JPH06303604A - Portable information equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a portable information device that can handle voice and image data and can be used as a videophone. [Structure] Binary image data taken from a camera is displayed and output on a liquid crystal display unit 7, and stored in a data RAM 37 as it is or after being compressed by an image compression / expansion circuit 51. Further, the image data and audio data taken in from the telephone line are separated, and the image data is compressed / expanded by the image compression / expansion circuit 51.
After decompressing with, the binarizing circuit 46 binarizes and displays it on the liquid crystal display unit 7, stores it in the data RAM 48, decompresses the voice data with the voice compression / decompression circuit 52, and then outputs it to the telephone 102. In addition, after compressing the image data captured from the camera and the voice data from the telephone 102, they are combined and transmitted via the telephone line.
The image data in the AM 49 is read out, compressed, and then transmitted via the telephone line.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable information device, and more particularly to a portable information device capable of transmitting and receiving images and sounds via a telephone line and displaying images.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in an advanced information society, portable information devices represented by electronic notebooks have become widespread.

Initially, the electronic notebook stores the address book data and the schedule data input from the input section in a memory and displays the data on the liquid crystal display section.

However, various functions have been added to the electronic notebook as it spreads.

For example, conventionally, only text data such as address book data and memo data has been handled, but recently, it has become possible to handle picture data such as a map input by a pen. It is also possible to transmit / receive data between electronic notebooks by infrared rays, or to transmit / receive data to / from a personal computer by connecting to a personal computer via RS-232C.

[0006]

However, the portable information equipment represented by such a conventional electronic notebook cannot handle image data freely.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and is used as a videophone or connected between a telephone line and a telephone line so that image data and voice data can be exchanged with the telephone line. It is intended to improve the usability of portable information equipment by enabling transmission of information.

[0008]

The portable information device of the present invention is as follows.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the data input from the key input unit is stored in the storage unit, and the data stored in the storage unit is searched and displayed based on the key operation of the key input unit. In a portable information device to be displayed on a display unit, a line connection unit for connecting to a telephone line, an image pickup unit connection unit for connecting an image pickup unit, a voice input unit, a voice output unit, and image data picked up by the image pickup unit. The voice input from the voice input means is synthesized and sent to the telephone line via the line connection means, and the image data and the voice data taken in from the telephone line via the line connection means are separated to obtain an image. The above object is achieved by providing image / sound control means for displaying data on the display portion and outputting sound from the sound output means.

In this case, for example, as described in claim 2, the image / sound control means binarizes the multivalued image data fetched from the image pickup section via the image pickup section connection means. The display unit may be a liquid crystal display device having a binary display, and the image / sound control unit may be connected via the line connection unit. The display unit may be a liquid crystal display device that is provided with a binarization unit that binarizes multi-valued image data taken from a telephone line, and the display unit is binary display.

Further, the image pickup section may be one which binarizes and outputs the picked-up image data as described in claim 4, for example.

Further, the image / sound control means, for example, as described in claim 5, compresses the image data taken in through the image pickup connecting means, and the image taken in through the line connecting means. A compression / decompression means for decompressing the data may be provided.

The line connection means may include a modem, for example.

Furthermore, the voice input means or the voice output means may be configured separately from the portable information equipment main body, as described in claim 7, for example. As described in (1), it may be integrated with the main body of the portable information device.

Further, for example, the image pickup section may be configured separately from the portable information equipment body as described in claim 9, and as described in claim 10,
It may be integrated with the portable information device body.

According to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, the portable information equipment stores the data input from the key input section in the storage means, and stores the data in the storage means based on the key operation of the key input section. The portable information device that retrieves stored data and displays it on the display unit has a line connection terminal connected to a telephone line and a telephone connection terminal connected to a telephone, thereby achieving the above object. .

In this case, for example, as described in claim 12, an image pickup means is provided, and the image data picked up by the image pickup means and the voice inputted from the transmitter of the telephone are subjected to a synthesis process to perform the line connection terminal. To the telephone line via the line connection terminal, and the image data and the voice data captured from the telephone line via the line connection terminal are separated to display the image data on the display unit, and the voice is transmitted via the telephone connection terminal. An image / sound control means for outputting from the handset of the telephone may be provided.

Further, for example, as described in claim 13, the image / sound control means binarizes the multi-valued image data fetched from the telephone line through the line connection terminal. And the display unit may be a binary display liquid crystal display device.

Further, for example, as described in claim 14, the image / sound control means comprises a binarization means for binarizing multi-valued image data taken in from the image pickup means, and the display section. However, a binary display liquid crystal display device may be used.

Further, for example, as described in claim 15, the image / sound control means compresses the image data fetched from the image pickup means and the image fetched from the telephone line through the line connection terminal. A compression / decompression means for decompressing the data may be provided.

[0021]

According to the portable information device of the invention described in claim 1, the image data obtained by connecting the portable information device to the telephone line by the line connecting means, picking up an image by the image pickup section and fetching it through the image pickup section connecting means. And synthesizes the voice input from the voice input means and sends it to the telephone line, separates the image data and voice data captured from the telephone line, displays the image data on the display unit, and outputs the voice. Since it is output from the means, the portable information device can be used as a videophone that can effectively use image data and audio data by using the telephone line, and the usability of the portable information device can be improved. Can be improved.

According to the invention described in claims 2 to 4, the multi-valued image data acquired from the image pickup section or acquired from the telephone line is binarized and displayed on the liquid crystal display device, Further, since the image pickup unit binarizes and outputs the image data, a multivalued image can be handled, and an inexpensive binary display liquid crystal display device can be used as the display unit, so that it can be used as a videophone. It is possible to improve the usability of the portable information device that can be used and to make the portable information device inexpensive.

Further, when the image / sound control means compresses the image data and the sound data so that they are transmitted at the same time, the image / sound control means transmits the image data of high image quality at high speed. be able to.

If the line connection means includes a modem as described in claim 6, for example, the portable information device can be easily connected to the telephone line,
It is possible to more easily send and receive images and sounds using a portable information device.

