WO2002043388A1

WO2002043388A1 - Telecommunications devices and methods

Info

Publication number: WO2002043388A1
Application number: PCT/EP2001/013762
Authority: WO
Inventors: Winfried OBERMÜLLER; Daniel Hammer
Original assignee: Voxar Ag
Priority date: 2000-11-24
Filing date: 2001-11-26
Publication date: 2002-05-30
Also published as: AU2002227948A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a telecommunications device comprising user image data input devices for inputting current user image data, image data editing devices for generating edited user image data from the current user image data, and image data output devices for outputting user image data to at least one other communications subscriber. To this end, the image data editing devices contain storage devices for storing active contour information pertaining to at least one body part of at least one user, especially to the user's face or to several parts thereof, said active contour information having been recorded before the establishment of a communications connection. The invention also provides that the image data editing devices are designed for identifying, localizing and following the corresponding body part independent of the movement or position thereof by using the active contour information. The invention also relates to a telecommunications method in which the current user image data is recorded, edited and transmitted to at least one other telecommunications subscriber. According to this method, at least one body part of at least one user, especially the user's face or several parts thereof, is identified, localized and followed within the current user image data by using active contour information having been recorded before the establishment of a communications connection.

Description

Telecommunications facilities and processes

description

The invention relates to telekornminication devices and methods. In particular, the invention finds application in the field of so-called nideophones or video telephones.

Nideo communication devices, nideo communication systems and video communication methods, which in addition to the auditory area also offer visual media or channels for the transmission of sound and image information, are known, but have not yet been widely used by the general public. A major disadvantage of the prior art is that the associated transmission of image information to at least one other communication participant often interferes with the privacy of the user. Depending on who triggers the communication contact, the user and / or his communication partner would like to transmit certain visual information or not. The communication participants would prefer to transmit an optimal “desired appearance” tailored to the respective communication partner. This includes not only a suitable background, but also suitable clothing and an advantageous other appearance.

The invention is based on the presence of audiovisual communication media. General features of audiovisual communication media are microphone and loudspeaker, video camera and screen, a control unit, a processing unit outgoing for processing audio and video signals, a processing unit coming for processing audio and video signals and a compression unit for optimal use of the available line bandwidth, e.g. via analog and digital telephone networks, packet-controlled communication via the Internet, internal computer networks, etc.

In particular, the invention relates to telecommunications or video communication devices with user image data input devices for inputting current user image data, Image data editing devices for generating edited user image data from the current user image data, and image data output devices for outputting user image data to at least one further communication subscriber. Identification devices for identifying at least one communication participant and an edit selection control coupled to the identification devices can be provided, which, depending on the identification result of the identification devices, causes output of unedited current or edited user image data by means of the image data output devices, possibly with the image data editing devices connected upstream , The basis of the present invention is also a telecommunications or video communication method, at least one communication subscriber being identified by means of identification devices, current user image data being input into user image data input devices, an edit selection controller directing the current user image data depending on the identification result of the identification devices to image data editing devices or not, the image data editing devices, if they have received the current user image data, generated them or edited user image data for this, and finally unedited current or, if present, edited user image data are output by means of image data output devices. Furthermore, the basis is an appropriately equipped or functional telecommunication or video communication system.

Such devices, methods and systems are disclosed in the international patent application PCT / DE 00/00442 with the filing date February 16, 2000 and the priority dates February 16 and October 8, 1999 by the same applicant. The entire disclosure content of this application is hereby incorporated in its entirety in the current documents to avoid merely repetitive reproduction by means of the present reference. In particular, this reference applies to editing options and controls.

The basic principle of this technology is that the image taken by a user is broken down into, for example, three levels, the face or head level, the body level and the background level, which can each be edited individually. The device and method configurations and features of the present invention are also based on this.

The devices, methods and systems, in particular according to PCT / DE 00/00442, are intended to be further improved with the present invention.

To this end, the present invention provides a telecommunications device with user image data input devices for entering current user image data, image data Editing devices for generating edited user image data from the current user image data, and image data output devices for outputting user image data to at least one further communication participant, it being provided that the image data editing devices store devices for active contour information of at least one body part of at least one user, in particular his face or several parts of which contain which active contour information was recorded before a communication connection and that the image data editing devices are designed to identify and locate and track the corresponding body part independently of its movement or position on the basis of the active contour information.

