Visible telephone

• US 5,077,784 A
• Filed: 10/09/1990
• Issued: 12/31/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ban, Takeshi, Sugihara, Masaaki, Higashitutumi, Yoshihito, Sugiyama, Takashi, Fujita, Tsutomu, Yamada, Tsuneyoshi, Ido, Yoshinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dwyer, James L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US07/598,758
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: 379/53, 358/85
• US Class Current: 348/14.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/186 Video door telephones

Abstract

A visible telephone includes a housing in which a video camera is accommodated in a manner that an aperture thereof is directed to the front. The camera is fixed to a rotatable holder which is rotated by an operation of a knob outside the housing, responsively, an angle of declination or elevation of the aperture of the camera is changed. The camera includes a lens system and a solid-state image sensor which converts a light image from the lens system into an electrical signal (video signal), which is mounted on a circuit board. The solid-state image sensor is responsive to at least an infrared light. On the same or the other circuit board, an infrared LED is mounted. The infrared LED is lightened at necessary timing to expose a person or subject in the front of the aperture of the camera.

Claims

1. A video telephone, comprising:

a video camera;

transmitting means for transmitting an image taken by said video camera through a network line;

receiving means for receiving the image through said network line;

displaying means cooperating with said receiving means for displaying a still picture and for displaying a moving picture based upon the image taken by said video camera;

light source means for exposing an area in front of said video camera; and

lighting control means for controlling timing of lighting of said light source means, said lighting control means including a means for lighting said light source means when the image taken by said video camera is displayed on said displaying means in a manner of said moving picture, said lighting control means including means for giving a lighting signal to said light source means when an amount of external light becomes insufficient.

2. A video telephone in accordance with claim 1, further comprising luminance adjusting means for adjusting a luminance of the image from the video camera.

3. A video telephone in accordance with claim 1, wherein said light source means includes an infrared light emitting element.

4. A visible telephone in accordance with claim 3, wherein said infrared light emitting element includes an infrared LED.

5. A visible telephone in accordance with claim 3, wherein said infrared light emitting element includes a combination of a incandescent electric lamp and infrared light transmissive filter.

6. A visible telephone in accordance with claim 3, wherein said video camera includes a lens system having an F value of "2.0 or more" and a solid-state image sensor for converting a light image from said lens system into a video signal.

7. A video telephone, comprising:

a video camera having an aperture;

transmitting means for transmitting an image taken by said video camera through a network line;

receiving means for receiving an image transmitted through said network line;

a display having a screen for displaying at least the image received by said receiving means;

a main body having one side surface which faces an object to be taken by said video camera, said main body accommodating said video camera and said display so that said aperture and said screen are oriented with said one side surface, respectively;

first holding means attached to said main body to be movable thereon for holding said video camera in a manner so that a direction to which said aperture of said video camera is directed is changeable; and

direction changing means for acting on said first holding means and for changing a direction to which said aperture of said video camera is directed, said direction changing means including a knob rotatable in a plane, said knob being mechanically connected to said first holding means and being accessible from outside of said main body, said aperture changing direction in response to rotation of said knob, said aperture being spaced away from said plane.

8. A video telephone in accordance with claim 7, wherein said light source includes an infrared light emitting elements.

9. A video telephone in accordance with claim 8, wherein said infrared light emitting element includes an infrared LED.

10. A video telephone in accordance with claim 8, wherein said infrared light emitting element includes a combination of an incandescent electric lamp and an infrared light transmissive filter.

11. A video telephone, comprising:

a video camera;

transmitting means for transmitting an image taken by said video camera through a network line;

receiving means for receiving the image through said network line;

displaying means cooperating with said receiving means for displaying a still picture and for displaying a moving picture based upon the image taken by said video camera;

light source means for exposing an area in front of said video camera; and

lighting control means for controlling timing of lighting of said light source means, said lighting control means including circuit current detecting means for detecting a current flowing in said network line.

12. A video telephone in accordance with claim 11, wherein said light source means includes an infrared light emitting element.

13. A video telephone in accordance with claim 12, wherein said infrared light emitting element includes an infrared light emitting diode.

14. A video telephone in accordance with claim 12, wherein said infrared light emitting element includes a combination of an incandescent electric lamp and infrared light transmissive filter.

15. A video telephone in accordance with claim 11, wherein said video camera includes a lens system having an F value of at least 2.0 and a solid-state image sensor for converting a light image from said lens system into a video signal.