Further, when the voice input means, the voice output means, and the image pickup section are configured separately from the portable information equipment body, as described in claim 7 or 9, The main body of the portable information device can be further downsized, the portability of the portable information device can be further improved, and, for example, as described in claim 8, With the integrated configuration, it is possible to easily input and output voice and capture images, and it is possible to further improve the usability of the portable information device.

Further, when the portable information equipment is provided with the line connection terminal for connecting to the telephone line and the telephone connection terminal for connecting to the telephone as described in claim 11, the portable information equipment can be easily used for the telephone line and the telephone. It is possible to further improve the usability of the portable information device.

In this case, the image pickup means is provided, the image data taken in from the image pickup means and the voice inputted from the telephone are combined and sent to the telephone line, and the image data and voice data fetched from the telephone line are separated. , When the image data is displayed on the display unit and the voice is output from the telephone, the portable information device can be connected between the telephone line and the telephone, and the voice and the image can be appropriately combined or separated and handled. Therefore, the usability of the portable information device can be improved.

[0028]

Embodiments of the portable information equipment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment> A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an electronic notebook.

1 to 12 are views showing a first embodiment of a portable information device according to the present invention, and this embodiment is applied to an electronic notebook.

First, the structure will be described.

FIG. 1 is an external view of the electronic notebook 1. In this embodiment, the electronic notebook 1 is connected between a telephone line and a telephone.

The case where an analog telephone general subscriber line is used as a telephone line will be described below.

In FIG. 1, an electronic notebook 1 is detachably connected between a telephone jack 102 and a modular jack type outlet 101 connected to a telephone line, and inputs and outputs image data and audio data as described later. To do.

The electronic notebook 1 is formed of a main body case 4 whose outer appearance is composed of a lower case 2 and a lid 3,
A camera 5 is connected to the electronic notebook 1 via a cord 6.

The lid 3 is attached to the lower case 2 so as to be openable and closable, and the lid 3 has a liquid crystal display portion 7 on its inner surface.
A mode key 8 and the like are provided. Mode key 8 is
For example, various processing modes such as an input mode, a search mode, a shooting mode, and a communication mode are switched. Further, the liquid crystal display unit 7 displays a binary image in a display area having a predetermined size, and displays data corresponding to the above various modes.

On the inside surface of the body case 2,
Various keys such as a character input key 9, a numeric key 10, a cursor movement / screen movement key 11 and a search key 12 are provided to input commands necessary for causing the electronic notebook 1 to perform various processes. In particular, the search key 12 is used when searching various data stored in the memory of the portable information device.

As shown in FIG. 2, a line connection terminal 13 and a telephone connection terminal 14 are attached to the side surface of the lower case 2, and the line connection terminal 13 and the telephone connection terminal 14 are modular plugs. Modular cables 104 each having 103 are detachably connected.
Modular plug 1 connected to this line connection terminal 13
As shown in FIG. 1, a modular plug 103 that is detachably connected to a modular jack type outlet 101 connected to a telephone line is connected to the other end of the modular cable 104 of 03, and the electronic notebook 1 is This line connection terminal 13 has a modular jack type outlet 101
When the modular plug 103 of the modular cable 104 connected to is inserted, it is connected to the telephone line. At the other end of the modular cable 104 of the modular plug 103 connected to the telephone connection terminal 14, the modular plug 103 to be inserted into the modular jack type outlet of the telephone 102 as shown in FIG.
Is connected, and the electronic notebook 1 is a modular plug 1 of a modular cable 104 connected to the telephone 102.
When 03 is inserted into the telephone connection terminal 14, it is connected to the telephone 102.

Again, although not shown in FIG. 1, the electronic notebook 1 is provided with an image input terminal on the side surface of the lower case 2, and the connector of the cord 6 connected to the camera 5 is connected to the image input terminal. Is detachably attached.

As shown in FIG. 3, the camera 5 has a housing 20, a release button 21, and a camera mode switch 2.
2 and an operation mode switch 23 are provided. The camera mode switch 22 has a portrait (PORTRATE)
It is used to switch between the macro mode and the macro (MACRO) mode.
Used to switch between Y) and LOCK modes. Further, the camera 5 is driven by a battery, and a cover 20 a of a storage portion for the driving battery is provided on a side portion of the housing 20.

The camera 5 has a CCD 2 as shown in FIG.
4, driver 25, S / H (sample hold circuit) 2
6, A / D (A / D converter) 27, memory 28, CPU
A (Central Processing Unit) 29, an I / O 30, a power supply circuit 31 and the like are built in, and the power supply circuit 31 adjusts the voltage of the built-in battery and supplies it to each part of the camera 5. The camera 5 drives the CCD 24 with the driver 25, and CC
The charges accumulated in the CCD 24 by the light input to the D 24 are sequentially output to the S / H 26 for each frame. S / H
The charges sampled and held in 26 are output to the A / D 27, converted into digital image data in the A / D 27, and temporarily stored in the memory 28. The CPU 29 binarizes the multi-valued image data stored in the memory 28 by an error diffusion method described later, and the electronic notebook 1 via the I / O 30.
Output to.

The electronic notebook 1 has a circuit configuration as shown in FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the electronic notebook 1 includes a key input unit 41 and a CPU (Central Processing Uni.
t) 42, control ROM (Read Only Memory) 43, dictionary R
OM44, display buffer 45, binarization circuit 46, liquid crystal driver 47, liquid crystal display unit 7, data RAM 48, work RAM 49, interface (I / F) 50, image compression / expansion circuit 51, audio compression / expansion circuit 52, ADC
(A / D converter) 53, DAC (D / A converter) 54,
NCU (Network Control Unit) 55, modem (MODE
M: MOdulation and DEModulation) 56, a timing circuit 57, a power supply circuit 58, and the like.
It is connected by a bus 59.

The control ROM 43 stores a control program, system data, etc., and the CPU 42 controls each part of the electronic notebook 1 according to the program in the control ROM 43 to perform processing as the electronic notebook 1 and image control processing. Each processing such as voice control processing is performed.

