KR101422290B1 - Method of transmitting concealed image using touchscreen in video communication and apparatus for performing video communication - Google Patents

Abstract

When a specific area of an image displayed on the touch screen is touched during a video call, the image corresponding to the touched area is transmitted in an obscured state so that the image transmitted to the other party can be adjusted A method and a video communication apparatus are disclosed. A method for transmitting an image in a video communication apparatus having a touch screen, the method comprising: detecting a predetermined touch input on the touch screen from a user; Generating a coordinate value corresponding to the input and processing the portion corresponding to the coordinate value for the image to be transmitted at the time of video communication to be masked. Accordingly, it is possible to make a video call with a face, a body, a background, and the like which the user of the video call does not want to expose to the other party of the video call, thereby protecting the privacy of the individual and / It is possible to support a video call environment according to the purpose.

Video call, touch screen, touch, obscured image, image transfer

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen during a video call,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a method of transmitting an image during a video call and a video communication apparatus, and more particularly, to a video transmission method and a video communication apparatus using a touch screen during a video call.

Recently, handset products provide a variety of functions and services to meet the needs of the users, while the buttons are mainly used as the user interface devices, which causes usability problems due to the complicated user interface structure. As a result, due to cost reduction of touch screen and improvement of user interface, it is expected that many of the worldwide produced phones will adopt touch screen.

The touch screen means a screen having a built-in position sensor for outputting the coordinate value of the contact point by pressing a point on the screen with a finger or the like. The touch screen includes a pressure sensitive resistive film type, a capacitive type, a surface acoustic wave : SAW method, and infrared ray method.

On the other hand, the video call has a great advantage in that it can communicate with the other party's face in comparison with the existing voice call, but inevitably, the user of the video call inevitably exposes his / her face, Therefore, there is a need for a method of screening the user's face, body, background, etc. in accordance with the purpose of protecting personal privacy or business secrets.

In this case, switching from a video call to a voice call or transmitting an alternative image is the simplest solution, but it has the disadvantage of losing all the advantages of the video call. Also, according to the choice of the user of the video call, There is a disadvantage in that the user image itself to be transmitted can not be adjusted.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an image transmission method and apparatus for adjusting an image of a user himself / herself,

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen during a video call, the method comprising: Generating a coordinate value corresponding to the detected predetermined touch input and processing the portion corresponding to the coordinate value for the image to be transmitted at the time of video communication to be masked .

The predetermined touch input is a method of touching a point on the touch screen and releasing a touch at the same point, or a method of touching a point on the touch screen, moving in a state of keeping the touch, At least one.

The step of detecting the predetermined touch input from the user on the touch screen may detect the predetermined touch input on a user image area of the screen of the video communication apparatus.

Wherein the step of processing a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call is performed when the predetermined touch input maintains a touch over a reference input time predetermined on the touch screen have.

The step of processing a portion corresponding to the coordinate value for the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call may cover at least one of white, black, gray and a predefined image pattern corresponding to the coordinate value.

Wherein the step of processing a portion corresponding to the coordinate value for the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call includes replacing a pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with an image generated by using an image of a surrounding pixel by an interpolation method, And replacing the pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with a predefined background color.

The method comprising the steps of: determining whether a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call is being processed so as to be already covered; Processing the image to be transmitted in the video call so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is not obscured.

The method further includes the step of displaying on the screen of the video communication device a result of processing the portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted at the time of the video communication so as to be obscured can do. In this case, displaying the processed result on the screen of the video communication apparatus such that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is hidden during the video communication, And an operation of generating and displaying a separate screen on the screen of the video communication apparatus can be performed.

The method for transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen during a video call includes transmitting an image processed through the network to a counterpart video communication apparatus so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is obscured during the video call .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a video communication apparatus having a touch screen, the video communication apparatus including a touch screen unit for detecting a predetermined touch input on the touch screen, A touch module for generating a coordinate value corresponding to the predetermined touch input; a camera module for receiving an image to be transmitted during a video call; A display unit for outputting the image input from the camera module unit on the screen of the video communication apparatus and a wireless transceiver unit for transmitting the processed image to the other party video communication apparatus through the network do.

The touch screen unit may receive the predetermined touch input on a user image area of the screen of the video communication device.

The controller may process the predetermined touch input when the touch is maintained over a predetermined reference input time on the touch screen.

The control unit may cover at least one of white, black, gray, or a predefined picture pattern with a portion corresponding to the coordinate value.

Wherein the control unit performs a process of replacing a pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with an image generated using an image of surrounding pixels by an interpolation method and a process of replacing a pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with a predefined background color Can be performed.

When the image corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is being processed so as to be already covered at the time of the video call, processing is performed such that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is not covered at the time of the video call can do.

The display unit may output a processed result on the screen of the video communication apparatus so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is obscured during the video communication. In this case, the display unit may display the processed result on the user image area of the screen of the video communication device so that the portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted may be hidden at the time of the video communication, And an operation of generating and displaying a separate screen on the screen.