In a telecommunication device according to the invention, the image data editing devices are preferably designed on the basis of the active contour information, replacements and changes to the corresponding body part and / or other image data with the exception of this body part within the current user image data or from further previously stored image data regardless of the movement or position of the appropriate part of the body.

In another preferred development of the invention, the active contour information contains parameter information which depends on the movement possibilities or state change possibilities of the corresponding body part or parts thereof and / or is used to compile an image from the corresponding body part from the current user image data and further previously stored image data, and / or Define kinematic variables of the active contour of the corresponding body part and a compilation of an image from the corresponding body part from the current user image data and further previously stored image data and / or serve to control the weighting of previous assumptions regarding the user image data. Corresponding variants of the telecommunication device according to the invention are preferably designed such that the further previously stored image data is background image information, which in particular contains static or dynamic image information, for example of real images or artificial or virtual images.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention is that the image data editing devices contain a video augmentation device, which in particular contains the storage devices for active contour information and is designed to control the use of the active contour information. It can also preferably be provided that the image data editing devices contain a video segmentation device, which is controlled in particular by the video augmentation device, is assigned to or arranged after the video augmentation device, and / or contain the storage devices for active contour information.

Alternatively or additionally, the invention can be further developed in that the image data editing devices contain a video modification device for changing the current user image data and a safety device is provided which, depending on the recognition of a particular user, specifies or releases an operating mode of the video modification device, in particular to make changes Allow image data of the corresponding body part and / or other image data with the exception of this body part in each case within the current user image data or from further previously stored image data.

The aim of the invention is also achieved by means of a telecommunications process, in which current user image data are acquired, edited and transmitted to at least one other telecommunications participant, with at least one part of the body of at least one user, in particular his face or several parts thereof, using active contour information which is provided a communication link has been detected, identified and localized and tracked within the current user image data.

With this telecommunications method, it is also preferably provided that on the basis of the active contour information, replacements and changes to the corresponding body part and / or other image data with the exception of this body part within the current user image data or from further previously stored image data regardless of the movement or position of the corresponding body part be made.

In addition or in addition, it can be provided that the active contour information contains parameter information which depends on the movement possibilities or state change possibilities of the corresponding body part or parts thereof, and / or serves to compile an image from the corresponding body part from the current user image data and further previously stored image data, and or Define kinematic variables of the active contour of the corresponding body part and a compilation of an image from the corresponding body part from the current user image data and further previously stored image data and / or serve to control the weighting of previous assumptions regarding the user image data.

Corresponding embodiments of the telecommunication method according to the invention can be characterized in that the further previously stored image data is background image information, which in particular contains static or dynamic image information, for example of real images or artificial or virtual images.

In a further embodiment, the telecommunication method can provide that, depending on the recognition of a specific user, an operating mode is defined or released, in particular to make changes to image data of the corresponding body part and / or other image data with the exception of this body part in each case within the current user image data or of other previously saved image data

Further advantageous and preferred embodiments of the invention result from the respective dependent claims and their combinations as well as from the entirety of the present documents including the disclosure content of PCT / DE 00/00442 as well as the state of the art and the professional knowledge.

From the content of the disclosure of the present documents, further aspects of the invention that can be protected and are worthy of protection are obtained on their own, even without a combination with the aspects of the invention formulated in the claims and explained above. In this respect, the invention relates to any configurations of telecommunication devices and methods determined by the features and combinations of features disclosed in the present documents, which can be made both the subject of the present application and the subject of divisional applications.

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail in the context of its individual aspects by means of non-limiting examples with reference to the drawings, in which:

1 shows a schematic and functional block diagram to illustrate a telecommunications device,

Fig. 2 illustrates examples of the Skin GUI Windows Media Player 7, and Fig. 3 is a screen representation of the file list and size of a prototype of the telecommunication device including a personal computer.

