JPH11196183A - Picture transmission system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a picture transmission system which can easily be arranged in an arbitrary zone or area where a public telephone line network is provided, which can take a photograph of an object of an unmanned area or an object to be taken in response to a communication access of a picture reception device and to a remote control through a public telephone line network at an arbitrary period and can transmit picture data to the picture reception device at a remote place by means of the public telephone line network. SOLUTION: The proposed picture transmission system is provided with a picture transmission device 1 and a picture reception device 5, which can execute communication through a telephone line network T. The picture transmission device 1 is provided with a CCD camera 11 with an incorporated CCD image pickup element and is provided with a control part 10 for controlling the operation of the CCD camera 11 and for executing a picture transmission processing. The control part 10 and communication MODEM are stored in a comparatively small casing and an integrated picture transmission unit is constituted. The picture reception device 5 accesses to the picture transmission device 1 through the telephone line network at an arbitrary period and controls the operation of the CCD camera 11.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image transmission system, and more particularly, to a system for transmitting image data of a CCD camera to a remote PC at an arbitrary time via a public telephone network. The present invention relates to an image transmission system for displaying image data on a terminal display device of a personal computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various types of image transfer apparatuses or image transmission apparatuses for transmitting a still image picked up by a CCD (solid-state image sensor) camera to a remote personal computer (personal computer) or a computer terminal are known. This type of image transmission apparatus digitizes a still image of a CCD camera and transmits the digital image to a remote PC or the like via a dedicated line or a public telephone line network. Display a still image on the terminal display device. This type of image transmission apparatus is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-8-191487, Japanese Patent Application No. 8-9095, and Japanese Patent Application No. 9-18.
No. 849 or Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 9-35427.

For example, a remote operation system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-191487 converts an image of an operation target or an object taken by an image pickup means such as a CCD camera into an image data signal of a predetermined format in a target computer. After that, the data is transmitted to a remote host computer via various communication systems such as an analog line, an ISDN line, or a wireless communication line. The host computer analyzes and processes the image data signal received via the communication system by an image processing program, and displays an image on a screen of a terminal display device such as a CRT or an LCD. In addition,
JP-A-8-9095 discloses a still image transfer device in which an image transmission section is provided in a general video camera body with a built-in CCD. The image transmission unit is connected to a public telephone line network, and is communicably connected to the image monitor device via the telephone line. The imaging unit of the video camera is initialized in advance to a predetermined imaging position and imaging conditions, and the imaging data formed on the CCD imaging device is transmitted to the other party or the receiving image monitor device via the public telephone line network. Then, an image is displayed on a display device of the image monitor device.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional image transmission system using a public telephone line network, the image transmission system includes an image pickup apparatus for picking up and transmitting an image and a manual for the image transfer apparatus. It can only be configured to operate in response to activation and / or manual operation control and to transmit image data to the public telephone network. Therefore, in a conventional image transmission system, when and how the image data is transmitted Is the side of the image transmitting device,
That is, it can only be managed and controlled from the image data transmitting device side. For this reason, depending on the image transmission system having the conventional configuration, the image data transmitting device is accessed at an arbitrary time from the image receiving device such as an image monitor device or an image receiving device at a remote place, and an arbitrary image is appropriately transmitted. Can not be obtained. Thus, according to the conventional image transmission system, when it is necessary to acquire image data in a remote place, the image transmission side device located in the same area as the subject is managed and controlled, and the image reception side receives the image from the image transmission side device. It is necessary to access the side device, and it is therefore extremely difficult to completely unmanned the area of the subject and the image data transmitting device.

