JPH01277085A - Still picture video telephone system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To change picture data without performing the movement of a video telephone set by sampling the picture data obtained by a television camera in a prescribed range at an image processing part, and changing a sampling area. CONSTITUTION:An image obtained by the television camera 1 is stored in a RAM7 for image via an A/D converter 4 and a digital processing part 6. The image is read out at the processing part 6, and is displayed on a monitor 2 via a D/A converter 5. When transmission is instructed, a microcomputer 8 reads out the image stored in the RAM7 via the processing part 6, and transmits it to a telephone line via a transmission/reception circuit 9. When a picture being displayed on the monitor 2 and the image to be transmitted are changed, a fetch range change key provided in a switch 10 is operated. Then, the data fetch of the A/D converter 4 in the image processing part 3 is changed, and the picture data stored in the RAM7 is changed, thereby, an effect to move the sampling area can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a still image videophone device capable of transmitting and receiving image data through a telephone line, and particularly to an improvement in means for changing the position of a self-image obtained by a television camera.

[Prior Art] There is a demand for a videophone that simultaneously transmits audio and images using a telephone communication line, but in reality, current telephone communication lines cannot continuously transmit dynamic images that require a huge amount of data. Since it is difficult to send and receive a still image to the other party during a call, still image videophones are being put into practical use.

This still image videophone allows you to
It is possible to temporarily interrupt this call and send a desired still image, such as the speaker's face, a photo screen or a picture depending on the content of the call, or the like.

Therefore, with such a still image videophone, it is possible to send and receive images over a telephone line, which was previously impossible, and the amount of data processing is limited because only one still image is sent each time. This has the advantage that it is easy to put videophones into practical use.

A videophone capable of transmitting such still images is shown, for example, in the October 1986 issue of Foreign Communication Technology.

In the still image videophone device shown here,
Image data captured by a television camera included in a video telephone device is converted into digital data, stored in an image memory, and sequentially read out, converted into analog data, and displayed on a monitor. On the other hand, when transmitting image data via a telephone line, the image data read from the image memory is modulated into a signal in a predetermined audio band, and then transmitted.
When modulated image data is received, the received signal is demodulated into predetermined image data and displayed on a monitor.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In such conventional videophone devices, when changing the imaging range of the television camera, either the entire device must be moved or the person being photographed must move. However, there is a problem in that it is extremely inconvenient for the caller.

On the other hand, if the television camera is driven and moved by a small motor or the like, the imaging range can be changed without moving the device or people. However, in order to move the television camera in this manner, there is a problem in that a special mechanical movement mechanism is required to move the television camera vertically and horizontally. Furthermore, if such an operating mechanism is installed near the TV camera, the distance between the TV camera and the monitor screen will inevitably increase, making the line of sight of the person talking while looking at the monitor screen unnatural. There was also a problem.

The present invention was made with the aim of solving these problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a video telephone device that can substantially change the imaging range without moving the device body or the television camera itself. Features.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A still image videophone device according to the present invention stores an image of itself obtained by a television camera as digital data in a memory, displays this on a monitor, and transmits it to a communication partner. However, by swabbing a predetermined range of image data from the image data obtained by a television camera and changing this sampling area, it became possible to change the image data displayed on the monitor and transmitted via the telephone line. It is characterized by

[Operation] Image data obtained by a television camera is input to an image processing section, where a predetermined range of data is sampled. In the present invention, this sampling area can be changed.

Therefore, by changing this sampling area, it is possible to change the image data displayed on the monitor and transmitted to the communication partner. Therefore, image data can be changed without physically moving the video telephone or the like.

[Example] Next, a video telephone device according to the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a video telephone device according to the present invention.

In the figure, (1) is a TV camera, (2) is a monitor,
(3) is an image processing unit, (4) is an analog-to-digital converter, (5) is a digital-to-analog converter, (6) is a digital processing unit, (7) is an image RAM, (8) is a microcomputer, ( 9) is a transmitting/receiving circuit, and (10) is a switch.

In such a videophone device, a television camera (1
) The image obtained at
? After being converted into digital data by (4), it is transferred to the image RAM as a memory via the digital processing unit (6).
('7) are sequentially stored at predetermined addresses. and,
The image data stored in the image RAM (7) is sequentially read out by the digital processing section (6) and displayed on the monitor (2) via the digital-to-analog converter (5).

