KR19990032089A - Digital photo automatic output method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus therefor, in particular, a digital photo automatic output method capable of providing a sticker camera function, a print shop function, an instant ID photo shooting function, an outdoor TV advertisement function, and a composite photo shooting function at once. To the device. In order to implement this, the automatic digital photo outputting apparatus of the present invention includes a memory means for storing all information such as a frame / background / advertisement / guide voice / program for making a composite photo, and a photo or output that the user wants to synthesize Drive means for taking pictures you want to take directly to the diskette form to use as a background picture or print them out, PC monitor for displaying the images stored in the camera and the frame stored in the memory means And a camera for capturing the user's image located outside the range required for the PC monitor image to be reflected on the mirror and the user's field of view, and storing the analog image signal displayed on the PC monitor in the memory means. And the appearance and image of the user photographed from the camera Overlay means for converting a background picture stored in the memory means into a digital form to enable various image processing on a program, and at least two or more printing means for printing the synthesized screen displayed on the PC monitor in a desired size And a sound card for converting the guide sound and the effect sound stored in the memory means into a signal that can be accepted by the speaker, a speaker for exposing the sound signal sent from the sound card to the outside, and the amount of money input by the user. An amount identifying means for detecting a value, an amount returning means for returning a change of money except for the used photo value among the inputted amounts, an operation key for transmitting the intention of the user to the central processing control means through a button, Backdrop according to the type of the composite picture desired by the user Dynamically controlled electric screen, a lighting device that automatically controls the brightness of the light when the user takes a picture and not taking a picture, and the operation, error and amount of the device on the outside and inside of the device. An image of a picture selected by the user from among a plurality of pictures provided by the display means and a frame of the still image captured by the PC monitor before the user takes a picture and the user's portrait and background picture. Central processing control means for controlling the overall operation to enable automatic image processing in accordance with, the at least two or more printer means, banknote identifier, receives information from the operation key and transmits to the central processing control means and the central processing Instructions on the control means such as coin changer, electric screen, lighting fixture, display An input / output controller for transmitting to a play means, encoding means for receiving a signal from the overlay means and converting the signal into a TV video signal, and a video signal from the encoding means at a time when the user does not take a picture. A TV monitor that displays a commercial advertisement by inputting a digital camera, a digital camera connection means that allows a user to take a still image of a scene that the user wants to take as a photo, to process the image, and then output the image in a desired size. It is characterized by having a modem for transmitting data collected automatically, such as the number of times of display, the number of shots by type of photos, the number of times of use of the background to the head office via a communication cable or to receive information.

Description

Digital photo automatic output method and device

The present invention relates to a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus for taking a picture with an unmanned system, and in particular, can provide a sticker camera function, a print shop function, instant proof photo shooting function, outdoor TV advertisement function, and composite photo shooting function at once. The present invention relates to a digital photo automatic output method and an apparatus thereof.

In general, photo compositing includes frame compositing, image compositing, frame compositing and image compositing simultaneously.

Briefly, the differences between them are as follows.

First, frame compositing combines frames pre-stored in ROM or HDD onto the screen for compositing and displays portraits captured by the camera in the transparently processed part of the frame without a background image. In order to make a composite picture, most conventional sticker cameras adopt a frame synthesis method.

And the image compositing function is to place a background photo stored for compositing below, and to synthesize and output a picture of only the person who has been transparently processed in the remaining part of the portrait photograph captured by the camera thereon.

In order to implement this method, it is essential to use a chroma key technique in which only the person is left in the portrait photograph captured by the camera and transparently process the rest. This chroma key technique is difficult to implement in a conventional sticker camera.

The frame composition + image composition is a simultaneous display of the frame composition and image composition techniques described above.

Then, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail with respect to the conventional sticker camera.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional sticker camera for frame synthesis.

The configuration includes a main CPU (central processing unit) board 101 for controlling the overall processing, a ROM 102 for storing frames and guide sounds for making a composite picture, and storing in the ROM. The image processing unit 103 which combines the frame and the image signal captured by the camera to the TV monitor, the CCD camera 104 which photographs the user's image, and the frame stored in the ROM and the image of the camera. And a printer 106 for printing the combined screen and the synthesized screen displayed on the TV monitor 105.

The printer 106 uses an NTSC printer rather than a parallel printer to print a TV signal, which is an NTSC signal.

In addition, the sound processing unit 107 for converting a signal that the speaker can accept the guide sound and the effect sound stored in the ROM (ROM), and the speaker 108 for exporting the audio signal sent from the sound processing unit 107 to the outside ), A bill identifier 110 (or coin identifier) for checking the amount of money input by the user, an operation key 111 for transmitting the user's intention to the main CPU board, the bill identifier 210, and an operation key ( And an input / output (I / O) processing unit 109 for controlling hardware (H / W) external to the device.

The operation key is provided with a 'up / down / left / right' direction switch or a joystick for moving to a desired item, and a 'selection switch' for final determination of a selected item and a 'shooting switch' for shooting. Equipped.

Looking at the operation by the above configuration, first, when the user inputs coins or bills to take a picture, the frame stored in the ROM (ROM) 102 is displayed on the screen and the user wants to synthesize using the operation key Will be selected.

When the user selects a frame, the frame appears on the TV screen 105 in full size, and the user's image captured by the CCD camera 104 is displayed in the transparent portion of the frame, and the combined state appears.

When the user captures the desired pose in accordance with the frame and shoots with the 'shooting switch' of the operation key 111, the screen stops.

Then, the NTSC printer captures a still image, divides the image into 16 portions by the printer's own program, and prints the printed image on a sticker sheet divided into 16 portions.

In this case, the photo box displays sound effects and guide sounds suitable for the user at each stage of use by the sound processor.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a conventional sticker camera for image synthesis.