On the other hand, the area of the subject and the image transmitting device may be completely unmanned, and it may be necessary to obtain an image of the subject from the image transmitting device at any time by this type of image transmission system. In this case, a dedicated line or a dedicated communication cable that connects the image sending side device and the image receiving side device so that they can always communicate with each other is provided, and the image sending side device and the image receiving side device can communicate with each other via the dedicated communication system. , And both devices must be synchronized or coordinated. Thus, it is possible to provide an image transmission device which can be easily arranged in any district or area where the public telephone network is provided, and to provide a communication access signal of the image receiving device transmitted via the public telephone network at any time. In addition, there is a demand for an early practical use of an image transmission system capable of photographing a subject or an object to be imaged in an unmanned area in response to a remote control signal and transmitting image data to an image receiving apparatus via a public telephone network.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image transmission system for acquiring an image of a remote place via a public telephone network.
It can be easily located in any district or area where the public telephone network is deployed, and responds to the communication access and remote control of the image receiving device made via the public telephone network at any time and the unmanned area. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image transmission system capable of photographing an object or an object to be imaged and transmitting image data to a remote image receiving apparatus via a public telephone network. Another object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive image transmission device having a small and simple configuration, which constitutes an image transmission side device of the transmission system which can be relatively easily installed in an unmanned area where a subject is located. .

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an image transmission system for acquiring an image of a remote place via a public telephone network, which is capable of intercommunication via a telephone network. An image transmission device and an image reception device, wherein the image transmission device has a CCD image pickup device.
A control unit and a communication unit for controlling the operation of the CCD image pickup device and transmitting an image of image data are provided. The control unit receives the image at any time via a public telephone network. Password determining means for determining whether or not a password transmitted from the apparatus is appropriate; CCD control means for controlling the operation of the CCD image capturing apparatus based on a control signal of the image receiving apparatus; An image transmission system comprising: image transmission processing means for processing image data of the CCD imaging device into image data.

According to the image transmission system having the above configuration, the image receiving apparatus accesses the image transmitting apparatus at any time via the public telephone network, and the control unit of the image transmitting apparatus transmits the image transmitting apparatus via the telephone network. After the input password is verified by the password determining means, the image transmitting apparatus and the image receiving apparatus are allowed to communicate with each other, and in response to an operation signal input from the image receiving apparatus via the telephone network, the CCD image capturing apparatus is used. Is controlled by the CCD control means, and the image data of the CCD image pickup apparatus is transmitted to the image receiving apparatus via the telephone line network by the image transmission processing means and the communication means. Thus, according to the above-described image transmission system, the remote imaging area in which the subject is located is substantially completely unmanned without arranging a dedicated line or a dedicated communication cable or the like. By accessing the image transmission apparatus, the image of the subject can be displayed on the image reception apparatus.

The present invention is also an image transmission apparatus usable in the above image transmission system, wherein the control unit and the communication means are arranged in a casing having a communication connection port which can be easily connected to a public telephone line. The image transmission apparatus is provided with a password input unit and a password storage unit capable of initially setting a password in the casing. According to the image transmission device having the above configuration, there is provided an image transmission device of an integral unit type in which the control unit and the communication modem are built in a casing. The image transmission device is easily arranged in an unmanned area, an unmanned house or an unmanned building in a district or a region where a public telephone network is provided, and constitutes an inexpensive remote monitoring system using the public telephone network.

[0010]

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a main body of a CCD image pickup device (CCD camera) is built in the casing, and an optical lens assembly of the CCD camera is mounted on a predetermined portion of the casing. It is arranged so that an image can be taken.

[0011] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the image transmission device includes a plurality of CCD cameras. Each CCD
The cameras are disposed in the casing, respectively, or a plurality of CCD cameras separate from the casing are connected to each other in a communicable manner with a control unit in the casing via data transmission means such as a data transmission cable. .

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an image transmission apparatus includes a communication modem for converting a digital signal into an analog signal. The communication modem includes a modem data pump (MDP) and a telephone line interface (DA).
A), which is connected to an analog public telephone network.

