JP3567249B2 - Remote face-to-face communication device capable of combining and transmitting a participant's image and other images - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a remote face-to-face communication device capable of synthesizing a video of a participant and other video such as characters and pictures and transmitting the video when a video conference or the like is performed.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a conventional video conference device, a terminal device equipped with a photographing means such as a television camera and a display means such as a television monitor is installed at a plurality of locations connected by a communication line, and a participant photographed with a television camera or the like is provided. Are transmitted to each other via a communication line so that the conference can be performed while watching each other's images on a television monitor or the like.
In a conventional device, when there is other information (hereinafter, also referred to as "document") to be transmitted to the other party, a participant displays a document to be photographed by a television camera from a participant. It is intended to transmit a video shot by switching to a platen such as a board or the like, and it was not possible to transmit a video shot simultaneously with a participant and the original in a legible state to the other party.
[0003]
Further, in the conventional video conference apparatus, the monitor for displaying the image of the other party and the camera for photographing the user are arranged separately, so that when the user gazes at the monitor, the line of sight is shifted from the optical axis of the camera, and An image of the user looking in another direction is displayed on the monitor on the side. Further, since the user cannot confirm his / her expression transmitted to the other party, there is a disadvantage that the conference using the video conference device is far from natural conversation and has no sense of presence. Was.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention can solve such a problem of the conventional technology, and can synthesize a video image of a participant with other information such as characters and pictures in a legible state together with the video of the participant and transmit the synthesized video to the other party. It is an object of the present invention to provide a remote face-to-face communication device. In addition, the present invention enables a user of a video conference device or the like to match his / her gaze with each other and to check his / her own expression transmitted to the other party, thereby enabling a realistic and natural dialogue. It is another object of the present invention to provide a ground-to-face communication device.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has the following configuration to solve the above problems.
1. In a communication device connected to another communication device and used for a communication system for exchanging a video of a user between the communication devices, the communication device includes a document display unit, a light source for the document display unit, and a line of sight of the user. It has a photographing means arranged, a video transmitting means for transmitting the video captured by the capturing means to another communication device, a first display means for displaying a video received from another communication device, A first half mirror provided on the optical axis of the photographing means, a second half mirror provided at a position opposed to the first half mirror between the document display means and the light source for the document display means, A mirror provided opposite to the half mirror and provided on the opposite side of the second half mirror, and the image of the user transmitted through the first half mirror, reflected by the second half mirror and the first half mirror. Of the original document The image is optically synthesized by the photographing means and photographed, and the image photographed by the image transmitting means is transmitted to another communication device, and the image received from the other communication device and displayed on the first display means is displayed. A remote face-to-face communication device characterized in that the light is reflected by a mirror and the first half mirror so as to be visible to a user.
2. 2. The remote location communication device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount of a light source for the document display means is adjustable.
3. 3. The remote-to-face communication device according to 1 or 2, wherein the light transmittance of the first half mirror is switchable between a half mirror and a normal mirror.
4. The light-transmitting property of the first half mirror is configured to be switchable by interposing a releasable sheet material between two sheet materials having partial light-transmitting properties. The remote-to-face communication device according to claim 1.
5. The image transmitting means has a function of distributing and transmitting an image captured by the image capturing means to another communication device and the second display means, and a second display for displaying the image distributed by the image transmitting means. remote face communication apparatus according to any one of 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises means.
6. The first display means and the second display means are integrated to form a display means, and a video synthesizing means is provided in a circuit connecting the video transmission means having a video distribution function and the display means, and other communication means is provided. 6. The remote location communication device according to claim 5, wherein the video received from the device and the video distributed by the video transmission unit are combined and displayed on the display unit.
7. 7. The remote-to-face communication device according to 5 or 6, wherein the image photographed by the photographing means and distributed to the second display means and transmitted is inverted left and right in the image transmitting means.
8. 8. A remote location facing device according to any one of 5 to 7, wherein an image photographed by the photographing means and distributed to and transmitted to the second display means is displayed on the second display means so as to be able to be switched on and off. Communication device.
