Image input unit

Details Image input unit Image input unit

1995-09-27

2003-11-25

Ho, Tuan (Department: 2612)

Television

Camera, system and detail

Still and motion modes of operation

C348S207100

Reexamination Certificate

active

06654050

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a camera used with a computer for entering a moving or still picture into the computer, particularly an image input unit for entering an image into a computer via an extension card capable of being inserted into and withdrawn from the computer.
An example of an image input unit widely used in TV telephones and television conference systems is a video camera employing a photoelectric transducer-type solid-state area sensor such as a CCD. Further, a television conference system using a personal computer has recently been proposed. The system includes a video camera in the form of a separately manufactured product for the purpose of entering conference data and a photographic image of the speaker's face. The video camera is used by being placed on top or at the side of the personal computer.
FIG. 1
illustrates an example of the construction of a capture card for a mono-chrome video camera according to the prior art. In
FIG. 4
, numeral
1001
denotes a CCD image sensing device,
1002
a vertical driver for driving a vertical register of the CCD sensing device
1001
,
1003
a timing pulse generator for generating timing pulses necessary for control of the CCD image sensing device
1001
and for image processing,
1004
a synchronizing signal generator for generating an NTSC synchronizing signal, and
1005
a signal processing circuit for executing AGC (automatic gain control) and a gamma correction. In the video camera constructed as shown in
FIG. 1
, the image signal from the CCD image sensing device is converted to a prescribed video signal by the signal processing circuit
1005
and the video signal is outputted. At this time, it is possible to output a moving picture of 30 frame per second as the video signal.
An NTSC image signal which is outputted from the above described video camera cannot be entered into a personal computer without converting the format of the signal. However, a personal computer into a slot of which a video capture board is inserted that converts an NTSC signal into an signal acceptable by the computer can input a sensed image.
FIG. 2
is an explanatory view illustrating an example of use of a conventional video camera connected to the personal computer in which the video capture board is installed. Shown in
FIG. 2
are a personal computer
1010
, a display
1011
, a keyboard
1012
and a video camera
1013
having a camera body
1013
a
comprising a lens, a sensor and so on. The camera body
1013
a
is supported on a panning head
1013
b
in such a manner that its angular position can be freely adjusted vertically and horizontally. An AC cord
1013
d
supplies the camera body
1013
a
and panning head
1013
b
with electric power. A signal line
1013
c
allows a control signal for the panning head
1013
b
and an image signal from the camera body
1013
a
to be exchanged between the camera body
1013
a
and personal computer
1010
. The image signal is sent to a video capture board (not shown) connected to an extension slot of the personal computer. The power for the camera body
1013
a
and panning head
1013
b
is supplied not from the personal computer but independently from its own AC cord. The lens unit has an autofocus function but is equipped with a manual or electrically powered zoom mechanism.
In addition to entering image information, there has been proposed an extension card which allows to enter audio, when it is installed in a personal computer. An example of such an extension card is as illustrated in FIG.
3
. Specifically, a PC card
1051
capable of entering audio has a connector
1052
provided on the edge of the card on the side-opposite that connected to the main body of a personal computer or the like. The connector
1052
is connected to a connection box
1053
via a cable
1055
in order to connect the PC card to a microphone
1054
or other external acoustic device. Thus, various sounds such as a voice or music may be entered into a personal computer.
Further, as shown in
FIG. 4
, a telephone
1061
is equipped with a camera unit
1062
and a display unit
1063
. This is a known example of a communication terminal used as a special-purpose TV telephone.
Further, there is an image communication apparatus in which a camera for a computer has monitor means capable of displaying the image of a communicating party continuously in a time series and image input means placed at a position where it will pick up the image of the operator from the side of the monitor means. Conventionally, the image communication apparatus used in this field is employed in a TV telephone or TV conference system. An example of the construction and arrangement of this apparatus are illustrated in FIG.
5
. Numeral
1110
denotes the so-called camera unit,
1111
a camera lens unit,
1120
a monitor,
1121
a monitor display screen,
1122
the image of the other party to communication,
1123
the operator's own image,
1130
a computer constructing the communication apparatus, and
1131
a keyboard. The camera unit
1110
is placed at the periphery of the monitor unit
1120
of the computer set, and is connected to the computer
1130
by a connecting cord
1100
. The operator's own image
1123
is picked up and transmitted to the other party by the camera unit
1110
. The camera unit
1110
employs a CCD camera and often is integrated with a microphone. This apparatus has already reached the product stage for use in various applications such as simple TV conference systems using a personal computer having a video capture function.
In these image communication apparatus already available as finished products and now in practical use, the display capability of the monitor such as a CRT is outstanding in terms of, say, the number of display pixels, but the communication speed of the apparatus is somewhat wanting. Consequently, displaying the other party's image over the full screen and using monitor resolution to the maximum limit is almost never done. Often the display is confined to a small screen area whose size conforms to the speed of the communication line. Though it is possible to provide a full-screen display by enlarging pixels, this results is diminished picture quality. Further, since icons, menus and guidance displays are often presented on the screen, displaying the other party's image over the entire screen is not the general practice.
In the image communication apparatus of
FIG. 5
, the problem of so-called “non-coincidence of line of sight” arises. Non-coincidence of line of sight refers to a situation in which the line of sight of the other party appearing on the screen and the line of sight of the speaker on this side of the screen do not coincide, thus giving rise to a sensation in which the two parties each seem to be speaking to a different person from the viewpoint of the other party.
FIG. 6
is a conceptual view showing an example of a conventional sight coincidence mechanism which uses a half-mirror to solve the problem of non-coincidence of line of sight.
The arrangement of
FIG. 6
differs from that of
FIG. 5
in that a half-mirror
1701
is placed on the monitor line of sight of a user
1702
to split the optical path, and the camera
1110
placed above the half-mirror
1701
is made approximately the same as the position of the line of sight of the other party's image on the monitor screen
1121
, thereby making the lines of sight coincide.
The drawbacks of the prior arts set forth above will now be described.
The video camera of
FIGS. 1 and 2
is disadvantageous in that the lens itself is large in size owing to the autofocus mechanism and zoom-lens mechanism, though the solid-state area sensor per se is small. In addition, since the panning head
1013
b
for adjusting the image pick-up angle and the independent power supply for the head are required, the overall size of the apparatus is enlarged.
Further, a video capture card is necessary to enter the image output of the video camera into the personal computer. However, since there is no all

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