JPH08181959A - Image communication terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To facilitate the changeover of the input mode when a signal camera is used in common for portrait and written arts. CONSTITUTION: The default mode is selected for the portrait mode and a camera 40 is directed in a horizontal direction. An input image by the camera 40 is coded as a motion image and it is sent to an opposite party. When the written art mode is selected, the camera 40 is directed downward vertically by using a camera base 48 and the input image of the camera 40 is set upside down, the image is coded as a still image, which is sent to the communication opposite party. In the case of the written art mode, there are three modes, a normal resolution mode, a high resolution one image input mode. and a plural image input with high resolution mode. In the two former modes, the portrait mode is automatically selected at the end of input (transmission) and in the last mode, the portrait mode is automatically selected at the input end operation.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image communication terminal device in which one camera is used for both portrait photography and document photography.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, audiovisual services such as videophones and videoconference systems have received attention, and service specifications, protocol specifications, and multimedia multiplexing frame structure specifications have been announced as ITU-IT Recommendation H series. . Under these rules, images, sounds, data, etc. can be communicated simultaneously.

In such multimedia communication, a voice coding method of voice information and a transfer rate of data information are designated. The transfer rate of image information is the remainder obtained by subtracting the transfer rate of voice information and the transfer rate of data information from the transfer rate of the entire available communication path. For image coding of moving images,
High efficiency coding is used.

In the video conference system, a camera (portrait camera) for inputting a user's image and a camera (document camera) for inputting conference materials and the like are used. Further, in a small video conference system or a videophone, one camera may be used as both a portrait camera and a document camera.

[0005]

When a document image is transmitted as a moving image, the image quality is deteriorated due to the influence of block distortion or the like.
On the other hand, when a document image is transmitted as a still image, the image quality is improved, but operations such as page turning and pointing are not transmitted to the partner terminal. Therefore, in the document transmission, it is necessary to properly use the moving image transmission and the still image transmission according to the needs of the user, and the operation for that purpose is complicated in the conventional example.

When one camera is used for both a person and a document, a person is usually photographed with the camera oriented horizontally, and when photographing a document, the camera is vertically lowered. It will be directed. In the conventional example, when the input of the high-resolution still image in the writing mode is completed, the user has to manually change the direction of the camera to the direction of the person, which complicates the operation.

An object of the present invention is to provide an image communication terminal device that makes these troublesome operations easy for the user.

That is, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image communication terminal device capable of selecting whether to transmit a moving image or a still image of a document by a simple operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an image communication terminal device in which switching from a document mode for photographing a document to a person mode for photographing a person is simplified.

[0010]

An image communication terminal device according to the present invention comprises a camera, an operation panel, a tilting mechanism for directing the camera's shooting direction downward, and a camera input image when the camera's shooting direction is downward. Upside down means for inverting the upside-down direction, a video input mode selecting means for selecting a video input mode by inputting to the operation panel, and a shooting direction for setting the shooting direction of the camera based on the result of the video input mode selecting means. An image communication terminal device comprising a setting means and a communication path setting means for setting a communication path for moving image data and a communication path for still image data, when a user selects a high resolution writing mode by a video input mode selecting means. The camera input image is transmitted as still image data.

[0011]

With the above means, the person mode can be switched to the writing mode by a simple operation. Furthermore, by providing a means for detecting the end of high-resolution still image input, it becomes possible to automatically switch to the person mode when the high-resolution still image input is completed.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a video conference terminal which is an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1
Reference numeral 0 is a CPU (central processing unit), 12 is a ROM storing a program of the CPU 10, and 14 is a RAM used as a work area when the CPU 10 executes the program, which are mutually connected via a system bus 16. A mouse 20 is connected to the system bus 16 via a mouse interface 18, and a keyboard 24 is connected to the system bus 16 via a keyboard interface 22. CPU1
0, the ROM 12 and the RAM 14 constitute a system control circuit 26 for controlling the whole. That is, the system control circuit 26 sends the mouse 20, via the system bus 16,
It monitors and controls the states of the keyboard 24 and each device to be described later, and the ITU-T Recommendation H.264. It controls communication according to 242, creates an operation / display screen according to the state, and executes various application programs.

Reference numeral 30 designates a handset which is a voice input / output means in which a microphone and a speaker are integrated, 32 is a microphone which is a voice input means, 34 is a speaker which is a voice output means, and 36.
Is a process for switching the handset 30, the microphone 32 and the speaker 34, an on / off hook detection process for detecting whether the handset 30 is in an on-hook state or an off-hook state, and when the microphone 32 and the speaker 34 are used as voice input / output means. Echo to erase echo on
Cancellation process, dial tone, ring tone,
A voice control circuit 38 that performs a tone generation process such as a busy tone and a ring tone, and a voice encoding / decoding circuit 38 that encodes a voice signal to be transmitted and decodes a received encoded voice signal.