Also, when transmitting image data, press the switch (10).
Instructs to send. Then, this command is input manually to the microcomputer (8), and the microcomputer (8) sends the R for image via the digital processing section (6).
Read the image data stored in AM (7),
After being modulated by the transmitter/receiver circuit (9), it is transmitted through the telephone line.

In such a device, when changing the screen displayed on the monitor (2) and the image data to be transmitted, a capture range change key provided on the switch (10) is operated. This changes the data acquisition of the analog-to-digital converter (4) in the image processing unit (3),
The image data stored in the image RAM (7) is changed.

Here, the second step is to change the import range of this image data.
This will be explained based on FIGS. 5 to 5.

As shown in Fig. 2, the camera imaged area fjJ'J (11) captured by the normal television camera (1) is displayed on the monitor (
It is considerably larger than the monitor display area (12) displayed in 2). Note that this monitor display area (12) is R for images.
This corresponds to image data stored in AM (7). Sampling of image data in the monitor display area (12) is performed by controlling the analog-to-digital converter (4). That is, as shown in FIG. 3(A), analog camera data is output from the television camera (1), and this camera data is transmitted to the camera imaging area (1).
This corresponds to 1). Then, as shown in FIG. 3(B), a signal instructing the sampling time is supplied to the analog-to-digital converter 'ri(4). and,
The analog-to-digital converter (4) samples camera data only during this sampling time. That is,
Regarding the image data in the horizontal direction, only the sampling data shown in FIG. 3(C) is supplied to the digital processing section (6).

Camera data and sampling data have such a relationship, so if you change the sampling start and end positions, you can change the image data stored in the image memory, that is, the screen displayed on the monitor (2) and the transmitted image data. Can be changed.

Here, to further explain this change, if the magnetization Sll up to the start of sampling shown in FIG. 4 is increased, the sampling area (monitor display area (12)) in the camera data moves to the right in the figure. Conversely,
If SH is made smaller, the sampling area moves to the left in the figure.

Here, sampling of horizontal image data from camera data is performed by a signal from a clock.

That is, by sampling the value of camera data when the clock is at a high level, digital data of a predetermined number of pixels can be supplied to the digital processing section (6).

Further, the horizontal synchronization signal is a signal indicating one line of camera data. The digital processing section (6) also recognizes one line based on this horizontal synchronization signal.

Furthermore, in the apparatus of this embodiment, the data acquisition range in the vertical direction can also be changed.

That is, camera data is output at a predetermined timing in the vertical direction as shown in the camera data in FIG. 4, but by changing this sampling timing,
The vertical sampling area can be changed.

That is, by changing S in the sampling time, the vertical position of the sampling area can be changed.

Note that since the size of the image data to be displayed on the monitor (2) is constant, the horizontal sampling time Lll and vertical sampling time LV corresponding to the sampling area are not changed.

Changes in image data according to this embodiment can be expressed by changes in the monitor screen as shown in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the camera imaging area (
11) has the faces of two people.

Then, by changing the sampling area (12) of the image data, image data as shown in FIGS. 5(B) and 5(C) can be obtained. The sampling area (12) may be changed while looking at the monitor (2), or by moving the screen using the up, down, left, and right keys.

In this way, by controlling the horizontal and vertical start times of sampling image data from camera data, image data in a predetermined sampling area can be sampled, and the image data can be sampled without moving the television camera (1) itself. You can change the range of images to be included. Therefore,
As described above, image data can be changed without moving the television camera.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the video telephone device according to the present invention, the display image on the monitor and the transmitted image can be changed without moving the television camera itself at all.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a still image videophone device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the camera imaging area and the sampling area in the same embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a horizontal Explanatory diagram of directional sampling data,
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of sampling data in the horizontal and vertical directions in the same embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of a monitor screen. In the figure, (1) is a television camera, (3) is an image processing section, and (7) is an image RAM (memory). In addition, in the figures, the same reference numerals indicate the same or equivalent parts.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A still image videophone device that transmits and receives image data through a communication line, comprising: a television camera that takes an image of itself; and a predetermined range of image data that is sampled from among the image data obtained by the television camera. At the same time, there is an image processing unit that converts the sampled image data from analog to digital, a memory that stores the digital data output from this image processing unit, and an image processing unit that displays the image data stored in this memory on a monitor and connects the telephone line. and a sampling control means for controlling the sampling range of the image data in the image processing section, and the sampling control means controls the range of the image data to be sampled and displays it on the monitor and displays the image data on the telephone. A still image videophone device characterized in that image data transmitted via a line can be changed.