Communication device

• US 9,277,173 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Miura, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US13/059,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20110141220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,377 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1408, 348/14.09
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40013 Details regarding a bus controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/085 using a television receiver, e.g. viewdata system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2007/145 Handheld terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• 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: H04W 52/0267 by controlling user interface components
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication device is provided which can smoothly perform communication using a video phone function by suppressing the video phone function depending on whether the video phone function is in an effective condition.

When an incoming call using the video phone function is occurred or when an outgoing call using the video phone function is performed, a control unit determines whether the video phone function is in the effective condition. Only when it is determined that the video phone function is in the effective condition, the control unit starts communication using the video phone function. When it is determined that the video phone function is not in the effective condition, the control unit 10 executes control to perform only audio communication without performing the communication using the video phone function.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

an imaging unit;

a display unit;

a control unit that executes a video phone function based on an image captured by the imaging unit; and

an audio detection unit, wherein

the control unit suppresses execution of the video phone function when the image captured by the imaging unit satisfies a predetermined condition, and

when there is a request for call using the video phone function, if the image captured by the imaging unit satisfies the predetermined condition, the control unit suppresses starting of a call corresponding to the request for the call using the video phone function.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a face information detection unit that detects information about a user'"'"'s face from the image captured by the imaging unit, wherein

the control unit suppresses the execution of the video phone function when the user'"'"'s face is not detected from the image captured by the imaging unit by the face information detection unit.

3. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit releases the execution suppression of the video phone function when the image captured by the imaging unit does not satisfy the predetermined condition while suppressing the execution of the video phone function.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein

when a face is detected from the image captured by the imaging unit before communication using the video phone function, the control unit is operable to start the communication by using the video phone function.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit measures a communication rate, and

when the measured communication rate is less than a predetermined value, the control unit suppresses the execution of the video phone function.

4. A communication device comprising:

a luminous intensity detection unit;

a display unit;

an imaging unit;

an audio detection unit; and

a control unit that executes a video phone function based on an image captured by the imaging unit, wherein

the control unit suppresses execution of the video phone function when a luminous intensity lower than a predetermined luminous intensity is detected by the luminous intensity detection unit, and

when there is a request for call using the video phone function, if the luminous intensity detected by the luminous intensity detection unit is lower than the predetermined luminous intensity, the control unit suppresses starting of a call corresponding to the request for the call using the video phone function.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein

the control unit suppresses the execution of the video phone function by suppressing transmission of the image captured by the imaging unit while transmitting audio detected by the audio detection unit.

6. The communication device according to claim 4,

wherein the control unit releases the execution suppression of the video phone function when a luminous intensity higher than the predetermined luminous intensity is detected by the luminous intensity detection unit while suppressing the execution of the video phone function.

8. The communication device according to claim 4, wherein

when a face is detected from the image captured by the imaging unit before communication using the video phone function, the control unit is operable to start the communication by using the video phone function.

9. A communication device comprising:

an imaging unit;

a display unit;

a control unit that executes a video phone function based on an image captured by the imaging unit; and

an audio detection unit, wherein

the control unit suppresses execution of the video phone function when the image captured by the imaging unit satisfies a predetermined condition, and

when there is a request for call using the video phone function, if the image captured by the imaging unit satisfies the predetermined condition, the control unit suppresses a transmission of a request for a call corresponding to the request for the call using the video phone function.