it is provided with a reproduction means for reproducing audio and image of the recorded contents of the magnetic tape. (2) The answering video telephone device according to claim 1, characterized in that the audio circuit is kept in a muted state until the image creation in the image reproduction is completed.