The key input section 41 is a generic term for various keys provided in the portable information equipment such as the mode key 8, the character input key 9, the numeric key 10, the cursor movement / screen movement key 11 and the search key 12. Therefore, the CPU 42 scans the key input unit 41 and performs processing according to the key operation of the key input unit 41.

The dictionary ROM 44 stores dictionary data for Kana-Kanji conversion, etc., and the CPU 42 searches the dictionary ROM 44 according to the operation of the keys of the key input unit 41, particularly the character input keys 7 and the number keys 8. Then, the character corresponding to the key input is read out or converted into kanji or hiragana.

The display buffer 45 is a memory for temporarily storing the image data to be displayed on the liquid crystal display section 7. The image data stored in the display buffer 45 is sequentially transferred to the liquid crystal driver 47 and then displayed on the liquid crystal display section 7. Displayed and output.

The binarization circuit 46 binarizes the multivalued image data. For example, the binarization circuit 46 binarizes the multivalued image data by the error diffusion method, and the liquid crystal driver 47 or the data RAM.
Output to 48. The data RAM 48 stores the image data binarized by the binarization circuit 61. However,
The image data stored in the data RAM 48 is not limited to the binarized image data, but multi-valued image data is stored and binarized by the binarization circuit 61 when displaying on the liquid crystal display unit 7.
You may make it display after converting into a value.

The data RAM 48 is for storing various data such as image data taken from the camera 5 and the telephone line and memo data and address book data input from the key input unit 41, as shown in FIG. Input buffer area 48a, address book area 48b, memo area 48
It is divided into the area c and the image area 48d.

In this data RAM 48, when the keyed data is temporarily stored in the input buffer area 48a and the enter key is pressed, the data is written from the input buffer area 48a to the corresponding area of the data RAM 48. Be done.

Further, the data RAM 48 stores, in its address book area 48b, the address book data input from the key input section 41, for example, data such as name, telephone number, address, company name, remarks, etc. 48c, key input section 4
Random memo data input from 1 such as timetables, bank account numbers, shopping lists, and other freely written data are stored for a plurality of pages.

In the data RAM 48, the image area 48d is divided into a plurality of index areas 48e and an image data area 48f, and an index area 48e is allocated to each image data area 48f. That is, the index IX can be added to each image data stored in each image data area 48f, and the CPU 42 sets the index data IX input from the key input unit 41 or the preset index data IX to the image data area. The index area 4 is assigned to each image data stored in 48f.
Store in 8e. The index IX includes, for example, date, keyword, shooting location, and the like. Further, in each data area 48f, the image data compressed by the image compression / expansion circuit 40 may be stored, or the uncompressed image data may be stored. However, the data RAM 48 can be effectively used by storing the compressed image data.

Each data stored in the data RAM 48 can be searched in the search mode, as will be described later. Especially, the memo data can be searched by the first character, the input date, or a keyword given by the operator. You can sort. The input date is automatically added to the memo data. That is, the electronic notebook 1 has a built-in clock circuit (not shown), and adds the input date to each data, especially memo data.

The work RAM 49 is used by the CPU 42 to temporarily store necessary data during the processing.

The I / F 50 is connected to an image pickup section or an image pickup means such as the camera 5, and the I / F 50 takes in binary image data input from the camera 5 into the electronic notebook 1. The image section and the image pickup means connected to the I / F 50 are not limited to the camera 5 that outputs the binarized image because the electronic notebook 1 main body includes the binarization circuit 46. It may be a camera or the like that outputs a normal multi-valued image.

Image compression / expansion circuit (compression / expansion means) 40
Is a predetermined encoding method for the uncompressed image data captured from the camera 5 via the I / F 50, that is,
Depending on the type of image to be handled (still image in this case), for example, JPEG (Joint Photographic (Coding) Expert
s Group) D for each predetermined pixel block by the algorithm
A compression process (encoding) is performed by CT (discrete cosine transform), quantization, and Huffman encoding, and the result is output to the data RAM 48 and the modem 56. Also, the image compression / expansion circuit 40
Executes decompression (decoding) processing of the compressed image data fetched from the telephone line via the NCU 55 and the modem 56 and the compressed image data stored in the data RAM 48, and displays the decompressed image data. Buffer 4
Output to 5.

The compression method of the image data is not limited to the JPEG algorithm in this embodiment, but may be, for example, a block coding method, a predictive coding method, an orthogonal transform coding method, or the like. The data compression method is not limited to the CELP algorithm in this embodiment, but may be, for example, AD-PCM (Adaptive Differentia).
l Pulse Code Modulation method, VSELP (Vector
The Sum Excited Linear Prediction) method or the like may be used.

The audio compression / expansion circuit 52 has an ADC 53.
Digital audio data is input from the audio compression / expansion circuit 52, and the audio compression / expansion circuit 52 compresses or expands the digital audio data and outputs the digital audio data to the DAC 54 or the data RAM 48.

That is, the voice compression / expansion circuit 52 uses, for example, a CELP (Code Excited Linear Predivtion) algorithm to analyze input data for a certain period of time, a means to synthesize a waveform based on the analyzed parameters, an input waveform and Equipped with a means for calculating the error of the composite waveform,
The uncompressed digital audio data input from the DC 53 is compressed (encoded) by a predetermined encoding method, and the compressed audio data is output to the DAC 54 or the data RAM 48, or the compressed digital audio data is compressed. The audio data is expanded (decoded) by a predetermined decoding method, and the processed signal data is output to the DAC 54. The data compression rate in the audio compression process is about 5/100 (about 50/1000) because of the relationship with the audio quality after decompression.

The ADC 53 converts an analog voice signal (analog signal) input from the telephone 102 or a telephone line via the NCU 55 into a digital voice signal and outputs it to the voice compression / expansion circuit 52.

The DAC 54 converts the digital audio signal input from the audio compression / expansion circuit 52 into an analog audio signal and outputs it to the NCU 55.

The NCU 55 is connected to the telephone line and the telephone 102 via the line connection terminal 13 and the telephone connection terminal 14.
Is connected to perform negotiation for communication using a telephone line and perform call setting processing with the telephone 102.

