JPH0711069U - Portable image communication device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a portable image communication device which is downsized and which is easy to operate and convenient. In a portable image communication device including an image capturing / receiving device having an image pickup unit and an image display unit incorporated therein, and a transceiver transmitting / receiving image information obtained from the image capturing / receiving unit, an external device of the image capturing / receiving unit. An image that is readable and writable with the IC card by connecting the connecting portion to a card slot shape to which an IC card can be attached and connecting a digital interface that can be attached to the card slot portion to the transceiver side via a cable It is characterized in that an internal memory for storing information is provided in the image taking receiver.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a portable image communication apparatus including an image capturing / receiving device having an image pickup unit and an image display unit incorporated therein, and a transceiver for transmitting / receiving image information obtained from the image capturing / receiving unit.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Conventionally, it is composed of an image capturing device having an image pickup part and an image display part incorporated therein like a TV phone, and a transmitter / receiver for transmitting or receiving a video signal obtained from the image capturing / receiving device. 2. Description of the Related Art A portable image communication device, such as a TV phone, is known in which the image information captured by the image capturing device can be transmitted to a remote place and the image information can be received and displayed. As disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 3-104393 as this type of device, the image capturing device and the transceiver are configured to be detachable, and both can be electrically connected via an external connection terminal. In addition to the configuration, an IC card or other storage means is mounted in the image capturing / receiving device, the image capturing / receiving device is separated from the transceiver to perform image capturing, the image data is stored in the IC card, and then the image capturing / receiving device is stored. The receiver is mounted on the transceiver side so that the stored contents stored in the IC card can be transmitted via the transceiver.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, in such a conventional technique, since the IC card mounting portion and the external connection terminal are individually incorporated in the image capturing / receiving device, the image capturing / receiving device itself is increased in size. Moreover, the above technique is not convenient for portability because the external connection terminal is directly connected to the connection terminal on the transceiver side. Therefore, for example, in JP-A-1-132260, the image capturing device and the transmitter / receiver are separated from each other, and the two are connected by a cable for the convenience of handling the image capturing device. In, the moving range of the image capture device is restricted by the cable length.

In view of the above technical problems, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the size of the image capturing device itself, and to provide a portable image communication device in consideration of operability and convenience.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 The present invention relates to a portable image communication device including an image capturing / receiving device having an image pickup unit and an image display unit incorporated therein, and a transmitter / receiver for transmitting / receiving image information obtained from the image capturing / receiving unit, which is an external device of the image capturing / receiving unit. The connection part has a card slot shape that allows an IC card to be installed, and a digital interface that can be installed in the card slot part is connected to the transceiver side via a cable so that read / write can be performed with the IC card. It is characterized in that an internal memory for storing such image information is provided in the image taking receiver. The card slot part may be, for example, a JEIDA Ver. You can use the card slot part according to the guideline named 4.1.

[0006]

[Action]

 According to such a technical means, since the image capturing device and the transmitter / receiver are connected via a cable, not only the image capturing device can be freely moved by the cable length, but also the image receiving device can be received. Since it has an internal memory and an IC card for use, it is possible to freely pick up the image with the transceiver removed. In this case, the image information is stored in the internal memory in advance, and the image information is transmitted. It is possible to transmit easily by connecting the digital interface on the transmitter side to the card slot section. On the contrary, the image information received from the transmitter / receiver is stored in advance in the internal memory of the image capturing / receiving device, and the image capturing / receiving device can display the image information when necessary. It is also possible to insert an IC card into and transfer the image information stored in the internal memory to the IC card side. The most significant feature of the present invention is that the external terminal of the image capturing device is composed of the card slot part, so it can be used in common with an IC card, and the image capturing device itself can be easily downsized. To be done.

[0007]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be illustratively described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in this embodiment are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to this, unless there is a specific description, and are simple. It is only an example. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is composed of an image capturing device 1 and a transceiver 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the image taking receiver 1 is composed of an image pickup unit 10 in which an optical image pickup unit 101 is incorporated and a peripheral electric circuit therein, and a main body 11 which rotatably supports the image pickup unit 10. The main body 11 is provided with a liquid crystal display section 112 for displaying an image and a key input operation section 106 on its front surface side. Further, an external device connecting portion 110 in the shape of a card slot into which an IC card can be attached is provided on the bottom surface of the image capturing / receiving device 1. In the present embodiment, the external device connection unit 110 is, for example, the JEIDA Ver. When the IC memory card 13 has a card slot shape according to the guideline named 4.1, and the IC memory card 13 is installed as an external device, the external storage device is connected by the control unit 107 shown in FIG. If it is determined that the internal memory 108 has been expanded, or it functions as an independent file system, and the digital interface 21 for mobile phones, which will be described later, is installed as an external device, the above-mentioned control is performed. The unit 107 acquires information regarding signal specifications from the mounted interface 21, determines operation specifications of the external device connection unit 110, and enables transfer of image information.

The transmitter / receiver 2 is configured as a digital mobile telephone, for example, a digital cellular telephone or a second generation digital cordless telephone, and the mobile telephone is provided with a digital interface 21 that can be attached to the external device connection unit 110 by a cable 22. Connect via. Of course, the transceiver 2 can also be used in an analog type mobile telephone, in which case the interface 21 has a built-in modem function for digital / analog conversion.