[0013] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the password input means includes a key input panel capable of manually inputting an initial setting password at the start of use, and a liquid crystal display for displaying the input password.
The key input panel and the liquid crystal display are connected to the control unit via an LCD / input device interface. Preferably, the control unit includes a numerical signal processing device (DS)
P), a DRAM, an NVRAM, a ROM, and a power supply control unit. The components of the control unit are interconnected via a bus wiring, and connected to a CCD camera and a public telephone network via a CCD interface and a communication modem. Connected.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing the overall configuration of the image transmission system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The image transmission device 1 is connected to an image reception device 5 via a public telephone line network T. Image transmission device 1,
The telephone line network T and the image receiving device 5 include a CCD camera 11
An image transmission system for displaying the image data of the image on a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display device 52 is constituted.

The image receiving device 5 constitutes a computer main body 50 for performing image processing on image data transmitted through the telephone network T, an input device 51 including a keyboard and / or a mouse (pointing device), and image display means. It comprises a general-purpose personal computer (PC) having a terminal CRT type display device 52. The computer main body 50 constitutes a personal computer terminal having a built-in CPU (Central Processing Unit), arithmetic devices such as various memories and a hard disk, a storage device and a storage medium, and a communication port of the computer main body 50 is connected via a communication modem 60 to a telephone. It is connected to the network T. The communication information such as the ID number and the password input by the input device 51 is transmitted to the telephone network T via the communication modem 60 together with a predetermined communication command.
Is output to If desired, CCD operating conditions for controlling the operation of the CCD camera 11 are input by the input device 51 and output from the communication modem 60 to the telephone network T as CCD control information (operation instruction signal). In the present embodiment, digital signals constituting communication information and CCD control information are converted into analog signals by the communication modem 60, transmitted to the telephone network T as analog signals, and input to the control unit 10 of the image transmission device 1.

The image transmission device 1 includes a CCD camera 11 having a built-in CCD image pickup device, and a control unit 10 for controlling the operation of the CCD camera 11. The control unit 10 converts the image of the subject S optically formed on the surface of the CCD image sensor through the optical lens into image data, compresses the image data, and converts / converts the image data file into a transmittable image data file. In this embodiment, the telephone line network T is a general analog telephone line network to which analog telephones T1 and T2 can be connected, and image data modulated by the image transmission device 1 into analog signals is
The data is transmitted from the control unit 10 to the communication modem 60 of the image receiving device 5 via the telephone line network T.

FIG. 2 is a schematic overall perspective view showing the appearance of the image transmission device 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the entire configuration of the image transmission device 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the image transmission device 1 includes a main body of the CCD camera 11 and the control unit 1.
0 or a housing or housing 19 accommodating therein. A lens portion or a lens assembly of the CCD camera 11 and a key input panel 32 for manually inputting a password are arranged at predetermined portions of the casing 19.
Liquid crystal display (LC
A D (Liquid Crystal Display) 31 is disposed adjacent to the key input panel 32 so as to be visible.

A telephone terminal connection port 33 to which one end of the telephone line 34 can be connected is provided at a predetermined position of the casing 19, for example,
It is arranged on the side wall of the casing 19. The other end of the telephone line 34 is connected to a telephone line outlet terminal (not shown) arranged near the image transmission device 1. As shown in FIG. 3, a 32-bit numeric signal processor (Digital Signal Processing)
Processor 20, an LCD / input device interface 30 for inputting initial settings such as a password, and a communication modem 40 connected to a telephone terminal connection port 33. Show)
Built in. Numeric signal processing device 20 (hereinafter referred to as DSP
20) are CPU, DRAM (Dymanic RandomAcc)
An essential part of the control unit 10 is provided with various components (not shown) such as an ess memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory) and an external interface. Numeric signal processing device 20
An external interface (hereinafter referred to as DSP 20) is connected to the CCD interface 1 via the bus wiring network 14.
3, connected to the LCD / input device interface 30 and the communication modem 40, and connected to the DRAM 15, NVR
It is connected to an AM (non-volatile memory) 16, a ROM 17, and a power control unit 18. The DRAM 15 is used for receiving and processing the output (image data) of the CCD camera 11,
The NVRAM 16 is used for storing a password set by the user. If desired, the NVRAM 16 stores the user's ID number, or unique initial setting data such as the device number of the image transmission apparatus 1 or specific identification data. Further, the power supply control unit 18 is connected to a power supply such as an external power supply, a rechargeable built-in battery or a built-in battery, and variably controls the supply of power for driving each component of the image transmission device 1.