Reference numeral 40 designates a camera for inputting a self-portrait, a document, etc. into a video, 42 a monitor / display for displaying an input image by the camera 40 and an image received from a partner terminal, and an operation screen, and 44 a video memory. However, a video control circuit for performing the upside-down of the input image from the camera 40, the switching process of the input image, the received image and the operation screen to the display 42 and the image combining process for displaying them on the display 42 in a divided manner. Is a video encoding / decoding circuit that encodes and decodes a moving image according to TTC Recommendation JT-H261, and encodes and decodes a still image according to JPEG. When encoding a still image, the video encoding / decoding circuit 46 encodes the image from the video control circuit 44, and temporarily stores the encoded data in the RAM 14. The camera 40 is mounted on the camera stand 48. The camera base 48 can pan and tilt the camera 40, and the system control circuit 26 can control the pan and tilt of the camera base 48 and the zoom and focus of the camera 40 via the system bus and data interface 50. The data interface 50 can be used, for example, in the circuit built in the camera base 48 for RS.
Connect at 232-C.

A data control circuit 52 reads data stored in the RAM 18 and outputs the data for transmission and writes the received data from the communication line to the RAM 18 according to an instruction from the system control circuit 26.

Reference numeral 54 is a line interface for controlling line connection and communication according to the ISDN user / network interface, which is connected to the ISDN line in this embodiment. 5
6 is ITU-T Recommendation H.264. 221, the audio information from the audio encoding / decoding circuit 38, the image information from the video encoding / decoding circuit 46, the data from the data control circuit 52, and the command from the system control circuit 26 are multiplexed in transmission frame units. At the same time, the received frame from the line interface 54 is separated into each piece of information of the constituent unit,
It is a demultiplexing circuit supplied to each part.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the camera base 48. Reference numeral 60 denotes a platform that directly supports the camera 40, and can pan and tilt the camera 40 within a predetermined angle range.
The platform 60 also connects to the camera 40 control signals from the system control circuit 26 which controls its zoom and focus. Reference numeral 62 is a column that supports the platform 60, and 64 is a writing table on which documents 66 taken by the camera 40 are placed. The platform 60 is rotatably movable between a position in which the camera 40 is oriented horizontally (portrait mode) and a position in which the camera 40 is oriented vertically downward (that is, in the direction of the writing table 64) (writing mode). It is attached to the connecting portion 68 at the tip. A motor is incorporated in the connecting portion 68, and the system control circuit 26 drives the camera 4
The direction of 0 can be electrically controlled. That is, in the writing mode, as shown in FIG. 3, the motor of the connecting portion 68 causes the camera 40 to face downward.
The camera 40 is oriented horizontally as shown in FIG. FIG.
4 and FIG. 4 are front views of the platform 60 and the column 62.

FIG. 5 shows an operation window displayed on the display 42 for the user to control the image input of the camera 40. A video input control window 70 is displayed when the user selects the camera control menu from the main menu. Reference numerals 72 and 74 are pan buttons that are clicked with a mouse when instructing panning in the left-right direction of the camera 40, 72 is a left pan button, and 74 is a right pan button. 76 and 78 are tilts that are clicked with the mouse when instructing the camera 40 to tilt in the vertical direction.
Reference numeral 76 denotes an upper tilt button, and 78 denotes a lower tilt button. Buttons 80 and 82 are clicked when instructing zooming, 80 is a tele zoom button, and 82 is a wide zoom button.

Reference numeral 84 is a person mode button to be selected when a person image is input, 86 is a document mode button to be selected when a document image is input, and 88 is a high resolution document (one sheet).
High resolution document (1 sheet) mode to select when inputting
Buttons 90 are high-resolution document (plural) mode buttons to be selected when inputting high-resolution document (plural).
These buttons 84, 86, 88, 90 are used for the camera 40.
It is a radio button for switching the human power mode, and only one of them can be selected, and a black circle is displayed on the selected button.

A system menu button 92 is used when closing the video input control window 70.

FIG. 6 shows a high-resolution document (plural sheets) button 9.
When 0 is selected, a window displayed on the display 42 when one image is input is shown. 94
Is a window of a modal dialog box, and is automatically deleted by pressing the OK button 96 or the End button 98. The OK button 96 is pressed when the user sets the next original, and the End button 98 is pressed by the user when the high-resolution document input (plurality) is completed.

Referring to FIG. 7, video input control window 7
The operation of the system control circuit 26 when the user presses any one of the 0 input mode buttons 84, 86, 88, 90 will be described. When the connection with the partner terminal is completed, the default input mode is the person mode.