According to the method and apparatus for transmitting an obscured image using the touch screen rubbing and the like in the video communication as described above, the user of the video call can perform a video call with the face, body, background, So that it is possible to support the video call environment according to the purpose of the video call user such as protection of personal privacy and / or protection of business secrets.

In addition, the user of the video call can provide a simple and quick user interface in adjusting his / her image transmitted to the other party of the video call.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, the same reference numerals will be used for the same constituent elements in the drawings, and redundant explanations for the same constituent elements will be omitted.

FIGS. 1A to 1G are user interface screens for illustrating an obscured image transmission method using a touch screen in a video call according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Specifically, when a user tries to make a video call using a video communication apparatus having a touch screen (FIG. 1A), a video of the video communication apparatus of the user and the opponent is displayed on the screen of the other party which occupies a larger screen area and a smaller screen area The user image area occupied is displayed (Fig. 1B, Fig. 1C).

When the user performs a touch input such as rubbing on the user image area of the screen of the video communication apparatus by using a finger or the like (FIG. 1D), the user video communication apparatus displays a portion where the touch input is white, black, 1D). The display may be made on the user image area (FIG. 1E) or may be created by creating a separate screen (FIG. 1F).

The user's video communication apparatus transmits the image of the user to the video communication apparatus of the other party, processes the portion of the user's input which is the touch input with white, black or a predefined picture pattern, In this case, the processed user image is displayed in the other party's video area of the other party's video communication apparatus (FIG. 1G).

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen in a video call according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the method of transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen in a video call according to an embodiment of the present invention, a user of the video call apparatus having a touch screen starts a video call mode, And starts by touching the touch screen with a finger or a pen at the same time or at a later time. Hereinafter, the video communication apparatus may include a video communication apparatus such as a television having a video communication function in addition to a portable terminal such as a mobile communication terminal and a personal digital assistant (PDA).

In this case, if there is a touch on the touch screen, it can be confirmed whether or not the video call mode is started first. If only the voice call is in progress, the image transmission is not carried out, so there is no need for a subsequent process. While the video communication mode is not started, the subsequent process is not performed, and when the video communication mode is started, the process can proceed to the subsequent process.

When a video communication mode is started and a user of the video communication apparatus has a touch on the touch screen, a predetermined touch input is detected (S110). The touch input may be a form of touching a point on the touch screen and releasing a touch at the same point, or a form of touching a point on the touch screen, moving in a state of keeping the touch, and releasing a touch at another point .

The user can perform a touch input on a user image area of the screen of the video communication device or a touch input on a screen in which a screen of a user image area is temporarily enlarged while performing the predetermined touch input.

The user image area means a partial screen on the screen of the video communication apparatus displayed for the purpose of allowing the user to confirm his or her image transmitted to the counterpart video communication apparatus. And the other party video area means a partial screen on the screen of the video communication device displaying the image of the other party transmitted to the video communication device of the other party. Typically, the user image area is displayed in a smaller size than the counterpart image area.

In the following description, it is assumed that the user performs a touch input on the user image area of the screen of the video communication apparatus when the predetermined touch input is performed. The same method can be applied to the case where the touch input is performed on the screen in which the screen of the user image area is temporarily enlarged.

Next, a coordinate value is generated corresponding to the predetermined touch input from the user (S120). The touch screen outputs an output value in the form of a potential difference in the case of the resistive film type, a capacitance in the case of the capacitance type, a wavelength in the case of the ultrasonic wave type, and an IR light interrupt type in the case of the infrared type for the predetermined touch input , The output value is finally converted into a coordinate value type such as (X, Y). Since the ultrasound system or infrared system can be used in a large touch screen, the present invention can be applied to a video communication apparatus such as a television having a video communication function in addition to a portable terminal.

In the video call, the image of the video call user is continuously transmitted at a predetermined time interval, and the image is processed so that the portion corresponding to the coordinate value is covered (S150).

The process of causing the portion corresponding to the coordinate value to be masked on the image may be performed when the predetermined touch input maintains the touch over the reference input time predetermined on the touch screen. The reference input time means a set value selected by a user or a manufacturer of the video call apparatus and stored in the video call apparatus, and the reference input time may be selected to be one second or the like.

If the touch input time of the user is not equal to or longer than the predetermined reference input time, the controller determines that the touch input is not intended by the user and that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is hidden from the image transmitted in the video call .

The step of determining whether the predetermined touch input is generated in a state maintaining a touch longer than a reference input time predetermined on the touch screen includes detecting a predetermined touch input on the touch screen by the user (S110) . ≪ / RTI > The touch input time of the user can be calculated in advance before the output value in the form of the potential difference, the capacitance, the wavelength, or the IR light interruption of the touch screen is converted into the coordinate value.