The CCD interface 13 has an A / D
It is connected to the CCD camera 11 via the (analog / digital) converter 12 and the control wiring 25. CCD camera 1
The image data output (analog signal) is digitally converted by the A / D converter 12 and converted into a digital signal.
The data is output from the D interface 13 to the bus wiring network 14. A CCD control signal input to the CCD interface 13 to control the operation of the CCD camera 11 is supplied to a driving unit (not shown) of the CCD camera 11 via a control wiring 25.
Is input to The drive unit of the CCD camera 11 responds to the CCD control signal to control the position of the CCD image sensor and the optical lens assembly, the shooting angle, the resolution, the shooting magnification (zoom magnification)
The contrast, the degree of exposure, the color tone and the like are adjusted, and the image data output of the CCD camera 11 is adjusted.

LCD / input device interface 30
Are connected to a liquid crystal display (LCD) 31 and a key input panel 32 arranged on the casing 19 of the image transmission device 1. The password input to the LCD / input device interface 30 by the key input panel 32 is
Liquid crystal display 3 as numerical information and / or character information
2 and via the bus wiring network 14
The signal is input to the AM 15 and written to the DRAM 15. The ROM 17 connected to the bus wiring network 14 includes a readable IC storage element storing a drive control program of the image transmission device 1. DSP (Digital Signal Processor) 2
0 reads out the drive control program stored in the ROM 17, processes the image data received by the DRAM 15 into transmission data of a predetermined protocol according to the drive program, and transmits relatively large-scale image data of a desired transmission capacity. Compress to data. Processing by DSP20
The compressed transmission data is input to the communication modem 40 via the bus wiring network 14.

The communication modem 40 includes a modem data pump 41 (hereinafter, MDP 41) connected to the bus wiring network 14.
And a telephone line interface 42 (hereinafter, referred to as DAA 42) connected to the telephone line network T. The MDP 41 is an ASI in which a DSP, an AD / DA converter, a relay drive, etc. are integrated in a single chip structure.
C, which can be generally used for personal computer communication using a telephone line. The transmission data input to the MDP 41 via the bus wiring network 14 is a DAA (Direct Access Arrangement) for receiving and transmitting a modem signal.
It is output to the telephone line network T via. DAA
42 receives communication information and CCD control information transmitted to the image transmission apparatus 1 via the telephone network T, and transmits the communication information and CCD control signals to the bus wiring network 1 via the MDP 41.
4 is output.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of a software configuration of the image transmission apparatus 1, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an outline of a software configuration of the image reception apparatus 5. As shown in FIG. 4, the drive control program stored in the ROM 17 of the image transmission device 1 includes a basic control portion that controls the basic operation of the image transmission device 1, a modem control portion that functions in association with the basic control portion, and a CCD. Camera control part, L
It has a CD panel control section and a key input panel control section. The DSP 20 of the image transmission device 1 reads the drive control program stored in the ROM 17, and operates the CCD camera 11, the LCD / input device interface 30 (the liquid crystal display 31 and the key input panel 32) and the communication modem 40 according to the drive control program. Control.