The modem 56 includes a modulator, a demodulator and an A / D.
A converter, a D / A converter, a buffer memory, and the like are provided, and modulation processing for converting a digital signal in the electronic notebook 1 into a transmission signal (analog signal) that can be communicated by a telephone line or a telephone, and conversely, a telephone line The demodulation process is performed to restore the transmission signal (analog signal) sent via the digital signal into a digital signal that can be processed in the electronic notebook 1.

That is, the modem 56 demodulates the analog modulation signal sent from the telephone line and A / D converts it, then temporarily stores it in the buffer memory and also converts the digital signal transferred to the buffer memory into an analog signal. Then, the signal is modulated and output to the NCU 55. The digital-converted demodulated signal stored in the buffer memory of the modem 56 is read by the CPU 42 and separated into image data and audio data. The image data is sent to the image compression / expansion circuit 51 and the audio data is sent to the image data. , To the audio compression / decompression circuit 20, respectively.

The timing generator 57 includes an oscillator, a frequency divider, etc., generates a timing signal for controlling the operation timing of each part of the electronic notebook 1, and outputs it to each part.

The power supply circuit 58 is provided with a rechargeable battery, a voltage adjusting circuit, etc., adjusts the voltage of the power supply of the rechargeable battery with a voltage adjusting circuit, etc., and supplies the power to each part of the electronic notebook 1. DC power is supplied to the power supply circuit 58 from a power supply adapter (not shown) connected to a plug-in terminal (not shown) provided in the lower case 2. The power supply circuit 58 charges the internal rechargeable battery with the DC power supply input through the plug-in terminal, and also adjusts the voltage of the DC power supply to make the electronic notebook 1
Supply power to each part of. Although the power supply circuit 58 uses a rechargeable battery in this embodiment, a non-rechargeable battery such as a dry battery may be used.

Further, in the present embodiment, for example, signal transmission at the maximum transmission rate of 14400 bps that can be used in the analog public line connected via the modem 56 and the NCU 55 is possible, and one frame as a processing unit can be used. By incorporating the video code and the audio code, the image data and the audio data are simultaneously transmitted, and for example, the image data for one screen is transmitted as an intermittent image at a rate of one frame every three seconds.

In this case, one frame of the multiplexed code is constructed as shown in FIG. 7, and the timing of this one frame is alternately switched between transmission and reception.

In the multiplex code shown in FIG. 7, the video code and the audio code include an error correction code, and a video header and an audio header are added before the video code and the audio code, respectively. To be done. Therefore, the total transmission data amount of the image data included in the actual video code and the audio data included in the audio code is 9600 bps in total, 4800 bps for the image and 4800 bps for the audio data.
To use.

Specifically, the data length of one frame is about 256 bytes for video data and about 256 bytes for audio data, which is a total of 512 bytes (about 4098 bits).
At a transmission rate of 4400 bps, the data transmission time for one frame is about 280 ms (about 140 for video data).
ms, about 140 ms for voice data).

That is, about 3.57 frames of data are transmitted per second, and the video data transmitted per second is about 7300 bits (256 × 8.57 = 73).
11). Therefore, in the present embodiment, about 2500 bit data obtained by subtracting the actual image data (4800 bps) from the about 7300 bit data transmitted per second, information about the screen size, the command regarding the image data transmission, and the error correction code are added. Etc. are included.

The image data to be transmitted may be one in which image data for one screen is collectively compressed and the compressed image data is transmitted, and the time for transmitting the image data to be transmitted may be changed. Alternatively, the image data may be divided in advance based on the above, and compression processing may be performed on the divided image data units.

On the other hand, the voice data is 12 bits / 8 kHz.
It is treated as digital data sampled by z, and this 12 × 8000 = 96000-bit voice data is compressed to about 50/1000 to obtain a voice code including 4800-bit voice data.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

The electronic notebook 1 performs processing corresponding to various modes selected by the mode key 8 of the key input unit 41.

That is, the electronic notebook 1 has an input mode, a search mode, a shooting mode, and a communication mode as basic modes, and the input mode and the search mode have a plurality of modes as described later. ing.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, when the power is turned on, the electronic notebook 1 first performs a key sampling process (step S1). In this key sampling processing, the key input unit 41 is scanned to perform key sampling, and a preset basic screen is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7. If there is any key input as a result of key sampling. The key data input at that time is transferred to the display buffer 45 and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 7 for output. In other words, as a result of key sampling, the entered key is
When the key is a key that changes the display state, such as a numeric key or a cursor key, the key data or display data corresponding to the key input is transferred to the display buffer 45, and the screen display associated with the key input is performed.

Next, if there is a key input, it is checked whether the entered key is the mode key 8 (step S2), and if it is not the mode key 8, step S1.
Then, the key sampling process is performed.

In step S2, when the entered key is the mode key 8, it is checked which of the input mode key, the search mode key, the photographing mode key and the communication mode key the entered mode key 8 is. Then, the mode is changed to the mode corresponding to the mode key 8 that has been input. Note that the selection of this mode is not limited to the one in which the mode key 8 is pressed.
Display one mode, cursor move / screen move key 11
The mode may be selected by moving the cursor with to select and pressing the enter key.

The respective modes will be sequentially described below.

<Input Mode> When it is determined in step S2 that the input mode is selected, the mode is shifted to the input mode, and it is first checked whether the mode is the memo mode or the address book mode (step S3). That is, the input mode has a memo input mode and an address book input mode,
In step S3, it is checked which of these two modes is the mode. In the memo mode, a preset memo input screen is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7, and key input by the character input keys 9 or the numeric keys 10, that is, data input is waited (step S4), and the key input is performed. , While transferring the memo data corresponding to the input key to the input buffer 48a of the data RAM 37,
The data is transferred to the display buffer 45 and displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 7 (step S5).

Then, it is judged whether or not the input is completed, based on whether or not the enter key of the key input unit 41 has been pressed (step S6). Perform input processing and display processing, and repeat until key input is completed.

When the enter key is pressed and the key input is completed, the input memo data is stored in the memo area 48c of the data RAM 48 from the input buffer 48a (step S7), the process returns to step S1 and the key sampling process is repeated. To process. At this time, as described above, the date data when the memo data is input is automatically added to the memo data, and when the keyword is input, the input keyword is added to the memo data.

