KR20040008055A - Device and method for using camera in wireless telephone by personal computer camera - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An apparatus and a method capable of using a mobile phone camera as a PC camera are provided to connect the mobile phone to the PC and use the mobile phone camera as the PC camera. CONSTITUTION: A keypad(27) has keys which set a PC camera photographing mode, a camera phone photographing mode and a picture display mode. A camera(50) acquires an image signal. A signal processing unit(60) converts the image signal outputted from the camera(50) into image data, and outputs the image data. A memory(29) stores a program for controlling that the image data acquired from the camera(50) are transmitted to a PC(200). When a PC camera photographing mode key is inputted, a control unit(10) controls that the image data acquired from the camera(50) are transmitted to the PC(200).

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR USING CAMERA IN WIRELESS TELEPHONE BY PERSONAL COMPUTER CAMERA}

The present invention relates to a mobile phone, and more particularly, to a device and a method in which a mobile phone is connected to a personal computer so that a camera provided in the mobile phone can be used as a camera of a personal computer.

In a mobile phone equipped with a current camera, the video signal photographed by the camera of the mobile phone is converted into image data of RGB or YUV through a signal processor and then displayed on a display unit through an image processor. The image data displayed on the display unit is previewed and captured by the user and stored in the portable telephone. As described above, the image data photographed through the camera of the portable telephone can be previewed and captured only in the portable telephone.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for using a camera of a portable telephone as a camera of a personal computer.

In order to achieve the above object, a device capable of using a camera of a cellular phone as a camera of a personal computer includes a keypad having keys for setting a PC camera shooting mode, a camera phone shooting mode, and a screen display mode, and obtaining an image signal. A camera, a signal processing unit for converting and outputting an image signal output from the camera into image data, a memory storing a program for controlling the image data acquired from the camera to be transferred to a personal computer, and the PC camera recording mode key input And a control unit for controlling to transmit the image data obtained from the camera to a personal computer.

In addition, the method of using the camera of the mobile phone phone as a camera of the personal computer for achieving the above object is the process of transferring the image data obtained from the camera to the personal computer when selecting the PC camera shooting mode, and the display unit of the personal computer Displaying image data acquired by the camera on the screen, capturing image data displayed on a display unit of the personal computer when the photographing mode is selected on the personal computer, and capturing the image data on the personal computer. Characterized in that the process is stored.

1 is a block diagram of a telephone for a mobile phone according to the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method in which a camera of a cellular phone according to an embodiment of the present invention is used as a camera of a personal computer.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION A detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram of a cellular phone 100 according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the RF unit 21 performs communication of a portable telephone. The RF unit 21 includes an RF transmitter for upconverting and amplifying a frequency of a transmitted signal, and an RF receiver for low noise amplifying and downconverting a received signal. The data processor 23 includes a transmitter for encoding and modulating the transmitted signal and a receiver for demodulating and decoding the received signal. That is, the data processor 23 may be configured of a modem and a codec CODDEC. The audio processor 25 plays a function of reproducing a received audio signal output from the data processor 23 or transmitting a transmission audio signal generated from a microphone to the data processor 23.

The keypad 27 is provided with keys for inputting numeric and text information and function keys for setting various functions. In addition, the keypad 27 may include a PC camera photographing key for transmitting the image data acquired from the camera 50 to the personal computer 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The memory 29 may be composed of program memory and data memories. The program memory may store programs for controlling the general operation of the portable telephone and programs for controlling the transmission of image data obtained from the camera 50 to the personal computer 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the data memory temporarily stores data generated during the execution of the programs. The sensor 31 detects the ambient illumination and outputs it to the controller 10.

The controller 10 performs a function of controlling the overall operation of the portable telephone. In addition, the controller 20 may include the data processor 23. In addition, the controller 10 controls to transmit the image data photographed from the camera 50 to the personal computer 200 connected to the portable phone when the PC 27 shooting mode input from the keypad 27 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The camera 50 photographs image data and includes a camera sensor that converts the photographed optical signal into an electrical signal. It is assumed here that the camera sensor is a CCD sensor. The camera 50 may be mounted on a portable telephone or connected to a predetermined location outside. That is, the camera 50 may be an external camera or an internal camera.

