JPH05236477A - Photographing direction variable video speaking equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect the photographing direction with a television monitor. CONSTITUTION:A signal corresponding to a video photographed by an image pickup part 101 is sent as a video signal to a synthesis circuit 105 through a video signal processing circuit 102. An output circuit 104 outputs a signal, which is obtained from a control circuit 103 and indicates the photographing direction in the horizontal and vertical directions of the image pickup part 101, as a photographing direction information signal synchronous with horizontal and vertical synchronizing signals from a video signal processing circuit 102. A synthesis circuit 105 synthesizes the video signal and the photographing direction information signal and sends the result to the television monitor. Not only the picture corresponding to the video signal but also the display indicating the photographing direction of the image pickup part 101 is obtained corresponding to each picture on the television monitor.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a video call apparatus which is installed at a front door of a house or the like and sends out a video signal of a photograph of a visitor or the like to a TV monitor, and more particularly to a video call apparatus which responds to a direction control signal from the TV monitor. The present invention relates to a video call direction variable type video call device that changes the shooting direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a photographing direction variable type video call device which sends a video signal corresponding to a photographed image to a television monitor and changes a photographing direction in response to a direction control signal from the television monitor has been used in general houses. Used in. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional video communication device with variable shooting direction, which is installed at the entrance of a house or the like.

In FIG. 3, a control circuit 303 controls a shooting direction of the image pickup unit 301 by rotating a drive motor provided in the image pickup unit 301 in response to a direction control signal from a television monitor installed in the room. To do. A signal representing a video image captured by the imaging unit 301 is FM-modulated by the video signal output circuit 302 and then sent as a video signal to a television monitor. For convenience of explanation, the audio system is omitted.

As described above, it is possible to view the image around the entrance while controlling the shooting direction of the image pickup section 301 on the indoor TV monitor.

[0005]

Since the conventional photographing direction variable type video call device is constructed as described above,
Although it is possible to see images in various directions on the TV monitor, there is a problem that it is not possible to know in which direction the video communication device is shooting. The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a shooting direction variable type video call device that allows the shooting direction to be known on a TV monitor.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the image pickup direction variable type video call apparatus of the present invention, a video signal corresponding to a video image picked up by an image pickup section is sent to a TV monitor and a direction control signal from the TV monitor is responded. In the video-direction variable type video call device that changes the shooting direction of the imaging unit,
It is characterized by further comprising a synthesizing means for outputting a signal obtained by synthesizing a shooting direction information signal representing a shooting direction of the image pickup section and the video signal to the television monitor.

[0007]

The synthesizing means synthesizes the photographing direction information signal and the video signal and outputs the synthesized signal to the television monitor. On the TV monitor,
It is possible to see the image taken by the imaging unit and to know the shooting direction of the imaging unit.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a photographing direction variable type video call apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is installed at the entrance of a house or the like. In FIG. 1, an output unit of the image pickup unit 101 having a built-in shooting lens, a drive motor for controlling the shooting direction of the lens, and the like outputs an image signal by FM-modulating the signal from the image pickup unit 101. It is connected to the input section of the video signal processing circuit 102. The first output unit of the video signal processing circuit 102 is a synthesizing circuit 1 for synthesizing the video signal and a shooting direction information signal representing a shooting direction of the image pickup unit.
05 is connected to the first input section of the output circuit 1 and the second output section is connected to the output circuit 1
04 is connected to the second input section. The combining circuit 105 constitutes a combining means. The output of the synthesis circuit 105 is
It is connected to the TV monitor installed in the room. The direction control signal from the television monitor is input to the input section of the control circuit 103. The first output section of the control circuit 103 is connected to the control input section of the imaging section 101, and the second output section is connected to the first input section of the output circuit 104. Output circuit 104
Is connected to the second input of the synthesis circuit 105. For convenience of explanation, the audio system is omitted.

FIG. 2 is a signal waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the above embodiment. 2A and 2C show the horizontal synchronizing signal and the vertical synchronizing signal output from the video signal processing circuit 102 to the output circuit 104, respectively. 2B and 2D are a horizontal position signal and a vertical position signal as the shooting direction information signal output from the output circuit 104, respectively. In FIG. 2B, B ₁ indicates the center of the horizontal variable range of the image pickup unit 101, and B ₂ and B ₃ indicate the limit positions of the horizontal variable range of the image pickup unit 101. In FIG. 2D, D ₁ indicates the center of the variable range in the vertical direction of the image pickup unit 101, and D ₂ and D ₃ indicate the limit positions of the variable range in the vertical direction of the image pickup unit 101.

The operation of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The control circuit 103 responds to the direction control signal from the television monitor installed in the room in response to the image pickup unit 10.
By rotating the drive motor in 1, the shooting direction is controlled. At the same time, the control circuit 103 performs waveform processing of the direction control signal and outputs it to the output circuit 104.

A signal corresponding to a video image picked up by the image pickup section 101 is FM-modulated by a video signal processing circuit 102 and then sent to a synthesizing circuit 105 as a video signal. The video signal processing circuit 102 also outputs the horizontal synchronizing signal and the vertical synchronizing signal (see FIGS. 2A and 2C) in the video signal to the output circuit 104. The output circuit 104 is the control circuit 103.
The signals (see FIGS. 2B and 2D) representing the horizontal and vertical shooting directions of the image pickup unit 101 obtained from
In synchronization with the vertical synchronizing signal, the signal is output to the synthesizing circuit 105 as a shooting direction information signal. The shooting direction information signal is a signal indicating the shooting direction of the image pickup unit 101. Synthesis circuit 105
Synthesizes the video signal and the shooting direction information signal and sends them to the television monitor.

On the television monitor, an image corresponding to the image signal is obtained, and a display indicating the shooting direction of the image pickup section 101 is obtained corresponding to each image. In this embodiment, the pulse signals B _{1 to} B ₃ and D _{1 to} D ₃ are used as the signals indicating the shooting direction of the image pickup unit 101, but they can be combined with the video signal and indicate the direction of the image pickup unit 101. Other types of signals may be used as long as they are possible signals.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the synthesizing circuit 105 synthesizes the shooting direction information signal and the video signal and outputs them to the TV monitor. Therefore, the shooting direction can be known on the TV monitor. Is possible.

[0014]

The present invention is particularly equipped with a synthesizing means for outputting to the television monitor a signal obtained by synthesizing the photographic direction information signal indicating the photographic direction of the image pickup portion and the video signal, so that the television monitor is used for shooting. It is possible to know the direction.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a signal waveform diagram for explaining the operation of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a conventional video call device with variable shooting direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 101 ... Imaging unit 102 ... Video signal processing circuit 103 ... Control circuit 104 ... Output circuit 105 ... Synthesis circuit as synthesis means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A video-direction-variable video call device that sends a video signal corresponding to a video image captured by an image-capturing unit to a television monitor and changes the image-capturing direction of the image-capturing unit in response to a direction control signal from the television monitor. In the video shooting device with variable shooting direction, a synthesizing unit for outputting a signal obtained by synthesizing a shooting direction information signal representing a shooting direction of the image pickup unit and the video signal to the television monitor.