As described above, in the memo input mode, the memo data input from the key input unit 41 is fetched,
It is stored in the memo area 48c of the data RAM 48.

In step S3 of the input mode, in the address book mode, a preset address book input screen is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7, and the character input key 9 is pressed.
Waiting for key input with the or numeric keys 10, that is, data input (step S8), when key input is performed, the address book data corresponding to the input key is transferred to the input buffer 48a and to the display buffer 45. , Is displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 7 (step S9).

Then, it is judged whether or not the input is completed (step S10), and when the key input is not completed, the process returns to step S8 and the data input process and the display process are similarly performed to determine whether the key input is completed. Check it out.

When the key input is completed, the data RAM 48
The address book data in the input buffer 48a of the address book area 4
8b (step S11), the process returns to step S1 and the key sampling process is repeated.

Thus, in the address book input mode,
The address book data input from the key input unit 41 is fetched and stored in the address book area 48b of the data RAM 48.

<Search Mode> When it is determined in step S2 that the search mode has been selected, the mode is shifted to the search mode, and it is first checked whether the mode is the data search mode or the image search mode (step S12). That is, the search mode includes a data search mode and an image search mode, and the data search mode includes a memo search mode and an address book search mode as described later. Therefore, in step S12, it is first determined whether the mode is the data search mode or the image search mode.

In step S12, it is checked whether the data search mode is the address book search mode or the memo search mode (step S13). In the memo search mode, the search condition input screen is displayed to display the search conditions. It waits until is input and designated (step S14). As described above, the search conditions include, for example, date search, keyword search, etc., and these search conditions and search data are input as the search conditions. When the search condition is specified, the memo area 48c of the data RAM 48 is searched based on the specified search condition (step S15), and the search result is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7 (step S16).
When the display of the search result on the liquid crystal display unit 7 is completed, the process returns to step S1 to perform the same processing from the key sampling processing.

In step S13, in the case of the address book search mode, the search condition input screen is displayed to wait until the search condition is input and designated (step S17). The search conditions include, for example, name search, telephone number search, etc., and these search conditions and search data are input as the search conditions. When the search condition is specified, the address list area 4 of the data RAM 48 is based on the specified search condition.
8b is searched (step S18), and the search result is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7 (step S19). When the display of the search result on the liquid crystal display unit 7 is completed, the process returns to step S1 to perform the same processing from the key sampling processing.

As described above, in the search mode, in the case of the data search, the corresponding search condition input screen is displayed depending on whether the search target is memo data or address book data, and the specified search condition is displayed. Data RAM 48
The corresponding area can be searched and the search result can be output to the liquid crystal display unit 7.

When the selected search mode is the image search mode in step S12, the search condition input screen is displayed and the input of search conditions is awaited (step S20). As the search condition, the index IX search and the image data stored in the data RAM 48 are sequentially moved from the head address / cursor /
There is a cursor search to display with the screen movement key 11,
As a search condition, the input operation of these indexes IX and the key operation of the cursor movement / screen movement key 11 are performed.

When the search condition is specified, the image area 48d of the data RAM 48 is searched based on the specified search condition (step S21), and the search result is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7 (step S22). When the display of the search result on the liquid crystal display unit 7 is completed, the process returns to step S1 to perform the same processing from the key sampling processing.

Further, in displaying this image, when the image data is compressed and stored in the data RAM 48, the CPU 42 transfers the retrieved image data from the data RAM 48 to the image compression / expansion circuit 40. After being expanded by the image compression / expansion circuit 40, the image is transferred to the display buffer 45 and the image is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7.

<Photographing Mode> When it is determined in step S2 that the photographing mode is selected, the photographing mode is entered, and image data is taken in from the camera 5 (step S23).

At this time, the camera 5 moves to the 2
The binarized image data is output to the electronic notebook 1.

That is, the CPU 29 of the camera 5 is shown in FIG.
As shown in, first, the maximum value and the minimum value of the image data in the memory 28 are detected (step P1). Next, the automatic gain control value (AGC value) is determined (step P2), and the image data (pixel data) is read (step P).
3). Then, the read image data is compared with a threshold value to be binarized (step P4), and binary xa (output value) is subtracted from the multivalued image data (original value) to obtain an error (error = multivalue). The value-2 value × a) is obtained (step P5).
Here, a is the maximum value that the multi-valued image data can take. For example, in the case of 4 bits, “7” of 0 to 7 is the maximum value. Next, error diffusion is performed by the error diffusion filter (step P6).

This error diffusion filter, as shown in FIG. 10 as an example, diffuses the error in the "●" part to adjacent places at a ratio indicated by numerical values (to be exact, 1/16 of these numerical values). It is what makes me. In other words, the error in the "●" part is distributed to the surroundings.

When this error diffusion processing is performed, the next image data (pixel data) is read (step P7), the error is collected, the process returns to step P4, and the processing from step P4 to step P8 is performed in the same manner as above. .

The CPU 29 outputs the binarized image data to the electronic notebook 1 via the I / O 30 and the code 6.

The image data input from the I / F 50 is not limited to the binary image data input from the camera 5, but may be multi-valued image data taken by a normal camera. Good.

Returning to FIG. 8 again, the electronic notebook 1 displays I / I
Import image data via F50 (step S2
3) If the captured image data is multi-valued image data, the binarization circuit 46 performs the same processing as in FIGS. 9 and 10 to binarize the multi-valued image data (step S24). . Note that when the image data is captured from the camera 5, the image data has already been binarized as described above, so it is not necessary to perform the binarization processing in step S24.

Next, the binary image data is transferred to the liquid crystal driver 47 via the display buffer 45 and displayed on the liquid crystal display section 7 for output (step S25). In this way, the electronic notebook 1 outputs the image data binarized by the camera 5, and when the captured image data is multi-valued image data, it is binarized by the binarization circuit 46. Part 7
A binary display can be used, an inexpensive liquid crystal display unit 7 can be used, and the electronic notebook 1 itself can be inexpensive.