1 shows an example of a functional architecture of a telecommunication device 1, the user image data input devices 2 for entering current user image data, image data editing devices 3 for generating edited user image data from the current user image data, and image data output devices 4 for outputting user image data contain at least one further communication partner (not shown). The user image data input devices 2 contain a video input hardware interface 5 and further devices which are generally known in the relevant technology and are therefore not shown separately for simplification, such as e.g. a video camera that is connected to the interface and can be integrated into a separate device or into a videophone or a handheld computer etc. In addition to the user image data input devices 2, user audio data input devices 6 are also shown, which, for example, contain an audio input hardware interface 7 as well as other devices which are also generally known in the relevant technology and are therefore not shown separately for simplification, such as e.g. a microphone that is connected to the interface and can be integrated into a separate device or into a videophone or a handheld computer etc.

The video input hardware interface 5 of the user image data input devices 2 and the audio input hardware interface 7 of the user audio data input devices 6 are respectively followed by a video acquisition interface 8 or an audio acquisition interface 9 for data acquisition and, if necessary, preparation of image and audio data of the user.

The image data editing devices 3 furthermore contain storage devices 10 for active contour information of at least one body part of at least one user (not shown), in particular his face or several parts thereof, which active contour information was acquired before a communication connection. The storage devices 10 can be physically or functionally assigned to a video augmentation device 11 and / or a video segmentation device 12, which, like a video modification device 13, are components of the image data editing devices 3. The video modification device 13 is used for the actual editing of the user image data.

Furthermore, the telecommunication device 1 contains a user data container 14, in which or in its components the storage devices 10 physically or functionally can also be included, in which case a corresponding connection to the image data editing devices 3 is required. According to the version shown in FIG. 1, the user data container 14 contains a telephone book device 15 in which data from communication partners are stored, a caller identification device 16 in which data from communication partners are also stored or which are functional for obtaining such data is coupled to the telephone book device 15, a security device 17, which is responsible for releasing the telecommunication device 1 or individual of its operating modes, and a videophone call device 18, which contains or controls the telecommunication requirements. For the user there is, for example, a user interface window 19 from the user data container 14, which is provided in the display of a videophone, a handheld computer, a personal computer, etc. (not shown).

According to the invention, it is provided that the image data editing devices 3 are designed to identify and locate and track the corresponding body part independently of its movement or position on the basis of the active contour information. In a telecommunication method according to the invention, in which current user image data are acquired, edited and transmitted to at least one other telecommunication subscriber, it is provided that at least one part of the body of at least one user, in particular his face or several parts thereof, by means of active contour information which is acquired before a communication link were identified, localized and tracked within the current user image data.

The telecommunications device 1 is connected to the user data container 14 by means of a transmission system device 20 which, among other things. which contain image data output devices 4 to a telecommunication network 21, e.g. an ISDN network or an Internet provider (IP) is connected.

The individual components of the telecommunication device 1, which is shown in FIG. 1, and the functions and capabilities of these components are described in more detail below.

The user data container 14 represents, in particular, local database devices for the telecommunication device 1. It contains entries and records in connection with the security device 17, the video augmentation device 11, the caller identification device 16 and the videophone call device 18. In a telecommunication method according to the invention, parts of or all of the records are of the application-specific database provided by the target application or the target device. The user data container 14 is representative of the target application. The user data container 14 is used to provide a single database for storing the required records and entries for all listed facilities.

The security device 17 provides tools for unambiguous user identification. The idea here is of double importance. First, several users want to be able to use individual parts of the telecommunication device 1 and the telecommunication method according to the invention, even if only one at a time. Therefore, a telecommunications device 1 must have the ability to separately record and apply the augmentation parameter selection of each user. The second part of this unique idea of user identification is that such a telecommunication device 1 only extends or processes the captured video data if one of a number of predetermined permissible users is found. Otherwise, the security device 17 of the telecommunication device 1, such as a videophone, makes it possible to work, but bypassing the video augmentation device 11.