The configuration includes a main CPU board 201 that controls the overall processing, a hard disk (HDD) 202 that stores frames and guide sounds for making a composite picture, and a CCD camera 205 for photographing the user. ), A PC monitor 206 for displaying a combination of frames stored in the hard disk 202 and an image of a camera, and a parallel printer for printing a synthesized screen displayed on the PC monitor 206 ( 203).

When a low-cost TV monitor is used instead of the PC monitor 206, a signal must be converted and displayed on a TV monitor using a TV encoder (NTSC encoder) that converts a PC signal into a TV signal.

In addition, the conventional sticker camera is an overlay board 204 that can store the analog image signal displayed on the PC monitor 206 to the digital form to be stored in the hard disk 202 and to enable various image processing in the program ).

In this case, it should be noted that if the overlay board 204 is not integrated with a VGA card, a VGA card should be additionally installed.

The reason is that the monitor receives the analog signal and displays the video signal stored in the hard disk (HDD), so it is necessary to convert the card into an analog form. In other words, the VGA card is a part that converts digital signals into analog signals that can be displayed on a PC monitor.

The video signal from the CCD camera is an NTSC signal (analog type) dedicated to the TV. Although PC monitors display analog signals, they do not display signals directly from CCD cameras because they differ in the scanning lines of NTSC signals.

That is, the overlay board 204 modulates the NTSC signal to fit the same scan line method as the VGA signal, thereby displaying both the NTSC signal and the VGA signal on the PC monitor 206.

In addition, a conventional sticker camera for synthesizing images includes a sound card 207 and a sound card 207 for converting a digital voice signal stored in the hard disk 202 into a wavelength form that a speaker can accept. Speaker 208 to send the voice signal sent from the outside), bill identifier 210 (or coin identifier) to check the amount of money input by the user, and the operation key 211 to transfer the user's intention to the main CPU board And an input / output (I / O) controller 209 for controlling hardware (H / W) outside the device such as the banknote identifier 210 and the operation key 211.

Looking at the operation by the above configuration, first, when the user inputs coins or bills to take a picture, the frame and background screen stored in the hard disk (HDD) 202 is displayed on the screen and the user uses the operation keys Select the frame and background you want to combine.

When the user selects a frame, the frame appears on the PC screen 206 in full size, and the user's image captured by the CCD camera 205 is displayed in a transparent portion of the frame, and the combined state appears.

The user freezes the screen by holding the desired pose in accordance with the frame and shooting with the 'shooting switch' of the operation key 211. (still picture)

At this time, the figure of the stopped user is processed as a digital signal, and the frame and the background are already stored on the HDD as a digital signal and the user moves to RAM at the moment selected by the user in the frame selection step. It is.

Out of the digitally-signed picture of the user, the remaining part of the backdrop except for the user is processed transparently using the 'chroma key' function.

Therefore, the frames, the chromaticized user's appearance, and the background are all overlapped. The synthesized picture is displayed on the screen, and the synthesized picture is printed on a parallel printer.

In the above operation process, the sound and guidance sounds suitable for each stage of use are represented by the sound card 207.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing an input unit of a sticker camera according to the prior art, which is shown to see the effect on the image quality according to the position of the camera.

As shown, it can be seen that the camera used in the conventional sticker camera lies on the user's eyes and the horizon.

In addition, the reflective glass between the camera and the user reflects the monitor image and serves to transmit the camera so that the user can take a picture of the user.

In general, reflective glass is characterized by a higher reflectance (a sharper vertical image) and a lower transmittance (decreased image quality of the camera), and a higher transmittance (a better image captured by the camera) and a lower reflectance (vertical image). ) There is a characteristic.

Therefore, even if the transmittance is increased due to the characteristics of the reflective glass, deterioration of image quality is inevitably followed.

In fact, the transmittance of the reflective glass only transmits 8% of the total light when using SS-08 glass and only 20% of the total light when using SS-20 glass. In particular, deterioration of image quality occurs more severely when foreign matter is caught in the reflective glass itself or when the reflective glass surface is non-planar.

3 shows that the reflection glass and the camera do not vertically meet but diagonally, and thus the reflection glass transmission distance of light varies depending on the top, the middle, and the bottom. This also degrades color uniformity.

In the conventional sticker camera configured as described above, since a ROM or a built-in hard disk (HDD) is used as a data storage device, the head office staff visits and handles after-sales service or upgrade time. And costly problems.

In addition, the conventional sticker camera has a problem that the number of background pictures that can be input by using a ROM (ROM) having a limited data storage capacity can not meet the consumer's preference.

In addition, the conventional sticker camera has a problem that the image quality of the screen is not clear by using only about 256 colors due to the limitation of the memory capacity.

In addition, the conventional sticker camera is limited to the output of a small sticker photo divided into 16 equally there was a problem that does not satisfy the taste of the consumer.

In addition, the conventional sticker camera has a problem in that the user does not have a function of notifying the user when there is no printer paper or hardware error occurs.

In addition, the conventional sticker camera affects the reflection of the monitor image because the camera is positioned in the position where the image of the monitor is reflected on the mirror. There was a problem that the image quality is different depending on the top / middle / bottom.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to use a removable hard disk memory for storing all the information, such as frame / wallpaper / advertisement / sound-sound / program for making a composite picture Therefore, the present invention provides a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus for providing a clear picture quality, convenient after-sales service, upgrades and commercial advertisements.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus for displaying a commercial advertisement when a user does not take a picture.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for automatically outputting a digital photo having an A drive, and an apparatus, which can be used as a background photo by directly taking a picture that a user wants to synthesize in the form of a diskette.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus for allowing a user to directly take a photo to be output in the form of a diskette and output the desired size.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus for enabling a user to output not only a sticker photograph but also an A6 and A4 size photograph when the user outputs after photographing.