16. A video telephone, comprising:

a video camera;

transmitting means for transmitting a signal indicative of an image taken by said video camera through a network line;

receiving means for receiving the image through said network line;

displaying means cooperating with said receiving means for displaying a still picture and for displaying a moving picture based upon the image taken by said video camera;

light source means for exposing an area in front of said video camera;

lighting control means for controlling a timing of lighting of said light source means; and

luminance adjusting means for adjusting a luminance of the image from the video camera, said luminance adjusting means including a variable gain amplifier for amplifying the signal of the image and a variable resistor for changing a gain of said variable gain amplifier which adjusts the luminance of the image, said lighting control means including means for lighting and for cutting-off said light source means in accordance with a resistance value of said variable resistor.

17. A video telephone, comprising:

a video camera;

transmitting means for transmitting a signal indicative of an image taken by said video camera through a network line;

receiving means for receiving the image through said network line;

displaying means cooperating with said receiving means for displaying a still picture and for displaying a moving picture based upon the image taken by said video camera;

light source means for exposing an area in front of said video camera;

lighting control means for controlling a timing of lighting of said light source means; and

luminance adjusting means for adjusting a luminance of the image from the video camera, said luminance adjusting means including a variable gain amplifier for amplifying the signal of the image and a variable resistor for changing a gain of said variable gain amplifier which adjusts the luminance of the image, said lighting control means including means for lighting and for cutting-off said light source means in accordance with a resistance value of said variable resistor, said means for lighting and for cutting-off said light source means including a hysteresis circuit which lights said light source means at a first position of a sliding contact of said variable resistor when the luminance is increased by said variable resistor and cuts-off said light source means at a second position of the sliding contact of said variable resistor when the luminance is decreased by said variable resistor.

18. A video telephone comprising:

a video camera;

transmitting means for transmitting an image taken by the video camera through a network line;

receiving means for receiving the image through the network line;

a display for displaying at least the image received by the receiving means;

a main body;

first holding means fixed to said main body for holding said video camera so that a direction to which an aperture of the video camera is directed is changeable;

a light source for exposing in front of the aperture of the video camera; and

means for driving said light source only when an image is to be taken by said video camera.

19. A video telephone, comprising:

a video camera having an aperture;

transmitting means for transmitting an image taken by said video camera through a network line;

receiving means for receiving an image transmitted through said network line;

a display having a screen for displaying at least the image received by said receiving means;

a light source having a light beam which can be directed to an object to be taken by said video camera;

a main body having one side surface which faces said object to be taken by said video camera, said main body accommodating said video camera, said display and said light source so that said aperture, said screen and said light beam are oriented with said one side surface, respectively;

first holding means attached to said main body to be movable thereon for holding said video camera in a manner so that a direction to which said aperture of said video camera is directed is changeable; and

second holding means attached to said main body to be movable thereon for holding said light source in a manner so that an irradiating direction of said light beam from said light source is changeable, said first holding means and second holding means including common holding means for changing a direction to which said aperture of said video camera is directed and for changing an irradiating direction to which said light beam of said light source is directed with respect to said main body in accordance with said change in said direction of said aperture.

20. A video telephone, comprising:

a video camera having an aperture;

transmitting means for transmitting an image taken by said video camera through a network line;

receiving means for receiving an image transmitted through said network line;

a display having a screen for displaying at least the image received by said receiving means;

a light source having a light beam which can be directed to an object to be taken by said video camera;

a main body having one side surface which faces said object to be taken by said video camera, said main body accommodating said video camera, said display and said light source so that said aperture, said screen and said light beam are oriented with said one side surface, respectively;

first holding means attached to said main body to be movable thereon for holding said video camera in a manner so that a direction to which said aperture of said video camera is directed is changeable; and

direction changing means for acting on said first holding means and for changing a direction to which said aperture of said video camera is directed, said direction changing means including a knob rotatable in a plane, said knob being mechanically connected to said first holding means and being accessible from outside of said main body, said aperture changing direction in response to rotation of said knob, said aperture being spaced away from said plane.

21. A video telephone, comprising:

a video camera;

transmitting mean for transmitting an image taken by the video camera through a network line;

receiving means for receiving the image through the network line;

a display for displaying at least the image received by the receiving means;

a main body;

first holding means fixed to said main body for holding said video camera in a manner so that a direction to which an aperture of the video camera is directed is changeable;

a light source for exposing an area in front of the aperture of the video camera; and

means for adjusting a direction of said light source so that the direction of the light from said light source is coincident with a range which may be taken by said video camera even if said video camera changes in position.

22. A video telephone in accordance with claim 21, wherein said light source includes an infrared light emitting element.

23. A video telephone in accordance with claim 22, wherein said infrared light emitting element includes an infrared light emitting diode.

24. A video telephone in accordance with claim 22, wherein said infrared light emitting element includes a combination of an incandescent electric lamp and an infrared light transmissive filter.