When the display of the captured image data on the liquid crystal display unit 7 is completed, it is checked whether or not the enter key is pressed (step S26). If the enter key is not pressed, the displayed image is not displayed. When it is determined that the image data has not been selected, the process returns to step S23, and the next image data is similarly captured and displayed. That is, when the camera 5 is connected and the photographing mode is set, the images photographed by the camera 5 are sequentially displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 7.

When the enter key is pressed in step S26, it is determined that the image displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 7 is selected, the image data is fetched into the work RAM 49, and then the image compression / expansion circuit 40 is loaded. To (Step S
27), the image compression / expansion circuit 40 performs compression processing (step S28). Compressed image data into data RAM4
8 is once transferred to the data RAM 48 and stored in the empty image area 48d of the data RAM 48 (step S29). The compression processing in step S28 does not necessarily have to be performed.

In this case, if the fetched image data is compressed and stored in the data RAM 48, it is necessary for the image compression / expansion circuit 40 to expand the displayed image data in the image data search process. However, when the capacity of the data RAM 48 is large, the fetched image data is not limited to being compressed by the image compression / expansion circuit 40, and uncompressed binary image data may be stored in the data RAM 48 as it is. Good. In this case, when displaying the searched image data in the image search process on the liquid crystal display unit 7, image compression / compression is performed.
There is no need to re-expand by the expansion circuit 40.

With respect to the image data stored in the data RAM 48, an input screen for inputting the index IX is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7, and when the index IX is input, it is stored in the data RAM 48. The input index IX is written in the index area 48e of the image data, and the process returns to step S1 (step S30).

Then, the image data thus stored in the data RAM 48 is searched for the image data designated by the search mode processing, and is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display section 7.

As described above, in the photographing mode, binary image data is fetched from the camera 5 and constantly displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7, and an image selected by the operator with the enter key is displayed on the displayed image. Can be stored in the data RAM 48 together with the index IX.

<Communication Mode> When it is determined in step S2 that the communication mode has been selected, the mode is shifted to the communication mode shown in FIG. 11 and it is checked whether an incoming call is received (step S31). When no call is received, it is checked whether or not a call is made (step S32). When no call is received, step S3 is performed.
Return to 1 and perform the same processing.

When a call is made in step S32, it is checked whether or not the call is established (step S33).
After waiting for the call state to be established, it is checked whether or not the transmission key is turned on (step S34). When the transmission key is not pressed, it is confirmed that the call state is established (step S35), and the transmission key is waited (steps S34 and S35). During this time, when the call state is canceled, the process returns to step S1 and the key sampling process and the similar processes are performed.

When the transmission key is pressed in step S34, negotiation for image data transmission is performed (step S36). When transmission preparation is completed, the compression processing of the selected image data is performed by the image compression / expansion circuit 51. (Step S37). When the image compression processing is completed, next, the audio data compression processing is performed by the audio compression / decompression circuit 52 (step S38).

When the image data compression processing and the audio data compression processing are completed, these compressed image data and audio data are transferred to the modem 56, and the image data and audio data are multiplexed and transmitted at the same time as described above. Yes (step S39). When the transmission of the image data is completed, the key processing shown in FIG. 12 is performed (step S40), and when the key processing is completed, it is checked whether or not a call is in progress (step S4).
1). When in a call, the process returns to step S37 to perform the same process from the image compression process. When not in a call, the process returns to step S1 to perform the same process from the key sampling process.

When a call is received in step S31, it is checked whether or not the call is established (step S42). After the call state is established, it is checked whether or not the other party transmits. Step S4
3). If there is a transmission from the other party, step S3
Then, the process proceeds to 6 and the communication process is performed in the same manner as above from the negotiation (step S37 to step S41). In this case, in the image compression / decompression processing of step S37, the image data transmitted from the other party is processed by the image compression / decompression circuit 5.
It is expanded at 1 and is output for display on the liquid crystal display unit 7. In the voice compression / decompression process of step S38, the voice data transmitted from the other party is decompressed by the voice compression / decompression circuit 52, output to the telephone 102 via the NCU 55, and the voice is received from the handset of the telephone 102. Output.

Then, in step S43, when there is no transmission from the other party, it is checked whether or not the call is in progress (step S44), and when in the call, step S43.
Return to and check if there is any transmission from the other party. When the call state is released in step S44, the process returns to step S1 to perform the same processing from the key sampling processing.

As described above, in the communication processing, the electronic notebook 1 can be used as a videophone by connecting it between the telephone line and the telephone 102, and the image taken by the camera 5 and the image input from the telephone 102 can be input. Along with compressing voice, combining and transmitting, receiving compressed image data and voice data transmitted from the other party, separating voice and image, decompressing voice and image, The image is displayed and output on the liquid crystal display unit 7, and the voice is transmitted to the telephone 102.
Can be output from. Therefore, not only can the electronic notebook 1 handle images, but the electronic notebook 1 can be used as a videophone, and the usability of the electronic notebook 1 can be improved.

The key processing of step S40 is performed by the data in the electronic notebook 1, that is, the data RAM 48, during a call.
This is a process for retrieving and transmitting the data stored therein, and is processed as shown in FIG.

That is, in the key processing, as shown in FIG. 12, first, the key input unit 41 is scanned to check whether or not a key has been pressed (step Q1). Control goes to step S41.

When the key is pressed in step Q1, it is determined whether the type of the key is a search key, an input key, or another key other than these (step Q
2) If it is another key, another process corresponding to the inserted key is performed (step Q3), and the process proceeds to step S41 in FIG.

When the entered key is the search key in step Q2, the same search processing as the search mode processing (steps S12 to S22) shown in FIG. 8 is performed (step Q4), and the liquid crystal display section is displayed. The display content of 7 has been transmitted up to that point, that is, the display content displayed on the liquid crystal display unit 7 by the communication processing of FIG. 11, for example, from the person's face projected by the camera 5 or the communication partner. The retrieved data is switched from the face of the other party (step Q5). At this time, the search data may be displayed by dividing the display screen or displaying a window instead of switching the display.