Security with respect to those who use the telecommunication device 1 according to the invention is handled by the security device 17. The security device 17 initiates tests to compare the data of the current users with data stored for the authorized users. A simple procedure is to introduce a well-known password protection scheme against unauthorized use. More advanced measures against fraud and abuse include the implementation of security systems based on biometrics. This can be, for example, an audio or visual-based comparison of the current user data with stored user profiles. The question of which approach to take for the security system depends on customer needs. If the telecommunication device 1 is used in a protected environment, it seems sufficient to implement a password scheme. The security device 17 will initialize password security before a call. The telecommunication device 1 can be converted to or expandable for later implementations with stricter security measures as required.

In particular, all reference data and other settings are also stored in the user data container 14, if necessary in separate and / or special devices. The user data container 14 also contains a telephone book device 15, which is identical or compatible with common address books, in particular of currently widespread software products. Preferably, the telephone book device 15 allows the user to configure any number of associations between names and telephone numbers. Each of the names in this list can be selected for the purpose of initiating a videophone call. As soon as the user has selected a name from the address book, the telephone number is passed on to the videophone call device 18 for call setup initiation. All phone book information configured by the user is stored in the address book.

The videophone call device 18, which manages each telephone call, is responsible for videophone call recording, transmission, and hanging up. The videophone call device 18 handles both user initiated and spontaneous video phone calls initiated by a second video phone user. The videophone call device 18 handles the result of a requested call answering or hanging up. The same information can also be reported to the caller identification device 16. The videophone call device 18 maintains communication with the transmission system device 20.

As already mentioned above, all caller identification information that has been configured by the user is stored in the user data container 14. The subsystem that uses this caller identification information in real time is referred to as caller identification device 16. The telephone number with which there is a connection or is being established is always reported by the videophone device A 18 to the caller identification device 16 if a telecommunication connection has been successfully established. Additionally, the videophone caller 18 will notify the caller identification device 16 when the call is hanging up.

In the exemplary embodiment of the telecommunication device 1 shown in FIG. 1, the video segmentation device 12 is connected downstream of the video augmentation device 11. However, it can in particular be provided that the video segmentation device 12 is at least functionally part of the video augmentation device 11. In any case, both components are part of the image data editing devices 3. The video segmentation device 12 or also superordinate or upstream of the video augmentation device 11 are responsible for a number of advantageous effects and functions, which will be discussed in more detail below.

Elimination of the halo effect is one such effect. In a telecommunication device 1 according to the invention, the halo effect can be removed and an anti-aliased cross-fading, e.g. artificial background. In other words, this is a property of the telecommunication device 1 according to the invention. This allows in particular a seamless integration between the segmented shape and the e.g. artificial background.

With the present invention, it is also possible in a particularly advantageous manner to implement the tracking of moving video figures in real time using optical flow techniques. This brings great improvements in the area of segmentation or segmentation.

Tracking a face as part of the user image data has, among other things, an impact on the security device 17. The corresponding procedure includes the identification of faces, the tracking of faces and the recognition of certain faces. The use of faces is only regarded as a variant within the scope of the present invention, which is not restricted to this, but in so far relates generally to body parts or individual features thereof.

The identification of faces, the tracking of faces and the recognition of certain faces is advantageously achieved through the use of active contour or shape or shape information which is used to provide a certain degree of prior knowledge for video data interpretation , Instead of depending on smooth and uninterrupted features on the input medium, the active contour information provides the properties from the start. Since the active contour or shape is also elastic, it can react flexibly to changing conditions of the object concerned. The corresponding elastic parameters or parameter information can be used to control the strength or weighting of previous assumptions. Furthermore, the active contour information can be used for the previous modeling of compositions or positions. The active contour information and compositions can be controlled by a set of parameters or parameter information that define motion or kinematic variables. The reproductions of the active contour information with their pre-modeled features are a template that deforms itself in accordance with the rules that are or are determined by the parameter information in order to correspond to the targeted object in the input video data or thus to be covered. This "active" behavior is necessary in order to adjust or adapt the contour to the subsequent changes that are carried out by the object in front of the camera. Mathematically more advanced than other methods, contour information can also include the representation of the third dimension. This is important, because the representation of a person is three-dimensional and movement of people cannot be accepted as a movement that remains in the x and y coordinates.