The signal processor 60 converts the image signal output from the camera 50 into image data of RGB or YUV. The signal processor 60 may be implemented with a digital signal processor (DSP).

The image processor 70 performs a function of generating screen data for displaying an image signal output from the signal processor 60. The image processor 70 transmits an image signal received under the control of the controller 10 to conform to the standard of the display unit 80, and also compresses and decompresses the image data.

The display unit 80 outputs the image data output from the image processor 70 from the start address value of the image data transmitted from the image processor 70 and displays the image data on the screen. The display unit 80 may use an LCD. In this case, the display unit 80 may include an LCD controller, a memory capable of storing image data, and an LCD display device. In this case, when the LCD is implemented by using a touch screen method, the keypad 27 and the LCD may be input units. The display unit 80 includes an image data display unit for outputting the image data.

Referring to FIG. 1, when the camera of the mobile phone is used as a camera of a personal computer, when the user of the mobile phone 100 inputs a PC camera recording key through the keypad 27, the controller 10 captures image data captured by the camera 50. Is transmitted to the personal computer 200 connected to the portable telephone 100. The image data photographed by the camera 50 displayed on the display unit of the personal computer 200 is previewed and captured by the user and stored in the personal computer 200.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method in which a camera of a cellular phone according to an embodiment of the present invention is used as a camera of a personal computer.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1.

When the user of the mobile phone 100 connected to the personal computer 200 generates key data for driving the camera 50 through the keypad 27, the controller 10 detects this in step 300 and outputs the shooting mode menus through the display 80. In this case, the key for driving the photographing mode may be located on a navigation key of the keypad 27 or may be displayed by selecting a menu using a menu key.

When the user of the portable telephone inputs a PC camera recording key among the shooting mode menus displayed on the display unit 80, the controller 10 detects this in step 310 and records the image data captured by the camera 50 in step 320 with the portable telephone 100. Transfer to the connected personal computer 200. The video signal obtained by the camera 50 is converted into image data of RGB or YUV by the signal processor 60 and then transmitted to the personal computer 200 connected to the portable telephone 100 in step 320.

The image data transmitted to the personal computer 200 in step 320 is converted into a data format that can be displayed on the display unit of the personal computer 200 under the control of the controller of the personal computer 200 and then output to the display unit of the personal computer 200 in step 330. . In operation 320, the image data whose data format is converted to be output to the personal computer 200 may be encoded, decoded, and encoded and decoded by MPEG under the control of the controller of the personal computer 200.

When the user inputs a photographing key provided in the personal computer 200, the controller of the personal computer 200 detects this in step 340 and captures image data output in the display unit of the personal computer 200 in step 350. The image data captured in step 350 is stored in the personal computer 200 in step 160.

When the user of the mobile phone 100 enters the camera phone shooting mode among the shooting mode menus displayed on the display unit 80, the image data captured by the camera 50 is output to the display unit 80 through the signal processor 60 and the image processor 70. .

That is, as described above, the present invention has an effect that a camera provided in the portable telephone can be used as a camera of the personal computer by connecting the portable telephone to the personal computer.

Claims (4)

In the device that can use the camera of the mobile phone as the camera of the personal computer, A keypad having keys for setting a PC camera shooting mode, a camera phone shooting mode, and a screen display mode; A camera for acquiring an image signal, A signal processor for converting the video signal output from the camera into video data and outputting the video data; A memory storing a program for controlling the image data obtained from the camera to be transmitted to a personal computer; And a control unit which controls to transmit the image data acquired from the camera to the personal computer when the PC camera photographing mode key is input. In the method that can use the camera of the mobile phone as the camera of the personal computer, When the PC camera shooting mode is selected, the image data acquired from the camera is transferred to the personal computer, Displaying image data acquired by the camera on a display unit of the personal computer; When the photographing mode is selected in the personal computer, image data displayed on the display unit of the personal computer is captured; And using the camera of the cellular phone as a camera of the personal computer, wherein the captured image data is stored in the personal computer. The method of claim 2, In the process of displaying the image data acquired by the camera on the display unit of the personal computer, the process of converting the image data obtained by the camera to a data format that can be displayed on the display unit of the personal computer is further provided. How to use the camera of a mobile phone as the camera of a personal computer. The method of claim 2, When the camera phone shooting mode is selected, a method of performing a general camera phone function is further provided.