Image transmission system and terminal device

• US 5,751,445 A
• Filed: 11/03/1994
• Issued: 05/12/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Makoto Masunaga
• Original Assignee: Makoto Masunaga
• Inventors: Masunaga, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Coles, Sr., Edward L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ANH-VINH THI
• Application Number:
  US08/334,369
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 348/906, 348/220, 348/221, 348/213, 348/210, 348/91, 348/18, 348/19, 358/443, 358/448, 358/404, 358/405, 358/479, 358/442, 358/468, 358/434, 358/439, 395/807
• US Class Current: 382/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00124 of video information only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00283 with a television apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/40 Picture signal circuits H04N1/387 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A clear print image is obtained from a moving image. A switch (66) for selectively supplying an output from a moving image input camera (60) or a still image input picture/image camera (64) to a still image coding circuit (68) is arranged in an image transmission terminal device (50). An output from a still image decoding circuit (82) is connected to a printer (86) in an image receiving terminal device. When a print image of an image photographed by the camera (60) is required, a moving image print indication is made at an operation panel (88). A data control circuit (76) supplies a switching signal for the switch (66) to the terminal device (50) to switch the switch (66) to the output side of the camera (60). The output from the camera (60) is sent through a still image processing system (68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 82). A clear, high-quality image signal of the image photographed by the camera (60) is supplied to the printer (86).

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

image pickup means for generating a moving image;

first compression processing means for executing compression for the moving image;

second compression processing means for executing compression for a still image;

receiving means for receiving an instruction signal for instructing said second compression processing means via a communication line from an external image processing apparatus;

control means for changing a compression process for the moving image generated by said image pickup means from said first compression processing means to said second compression processing means in response to the instruction signal received by said receiving means; and

transmission means for transmitting the image compressed by said second compression processing means to said external image processing means,

wherein the instruction signal is transmitted via communication line in response to a manual instruction in said external image processing apparatus.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the compression for the moving image includes H.261.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the compression for the still image includes ADPCM and JPEG.

4. An image processing apparatus which receives a coded image from an external image processing apparatus having coding means which is able to execute compression for a moving image and compression for a still image, said apparatus comprising:

manual setting means for selectively setting a compression method in the external image processing apparatus between the compression for the moving image and the compression for the still image;

transmission means for transmitting a coding setting signal instructing the compression method corresponding to the setting set by said manual setting means to the external image processing apparatus;

receiving means for receiving the image compressed by the compression method set by said manual setting means from the external image processing means; and

decoding means for decoding the compressed image received by said receiving means by a coding method corresponding to the compression method.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the compression for the moving image is high efficiency compression.

6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the compression for the still image is image quality priority compression.

7. An image processing means which processes an image received from an external image processing apparatus having:

image pickup means for generating a moving image, coding means which is able to execute compression by a plurality of compression methods, and

transmission means for compressing an image generated by the image pickup means by the coding means and transmitting the compressed image, said image processing apparatus comprising;

instruction means for manually instructing a generation of a still image;

transmission means for transmitting a control signal for changing a compression method of the coding means in the external image processing apparatus to a compression method for a still image, in response to an instruction by said instruction means; and

receiving means for receiving the compressed image for the still image from the external image processing apparatus in response to the control signal transmitted by said transmission means.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of compression methods include movement priority compression for a moving image and an image quality priority compression for the still image.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising image forming means for visualizing the image received by said receiving means.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the compression for the still image includes JPEG and ADPCM.

11. An image processing apparatus comprising:

image pickup means for generating a moving image;

coding means which is able to execute compression for the moving image and compression for a still image;

receiving means for receiving a coding setting signal from an external image processing apparatus connected via a communication line;

control means for setting a compression method executed by said coding means for the image generated by said image pickup means, in response to the coding setting signal received by said receiving means; and

transmission means for transmitting an image made by compressing the moving image generated by said image pickup means by the compression method set by said control means,

wherein the coding setting signal is generated by a manual instruction in a operation unit of said external image processing apparatus.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the compression of the moving image is movement priority compression.

13. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the compression for the still image is image quality priority compression.

14. A method for controlling an image processing apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a moving image signal;

receiving an instruction signal for instructing a compression processing means via a communication line from an external image processing apparatus, where the instruction signal is transmitted via the communication line in response to a manual instruction in the external image processing apparatus;

changing a compression process for the moving image generated in said generating step from a first compression processing means to a second compression processing means in response to the instruction signal received in said receiving step, where the first compression processing means executes compression for the moving image and the second compression processing means executes compression for a still image; and

transmitting the image compressed by the second compression processing means to the external image processing means.

15. A method for controlling an image processing apparatus which receives a coded image from an external image processing apparatus having coding means which is able to execute compression for a moving image and compression for a still image, said method comprising the steps of:

manually setting a compression method in the external image processing apparatus between the compression for the moving image and the compression for the still image;

transmitting a coding setting signal instructing a compression method corresponding to the setting in said setting step to the external image processing apparatus;

receiving the image compressed by the compression method set in said setting step from the external image processing means; and

decoding the compressed image received in said receiving step by a coding method corresponding to the compression method.

16. A method for controlling an image processing means which processes an image received from an external image processing apparatus having image pickup means for generating a moving image, coding means which is able to execute compression by a plurality of compression methods, and transmission means for compressing an image generated by the image pickup means by the coding means and transmitting the compressed image, said method comprising the steps of:

manually instructing a generation of a still image;

transmitting a control signal for changing the compression method of the coding means in the external image processing apparatus to a compression method for a still image, in response to the instruction in said instruction step; and

receiving the compressed image for the still image from the external image processing apparatus in response to the control signal transmitted in said transmitting step.

17. A method for controlling an image processing apparatus, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a moving image signal;

receiving a coding setting signal from an external image processing apparatus connected via a communication line, where the coding setting signal is generated by a manual instruction in a operation unit of the external image processing apparatus;

setting one of a plurality of compression methods to be executed, in response to the coding setting signal received in said receiving step, where the compression methods include compression for the moving image and compression for a still image;

compressing the moving image signal generated in said generating step by the compression method set in said setting step;

transmitting an image made by compressing the moving image signal in said compressing step.