FIG. 3 shows an internal circuit configuration diagram of the image taking receiver 1. In this embodiment, an optical / imaging unit 101 including a lens for capturing an image and a CCD, and an analog / digital (A / D) conversion for digitizing an image signal converted into an electric signal by the optical / imaging unit 101. A signal processing unit 103 for performing signal processing such as color conversion on the digital image signal converted by the A / D converter 102, and a digital image signal processed by the signal processing unit 103 temporarily. A frame memory 104, an encoder / decoder 105 for compressing / encoding the digital image signal temporarily stored in the frame memory 104, and an encoded image signal encoded by the encoder / decoder 105. An internal memory 108 for storing a plurality of screens and a digital image temporarily stored in the frame memory 104 Digital / analog (D / A) converter 111 for converting the signal into a displayable image signal, a display unit 112 for displaying the image signal converted by the D / A converter 111, the IC card 13 or a mobile phone. The external device connection unit (card slot unit) 110 to which the digital interface 21 of FIG. 1 can be connected, the operation unit 106 for instructing the operation of the device, the control unit 107 for controlling the operation of the device, and the encoder. A decoder 105, a control unit 107, an internal memory 108, and a data bus 109 for transferring data between an external device connection unit 110.

To explain the operation, the digital image signal converted by the A / D converter 102 is, for example, a digital signal with an accuracy of 10 bits per sample, and the signal processing unit 103 uses the gamma correction. , The video signal processing such as color space conversion, and the control information extraction for controlling the optical / imaging unit are performed, and for example, an 8-bit luminance color difference signal per sample is output, and the processing result is the frame. It is stored in the memory 104. For example, the digital image signal stored in the frame memory 104 consists of a luminance / color difference signal of horizontal 720 pixels × vertical 480 lines per screen, and has an information amount of about 700 kbytes per screen. At this time, the digital image information stored in the frame memory 104 is simultaneously transferred to the D / A converter 111, converted into a displayable image signal, and then sent to the display unit 112. It is possible to take images while visually confirming the information.

When the user gives an instruction to capture an image using the operation unit 106, the control unit 107 transfers the image information stored in the frame memory 104 to the encoder / decoder 105, For example, it is compressed / encoded by the JPEG system and transferred to the internal memory 108 via the data bus 109, but the digital image information is compressed to a capacity of several tenths by the function of the encoder / decoder 105, and Contribute to effective use. The internal memory 108 is constructed by using, for example, four EPROMs each having a capacity of 1 Mbyte, and the stored contents are retained even after the power of the apparatus is turned off. When the encoder / decoder 105 compresses the image to 1/20, for example, the amount of information per screen is about 40 kbytes including the management information, and the storage capacity of 4 M bytes is about 100 images. Can be stored, which is sufficient for still images.

Further, the image information stored in the internal memory 108 can be taken into the IC card 13 mounted on the external device connecting section 10 as needed. When transmitting the image information stored in the internal memory 108, the IC card 13 attached to the external device connection unit 110 is removed and the digital interface 21 of the mobile telephone is attached to connect to the mobile telephone, and the remote control is performed. It becomes possible to send it to the ground. In this case, it is also possible to receive image information from the home or workplace using the mobile phone, and in this case as well, after the captured information is temporarily stored in the internal memory 108, the IC is connected to the external device connection section. The card 13 can be reattached to store data, and information including images can be searched and the contents can be confirmed.

In the above embodiment, the still image capturing / displaying / transmitting function has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the still image but can be applied to capturing / displaying / transmitting a moving image. When applied to a moving image, the encoder / decoder 105 uses the H.264 standard of CCITT standard. The H.261 standard can be used, and moving image communication can be performed with a widely used TV conference device or a TV telephone device.

[0014]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, since the external terminal of the image capturing / receiving device is composed of the card slot portion, it can be shared with the IC card, and the image capturing / receiving device itself can be easily downsized. In addition to achieving this, it is not necessary to build in hardware of various interfaces and software that describes operation specifications in advance in the main body, so it is possible to reduce the size and weight of the device and reduce the cost, which is useful for users. Is. In addition, when a digital mobile phone is connected via a digital interface, it can be used not only for capturing image information, but also as a versatile and multifunctional image communication terminal, which is convenient for users. The effect of is enormous.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a portable image communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the image capturing and receiving side of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a circuit block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the image capturing device shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 image pickup section 11 image display section 1 image taking receiver 2 transceiver 13 IC card 21 digital interface 22 cable 108 internal memory 110 external device connection section

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A portable image communication device comprising: an image capturing device incorporating an image capturing section and an image display section; and a transceiver transmitting and receiving image information obtained from the image capturing section, comprising: The external device connecting portion is formed in a card slot shape into which an IC card can be attached, and a digital interface attachable to the card slot portion is configured to be connectable to the transceiver side via a cable, and leads to and from the IC card. Portable image communication device characterized in that an internal memory for storing writable image information is provided in the image capturing device.