It is another object of the present invention to automatically resolve an error or to send an error message through a monitor by transmitting an error message of a printer to a central processing unit and a monitor through an input / output controller directly, instead of through a print drive. The present invention provides an automatic digital photo output method and an apparatus thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to position the camera outside the range required for the monitor image to be reflected in the mirror and the user's field of view, so as not to interfere with the monitor image or the field of view, the foreign matter or surface non-planarity of the glass itself The present invention provides an automatic digital photo output method and apparatus for improving image quality by not being affected by such a problem.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus including a modem capable of exchanging data information with a main office of a device.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus having a function of confirming the amount of money input by a user, giving a change, and informing the user of the amount of change.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus having a function of automatically controlling a backdrop according to a kind of a composite photo desired by a user.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus for automatically controlling lighting required for photography and lighting required when a commercial commercial is usually displayed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus having a function of displaying the outside and inside of the device so that the operation and error conditions of the device can be seen at a glance.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus capable of sequentially controlling a PC and a control device using only one main power supply for an administrator who does not know the PC.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a picture of a picture selected by a user from among a plurality of pictures provided by the device and a portrait picture and a background picture displayed on the device through a PC monitor before the user takes a picture and outputs the picture. The present invention provides an automatic digital photo output method and apparatus for automatically processing images.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a digital photo automatic output method and apparatus for enabling a user to take a digital camera and output a still image of a scene that he / she wants to output as a photo, and then output the image in a desired photo size. have.

1 is a block diagram showing a conventional sticker camera

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing another conventional sticker camera

3 is a cross-sectional view showing an input unit of a conventional sticker camera

4 is a block diagram of an automatic digital photo output device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing an input unit of an automatic digital photograph output apparatus according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

101, 201, 301: main CPU board 102: ROM

103: image processing unit 104, 205, 308: camera

105, 311: TV monitor 106, 203: Printer

107: sound processor 108, 208, 313: speaker

109: I / O processing unit 110, 210: bill identifier

111, 211, 317: Operation Key 303: A Drive

202, 302: hard disk (HDD) 204, 307: overlay board

205, 308: camera 206, 309: PC monitor

207, 312: sound card 304: first printer

305: second printer 306: third printer

310: encoder 314: modem

315: I / O controller 316: bill identifier

317: operation key 318: coin return

319: electric screen 320: lighting

321: LED panel

In order to achieve the above object, the automatic digital picture output apparatus of the present invention comprises a memory means for storing all information, such as frame / wallpaper / advertisement / announcement voice / program for making a composite picture,

A drive means embodying the user to combine the photos you want to synthesize or the photos you want to print as diskettes and use them as background photos or print them out;

A PC monitor for displaying and displaying the image signals captured by the camera and the frame stored in the memory means;

A camera for capturing the user's appearance by being located outside the range required for the PC monitor image to be reflected to a mirror and the user's field of view;

Storing the analog image signal displayed on the PC monitor in the memory means, and converting the user's image taken from the camera and the background picture stored in the memory means into a digital form to enable various image processing on the program Overlay means for

At least two printing means for printing the synthesized screen displayed on the PC monitor in a size desired by the user;

A sound card for converting the guide sound and the effect sound stored in the memory means into a signal that the speaker can accept;

Speaker for viewing the voice signal sent from the sound card to the outside,

An amount identifying means for detecting the amount of money input by the user;

An amount return means for returning a change of money, except for the used photo value,

An operation key for transmitting the intention of the user to the central processing control means through a button;

An electric screen for automatically controlling the backdrop according to the type of the composite picture desired by the user;

A lighting device that automatically controls the brightness of the light when the user takes a picture and when the picture is not taken;

Display means for displaying the operation and error conditions and the amount of money of the device on the outside and inside of the device;

The image is automatically matched to the image of the photo selected by the user from among a plurality of photographs provided by the user in the frame of the still image captured by the PC monitor and the person's portrait and background photograph before the user takes the photograph and outputs the photograph. Central processing control means for controlling the overall operation to be processible;

Receives information from the at least two printer means, the banknote identifier and the operation key, and transmits the information to the central processing control means, and transmits the instructions of the central processing control means to the coin return machine, the electric screen, the lighting device, and the display means. Characterized in that it comprises an input / output controller.

In addition, the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention is an encoding means for receiving a signal from the overlay means and converts it into a TV video signal, and the video signal from the encoding means when the user does not take a picture Characterized in that it further comprises a TV monitor that receives the input commercial display.

In addition, the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention is further provided with a digital camera connection means for the user to take a digital camera still and capture a scene that you want to output as a picture to process the image and then output the size of the desired picture It is characterized by.

In addition, the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention adds a modem for delivering automatically collected data such as the number of times of commercial advertisement, the number of shots by type of photos, the number of times of use of the background to the head office via a communication cable or to receive information Characterized in that provided.

The central processing control means controls to automatically solve the error part by itself by directly inputting the error message of the printer through the input / output controller when the printer error does not go through the print drive or through the PC monitor. Characterized in that the control to inform the user, and the central processing control means for the administrator who does not know the PC, characterized in that it is possible to sequentially control the PC and peripherals with only one main power.

The memory means is a removable hard disk.

The at least two print means are each provided with a sticker photo print-only print, and A6 and A4 size print-only print, respectively, wherein the A6 and A4 size photos are at least one equal sized picture Characterized in that the adjustable.

In addition, the drive means is characterized in that the 3.5-inch drive.

In order to achieve the above object, the digital photo automatic output method of the present invention comprises the steps of selecting a picture and the size of the picture that the user wants to take according to the instructions on the screen,

Inputting an amount corresponding to the selected picture;

When the input of the corresponding amount is completed, the step of displaying the background image stored in the hard disk on the PC monitor,

Overlaying a view of the user captured by the camera on the PC monitor and displaying the image together with a background screen;

Photographing at a desired moment while looking at yourself on the PC monitor;

Capturing a still image of the user at the moment of photographing and displaying it on a screen;

Looking at the still image captured screen and image processing by selecting one of at least two image processing techniques provided by the user;

Displaying the at least two image-processed pictures on the screen before outputting them;

Selecting and outputting a user's favorite among the processed images;

Outputting the commercial on a TV monitor after the photo has been output,

When an error occurs in the operation process, the device itself is characterized in that it comprises a step of automatically resolving or notifying it to the PC monitor.