Next, it is judged which of the transmission key and the switching key is pressed (step Q6). When the transmission key is pressed, the data RA is processed during the processing as a videophone.
Judging that the data transmission process in M48 was selected,
A transmission process for transmitting the displayed or retrieved data is performed (step Q7).

In this transmission processing, the transmission key is pressed through the search processing (step Q4) and the display switching processing (step Q5) in the normal image / sound processing transmitted as the videophone. Instead of the image captured by the camera 5, the selected image data is combined and transmitted.

When the transmission process is completed, the display screen is returned to the original screen and the process proceeds to step S41 in FIG.

When the switch key is pressed in step Q6, the display is switched without performing the transmission process, and the process proceeds to step S41 in FIG.

Then, in step Q2, when the input key is the input key, the display screen of the liquid crystal display unit 7 is switched to the input screen (step Q9), and the input mode processing shown in FIG. 8 (steps S3 to step S3) is performed. The same input processing as in S11) is performed (step Q10).

When the input process is completed, the process proceeds to step Q8, the display screen is switched to the original display screen, and the screen shown in FIG.
Then, the process proceeds to step S41.

As described above, in the key processing, when the electronic notebook 1 is used as a videophone, by pushing a key, the image taken by the camera 5 is already stored in the data RAM 48. It is possible to switch to image data and transmit the image data, and the usability of the electronic notebook 1 can be further improved.

In the electronic notebook 1 of this embodiment,
When storing the image data in the data RAM 48,
If necessary, the image can be compressed and stored by the image compression / expansion circuit 40, and the data RAM 48 can be effectively used.

Further, when transmitting the image data and the audio data, the image compression / decompression circuit 51 may be provided as necessary.
And the audio compression / expansion circuit 52 can transmit the compressed image data. Further, the compressed image data and audio data can be received and stored in the data RAM 48, or the image compression / expansion circuit 51 can expand the liquid crystal. It can be displayed on the display unit 7 and can be expanded and output by the audio compression / expansion circuit 52.
High-quality image data and voice data can be transmitted and received at high speed, and high-quality image data and voice data can be handled by the electronic notebook 1.

Further, since the multi-valued image data is binarized by the binarization circuit 46 and displayed on the liquid crystal display section 7, a binary display can be used as the liquid crystal display section 7, and the electronic notebook is used. 1 can be made inexpensive.

<Second Embodiment> FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a second embodiment of the portable information processing apparatus of the present invention, and this embodiment is also applied to an electronic notebook.

In this embodiment, the image pickup section (image pickup means) and the voice input / output section are integrated in the electronic notebook, and in the explanation of this embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are described. Are assigned the same reference numerals and explanations thereof are omitted.

In FIG. 13, an electronic notebook 60 has a body case 62 whose outer appearance is composed of a lower case 2 and a lid 61.
And the lower case 2 is similar to the lower case 2 of the electronic notebook 1 of the first embodiment.

A circuit similar to that of the first embodiment is provided in the lower case 2, and in the following description, the reference numerals used in the circuit diagram shown in FIG. 5 will be used as they are.

The lid 61 is attached to the lower case 2 in such a manner that it can be opened and closed.
In addition to the mode key 8 similar to the embodiment, a liquid crystal display 63,
A camera 64, a microphone 65, a speaker 66, etc. are provided. The liquid crystal display unit 63 has basically the same configuration as the liquid crystal display unit 7 of the first embodiment, but since the camera 64 and the speaker 66 are provided on the lid 61, the display area thereof is formed to be slightly smaller. Has been done.

The camera 64 is composed of a CCD and its driver, etc., stores the image taken by the camera 64 in the data RAM 48 in the body of the electronic notebook 60, binarizes it, and outputs it to the liquid crystal display section 63 for display. .

The microphone 65 converts the voice generated by the user of the electronic notebook 60 into an analog electric signal, and the electronic notebook 6
0 is a D / A that converts this electric signal into a digital signal
It has a built-in converter.

The speaker 66 outputs the voice from the partner received via the NCU 55 in a loud voice, and the electronic notebook 60
The audio data received from the other party is once converted into a digital signal by the ADC 53, expanded by the audio compression / expansion circuit 52, converted into an analog signal, and output from the speaker 66 in a loud voice. Therefore, the electronic notebook 60 has a D / A for outputting the digital audio signal from the speaker 66.
It has a built-in converter.

The electronic notebook 60 itself has a microphone 65.
Since it has a speaker 66 and a speaker 66, it is possible to input and output voice without connecting to a telephone.
55 does not need to have a function for connecting to a telephone or a terminal for connecting to a telephone. In addition, the electronic notebook 60 is the camera 6
4 is provided, it is not necessary to have an I / F 50 for connecting an image pickup unit such as a camera as in the first embodiment, but the I / F 50 is provided as an input / output terminal for image data. Then, it is possible to capture an image from a camera other than the camera 64 and output the image data stored in the data RAM 48 of the electronic notebook 60 to an external device.

As described above, the electronic notebook 60 is the electronic notebook 6
Since 0 itself has a camera 64, it is possible to capture and display an image and transmit it via a telephone line without connecting an image pickup unit such as a camera to the outside, and thus the usability of the electronic notebook 60 is improved. Can be improved. Further, since the electronic notebook 60 includes the microphone 65 and the speaker 66, it is possible to input and output voice without connecting to a telephone, and to transmit and receive voice together with an image via a telephone line. it can. As a result, the electronic notebook 60 can be used as a videophone without connecting to the telephone, and the usability of the electronic notebook can be further improved.

In the present embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the electronic notebook has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the electronic notebook and can be applied to general portable information equipment.

[0143]

According to the portable information device of the invention described in claim 1, the portable information device is connected to the telephone line by the line connecting means, the image is picked up by the image pickup section, and the image is taken in through the image pickup section connecting means. The image data and the voice input from the voice input means are combined and sent to the telephone line, and the image data and voice data taken in from the telephone line are separated, and the image data is displayed on the display unit and the voice is output. Since it is output from the voice output means, the portable information device can be used as a videophone that can effectively use image data and voice data by using the telephone line.
The usability of the portable information device can be improved.