On the other hand, driver software for initializing and controlling the operation of the communication modem 60 is installed in the storage device of the computer main body 50 constituting the image receiving apparatus 5, and the activation, connection and data communication of the image transmitting apparatus 1 are performed. And an image receiving / processing program for controlling image data reception, decompression, data processing and image display. As shown in FIG. 5, the software configuration of the image receiving / processing program includes a control main part for controlling the basic operation of the image receiving apparatus 5, and the basic components of the image receiving apparatus 5 are related to the control main part. Modem control part for controlling operation, image data reception / display part,
It has a telephone number / password management part and an image data / file management / data storage part. The modem control unit controls the operation of the communication modem 60 and a communication output signal according to a predetermined communication command and communication protocol, and performs mutual communication between the image receiving device 5 and the image transmitting device 1 via the communication modem 60 and the telephone network T. Connect as possible. phone number·
The password management section stores the telephone number or access point number of the telephone line of the image transmission device 1 and outputs an access signal designating the telephone number from the communication modem 60 to the telephone line network T. Phone number and password management part
The password input to the input device 51 or the password and the caller ID number are transmitted to the image transmission device 1.
After the password is confirmed (or the password and the ID number are confirmed) by the image transmission device 1, the image reception device 5
Starts communication with the image transmission device 1 and the CCD camera 1
1 receives the image data and performs operations such as image processing / image display and file management / storing according to the image processing program.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the image transmission apparatus 1. The operation of each component of the image transmission apparatus 1 is controlled according to a control routine shown in FIG.
The DSP 20 of the image transmission device 1 stores the password (the password and the ID number if desired) input to the key input panel 32 in the initial setting at the start of use, and
The VRAM 16 stores the set password and the like (steps: S1, S8). As is clear from the configuration of the control routine, the password setting steps S1 and S8 are substantially executed only at the start of use or when resetting the password, and do not function effectively in the control routine executed after the initial setting of the password. Thus, in subsequent uses,
The image transmission apparatus 1 is activated in response to a call signal of the telephone line network T, and initializes each component of the image transmission apparatus 1 in order to erase data temporarily stored or temporarily stored in a past operation. After that (S0), the received password is checked for appropriateness (S2). In the password collation step (S2), the communication modem 40 of the image transmission device 1 receives the password signal of the image reception device 5 transmitted via the telephone network T,
The DSP 20 compares and collates the password stored in the NVRAM 16 with the received password. If the transmitted password is different from the password stored in the NVRAM 16, the DSP 20 cuts off the communication and stops the operation of the communication modem 40 (S9). On the other hand, if the transmission password matches the storage password, the DSP 20
The CCD camera 11 is operated via the interface 13 to read the image data of the CCD camera 11, process and compress the image data as image transmission data, and then transmit the processed image data to the image receiving device 5 via the communication modem 40 and the telephone network T. Transmit (S3).

Upon receiving the operation end signal from the image receiving device 5, the DSP 20 of the image transmitting device 1
1 is stopped (S4). Conversely, when an operation instruction signal is received from the image receiving device 5, a CCD control signal is output to the drive unit of the CCD camera 11 in accordance with the operation instruction signal (S5, S5).
6). If desired, the drive unit of the CCD camera 11 can control the position of the CCD image sensor and the optical lens, the shooting angle, the resolution, the shooting magnification (zoom magnification), the contrast, the exposure, and the color tone based on the operation instruction signal of the image receiving device 5. (S7), and further reads, processes, and compresses image data in response to the operation instruction signal of the image receiving device 5.
(S5). Thus, the CCD camera 11 is connected to the image receiving device 5.
The image transmission data is transmitted to the image receiving device 5 in accordance with the operation instruction signal (CCD control signal).

Next, the operation of the entire image transmission system constituted by the image transmission device 1 and the image reception device 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. The image transmission device 1 is always energized in a power saving mode in which a start instruction signal or an operation instruction signal of the image reception device 5 can be input, and stands by in a mode in which it can respond to a call signal of the image reception device 5. In the power saving mode, the power control unit 18 of the image transmission apparatus 1
Always supplies a minimum low power to the minimum necessary components, and each component of the image transmission device 5 transmits a call pulse signal of the image reception device 5 transmitted through the telephone network T or It can be activated quickly in response to a tone signal.