The image processing techniques include 'frame composition', 'frame composition + image processing', 'image composition', 'image composition + image processing', 'frame composition + image composition' and 'frame composition + image composition' + Image processing 'technique and the like can be implemented.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 4 is a block diagram of the automatic digital photo output device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main CPU board 301 for controlling the overall processing, and the frame / wallpaper / advertisement / announcement voice / to make a composite picture A removable hard disk (HDD) 302 for storing all information such as a program is provided.

The hard disk 302 uses a removable hard disk, thereby enabling immediate and easy after-sales service (A / S).

In other words, almost 80% of the after-sales (A / S) situation in PC equipment is caused by a problem in the software (S / W). The courier will send you a new hard disk with the same program, and the administrator of the device will have to replace it. Therefore, the removable hard disk (HDD) is easy to after-sales service (A / S) because you just need to replace the case without any knowledge about the PC.

In addition, the automatic digital photo output device of the present invention can be upgraded in 2-3 days because the new hard disk (HDD) with the upgraded program is sent by courier and the administrator simply needs to replace it easily. .

In addition, since the quality of the background is limited due to the capacity, it is possible to use 24 bits (BIT TRUE COLOR) unlike the conventional method using only 256 colors, so the background image is clear.

In addition, the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention can be utilized as a commercial advertising medium because the capacity of the hard disk 302 is sufficient.

The functions and effects of using them as advertising media are as follows.

A) The efficiency of the device is increased compared to the conventional sticker camera.

-Since the capacity of the hard disk (HDD) is sufficient, about 200 commercial advertisements (based on 20 second video) can be stored in the form of AVI files on the hard disk (HDD), and the commercial advertisement can be displayed outside the time when the equipment is actually used by consumers. It can maximize the utility of the device.

B) The image quality is superior to the conventional outdoor TV commercials using VCR.

-In the case of the advertisement using a conventional outdoor TV (for example, a TV monitor advertisement in a Happy Call service, etc.), the VCR is used. Therefore, the image quality is remarkably decreased during continuous operation for a long time due to the life of the tape, which requires frequent replacement of the tape and head cleaning. The photo box is an advertisement using a digital signal (AVI type) stored in a hard disk (HDD), so there is no deterioration in image quality even if it is continuously operated for a long time, and there is no need for head cleaning.

C) The service life of equipment is longer than that of conventional TV commercials using CD-ROM.

-In case of outdoor TV advertisement using CD ROM which can improve the picture quality problem of VCR system, durability of CD ROM itself is problem when continuous use for 20 hours or more per day, but the photo box of the present invention is hard disk (HDD) type so Less problem

D) It is possible to switch to the fast advertisement mode.

-In case of CD ROM advertising method, the access speed to the data is limited, so it is difficult to switch to advertising mode immediately after using the main CPU with other functions, but the HDD advertising method according to the present invention is immediately switched to advertising mode under any circumstances. Can be.

E) control function of advertisement is possible.

-In the case of the CD-ROM advertising method, the administrator may use another CD without using the corresponding advertising CD, which may cause problems in calculating the advertising fee.

However, in the case of HDD type, it is impossible to change unless the head office sends a new HDD, and the total number of advertisements is counted automatically.

In addition, the automatic digital photo output device of the present invention includes an A drive 303 implemented to be used as a background picture by directly taking a picture that the user wants to synthesize in the form of a diskette.

The digital photo automatic output device of the present invention includes an A drive 303 which does not exist in a conventional sticker camera, and a user can bring up a background he wants to take from his own diskette and synthesize it with his portrait.

Accordingly, the user can select various backgrounds by implementing the A drive 303, and can implement the output station function as well.

That is, since the user directly brings the picture that he / she wants to synthesize to the diskette, there is no limit of expression unlike the conventional method in which the number and image quality of the background are limited.

The user's most desired photos (Grandfather's photo, lover's photo, landscape photo, celebrity's photo, etc.) can be brought directly into the form of a diskette and used as a background photo.

And if you bring a diskette with the photos you want to print, it takes about 20-30 minutes to print a single A4, and you can easily go to a costly print shop for 10 minutes. Print color photo prints of size.

In addition, the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention includes first to third printers 304 to 306 for outputting pictures of different sizes, respectively.

The first printer 304 is a printer for printing a sticker photo, and the second printer 305 is a printer for printing a photo of A6 size (1, 2, 4, etc. in A6 size to adjust the size of the photo. The third printer 306 is an A4 sized photo output printer. (The size of the photo can be adjusted and output by dividing into 1, 2, and 4 portions in the A4 size.)

When the printer error occurs, the processing routine on the PC first sends a signal to the O / S window when the printer encounters an error during printing / printing completion / paperless / hardware / hardware (H / W). Receives the signal and displays an error message on the PC monitor to inform the PC user of the error condition.

However, in the case of a vending machine where the user cannot handle the error, such as using a simple PC, the photo box program itself must detect the error and limit the user's use. impossible.

The conventional sticker camera could not detect any error in the printer, so it could not take any action.

Then, a printer error handling method of the digital photo automatic output device according to the present invention will be described.

A) Printer's operating status is transmitted to PC through parallel communication line and serial communication line (in case of serial printer or parallel and serial printer).

B) The operating conditions of the signals from each line are determined. For example, pin 1 transmits certain information during printing, pin 2 data, etc.