[0006]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a remote face-to-face communication device capable of synthesizing and transmitting a video of a participant and another video of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the following specific examples limit the present invention. Not something.
1 and 2 are diagrams showing an example of a remote location face-to-face communication device according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a device at a communication site, and FIG. It is a figure showing the picture transmitted to a participant.
[0007]
This communication device 1 transmits a document display unit 2, a light source 3 for the document display unit, a photographing unit 4 arranged in the line of sight of the user 11, and an image photographed by the photographing unit 4 to another communication device. It has an image transmission means 5 and a first display means 6 for displaying an image received from another communication device (not shown).
In this communication device 1, a first half mirror 7 is arranged on the optical axis of the photographing means 4, and is located at a position facing the first half mirror 7 between the document display means 2 and the light source 3 for the document display means. , A second half mirror 8 is provided. Further, a mirror 9 is arranged on the opposite side of the second half mirror 8 so as to face the first half mirror 7.
[0008]
In this communication device 1, an image of the user 11 is taken through the first half mirror 7 disposed on the optical axis of the imaging means (camera) 4, thereby capturing an image of the user 11 looking straight at the camera 4. To get. The light from the light source 3 is transmitted through the second half mirror 8 to irradiate the original 12 placed on the original display means 2 with light, so that the image of the original 12 is displayed on the second half mirror 8 and the first half mirror 8. The light is reflected by the half mirror 7 and acquired by the camera 4.
At this time, by selecting the size and shape of the document display means 2, the position of the document 12 placed on the document display means 2, etc., the image of the user 11 and the image of the readable document 12 are synthesized and Can be transmitted to the other device. For example, by using the horizontally long document display means 2 and placing the documents 12 on both sides thereof, it is possible to synthesize an image in which the documents 12 are arranged on both sides of the user 11 as shown in FIG. In addition, it is needless to say that the vertical document display unit 2 can be used to appropriately change the image in which the document 12 is arranged above or below the user 11.
[0009]
As the light source 3 of the communication device 1, it is preferable to use a light source capable of adjusting the light amount, particularly a light source capable of adjusting the light amount by the user 11 by remote control at hand. By using such a light source 3, it is possible to switch the content of a composite image of the user 11 and the document 12 that is photographed by the camera 4 and transmitted to another device.
That is, FIG. 2 shows the case where the light amount of the light source 3 is substantially equal to the light amount transmitted from the user 11 through the first half mirror 7 and incident on the camera 4 (hereinafter, referred to as “incident light amount”). Such a combined image of the user 11 and the document 12 is transmitted to another device. When the light amount of the light source 3 is higher than the incident light amount, an image in which the image of the document 12 is emphasized is transmitted. Can be changed to something that is not visible at all. When the light source 3 is turned off, an image of only the user 11 who looks straight at the camera 4 is transmitted to another device, and a video conference in which the eyes are matched with each other is performed.
[0010]
Switching of an image photographed by the camera 4 and transmitted to another device can also be performed by using, as the first half mirror 7, a mirror whose light transmittance can be switched between a half mirror and a normal mirror. it can.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing one example of a mirror whose light transmittance can be switched between a half mirror and a normal mirror. This mirror 17 has a three-layer structure in which a detachable sheet material 19 is inserted between two thin half mirrors 18.
[0011]
When a reflective sheet such as an aluminum foil is inserted as the sheet material 19, the mirror 17 functions as a normal mirror. Therefore, the incident light from the user 11 is reflected and does not reach the camera 4, and only the image of the document 12 is photographed by the camera 4 and transmitted to another device.
On the other hand, when the sheet material 19 is not inserted or when a transparent sheet is inserted as the sheet material 19, the mirror 17 functions as a half mirror, and the user 11 and the document 12 are combined as shown in FIG. The captured video is photographed by the camera 4 and transmitted to another device.
[0012]
4A and 4B are diagrams showing another example of a mirror that can be switched between a half mirror and a normal mirror. FIG. 4A is a schematic cross-sectional view thereof, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a sheet material used for the mirror. It is.