The main advantages of using the active contour information are that the contour knows what to look for in the video data, the contour can follow the object (XY direction and planar rotations), and the contour is capable of objects in 3D Room to follow.

The active contour information is a good approach to solve the demanding problems of tracking a person and their key features.

The video modification is carried out in or with the video modification device 13. During the initialization of this device or this module by the video augmentation device 11 with each video telephone call, it is specified whether this feature functionality should be activated or not or to what extent. When the request is to enable this general functionality for the current video phone call, video frames given to video modifier 13 are immediately forwarded to videophone call device 18 without any video frame modification work being performed.

The only modification operator that can be applied to the background video layer (see PCT / DE 00/00442) is "REPLACE", for which a standard selection can be provided, for example. The user can change his background video layer selection at any time by selecting another one Change elements in a standard list of available replacement background elements, for example, the modification of the user to the current background video layer selection can take effect immediately.

The background video layer (see PCT / DE 00/00442) can be replaced by the effects listed below. To reduce the memory requirement, the JPEG bitmap format is supported for the image data, which fulfills or corresponds to IS 10918-1.

In the background video layer, in particular e.g. a static or dynamic bitmap file of a website (possibly with a banner) can be activated or displayed in the separate image of the user's face. As a result, additional information or advertising, which finances the communication links, can also be transmitted in a stationary background or provided with moving parts.

Another background variant that can be used is to use images from computer applications for the background video layer. For example, office applications such as presentation graphics programs can be displayed and even controlled in the background. This would e.g. include a 320x240 pixel presentation graphic template.

It is also possible to use sound or sound-controlled graphics (see Media Player) or even films as the background video layer. In particular, the MPEG movie format is supported, although other formats can also be supported. However, MPEG currently enables better compression, which results in an effective use of memory during the runtime execution of the teleconference process on a corresponding videophone, but also on a standard PC or laptop or handheld computer.

An input video data plane scheme is also made possible. The level then enables the editing and configuration of several units with graphic content. Completed line graphics and text, including available computer fonts or fonts, can also be supported. Alpha channel support for all file formats can also be included. A single RGB color advantageously serves as an indication of transparency in order to make the screen contents visible behind the embedded or omitted window. This feature makes it possible to support applications related to e-commerce. The partial reproduction of graphics in a video stream, which would also be possible, would enable the user to display logos that have a resolution of less than 320x250 pixels. The full resolution would cover the entire area of the original background. The user may keep the original background, but would like to and can insert nice graphics or logos in a certain place. Interactive drag & drop in the preview view can also be provided as a user editing option in the user interface window. For this purpose, selected levels are preferably displayed in a preview window and can be arranged or set manually in the size and position of the graphic with respect to the actual location in the background.

Furthermore, provision can be made at the body level (see PCT / DE 00/00442) to provide a standard selection that can be used at least by any user for the single operator “REPLACE”, similar to the background, as described above. The user can change this body level selection at any time by selecting another element in the list of available replacement body images The modifications of the current body level selection of the user are particularly effective immediately.

For the head level (see PCT / DE 00/00442), for example, a "cosmetic" operator can be used as standard. The modifications to the current head levels after cosmetic selections by the user are particularly effective immediately.

A controller may be provided that simulates a popular camera handling technique used during pop-size interviews. The intended effect includes "camera pan and zoom effects" in, for example, a preselected or random mode. This effect can be described as running with the video camera (no static camera setup) and trying to hold the object of interest in the center of the lens.

A further possibility for developing the invention consists in augmenting the augmented video stream with additional content. For this purpose, input of a second camera, which is connected, for example, to a PC with which the telecommunication is carried out, is supported. As an example use, a second camera could be directed out of a window to capture outside shots. The resulting second video input can then be mixed with the segment results provided by the corresponding first camera from the user himself, and the video modifiers can combine the exterior shots as the background video layer, while the segmented area data captured by the first video camera , be used as the foreground video layer. It is also possible to subject the composite result to a filtering process that smoothes the image and leads to images that are comparable to photos that were taken on cameras with a special filter lens. Well-known photographer David Hamilton based his work on the use of soft filters. A convenient way to get the desired results is to apply a thin layer of vasiline to the lens.