C) The third printer 306, which is a parallel and serial printer, is a line of number that carries the desired information in parallel connection lines in the first and second printers 304 and 305, which are direct printers in parallel and parallel and dedicated printers. The signal is taken directly from and passed to the photo box program via the I / O controller.

D) the type of information to be conveyed and processing in the program;

A) Printing completion signal: Upon completion of printing, the mode is switched to commercial advertisement mode.

B) Out of Paper Signal: Restricts the use of the output type related to the printer that sent the out of paper signal. Restrictive methods may lead to the use of a notice board, refusal to insert bills and the use of other output forms.

C) Hardware error signal of the printer: Same processing as above paper

D) No ink signal: handle same as above paper out

In addition, the automatic digital photo output device of the present invention is a camera 308 for taking a picture of the user, and a PC monitor 309 for displaying the image signal captured by the camera and the frame stored in the hard disk 302 combined And, it is possible to store the analog image signal displayed on the PC monitor 309 on the hard disk 302, the user's image taken from the camera and the background picture stored in the hard disk 302 in a variety of programs An overlay board 307 is provided to convert the image into a digital form for image processing.

If the overlay board 204 is not integrated with a VGA card, a VGA card must be additionally installed.

The reason is that the monitor receives and displays the analog signal, and since the video signal stored in the hard disk (HDD) is a digital signal, a VGS card that converts it into an analog form is required.

The VGA card converts a digital signal into an analog signal that can be displayed by a PC monitor.

The overlay board 204 modulates the NTSC signal and fits the same scan line method as the VGA signal, thereby displaying both the NTSC signal and the VGA signal on the PC monitor 206.

In other words, since the video signal from the CCD camera is an NTSC signal (analog type) for TV use, the PC monitor displays analog signals, but the scanning line method of the PC monitor signal and the NTSC signal is different. The overlay board 307 is used because it is not immediately displayed.

The camera 308 is shown in the picture quality is different depending on the installation position, with reference to the cross-sectional view shown in Figure 5 will be described in detail.

5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an input unit of an automatic digital photograph output apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown, the digital photo automatic output device photo box according to the present invention does not affect the reflection of the image at all because the camera is positioned outside the position where the monitor image is reflected on the mirror. At this time, the monitor image is reflected by the mirror and appears as a vertical image on the back side.

In addition, the user's gaze looks at the vertical image. The camera does not affect the gaze of the user because the camera is located outside the gaze range of the user.

However, when the user looks directly at the camera without viewing the image, the camera is visible.

The camera installed in the automatic digital photograph output apparatus of the present invention is installed through the reflective glass above the user's eye as shown in FIG. 5.

As such, since the camera uses a mirror directly without using the reflective glass, the reflectance is 95% or more, thereby making the vertical image more clear.

In addition, since the lens is inserted into the mirror by inserting the camera into the mirror, the highest image quality can be maintained since it is not affected by the transmittance, the foreign matter of the glass itself, or the non-planarity of the surface.

In addition, the automatic digital photo output device of the present invention receives the signal from the overlay board 307 and converts it into a TV video signal, and receives an image signal from the encoder 310 A TV monitor 311 for displaying a composite picture is provided.

All screens appearing on the PC monitor 309 are also displayed on the upper TV monitor 311 through the NTSC encoder 310. This can maximize the commercial advertisement effect as well as the advertisement of the digital photo automatic output device (or photo box).

In addition, the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention is a sound card for converting a signal that the speaker can accept the guide sound and effect sound stored in the hard disk 302, and in the sound card 312 And a speaker 313 for sending the sent audio signal to the outside.

In addition, the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention is a modem 314 that delivers automatically collected data, such as the number of times of commercial display, the number of shots for each type of photo, the number of times of use of each background to the head office via a communication cable It is provided.

The present invention can control the apparatus of each digital photo automatic output apparatus through a modem installed in the digital photo automatic output apparatus.

In other words, each digital photo automatic output device sold / installed has a built-in data collection program and a transmission program, and the number of times each commercial is displayed, the number of shots of each type of photo, the number of times of use of each background, etc. Automatically collected data is delivered to the head office via a modem, which can be used for sales and upgrades. Therefore, there are no disputes when calculating commercial advertising charges, and it can be used as sales data by grasping the region where the performance of the equipment installed is excellent.

Types of advertisements transmitted through the modem include a video advertisement and a still image advertisement, and since the advertisement of the still image does not have a problem of a transmission speed, advertisements of the whole country can be changed only by transmission through a modem when the advertisement is changed.

In addition, video transmission can be realized from 1998 when the problem of transmission speed is solved.

The present invention can also change the number of advertisements and the program of each digital photo automatic output device at the head office through the modem.

The change of the program can be easily modified by replacing only the part of the program when the modification occurs, such as the instruction manual, the design of the main screen. And, if the transmission speed is solved, it is possible to replace the transmission through the upgrade of the program itself.

Also, a simple after-sales service (A / S) can be processed through communication through the modem.

In addition, a bill identifier 316 (or coin identifier) for confirming the amount of money inputted by the user of the digital photo automatic output device according to the present invention, an operation key 317 for transmitting the user's intention to the main CPU board, and to take a picture. When the screen is automatically converted according to the type of the composite picture when the screen 319, the lighting required for photography and the lighting 320 that can automatically adjust the lighting required when a commercial commercial is usually displayed, and the LED panel 321 to display the outside and inside of the device so that the operation and error conditions at a glance, the first to third printers 304 to 306, the banknote identifier 316, the operation key 317 It receives information from the main CPU board 301 and transfers the instructions of the main CPU board 301 to the coin return 318, electric screen 319, lighting 320, LED panel 321 Input / output (I / O) controller 315 Equipped.

The I / O controller 315 receives information from the first to third printers 304 to 306, the banknote identifier 316, and the operation key 317, and transmits the information to the photo box program and instructs the photo box program. It serves to deliver the details to the coin return 318, electric screen 319, lighting 320, LED panel 321.

