JPH04122183A - Video telephone set - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To surely eliminate a video image causing a trouble if it is displayed and to attain talking with ease by providing a changeover means able to confirm a video image being displayed on an opposite display device from this side in advance. CONSTITUTION:A video signal sent to a display changeover section 25 is sent to a display device 21 when the display changeover section 25 is thrown to the position to lead the video signal to the display device 21 and a video image picked up by its own television camera 17 is displayed on the display device 21. On the other hand, when the display changeover section 25 is thrown to the position to lead a signal via a reception video signal processing section 20 to the display device 21, the video image sent from an opposite party is displayed on the display device 21. Thus, the video image to be displayed on the display device of the opposite party is confirmed in advance from his side and a video image causing a trouble if it is displayed is surely eliminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a video telephone that transmits and receives audio and video via a communication line (telephone line, 15DN, etc.).

2. Description of the Related Art Videophones have been known that allow users to talk while seeing the other party's face by transmitting and receiving audio and video via a telephone line or the like. Such videophones are
It is equipped with a television camera and a display, and images captured by the television cameras of the other parties are displayed on the display.

However, before making or answering a call, callers using videophones often look in the mirror to adjust their appearance, and make sure that they are careful not to worry about things that would be inconvenient if they are shown in the image area of the TV camera. However, people often forget to do this, and the other person may see things that are inconvenient for them.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention enables the user to check in advance the image that will be displayed on the other party's display, and to ensure that the image that would be inconvenient if displayed is removed. The purpose is to provide a video phone that can be used.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the videophone according to the present invention of f η. A self-portrait display means is displayed on the display of the machine, and before the line is connected, the self-portrait display means is driven, and after the line is connected, the image captured by the television camera is sent to the other party, and the image is sent from the other party. The present invention is characterized in that it is equipped with a switching means for displaying the following image on the display.

Work-U According to the above configuration, it is possible to start communication with the other party after confirming in advance one's own face and background that will be displayed on the other party's display. That is, on the transmitting side, the self-portrait display means is activated at the off-footer time or dial input time before the line is connected, and the image captured by the TV camera is displayed on the own display. can be confirmed in advance. Furthermore, on the receiving side, when the caller rings before connection to the line, the self-portrait display means is similarly driven, and the image taken by the television camera is displayed on the display of the own device. This allows you to check your face and background before picking up the phone.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a video phone.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of the video telephone.

In FIG. 1, 11 is a line control unit, 12 is an operation control unit, 13 is an operation switch such as a numeric keypad, 14 is an audio signal processing unit, 15 is a handset, 15a is a microphone, 15b is a speaker, and 16 is a transmission video signal processing unit. 17 is a television camera, 20 is a received video signal processing section, and 21 is, for example, a CR
T (Cathode Ray Tube) or L C
D (Liquid Cr1stal Display
), 24 is a hook switch, 25
is a display switching section.

The line control unit 11 is configured to control the connection between the communication line and each part within the device, send out a calling signal, and detect an incoming signal.

The operation control unit 12 not only controls the entire transmission and reception of the videophone, but also controls the hook switch 2 for detecting off-hook and on-hook of the handset when acting as the transmitting side.
The display switching unit 25 is configured to perform a switching operation based on the signal No. 4, or, when on the receiving side, based on, for example, a ringing bell drive signal.

The display switching unit 25 controls the operation control unit 12 to select which of the video signal from the television camera 17 and the video signal from the received video signal processing unit 20 is to be output to the display 21.
The switch is made in response to instructions from the controller.

The audio signal processing unit 14 includes an audio amplifier (not shown) and the like, and is configured to amplify the audio signal input from the microphone 15a and drive the speaker 15b. It also has a function of encoding and decoding audio data.

The transmission video signal processing section 16 performs encoding processing of the video signal inputted from the television camera I7, etc.
Output to. Further, the received video signal processing section 20 performs decoding processing of a video signal sent from the other party, and drives the display 21 based on this processed video signal.

In the above configuration, an audio signal based on the voice uttered by the caller, etc. is sent from the microphone 15a to the other party's videophone (not shown) via the audio signal processing unit 14, line control unit 11, and telephone line. is emitted from the speaker.

Further, the video signal captured and output by the television camera 17 is sent to the transmission video signal processing section 16 and the display switching section 25.

The video signal input to the transmission video signal processing section 16 is encoded by this processing section 16, and this encoded video signal is sent to the other party via the telephone line and displayed on the display of the other party's video phone. The image captured by the television camera 17 will be displayed.

On the other hand, the video signal sent to the display switching section 25 is
When the display switching unit 25 is switched to a state in which the video signal is sent to the display 21, the video signal is sent to the display 21, and the video imaged by the television camera 17 of the own device is displayed on the display 21. . On the other hand, when the display switching unit 25 is switched to a state in which the signal that has passed through the received video signal processing unit 20 is sent to the display 21, the video sent from the other party is displayed on the display 21. .

FIG. 3(a) is a flowchart showing the process of switching between displaying the other party's picture and displaying one's own picture on the calling side, and FIG. 3(b) is a flowchart showing the process of switching between displaying the other party's picture and displaying one's own picture on the called side.

On the calling side, first, the hook switch 24 detects whether the handset 15 is on-hook or off-hook.
L), if it is an on-footer, it returns, while if it is an off-hook, it returns the TV camera 17 and the display 21.
(S2), and the display switching unit 25 connects the television camera 17 and the display 21 (S3).
. Therefore, the display 21 shows the own TV camera 1.
The image captured in step 7 is displayed.