Other options for editing or editing lie in dealing with real or artificial lighting, including lighting that is only generated by image processing. When cameras are used to capture a scene, light is an essential factor. Regardless of the camera system used - video, analog, digital or 35mm film - suitable lighting is the key to high quality results. The film industry works with a basic approach called three-point lighting. The light sources in this lighting approach are known by the following names:

- key light

- Fill light

- background light

The key light provides the dominant foreground lighting and is referred to as "the obvious source of directional lighting in the assembly". These can be a window that is not visible in the picture itself, the rising sun or other primary scene lights. The position of the key light is important for the entire lighting effect, assuming that the person is sitting in a chair behind a desk and that the talent or actor is in the center of the scene, the position of the camera according to this arrangement is 6 o'clock on the clock face, the positioning of the key light is just right (namely 6 o'clock) above the camera brings good results for all the details on the face or facial expressions. Positioning the key light at a 7 or 8 o'clock position can also be very effective. In this case the resulting shadows can be smoothed out with a fill light be, for example, au f is positioned at 1 o'clock.

The associated idea is to interactively define areas (e.g. point light sources) to place a shape or design there (a selection of available figures can be implemented for this), and manually increase or decrease the light value of the area determined by the shape to regulate or adjust.

Furthermore, the telecommunication device 1 according to the invention can contain a driver or a driver-like control, for example for video phone applications from To improve third-party providers with the functions of the controller according to the invention or overall telecommunications device 1. Such a driver can capture the signal from a selected camera and feed the video stream (augmented with certain filters according to the invention) to an off-the-shelf video telephone or conference system (ie Vistacom, AVM Alice, MS NetMeeting). The predominant video phone software allows the user to select a camera from several cameras connected to a PC. Cameras are registered in the system during installation. The registration information is used to detect and check whether the particular camera is connected and running. The driver behaves like a simple VFW or WDM driver. It presents itself as a simple camera driver, making it possible to improve off-the-shelf video phone software with augmented video functionality. The user interface for the selection and control of features can be restricted to certain “released” functions.

A video display transparency can be provided. This feature enables the segmented video shape or shape to be displayed as a transparent object over any image window.

A mechanism or controller can also be included to enable a user to adjust the video resolution of the outbound inbound video. This can clarify effects that are introduced for augmentation at different resolutions.

The invention may include improved graphical user interfaces. The idea behind the use of surface technology is to give the telecommunications device 1 the appearance of any device or shape. The graphics and arrangements of the functions according to the invention in the graphical user interface can be any. Two examples are shown in FIG. 2.

The technology according to the invention is very sophisticated and can be used as applications on PCs and portable devices, such as video cameras and mobile communication devices, etc. Video augmentation for communication is a domain of real-time computer graphics. This requires sufficient memory and processing power. As an example, the invention was implemented on an Intel Celeron-based laptop. The laptop had a clock speed of 400 MHz and 192 MB RAM, and the graphics system consisted of a Trident Cyber9525DVD with 2.5 MB video RAM, a resolution of 800x600 and true color (24 bit). The CPU speed is only a criterion because of the Connection of a USB device in the form of an Intel PC camera pro pack involves heavy traffic on the bus system. It was a standard PC that does not allow tuning of the CPU and the I / O components that are part of the PC mainboard. Nevertheless, the results with the invention are acceptable. A delay of slightly less than one second at a resolution of 320x240 pixels was found between the camera input and the augmentation results. The code used was not optimized for speed, which can still be done easily within the scope of specialist knowledge.

There are two major problems with implementation on a portable device. The problems are 1. Application footprint and 2. Device processing capacity. A digital signal processor (DSP) is a specialized device for a variety of applications. DSPs are primarily known for serving multimedia applications. The footprint of functionality (DLLs) that is currently implemented is approximately 120 KB. FIG. 3 is a screen capture of the installation directory of the version tested above. There are at least 3 different types of performance optimization that can be considered. First, there are algorithm performance optimizations that operate the system and hardware independently. Second, there are operating system-related performance optimizations that are hardware-independent. Third, there are hardware-related performance optimizations. These optimizations relate to the specific CPU or DSP on which the code will run and factors such as bus architecture, bus speed, etc. The place in the code where most CPU cycles are used is in the computer graphics algorithms that are created taking into account the need to optimize performance and memory.