The electric screen 319 is capable of automatic conversion of the backdrop according to the type of the composite picture, it is good to take a picture in the state with the backdrop among the 182 types of composite photos and there is a case where there is no background For each case, the backdrop automatically comes down and goes up.

Therefore, in the case of the conventional sticker camera, since the backdrop is always down, the backdrop is decomposed by graffiti or the like, and many problems such as tearing or breaking of the rod supporting the backdrop occur. It only comes down after the banknote is put into the shooting, and as soon as the shooting is finished, it goes back up again so that it can always be kept clean.

And since the backdrop is always lowered at the time of shooting than the conventional method which is always lowered, and the others are raised, the area occupying space is also reduced.

The lighting 320 has a considerable influence on determining the quality of the picture, and the quality of the picture is clearly different according to the color temperature, the look, the position of the light, and the like.

In the present invention, the auxiliary light is turned on only from the time of inserting the banknote for photographing to the time of photographing, and when the photographing is completed, the lighting is automatically adjusted to the lighting condition at the time of commercial commercial.

The LED panel 321 is equipped with an LED panel on the outside (for the user) and inside (for the administrator) of the device so that you can see the operation and error conditions of the device at a glance.

According to the present invention, the frame is automatically captured by the PC monitor before the user takes a picture and outputs the picture. The present invention automatically matches the image of the picture selected by the user among a plurality of pictures provided by the device. Main CPU board 301 for controlling the overall operation so that the image processing is possible, and the user still take a digital camera to capture a scene that you want to output as a picture, process the image and output the size of the desired picture It is equipped with an additional digital camera jack.

Next, the operation by the above configuration will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 3.

The digital photo automatic output device of the present invention is different from the conventional sticker camera which has only one function, 'the function of the sticker camera + the function of the print shop + the function of the instant ID photo studio + the outdoor TV advertising machine + the composite photography / It is a device that combines the functions of a print shop.

Therefore, since the functions vary, the operation description also varies according to each function.

Table 1 shows the functions of the automatic digital photo output device according to the present invention according to the difference in the operation method.

Type of output Photo box function Sticker output A6 output A4 output Remarks ID Photo ○ ○ Instant ID Photo Printout Synthetic photos Frame collage ○ ○ ○ Montage Shooting / Print Shop Frame + Image Processing ○ ○ ○ Image collage ○ ○ ○ Image Composition + Image Processing ○ ○ ○ Frame compositing + image compositing ○ ○ ○ Frame Composition + Image Composition + Image Processing ○ ○ ○ Load background from diskette ○ ○ ○ Diskette output ○ ○ Function of print shop Demonstration of commercial advertising Outdoor tv advertising machine Remarks Sticker camera Montage Shooting / Print Shop

1. Description of operation when taking ID photo

1) Step of choosing ID photo

A) Follow the on-screen instructions to determine the photos you want to take (identification photos, composite photos, sticker photos, out of the diskette) and the size of the photos (certificate plates, name cards, business card plates, business card functions, etc.).

2) Stage of Banknote Insertion

A) Input the amount corresponding to the selected photo.

3) steps of shooting

A) The main screen stored in the HDD 302 is displayed on the PC monitor 309 through the VGA card (the overlay board 307 is integrated with the VGA card), and is captured by the CCD camera 308. The appearance of the user is overlaid on a part of the PC monitor 309 by the function of the overlay card.

B) The user takes a picture of his expression on the screen and presses the shooting switch at the moment he or she wants. You can take a picture yourself at the point of view, so you can get a proof picture you like more.)

C) The moment of pressing the shooting button, the overlay board captures the user's image and shows it as a still image on the screen, and internally digitalizes it and stores it in RAM.

D) Retake (2 shots in total)

4) Steps of Image Processing

A) Three kinds of image processing are performed by making three combinations of techniques that can optimally improve the quality of ID pictures among thousands of image processing techniques.

5) Select the picture you want to print

A) Four types of pictures appear in the original, process 1, process 2 and process 3 for each shot. Since it's two shots, you can choose the one you like best from a total of eight photos.

6) stage of discharge

A) A6 (Printer 2) or A4 (Printer 3) is output according to the type selected by the user.

7) Switch to commercial ad mode

A) The printing completion signal is transmitted to the photo box program through the I / O controller 315 to switch to the commercial advertisement mode.

8) Error Handling

A) An error message generated in the printer is transferred to the photo box program through the I / O controller 315 and processed according to an error processing routine.

2. Description of operation of frame composite picture in composite picture

1) Steps of choosing a photo

2) Stage of Banknote Insertion

3) Step of selecting sample picture for composite picture

A) There are 182 sample photos in total of 13 taxa, each with 14 sample photos (13 * 14 = 182).

B) First, select a taxon, and then finally select the type of photo that you want to take among the messengers in that taxon.

4) Stage of shooting

A) The frame of the last selected picture is displayed on the PC monitor 309 via the VGA card.

B) The image of the user captured by the CCD camera 308 is displayed on the PC monitor 309 by being combined with the frame through the overlay board 307.

C) The user adjusts his / her face to the frame and presses the shooting button at the moment he wants to shoot.

D) On the screen, the frame and the composited image appear as a still image, and the overlay board captures the user's image and digitalizes it.

E) Retake.

5) Steps of Image Processing

A) The frame and the captured user's appearance are synthesized with the same coordinates on the screen.

B) Since both the frame and the user's appearance are digital signals, they are synthesized.

6) Steps for selecting output picture

A) The first shot and the second shot are displayed on the screen in a combined form and select the photos you want to print.

7) Stage of discharge

A) According to the output type selected in step 1), it is output in the form of stickers (printer 1), A6 (printer 2), and A4 (printer 3).