According to the invention described in claims 2 to 4, the multi-valued image data acquired from the image pickup section or from the telephone line is binarized and displayed on the liquid crystal display device. Further, since the image pickup unit binarizes and outputs the image data, a multivalued image can be handled, and an inexpensive binary display liquid crystal display device can be used as the display unit, so that it can be used as a videophone. It is possible to improve the usability of the portable information device that can be used and to make the portable information device inexpensive.

Further, when the image / sound control means compresses the image data and the sound data so as to transmit them at the same time, the image / sound control means transmits the image data of high image quality at high speed. be able to.

If the line connecting means includes a modem as described in claim 6, for example, the portable information device can be easily connected to the telephone line,
It is possible to more easily send and receive images and sounds using a portable information device.

Furthermore, when the voice input means, the voice output means, and the image pickup section are formed separately from the portable information equipment body, as described in claim 7 or 9, The main body of the portable information device can be further downsized, the portability of the portable information device can be further improved, and, for example, as described in claim 8, With the integrated configuration, it is possible to easily input and output voice and capture images, and it is possible to further improve the usability of the portable information device.

Further, when the portable information equipment is provided with the line connection terminal for connecting to the telephone line and the telephone connection terminal for connecting to the telephone as described in claim 11, the portable information equipment can be easily connected to the telephone line or the telephone. It is possible to further improve the usability of the portable information device.

In this case, the image pickup means is provided, the image data taken in from the image pickup means and the voice inputted from the telephone are combined and sent to the telephone line, and the image data and voice data fetched from the telephone line are separated. , When the image data is displayed on the display unit and the voice is output from the telephone, the portable information device can be connected between the telephone line and the telephone, and the voice and the image can be appropriately combined or separated and handled. Therefore, the usability of the portable information device can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of a first embodiment of a portable information device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of the back surface of the electronic notebook shown in FIG.

3 is an enlarged view of the camera shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a circuit block diagram of a camera.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of the electronic notebook shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a data RAM.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the structure of one frame of a multiplexed code.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing each mode processing of the electronic notebook.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a binarization process of the camera.

10 is an explanatory diagram of error diffusion processing by a filter in the binarization processing of FIG. 9.

11 is a flowchart showing processing in the communication mode of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing detailed processing of the key processing of FIG.

FIG. 13 is an external view of a second embodiment of the portable information device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 60 Electronic notebook 2 Lower case 3, 61 Lid 4, 62 Main body case 5 Camera 6 Code 7, 63 Liquid crystal display 8 Mode key 9 Character input key 10 Numeric key 11 Cursor move / screen move key 12 Search key 13 Line connection Terminal 14 Telephone connection terminal 41 Key input section 42 CPU 43 Control ROM 44 Dictionary ROM 45 Display buffer 46 Binarization circuit 47 Liquid crystal driver 48 Data RAM 49 Work RAM 50 I / F 51 Image compression / expansion circuit 52 Voice compression / expansion circuit 53 ADC 54 DAC 55 NCU 56 Modem 57 Timing Circuit 58 Power Supply Circuit 59 Bus

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification code Office reference number FI technical display location H04N 7/18 U

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A portable type in which data input from a key input unit is stored in a storage unit, the data stored in the storage unit is searched based on a key operation of the key input unit, and is displayed on a display unit. In information equipment, line connection means for connecting to a telephone line, image pickup section connection means for connecting an image pickup section, voice input means, voice output means, image data picked up by the image pickup section, and input from the voice input means The synthesized voice is synthesized and sent to the telephone line through the line connecting means, the image data and the voice data taken from the telephone line through the line connecting means are separated, and the image data is displayed on the display unit. A portable information device, comprising: an image / sound control means for displaying and outputting sound from the sound output means. 2. The image / sound control means comprises binarization means for binarizing multi-valued image data taken from the image pickup section via the image pickup section connection means, and the display section The portable information device according to claim 1, which is a liquid crystal display device for displaying values. 3. The image / sound control means comprises a binarization means for binarizing multi-valued image data taken from a telephone line via the line connection means, and the display section is a binary display. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein the portable information device is the liquid crystal display device. 4. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup unit binarizes and outputs the picked-up image data. 5. The image / sound control means comprises compression / expansion means for compressing the image data taken in via the image pickup section connecting means and expanding the image data taken in via the line connecting means. The portable information device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it is provided. 6. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein the line connection means includes a modem. 7. The mobile phone according to claim 1, wherein the voice input means or the voice output means is configured separately from the main body of the portable information device. Type information equipment. 8. The portable information according to claim 1, wherein the voice input means or the voice output means is integrated with the portable information equipment body. machine. 9. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup unit is configured separately from the main body of the portable information device. 10. The portable information device according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup unit is integrally formed with the main body of the portable information device. 11. Portable information for storing data input from a key input unit in a storage unit, searching the data stored in the storage unit based on a key operation of the key input unit, and displaying the data on a display unit. A portable information device, comprising: a line connection terminal for connecting to a telephone line, and a telephone connection terminal for connecting to a telephone. 12. An image pickup means is provided, and the image data picked up by the image pickup means and a voice input from a transmitter of the telephone are combined and sent to a telephone line through the line connection terminal to connect the line. Image / sound control for separating the image data and the sound data taken from the telephone line through the terminal to display the image data on the display unit and outputting the sound from the handset of the telephone through the telephone connection terminal. The portable information device according to claim 11, further comprising means. 13. The image / sound control means comprises a binarization means for binarizing multi-valued image data taken from a telephone line through the line connection terminal, and the display section is a binary display. 13. The portable information device according to claim 12, which is the liquid crystal display device. 14. The image / sound control means comprises binarization means for binarizing multi-valued image data taken in from the image pickup means, and the display section is a binary display liquid crystal display device. 13. The portable information device according to claim 12, wherein 15. The image / sound control means comprises a compression / expansion means for compressing the image data taken in from the image pickup means and for expanding the image data taken in from a telephone line through the line connection terminal. The portable information device according to any one of claims 12 to 14.