The transmission system device 20 is primarily also responsible for the integration and synchronization of video and audio, the audio frames arriving at the receiving device in particular being synchronized with the video frame shown in each case.

The invention is not restricted to the features and combinations of features of the exemplary embodiments described above and shown in the drawing. The individual aspects, features and combinations of features of the present invention can be implemented individually and in combination and are worthy of protection. In addition to the general and concrete information contained in the present documents for realizing the invention, its scope also includes all variations, modifications, substitutions and combinations which the person skilled in the art can readily recognize from the documents themselves and / or with the help of his specialist knowledge.

Claims

Expectations

1. Telecommunication device with user image data input devices for inputting current user image data, image data editing devices for generating edited user image data from the current user image data, and image data output devices for outputting user image data to at least one further communication subscriber, characterized in that the image data editing devices store devices for Active contour information of at least one body part of at least one user, in particular his face or several parts thereof, which active contour information was recorded before a communication connection, and that the image data editing devices are designed to identify the corresponding body part independently of its movement or position based on the active contour information and locate and track.

2. Telecommunication device according to claim 1, characterized in that the image data editing devices are designed on the basis of the active contour information replacements and changes to the corresponding body part and / or other image data with the exception of this body part within the current user image data or other previously stored image data independently from the movement or position of the corresponding body part.

3. Telecommunication device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the active contour information contains parameter information which depends on the possibilities of movement or change of state of the corresponding body part or parts thereof, and / or a compilation of an image from the corresponding body part from the current user image data and others previously stored Serve image data, and or define kinematic variables of the active contour of the corresponding body part and a compilation of an image from the corresponding body part from the current user image data and further previously stored image data and / or serve to control the weighting of previous assumptions regarding the user image data.

4. Telecommunication device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the further previously stored image data is background image information which in particular contains static or dynamic image information, for example of real recordings or artificial or virtual images.

5. Teliinikationseinrichtung according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the image data editing devices contain a video augmentation device, which in particular contain the storage devices for active contour information and / or is designed to control the use of the active contour information.

6. Telimication device according to claim 5, characterized in that the image data editing devices contain a video segmentation device, which is controlled in particular by the video augmentation device, the video augmentation device is assigned or arranged downstream, and / or contain the storage devices for active contour information.

7. Telecommunication device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the image data editing devices contain a video modification device for changing the current user image data and a safety device is provided which determines or releases an operating mode of the video modification device as a function of the detection of a specific user, in particular Allow changes to image data of the corresponding body part and / or other image data with the exception of this body part in each case within the current user image data or from further previously stored image data.

8. Telecommunication method, in which current user image data is acquired, edited and transmitted to at least one other telecommunications user, characterized in that at least one part of the body of at least one user, in particular his face or several parts thereof, by means of active contour information which was acquired before a communication link, within the current user image data is identified, localized and tracked.

9. Telecommunication method according to claim 8, characterized in that on the basis of the active contour information, replacements and changes to the corresponding the body part and / or other image data with the exception of this body part within the current user image data or from other previously stored image data regardless of the movement or position of the corresponding body part.

10. Telecommunication method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the active contour information contains parameter information which depends on the possibility of movement or change of state of the corresponding body part or parts thereof, and / or a compilation of an image from the corresponding body part from the current user image data and other previously stored Serve image data, and / or define kinematic variables of the active contour of the corresponding body part and a compilation of an image from the corresponding body part from the current user image data and further previously stored image data and / or to control the weighting of previous assumptions regarding the user image data.

11. Telecommunication method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the further previously stored image data is background image information which in particular contains static or dynamic image information, for example of real recordings or artificial or virtual images.

12. Telecommunication method according to one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that depending on the detection of a particular user, an operating mode is set or released, in particular changes to image data of the corresponding body part and or other image data with the exception of this body part in each case within the current Allow user image data or other previously stored image data.