8) Switch to commercial ad mode

3. Frame composition + image processing picture description

1) All processes are the same as the frame composite picture.

2) Some processes are added in the image processing step.

A) Still image Captured and digitally signaled to the user's image to match the frame (e.g. switching to gray scale mode)

B) The frame and the processed image of the user are synthesized with the same coordinates on the screen.

C) Apply appropriate image processing to the synthesized photograph.

4. Description of the operation of the composite image of the composite photo

1) Steps of choosing a photo

2) Stage of Banknote Insertion

3) Step of selecting sample picture for composite picture

4) Stage of shooting

A) The background picture of the last selected picture is displayed on the upper left of the screen of the PC monitor through the VGA card.

B) The user's image captured by the CCD camera will be displayed on the bottom of the shooting screen of the PC monitor through the overlay board.

C) The user adjusts the position of the background picture and his figure and presses the photographing button at the moment he wants to shoot.

D) On the screen, the background picture and the user's appearance are displayed separately as still images, and the overlay board captures the user's image and digitalizes it.

E) Retake.

5) Steps of Image Processing

A) By using 'chroma key' technique, only the user is left out of the user's appearance and the remaining backdrop is transparent.

B) Synthesize the user's appearance on the background photo according to the captured coordinates.

C) Since both the frame and the user's appearance are digital signals, they are synthesized.

6) Steps for selecting output picture

A) The first shot and the second shot are displayed on the screen in a composite form and select the photos you want to print.

7) Stage of discharge

A) According to the output type selected in step 1), it is output in the form of sticker (printer 1), A6 (printer 2), A4 (printer 3).

8) Switch to Commercial Advertising Mode

5. Image Synthesis + Image Processing Description

1) All processes are the same as the image synthesis photos.

2) Some processes are added in the image processing step.

A) Apply the image processing appropriate to the background picture to the chroma keyed user's appearance (e.g. switch to gray scale mode)

B) Combining the background picture and the chromaticized and processed image of the user with the same coordinates shown on the screen.

C) Apply appropriate image processing to the synthesized photograph.

6. Frame composition + image composition photo description

1) The image displayed on the screen is the same as the frame composite picture.

2) Both frame synthesis and image synthesis occur in the image processing stage.

7. Frame composition + image composition + image processing operation description

1) Frame compositing + Image compositing process is the same.

2) Appropriate image processing is applied to the appearance of the chroma keyed user in the image processing step and the final photograph synthesized.

8. Load Background from Diskette Explanation of Operation

1) It goes through the same process as the composite image.

2) Only the steps of selecting a sample picture for a composite picture are different.

A) Insert the diskette directly brought into drive A and press the record button to read the diskette image.

B) See all the pictures in the diskette in the size of the picture on the screen and move the cursor to select the picture you want.

C) Adjust the size and position of the selected picture to make it suitable for compositing.

D) From now on, image composition and the same process will be performed.

In addition to the above function, the automatic digital photo output device of the present invention has a function of returning a coin to the device itself, and there is no possibility of friction between the user and the administrator because there is a way to check when the return is wrong.

The method of checking when the return was incorrect was to indicate the amount of money inserted in the segment attached to the device and to deduct it while the coin was returned. If the user inputs 10,000 won to take a picture, the change change will be returned except for the picture value, and the remaining money that has been stopped will be displayed on the segment as the picture value to eliminate the possibility of friction.

In addition, the automatic digital photo output device of the present invention enables the sequential ON / OFF function of the power supply with only one operation.

In general, in order to demonstrate various functions in a vending machine, it is impossible to use a simple controller and control using a PC is required.

The most problematic problem in PC devices, especially PC devices that use Windows as an OS, is when the PC is turned off unilaterally without sudden power off. In this case, the hard disk (HDD) can be given a significant amount of the hard disk (HDD) failure, it can cause various problems, such as not booting when rebooting. In addition, if the vending machine manager knows no PC at all, there was a problem in turning off the power sequentially according to the procedure.

Therefore, the present invention uses the following method to enable the sequential off of the PC and peripheral devices only by turning off only the main power supply for the administrator who does not know the PC, and also to turn it on sequentially when turning it on. It was.

1) When main power is ON

A) PC peripheral device First, the power is turned on, the PC power is turned on with a margin of 2-3 seconds, and the photo box program is executed as soon as the PC power is turned on.

2) When main power is OFF

A) First of all, the power should be cut off first, such as lamps and printers. If you do not need to take any action, only the power is turned off.

B) Press the system shutdown button of the window automatically by using the program of I / O controller.

C) After 10 seconds of allowance (Windows shutdown time), turn off all power.

3) In case of sudden power off such as power failure

A) Even if there is a momentary power failure that is turned off for about 1 second and then turned on again, the overload power comes on when it is turned on again. After waiting for the power to turn on, the power is turned on and after 10 seconds, the unit is automatically turned on in the same order as when the main power is turned on.

In addition, the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention receives a commercial advertisement when the device is not being photographed by the user.

As described above, according to the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention, the image quality is improved by using a removable hard disk as a memory for storing all information such as frames, wallpapers, advertisements, sound-sounds, and programs for making a composite picture. Clear and convenient after-sales service has a very good effect.

In addition, when the user does not take a picture, you can display a commercial advertisement, you can directly bring the photos you want to compose in the form of diskettes and use them as background photos, and the photos you want to print directly in the form of diskettes. It has the effect of bringing it to your desired size.

And when the user prints after printing, it can print not only the sticker picture but also the A6 and A4 size pictures, and it is possible to provide an error message to the user when a printer error occurs, and the reflection outside the position where the monitor image is reflected on the mirror By positioning the camera by drilling a hole in the mirror, it is possible to improve the image quality without being affected by the transmittance, foreign matter of the glass itself, or the non-planarity of the surface.