Next, call processing such as dialing is performed (S4), and it is determined whether the line is connected (S5). To determine whether or not a line has been connected, for example, in an 15DN, the call is routed to the destination, and when the routing is successful and there is a response from the user, it can be determined that the line has been connected.

If it is determined that the line is not connected in step 5, the on-hook/off footer of the handset 15 is detected (36), and if it is on-hook, the drive of the TV camera 17 and display 21 is stopped (5IO), and the line connection process is terminated. The line will be disconnected (5ll) and the process will end. On the other hand, if the off-footer remains, the process advances to step 5 to continue the line connection determination.

If it is determined that the line is connected in step 5,
The display switching unit 25 is driven to connect the received video signal processing unit 20 and the display 21 (S7), and reception processing is performed (S7).
S8). As a result, the image sent from the other party is displayed on the display 21, and the user can talk while looking at the other party's face as usual. And handset 15
If off-hook or off-hook is detected (S9), if it is an on-footer, the TV camera 17 and display 21 are stopped (5IO), the line is disconnected (511), and the process ends. On the other hand, if the device remains off-hook, the process in step 9 is continued.

Next, processing on the called side will be explained. On the called side, an incoming call is first detected (S21), and if there is no incoming call, the call is returned, but if there is an incoming call, the TV camera 17 is activated.
and starts driving the display 21 (522), the display switching unit 25 switches between the TV camera 17 and the display 2.
1 (S23). Therefore, when the call bell rings due to the above-mentioned incoming call and the person faces the video phone to receive or take the call, the display 21 shows the TV camera 1.
The image taken in step 7 will be displayed.

Next, detect on-hook/off-hook of the handset 15 (324), and if it is an on-footer, perform self-portrait display processing (324).
23), while if it is an off-footer, the display switching unit 25 is driven to connect the received video signal processing unit 20 and the display 21 (325), and reception processing is performed (S26).
). As a result, the image sent from the other party is displayed on the display 21, and the user can talk while looking at the other party's face as usual. Then, on-hook/off-hook of the handset 15 is detected 527), and if the handset 15 is on-hook, the TV camera 17 and display 21 are stopped 328), the line is disconnected 529), and the process ends. On the other hand, if the off-footer remains, the process of step 26 is continued.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to start communication with the other party after confirming in advance one's own face and background that will be displayed on the other party's display. That is, on the transmitting side, a self-portrait display is performed during an off-hook period before line connection, and an image captured by a television camera is displayed on the display of the transmitting side, so that the transmitting side can confirm its own face and background in advance. On the receiving side, when the call bell rings before the line is connected, a self-portrait display is also performed, and an image captured by a television camera is displayed on the display of the receiving side. This allows you to check your face and background before picking up the phone.

1-1 Another embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. 4. It should be noted that members having the same functions as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted.

In the above embodiment, the image captured by the television camera 17 is displayed as is on the display 21, but
In this embodiment, the reproduced image signal obtained through the transmission video signal processing section 16 is sent to the display 21 via the display switching section 25.
I am trying to output it to . That is, in the video encoding process, the transmission video signal processing unit 16 not only encodes the image but also decodes the encoded data to generate the image. By using this reproduced image, the accumulation of errors is suppressed (for example, CCITT (International Telegraph and Telephone Consultative Committee)
5GXV Video Coding Recommendation HO261 method). If the self-portrait is displayed on the display 21 using this reproduced image signal, an image of the same quality as the image sent to the receiving side can be viewed on the display 21 of the own device.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. 5. It should be noted that members having the same functions as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals and their explanations are omitted.

In the above embodiment, the reproduced image signal obtained through the transmission video signal processing section 16 is output to the display 21 via the display switching section 25, whereas in this embodiment, the transmission video signal processing section 16 is outputted to the display 21 via the display switching section 25. The transmitted code data obtained through this process is output to the receiving video signal processing section 20 via the display switching section 25, and the video signal obtained by decoding in the receiving video signal processing section 20 is displayed on the display 2.
output to the engineering department. Even in this configuration, as in the above embodiment, an image of the same quality as the image sent to the receiving side can be viewed on the display 21 of the own device.

Further, according to the configurations of Examples 2 and 3, the display 21
By monitoring the self-portrait displayed on the screen, there is an advantage that it is possible to judge whether or not the operating state of the transmission video signal processing section 16 and the reception video signal processing section 20 is good.

According to the above-described invention, the image that will be displayed on the other party's display can be confirmed on the other side in advance. This has the effect that it is possible to reliably take measures such as removing the cells, and to be able to make calls with peace of mind.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 show one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic circuit configuration of a video phone, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the video phone, and FIG. 3(a) is a flowchart showing display switching processing on the calling side, FIG. 3(b) is a flowchart showing display switching processing on the called side, and FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram showing a schematic circuit structure of a video telephone. Et...Line control unit, 12...Operation control unit, 15 handset, 16...Transmission video signal processing unit, l...TV camera, 20...Reception video signal processing unit, 1...
Display, 24... Hook switch, 2... Display switching unit. Patent applicant Murata Machinery Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2 (b) Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a videophone that transmits and receives images captured by a TV camera along with audio via a communication line, a self-portrait display means for displaying the images captured by the TV camera on its own display, and It is characterized by being equipped with a switching means that drives the self-portrait display means, and also transmits an image captured by a television camera to the other party after the line is connected, and displays the image sent from the other party on the display. video phone.