Motion pictures sending apparatus and motion pictures communication apparatus

• US 6,816,192 B1
• Filed: 09/18/2000
• Issued: 11/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishikawa, Tsuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Ngoc-Yen, Vu, Ngoc-Yen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Villecco, John M
• Application Number:
  US09/663,198
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 348/208.1, 348/208.2, 348/208.3, 348/208.99, 348/208.16, 348/14.12, 348/14.14, 348/14.13, 348/14.15, 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348/222.1, 348/231.99, 348/231.2, 348/552, 710/53
• US Class Current: 348/231.99
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/423 characterised by memory arrangements H04N19/433 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

A motion pictures sending apparatus has a camera interface for receiving an image signal from a camera, a frame conversion unit for carrying out coordinates conversion on the received image signal and generating image data, a memory for storing the image data, an image processing unit for processing the image data from the memory and providing processed data, an output interface for transferring the processed data to a communication interface unit, and a memory control unit for stopping the updating of image data to the memory in response to an input signal. When required, the apparatus keeps the same image in the memory and continuously sends the image so that the quality and clarity of the sent image may gradually improve.

Claims

1. A motion pictures sending apparatus comprising:

a camera interface configured to receive an image signal from a camera;

a frame conversion unit configured to carry out coordinates conversion on the received image signal and generate image data;

a memory configured to store the image data;

an image processing unit configured to process the image data from the memory and providing processed data;

an output interface configured to transfer the processed data to a communication interface unit;

a memory control unit configured to stop the updating of image data to the memory in response to an input signal,

a signal generation unit configured to generate a synchronizing signal; and

a switching unit configured to receive the synchronizing signal from the signal generation unit and a synchronizing signal from the camera interface and provide the image processing unit with the synchronizing signal from the camera interface if the camera is operating and the synchronizing signal from the signal generation unit if the camera is not operating.

2. The apparatus claimed in claim 1, wherein the memory comprises:

a first region configured to store image data; and

a second region configured to store image data.

3. The apparatus claimed in claim 2, wherein the memory control unit comprises:

a signal input unit configured to provide a memory control signal in response to an input signal;

an input control unit configured to receive image data from the frame conversion unit and store the image data in the first and second regions alternately; and

an output control unit configured to read image data out of the first and second regions alternately,

wherein the input control unit and output control unit is configured to stop the alternate operations upon receiving the memory control signal.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a stop signal output unit configured to issue a stop signal to the camera upon receiving the memory control signal from the memory control unit.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image processing unit compresses the image data from the memory and provide compressed data.

6. A motion pictures sending apparatus comprising:

a camera interface configured to receive an image signal from a camera;

a frame conversion unit configured to carry out coordinates conversion on the received image signal and generate image data;

a memory configured to store the image data;

an image processing unit configured to process the image data from the memory and providing processed data;

an output interface configured to transfer the processed data to a communication interface unit; and

a memory control unit configured to stop the updating of image data to the memory in response to an input signal,

wherein the memory control unit comprises;

a signal input unit configured to provide a memory control signal in response to an input signal,

an input control unit configured to receive image data from the frame conversion unit and store the image data in memory in response to an update control signal, and

an update control unit configured to provide the update control signal in response to the memory control signal and after a frame of image data is stored in the memory, the update control unit configured to generate update control signal based on pixel information of the image data from the frame conversion unit,

wherein the input control unit stopping image data is configured to stop the memory upon receiving the update control signal.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

a stop signal output unit configured to issue a stop signal to the camera upon receiving the memory control signal from the memory control unit.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the image processing unit compresses the image data from the memory and provide compressed data.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein the image processing unit compresses the image data using forward prediction and provides compressed data.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the image processing unit does not provide a picture which is prepared without previous or next frame information during a suspension period in which no image data is updated.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the image processing unit provides a picture which is prepared without previous or next frame information as soon as the updating of image data is resumed.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the image processing unit compresses the image data based on the MPEG 4 or H.263.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the image processing unit provides no I-picture which is prepared without previous or next frame information during a suspension period in which no image data is updated.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the image processing unit provides an I-picture which is prepared without previous or next frame information as soon as the updating of image data is resumed.

15. A motion pictures sending apparatus comprising:

a camera interface configured to receive an image signal from a camera;

a frame conversion unit configured to carry out coordinates conversion on the received image signal and generating image data;

an image processing unit configured to process the image data and providing processed data;

an output interface configured to transfer the processed data to a communication interface unit;

a memory control unit configured to stop the updating of image data to a memory in response to an input signal,

a signal generation unit configured to generate a synchronizing signal; and

a switching unit configured to receive the synchronizing signal from the signal generation unit and a synchronizing signal from the camera interface and provide the image processing unit with the synchronizing signal from the camera interface if the camera is operating and the synchronizing signal from the signal generation unit if the camera is not operating,

wherein the data is stored by a memory which is external to the motion pictures sending apparatus.

16. A motion pictures communication apparatus comprising:

a camera configured to pick up motion pictures;

a sending control unit configured to process and send the motion pictures;

an output interface configured to communicate data with a network;

an input interface configured to receive data from the network;

a receiving control unit configured to process the received data;

a display configured to display the processed data;

wherein the sending control unit has comprises;

a camera interface configured to receive an image signal from the camera;

a frame conversion unit configured to carry out coordinates conversion on the received image signal and generate image data;

a memory configured to store the image data;

an image processing unit configured to process the image data from the memory and provide processed data;

an output interface configured to transfer the processed data to a communication interface unit;

a memory control unit configured to stop the updating of image data to the memory in response to an input signal;

a signal generation unit configured to generate a synchronizing signal; and

a switching unit configured to receive the synchronizing signal from the signal generation unit and a synchronizing signal from the camera interface and provide the image processing unit with the synchronizing signal from the camera interface if the camera is operating and the synchronizing signal from the signal generation unit if the camera is not operating.

17. A motion pictures communication apparatus comprising:

a camera configured to pick up motion pictures;

a sending control unit configured to process and send the motion pictures;

an output interface configured to communicate data with a network;

an input interface configured to receive data from the network;

a receiving control unit configured to process the received data; and

a display configured to display the processed data,

wherein the sending control unit has comprises;

a camera interface configured to receive an image signal from the camera;

a frame conversion unit configured to carry out coordinates conversion on the received image signal and generate image data;

an image processing unit configured to process the image data and provide the processed data;

an output interface configured to transfer the processed data to a communication interface unit; and

a memory control unit configured to stop the updating of image data to a memory in response to an input signal,

a signal generation unit configured to generate a synchronizing signal; and

a switching unit configured to receive the synchronizing signal from the signal generation unit and a synchronizing signal from the camera interface and provide the image processing unit with the synchronizing signal from the camera interface if the camera is operating and the synchronizing signal from the signal generation unit if the camera is not operating,

wherein the data is stored by a memory which is external to the motion pictures sending communication apparatus.