In addition, it is equipped with a modem that can send and receive data information with the head office of the device, it is possible to determine the status and status of the device, it is possible to automatically convert the backdrop according to the type of the composite picture desired by the user.

In addition, it is possible to automatically adjust the lighting required for photography and the usual lighting when commercial advertisements are being displayed, and after-sales service is displayed by displaying the operation status and error status of the device at a glance. There is a convenient effect, it is possible to control the PC and the control equipment in sequence with only one main power supply.

The present invention also provides an image of a picture selected by a user from among a plurality of pictures provided by the user in a frame and his / her portrait picture and a background picture displayed on the PC monitor before the user takes a picture and outputs the picture. It has the effect of automatically image processing.

In addition, the digital photo automatic output device of the present invention has a very excellent effect that the user can bring a digital camera still and capture a scene that you want to output as a picture to process the image and then output the desired size of the picture.

In addition, preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed for the purpose of illustration, those skilled in the art will be able to various modifications, changes, additions, etc. within the spirit and scope of the present invention, these modifications and changes should be seen as belonging to the following claims. something to do.

Claims (17)

Memory means for storing all information such as frames / wallpapers / advertisements / voices / programs for making a composite picture, A drive means embodying the user to combine the photos you want to synthesize or the photos you want to print as diskettes and use them as background photos or print them out; A PC monitor for displaying and displaying the image signals captured by the camera and the frame stored in the memory means; A camera for capturing the user's appearance by being located outside the range required for the PC monitor image to be reflected to a mirror and the user's field of view; Storing the analog image signal displayed on the PC monitor in the memory means, and converting the user's image taken from the camera and the background picture stored in the memory means into a digital form to enable various image processing on the program Overlay means for At least two printing means for printing the synthesized screen displayed on the PC monitor in a size desired by the user; A sound card for converting the guide sound and the effect sound stored in the memory means into a signal that the speaker can accept; Speaker for viewing the voice signal sent from the sound card to the outside, An amount identifying means for detecting the amount of money input by the user; An amount return means for returning a change of money, except for the used photo value, An operation key for transmitting the intention of the user to the central processing control means through a button; An electric screen for automatically controlling the backdrop according to the type of the composite picture desired by the user; A lighting device that automatically controls the brightness of the light when the user takes a picture and when the picture is not taken; Display means for displaying the operation and error conditions and the amount of money of the device on the outside and inside of the device; The image is automatically matched to the image of the photo selected by the user from among a plurality of photographs provided by the user in the frame of the still image captured by the PC monitor and the person's portrait and background photograph before the user takes the photograph and outputs the photograph. Central processing control means for controlling the overall operation to be processible; Receives information from the at least two printer means, the banknote identifier and the operation key, and transmits the information to the central processing control means, and transmits the instructions of the central processing control means to the coin return machine, the electric screen, the lighting device, and the display means. Digital photo automatic output device characterized in that it comprises an input / output controller. The method of claim 1, Encoding means for receiving a signal from the overlay means and converting the signal into a TV video signal; And a TV monitor that receives a video signal from the encoding means and displays a commercial advertisement when the user does not take a picture. The method of claim 1, Digital camera automatic output device characterized in that it further comprises a digital camera connection means for the user to bring a digital camera still and capture a scene that you want to output as a picture to process the image and then output the desired size of the picture. The method of claim 1, Digital photo automatic output, characterized in that additionally equipped with a modem for transmitting data collected automatically, such as the number of times of commercial advertisement, the number of shots by type of photos, the number of times of use of the background to the head office via a communication cable or to receive information Device. The method of claim 1, The central processing control means controls to automatically solve the error part by itself by directly inputting the error message of the printer through the input / output controller when the printer error does not go through the print drive or through the PC monitor. Digital photo automatic output device characterized in that the control to inform the user. The method of claim 1, The central processing control means is a digital photograph automatic output device, characterized in that for the administrator who does not know the PC can control the PC and peripherals with only one main power sequentially. The method of claim 1, And said memory means is a removable hard disk. The method of claim 1, The at least two printing means, A digital photograph automatic output device comprising a sticker photograph printout and an A6 and A4 size print print. The method of claim 8, The A6 and A4 size photographs are digital photo automatic output device, characterized in that for adjusting the size of the picture divided into at least one equal. The method of claim 1, And said drive means is a 3.5-inch drive. In the automatic digital photo output method, Selecting a photo and a size of the photo that the user wants to take by following the on-screen instructions; Inputting an amount corresponding to the selected picture; When the input of the corresponding amount is completed, the step of displaying the background image stored in the hard disk on the PC monitor, Overlaying a view of the user captured by the camera on the PC monitor and displaying the image together with a background screen; Photographing at a desired moment while looking at yourself on the PC monitor; Capturing a still image of the user at the moment of photographing and displaying it on a screen; Looking at the still image captured screen and image processing by selecting one of at least two image processing techniques provided by the user; Displaying the at least two image-processed pictures on the screen before outputting them; Selecting and outputting a user's favorite among the processed images; Outputting the commercial on a TV monitor after the photo has been output, Automatically outputting a digital picture, characterized in that the step of automatically resolving the device itself when the error occurs during the operation process or notifying the PC monitor. The method of claim 11, The image processing technique is a digital photo automatic output method, characterized in that the 'frame composition' technique. The method of claim 11, The image processing technique is a digital photo automatic output method, characterized in that the 'frame composition + image processing' technique. The method of claim 11, The image processing technique is a digital photo automatic output method, characterized in that the 'image synthesis' technique. The method of claim 11, The image processing technique is a digital photo automatic output method, characterized in that the 'image synthesis + image processing' technique. The method of claim 11, The image processing technique is a digital photo automatic output method, characterized in that the 'frame composition + image composition' technique. The method of claim 11, The image processing technique is a digital photo automatic output method, characterized in that the 'frame composition + image composition + image processing' technique.