This mirror 27 has a three-layer structure similarly to the mirror 17 in FIG. 3, and is formed by inserting a sheet material 29 that can be wound on both sides between two half mirrors 28, 28 (FIG. 4 (A)). This sheet material 29 is obtained by joining a reflective sheet 29a such as an aluminum foil and a transparent sheet 29b (see FIG. 4B). Therefore, when the sheet 29 is wound to the left, the transparent sheet 29b exists between the half mirrors 28, 28, and the mirror 27 functions as a half mirror.
On the other hand, when the sheet 29 is wound to the right, the reflective sheet 29a exists between the half mirrors 28, 28, and the mirror 27 functions as a normal mirror, and the light from the user 11 Since the light is reflected by the mirror 27, the image of the user 11 is not captured by the camera 4.
[0013]
As described above, in the remote face-to-face communication apparatus of the present invention, the light amount of the light source 3 for the document display means is adjusted, or the light transmission as shown in FIGS. By using a mirror capable of switching the gender, it is possible to switch the video transmitted to another device.
Therefore, if the user does not want to transmit his / her own video to other participants in the video conference, for example, the user may use his / her own photo as the document 12 placed on the document display means 2 and transmit a still image. Rich usage is possible.
[0014]
5 and 6 are diagrams showing another example of the remote face-to-face communication device of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the device at a communication site, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the use of the device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the image which a person sees.
The communication device 21 uses an image transmission unit 15 that can distribute and transmit an image captured by the camera 4 to another communication device (not shown) and the second display unit 10 as an image transmission unit. . The other configuration of the communication device 21 is the same as the device of FIG.
[0015]
In this communication device 21, the user 11 is photographed by the camera 4, distributed and displayed on the second display unit 10, and displayed by himself / herself (the image 11 displayed small in the upper part of FIG. 6) and from another communication device. The images of the other participants 22 and the original 23 received and displayed on the first display means can be simultaneously viewed.
The communication device 21 allows the user to check his / her own expression and the manuscript transmitted to the other participants, so that the conversation can be made with confidence. In addition, since the dialogue is performed while watching the images of the other party looking at each other, it is possible to hold a natural and realistic meeting.
[0016]
In this example, the second display means 10 is arranged above the first display means 6, and the image displayed on the second display means 10 is not reflected by the mirror 9 or the first half mirror 7, Although it was configured to be directly in the eyes of the user 11, the second display means 10 was arranged beside the first display means 6 and displayed on the first display means 6 and the second display means 10. The image may be reflected by the mirror 9 and the first half mirror 7 so as to enter the eyes of the user 11.
[0017]
7 and 8 are diagrams showing another example of the remote face-to-face communication device of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the device at a certain communication site, and FIG. It is a figure which shows the image which a person sees.
In this device 31, the display means 16 is constituted by integrating the first display means and the second display means, and the video synthesizing means 13 is provided in a circuit connecting the video transmission means 15 and the display means 16 having a video distribution function. Was provided. Then, the image received from the other communication device and the image of the user 11 distributed by the image transmitting unit 15 are synthesized by the image synthesizing unit 13 and displayed on the display unit 16, and the mirror 9 and the first half mirror 7 are displayed. Then, as shown in, for example, FIG. 8, an image in which the other participants 22 and their originals 23 and their own image 11 are combined is delivered to the user 11.
[0018]
Further, in this device 31, a switch 14 is provided in a circuit connecting the video transmitting means 15 and the video synthesizing means 13, so that the video of the user 11 displayed on the display means 16 can be switched on and off. The switching operation of the switch 14 can be automatically performed at fixed intervals using, for example, a timer, or the user 11 can perform switching by a remote control switch at hand. Further, the size of the movement of the image of the user 11 is recognized in the image transmission means 15, and when the movement of the image is large, the switch 14 is closed and the image of the user 11 is displayed on the display means 16. You can also. Since it is not always necessary to always display the image of the user 11 itself displayed on the display means 16, the switch 11 is provided to display the image of the user 11 as necessary, so that the user 11 can communicate with the other party. You can concentrate on the conversation.