The pressed button is the person mode button 8
Check if it is 4 (S1), person mode button 8
If it is not 4, a document mode button 86, high resolution document (1 sheet) mode button 88 or high resolution document (plural)
Any of the mode buttons 90 is being pressed. Therefore, the upside down command is transmitted to the video control circuit 24 so that the image input from the camera 40 is not displayed upside down, and the upside down image of the camera input is inverted (S).
2). Next, a camera rotation command is transmitted to the camera base 48 via the data interface 50, and the connection unit 68
3 to rotate the camera 40 to move the camera 40 to the document table 64 as shown in FIG.
(S3).

It is checked whether or not the drawing mode button 86 has been selected (S4), and if it has been selected, the processing ends. If it is not selected (S4), it means that the high resolution writing mode is selected, and first, it is determined whether or not data transfer is possible (S5). Of course, if there is no data transfer capability, the capability is exchanged with the other terminal to enable data transfer. If data transfer is not possible (S
5) Display a dialog to the user, "The other terminal does not have data transfer capability.", And the process ends (S).
11).

If data transfer is possible (S5), RAM
One frame of the image stored in 14 (the video memory) is transferred to the video encoding / decoding circuit 46, and the video encoding / decoding circuit 46 JPEG encodes the image and stores the encoded data in the RAM 14. (S6). When this process ends, the system control circuit 26 instructs the data control circuit 52 to start data transmission, and starts transmission of the JPEG encoded still image data stored in the RAM 14 (S).
7). When the data control circuit 52 finishes the transmission, it releases the channel secured for the data transfer to another medium and finishes the data transmission.

High resolution document (one sheet) was selected first
If it is the mode button 88 (S8), the upside down in the video control circuit 2 is canceled (S12), the camera base 48 is controlled through the data interface 50 to rotate the connecting portion 68, and then the connection portion 68 is rotated, as shown in FIG. The camera 40 is pointed at the person (S13).

[0028] The high-resolution document image (one sheet) was selected first.
If it is not the mode button 88 (S8), it means that the high resolution document (plurality) mode button 90 has been selected, and a dialog box 94 prompting the user to set the next original is displayed (S9). If the end button 98 is clicked (S10), the upside down is canceled (S1
2) If the camera 40 is pointed at a person (S13) and the OK button 96 is clicked (S10), the process returns to S6, and the still image capture, encoding, and transmission are repeated (S6, S).
7).

[0029]

As can be easily understood from the above description, according to the present invention, the person mode and the writing mode can be selected by a simple operation. Further, among the drawing modes, normal-resolution input, high-resolution input once, and high-resolution input multiple times can be selected by a simple operation. Since the mode is automatically switched to the person mode when the input of the strokes is completed (when a plurality of strokes are selected, the end operation is performed), it is possible to save the trouble of manually changing the orientation of the camera.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration block diagram of a video conference terminal that is an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a camera base 48.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a platform 60 and a support column 62 in a writing mode.

FIG. 4 is a front view of a platform 60 and a support column 62 in a person mode.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a video input control window of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a dialog window displayed when high-resolution document image input is completed.

FIG. 7 is an operation flowchart when the user presses an input mode button on the video input control window.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10: CPU (Central Processing Unit) 12: ROM 14: RAM 16: System Bus 18: Mouse Interface 20: Mouse 22: Keyboard Interface 24: Keyboard 26: System Control Circuit 30: Handset 32: Microphone 34: Speaker 36 : Voice control circuit 38: voice encoding / decoding circuit 40: camera 42: monitor display 44: video control circuit 46: video encoding / decoding circuit 48: camera stand 50: data interface 52: data control circuit 54: line Interface 56: Multiplexing / demultiplexing circuit 60: Head platform 62: Support column 64: Document platform 66: Document 68: Connection section 70: Video input control window 72: Left pan button 74: Right pan button 76: Up tilt button 78 : Down tilt button 80: Tele Zoom button 82: Wide zoom button 84: Portrait mode button 86: Document mode button 88: High resolution document (single) mode button 90: High resolution document (multiple) mode button 92: System menu・ Button 94: Modal dialog box window 96: OK button 98: Exit button

Claims (2)

[Claims] Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A camera, an operation panel, a tilting mechanism for directing the shooting direction of the camera downward, an upside-down reversing means for reversing the upside-down direction of a camera input image when the shooting direction of the camera is down, and an operation panel. Video input mode selecting means for selecting a video input mode by input, shooting direction setting means for setting a shooting direction of the camera based on the result of the video input mode selecting means, a communication path for moving image data and still image data An image communication terminal device, comprising: a communication path setting means for setting a communication path, wherein a camera input image is transmitted as still image data when a user selects a high resolution writing mode by a video input mode selecting means. Image communication terminal device. 2. The image communication terminal device according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting the end of high-resolution still image input, and pointing the camera to a person when the high-resolution still image input is completed.