Imaging apparatus and control method thereof

• US 9,438,854 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Dae Woo
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US13/729,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20130169739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.04, 348/14.08, 348/14.13, 379/102.03, 379/406.01, 379/406.03
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• 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 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an imaging apparatus and a control method thereof. The apparatus enables a user to simultaneously conduct a video call while watching a broadcasting program. When transmitting an acoustic signal to an opposite user, the apparatus cancels the speech of the opposite user and the background sound from the broadcasting program, and thus, superior communication quality may be maintained.

Claims

1. An imaging apparatus for conducting a video call and providing broadcasting simultaneously, the imaging apparatus comprising:

a broadcasting signal receiver which receives a broadcasting signal which includes a first image signal and a first acoustic signal;

a transceiver which transceives a second image signal and a first speech signal via a network;

an acoustic output unit which outputs the received first acoustic signal and the transceived first speech signal;

a user input unit which receives a second acoustic signal which includes a second speech signal which is generated by a user; and

a background sound canceller which comprises a first acoustic echo canceller and a second acoustic echo canceller, the first acoustic echo canceller being configured to generate a first output signal by cancelling the received first acoustic signal from the received second acoustic signal, and the second acoustic echo canceller being configured to generate a second output signal by cancelling the transceived first speech signal from the first output signal.

2. The imaging apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first acoustic echo canceller is further configured to use the first acoustic signal as a reference signal.

3. The imaging apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the second acoustic echo canceller is further configured to use the first speech signal as a reference signal.

4. The imaging apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a first acoustic processor which decodes the received first acoustic signal,

wherein the first acoustic echo canceller uses the decoded first acoustic signal as a reference signal.

5. The imaging apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a second acoustic processor which decodes the transceived first speech signal,

wherein the second acoustic echo canceller uses the decoded first speech signal as a reference signal.

6. The imaging apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

a speech encoder which encodes the second output signal.

7. An imaging apparatus for conducting a video call and providing broadcasting simultaneously, the image apparatus comprising:

a broadcasting signal receiver which receives a broadcasting signal which includes a first image signal and a first acoustic signal;

a transceiver which transceives a second image signal and a first speech signal via a network;

an acoustic output unit which outputs the received first acoustic signal and the transceived first speech signal in an acoustic form;

a user input unit which receives a second acoustic signal, which includes a second speech signal which is generated by a user, and an image signal relating to the user; and

a background sound canceller which comprises a multi-channel acoustic echo canceller which is configured to cancel, on a first channel, the received first acoustic signal, and to cancel, on a second channel, the transceived first speech signal from the received second acoustic signal.

8. The imaging apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the multi-channel acoustic echo canceller is further configured to use at least two reference signals.

9. The imaging apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the at least two reference signals used by the background sound canceller include the received first acoustic signal and the transceived first speech signal.

10. The imaging apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a first acoustic processor which decodes the received first acoustic signal and a second acoustic processor which decodes the transceived first speech signal,

wherein the background sound canceller uses the decoded first acoustic signal and the decoded first speech signal as reference signals.

11. A method for controlling an imaging apparatus which conducts a video call between a first user and a second user, and provides broadcasting simultaneously, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcasting signal which includes a first image signal and a first acoustic signal;

receiving a second image signal and a first speech signal from the second user;

outputting the received first acoustic signal and the received first speech signal;

receiving a second acoustic signal which includes speech generated by the first user;

using a first acoustic echo canceller to generate a first output signal by cancelling the received first acoustic signal from the received second acoustic signal; and

using a second acoustic echo canceller to generate a second output signal by cancelling the received first speech signal from the generated first output signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first acoustic echo canceller is configured to use the received first acoustic signal as a reference signal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the second acoustic echo canceller is configured to use the received first speech signal as a reference signal.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

encoding the second output signal; and

transmitting the encoded second output signal to the second user via a network.

15. A method for controlling an imaging apparatus which conducts a video call between a first user and a second user, and provides broadcasting simultaneously, the method comprising:

receiving a broadcasting signal which includes a first image signal and a first acoustic signal via a broadcasting signal receiver;

receiving a second image signal and a first speech signal from the second user via a transceiver;

outputting the received first acoustic signal and the received first speech signal in an acoustic form via an acoustic sound output unit;

receiving a second acoustic signal which includes speech generated by the first user via a user input unit; and

using a multi-channel acoustic echo canceller to cancel on a first channel, the received first acoustic signal and to cancel, on a second channel, the received first speech signal from the received second acoustic signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the multi-channel acoustic echo canceller is configured to use at least two reference signals.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the at least two reference signals used by the multi-channel acoustic echo canceller comprise the received first acoustic signal and the received first speech signal.