Other configurations of the communication device 31 are the same as those of the device of FIG.
[0019]
In the specific examples described above, examples in which the remote face-to-face communication device of the present invention is applied to a video conference are described. However, the present invention is not limited to these specific examples. It can be used as a device for holding a conference between a plurality of participants.
Further, when distributing and transmitting the image captured by the image capturing unit 4 by the image transmitting unit, the signal is A / D converted by an A / D converter (not shown) and transmitted as a digital signal. For example, a process may be performed such that the image to be displayed on the screen is inverted left and right and displayed.
[0020]
【The invention's effect】
By adopting the above configuration, the remote face-to-face communication device of the present invention has the following remarkable effects.
(1) It is possible to combine a video of a user of the device with a video of another device such as characters and pictures in a legible state and transmit the synthesized video to the other party.
(2) The video to be transmitted to the other party can be switched by adjusting the light amount of the light source for the document display means or by switching the light transmittance of the first half mirror.
(3) The user of the device can hold a conference while watching a video whose eyes are matched with each other. In addition, since it is possible to confirm the expression and the like of the user transmitted to the other party, it is possible to perform a realistic and natural dialogue with peace of mind.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a remote location face-to-face communication device of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an image transmitted to another participant by the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a mirror capable of switching light transmittance, which is used in the remote location communication device of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing another example of a mirror capable of switching light transmittance.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the configuration of the remote location communication device of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an image displayed on the device of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the configuration of the remote location communication apparatus of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an image displayed on the device of FIG. 7;
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 21, 31 Remote face-to-face communication device 2 Document display means 3 Light source 4 Imaging means 5, 15 Image transmission means 6 First display means 7 First half mirror 8 Second half mirror 9 Mirror 10 Second display Means 11, 22 User 12, 23 Document 13 Image combining means 14 Switch 16 Display means 17, 27 Mirror 18, 28 Half mirror 19, 29 Sheet material

Claims (8)

In a communication device connected to another communication device and used for a communication system for exchanging a video of a user between the communication devices, the communication device includes a document display unit, a light source for the document display unit, and a line of sight of the user. It has a photographing means arranged, a video transmitting means for transmitting the video captured by the capturing means to another communication device, a first display means for displaying a video received from another communication device, A first half mirror provided on the optical axis of the photographing means, a second half mirror provided at a position opposed to the first half mirror between the document display means and the light source for the document display means, A mirror provided opposite to the half mirror and provided on the opposite side of the second half mirror, and the image of the user transmitted through the first half mirror, reflected by the second half mirror and the first half mirror. Of the original document The image is optically synthesized by the photographing means and photographed, and the image photographed by the image transmitting means is transmitted to another communication device, and the image received from the other communication device and displayed on the first display means is displayed. A remote face-to-face communication device characterized in that the light is reflected by a mirror and the first half mirror so as to be visible to a user. 2. The remote face-to-face communication device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount of the light source for the document display means is adjustable. The remote-to-face communication device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first half mirror is configured to be able to switch light transmittance between a half mirror and a normal mirror. The light transmittance of the first half mirror is configured to be switchable by interposing a releasable sheet material between two sheet materials having partial light transmittance. 4. The remote face-to-face communication device according to 3. The image transmitting means has a function of distributing and transmitting an image captured by the image capturing means to another communication device and the second display means, and a second display for displaying the image distributed by the image transmitting means. remote face communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it has means. The first display means and the second display means are integrated to form a display means, and a video synthesizing means is provided in a circuit connecting the video transmission means having a video distribution function and the display means, and other communication means is provided. 6. The remote location communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a video received from the apparatus and a video distributed by the video transmission unit are combined and displayed on the display unit. 7. The remote-to-face communication device according to claim 5, wherein an image photographed by the photographing means and distributed to the second display means and transmitted is inverted left and right in the image transmitting means. 8. The remote control according to claim 5, wherein an image photographed by the photographing means and distributed to and transmitted to the second display means is displayed on the second display means so as to be able to be switched on and off. Ground-to-face communication device.

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