The subject S is appropriately photographed at an arbitrary time in response to a request from the remote image receiving device 5. When the user of the image receiving device 5 needs to obtain image data of the subject S, the user activates the image receiving device 5, inputs a predetermined password using the input device 51, and inputs the password of the image transmitting device 1 through the communication modem 60. Dial a phone number. After the image transmitting apparatus 1 and the image receiving apparatus 5 are communicably connected via the telephone line network T, the image receiving apparatus 5 transmits a password signal to the image transmitting apparatus 1, and the image transmitting apparatus 1 determines whether the password is valid. Collate. When the image transmission device 5 cannot confirm the input of the predetermined password signal, the image transmission device 5 cuts off the communication,
On the other hand, if the input of the predetermined password signal is confirmed,
The CD camera 11 is operated to capture a still image or a moving image of the subject S, process and compress the image, and then transmit the processed image to the image receiving device 5 via the telephone network T as an image data signal.

The image receiving device 5 decompresses the received image data signal and displays an image of the subject S on the CRT display device 52 according to an image processing program. If desired, the user stores the received image data in the storage medium of the computer main body 50. When the user needs images having different photographing angles, contrasts, color tones, or photographing magnifications, the user specifies desired operation instruction items and operation instruction contents via the input device 51, and instructs required CCD operation information. The signal is transmitted to the image transmission device 1 as a signal. The control unit 10 of the image transmission device 1 inputs a CCD control signal to a driving unit of the CCD camera 11 in response to the received operation instruction signal. In response to the CCD control signal, the CCD camera 11
Adjust the position, shooting angle, resolution, shooting magnification (zoom magnification), contrast, exposure degree, color tone, etc. of the CD image pickup device and optical lens, and then, via the control unit 10, the communication modem 40 and the telephone network T. The image data signal is transmitted to the image receiving device 5. As described above, the image receiving device 5
The newly acquired image data signal is decompressed, and the image of the subject S is displayed on the CRT display device 52.

After obtaining the required image, the user inputs an end command for instructing the end of the operation to the input device 51,
The end command is transmitted to the image transmission device 1 via the telephone network T.
Sent to. The image transmitting apparatus 1 is switched to the power saving mode in accordance with the end command, and waits for access of a new image receiving apparatus 5 via the telephone line network T in the power saving mode, while the image receiving apparatus 5 operates. Stop.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of an image transmission device constituting an image transmission system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, components or components substantially the same as or equivalent to those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. In the present embodiment, the image transmission device 1
A D camera 11 is provided. First to third CCD cameras 1
1a, 11b, 11c are arranged in the casing 19,
The driving unit of each CCD camera 11a, 11b, 11c
The A / D converter 12, the CCD interface 13, and the control wiring 25 are connected via the C switch 26. Each C
For example, the CD cameras 11a, 11b, and 11c are oriented at different photographing angles, photograph objects in different regions, or are set to different photographing magnifications. IC switch 26
Is a specific CCD camera 11, for example, the CCD camera 1 in response to an operation instruction signal input from the image receiving device 5.
An operation of the CCD camera 11a is controlled, an image captured by the CCD camera 11a is processed by the control unit 10, and an image of the CCD camera 11a is transmitted to the image receiving device 5 via the communication modem 40 and the telephone network T. The image transmission device 1 includes an image reception device 5 that requests an image of another CCD camera 11b or 11c.
When the operation instruction signal is received, the image of the CCD camera 11b or 11c is transmitted to the image receiving device 5. The other configuration of the image transmission system is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, and further detailed description is omitted.

As described above, the image transmission system according to the present embodiment includes the image transmission device 1 and the image reception device 5 that can communicate via the telephone network T. The image transmission apparatus 1 includes a CCD camera 11 having a built-in CCD image pickup device, a control unit 10 for controlling the operation of the CCD camera 11 and executing image transmission processing, and a communication modem 40. The control unit 10 and the communication modem 40 are housed in a relatively small casing 19 and constitute an integrated image transmission unit. The image receiving device 5 accesses the image transmitting device 1 via the telephone network T at any time when it is necessary to obtain an image of the subject S, and the control unit 10 of the image transmitting device 1
Check the password entered via the telephone network T,
Whether the communication is possible or not is determined according to the appropriateness of the password, and the operation of the CCD camera 11 is controlled in response to an operation signal input from the image receiving device 5. According to such an image transmission system, the image transmission apparatus 1 is disposed in a monitored area at a remote place where the subject S is arranged, and the image transmission apparatus 1 is accessed via the public telephone network T at any time. , An image of the subject S can be obtained. For example, the image transmission apparatus 1 is arranged in an unmanned house or an unmanned facility in a remote place that needs to be monitored at any time or periodically, or in an unmanned facility that requires safety management, and the image reception apparatus is connected via the public telephone network T. 5 allows the image transmission apparatus 1 to communicate with each other and to easily obtain an image of an unmanned house or an unmanned facility at any time.

Thus, according to the image transmission system having the above-mentioned configuration, a general-purpose personal computer that is inexpensive and easily available can be used as the image receiving device 5, and the image transmitting device 1 and the image receiving device 5 can communicate with each other. Therefore, it is possible to easily form an image transmission system using the public telephone network T without preparing a dedicated line, and thus a simple and inexpensive remote monitoring system in an area where the public telephone network T can be used. Can be constructed. Moreover, the unitized or packaged image transmission apparatus 1 can be manufactured at a low cost and supplied to the market at a low price, and can be relatively easily installed at an arbitrary part or area. The image transmission system can be used or applied to various applications.

Although an analog communication network is used as the telephone network T in the above embodiment, a digital communication network (ISDN line) or the like may be used as the telephone network T. Further, the drive unit, the CCD image pickup device and the lens of the CCD camera 11 are formed separately from the casing 19, and the CCD camera 11 and the control unit 10 in the casing 19 are interconnected via data transmission means such as wiring or a cable. Alternatively, the main body of the CCD camera 11 can be positioned at an arbitrary position or position. Further, in the above embodiment, the image receiving device 5 includes the CRT type display device 52, but the image receiving device 5 may have a configuration including an LCD type display device.

[0034]

As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention described in claim 1, the image transmission system can be easily arranged in any area or area where the public telephone network is installed. In response to communication access and remote control of the image receiving apparatus made via the public telephone network at any time, a subject or an object to be imaged in an unmanned area is photographed, and the image data is transferred to a remote location by the public telephone network. To the image receiving device. Further, according to the configuration of the present invention described in claim 2, an image transmission apparatus constituting an image transmission side device of the image transmission system that can be relatively easily installed in an unmanned area where a subject is located, An inexpensive image transmission device having a small and simple configuration can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image transmission system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic overall perspective view showing the appearance of the image transmission device.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image transmission device.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a software configuration of the image transmission apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an outline of a software configuration of the image receiving apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation mode of the image transmission device.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an overall configuration of an image transmission device included in an image transmission system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image transmission device 5 Image receiving device 10 Control part 11 CCD camera 19 Casing 30 LCD / input device interface 31 Liquid crystal display 32 Key input panel 40 Communication modem 50 Computer main body 51 Input device 60 Communication modem T Public telephone line network

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image transmission system for acquiring an image of a remote place via a public telephone line network, comprising: an image transmission device and an image reception device capable of communicating with each other via a telephone line network. A CCD image pickup device having a CCD image pickup device, and a control unit and a communication unit for performing an operation control of the CCD image pickup device and an image transmission process of image data, and the control unit is arbitrarily provided via a public telephone network. Password determining means for determining whether or not a password transmitted from the image receiving apparatus is appropriate at the time of, and a CCD for controlling operation of the CCD image capturing apparatus based on a control signal of the image receiving apparatus
An image transmission system comprising: control means; and image transmission processing means for processing image data of the CCD imaging device into image data that can be transmitted via a public telephone network. 2. An image transmission device usable in the image transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit and the communication unit have a communication connection port that can be easily connected to a public telephone line. And a password input means and a password storage means capable of initially setting a password are provided in the casing.