The processing for covering the portion corresponding to the coordinate value with respect to the image may be to cover the portion corresponding to the coordinate value with at least one of white, black, gray, or a predefined picture pattern. Or the portion corresponding to the coordinate value for the image is masked by replacing the pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with the image generated using the image of the surrounding pixels by interpolation or replacing the pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with the predefined background color Lt; / RTI >

When the user completes the process and again touches the touch screen using a finger or a pen, the process returns to the step of confirming whether the video communication mode is started again.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen in a video call according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(S110) detecting a predetermined touch input from the user on the touch screen among the components of the hidden image transmission method using the touch screen during the video call shown in FIG. 3, (S120) of processing the image to be transmitted in the video communication and processing (S150) for blocking the portion corresponding to the coordinate value with respect to the image to be transmitted at the time of video communication uses the same reference numerals shown in Fig. 2, And its function and operation are the same. Therefore, the description of the same components will be omitted in order to avoid easy understanding and confusion of redundant contents.

(S110, S120), and then, whether or not a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is processed so as to be already covered in the video call (S130).

If it is determined that the portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is already covered at the time of the video call, processing is performed so that the portion is not covered (S140). The user previously performed a touch input so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is subjected to a blurring process at the time of the video call. However, when the user touches the touch input portion at the current selection of the user, It can be modified when the touch input is made.

If the image corresponding to the coordinate value is not processed so as to be masked at the time of the video call, a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call as shown in FIG. 2 (S150).

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen in a video call according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(S110) detecting a predetermined touch input from the user on the touch screen among elements of the method for transmitting an obscured image using the touch screen during the video call shown in FIG. 4, (S120) for processing a video call and processing (S150) for obscuring a portion corresponding to the coordinate value for an image to be transmitted in a video communication use the same reference numerals shown in Fig. 2, And its function and operation are the same. Therefore, the description of the same components will be omitted in order to avoid easy understanding and confusion of redundant contents.

In operation S140, a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is hidden from the image transmitted in the video call in operation S140, and the result is displayed on the screen of the video communication apparatus in operation S150. In this case, the result may be displayed on the user image area of the screen of the video communication device, or a separate screen may be generated and displayed on the screen of the video communication device.

5 is a block diagram illustrating a video communication apparatus for performing an obscured image transmission method using a touch screen in a video call according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5, an obscured image transmission apparatus using a touch screen during a video call includes a touch screen unit 210, a touch screen control unit 220, a camera module unit 230, a control unit 240, a display unit 250, And a wireless transceiver 260. [

Specifically, the touch screen unit 210 receives a predetermined touch input on the touch screen from a user, converts the touch input into a form such as a potential difference, a capacitance, a wavelength, or an IR light interrupt, and outputs the converted result to the touch screen control unit 220).

The touch screen unit 210 may receive the predetermined touch input on the screen of the video communication apparatus on the user image area or on the screen in which the screen of the user image area is temporarily enlarged. In this case, the touch input generated in an area outside the screen in which the screen of the user image area or the user image area is temporarily enlarged may be ignored and no additional processing may be performed.

The touch screen control unit 220 receives a value having a form such as a potential difference, a capacitance, a wavelength, or an IR light interruption with respect to the predetermined touch input from the touch screen unit 210, And outputs the result of the conversion to the control unit 230. The control unit 230 receives the conversion result,

The camera module unit 230 generates an image frame corresponding to an image of a user to be transmitted to a video communication party by photographing a surrounding image of a user and / or a user, and converts the image frame into a predetermined image Converts the image data into a displayable image data format through image processing, and outputs the converted result to the controller 240. The camera module unit 230 may include a camera (not shown) and an image processing unit (not shown) including a CMOS image sensor or a CCD image sensor.

The control unit 240 receives the image data from the camera module unit 230 and receives the coordinate value from the touch screen control unit 220. The control unit 240 determines a coordinate value corresponding to the coordinate value And outputs the processed image data to the display unit 250 and the wireless transmitting / receiving unit 260. The display unit 250 and the wireless transmitting /

The control unit 240 may process the image data so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is hidden when the predetermined touch input maintains a touch over a reference input time predetermined on the touch screen.

The processing for covering the portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image data of the controller 240 may include covering the portion corresponding to the predetermined coordinate value with at least one of white, black, gray, . Or the portion corresponding to the coordinate value with respect to the image data of the control unit 240 may be replaced with an image generated by using an image of surrounding pixels by interpolation using a pixel corresponding to the coordinate value, It can be replaced with a predefined background color.

The controller 240 may process the image to be transmitted so that the portion corresponding to the coordinate value is already covered so as not to cover the portion to be transmitted. In this case, the control unit 240 may further include a storage unit (not shown) for storing the generation history of the coordinate values.

The touch screen control unit 220 and the camera module unit 230 may be formed as one unit such as an input unit (not shown), or may be implemented as one semiconductor chip.

The touch screen control unit 220 and the control unit 240 may be implemented as one unit such as an integrated control unit (not shown), or may be implemented as one semiconductor chip.

The camera module unit 230 and the control unit 240 may be implemented as a single semiconductor chip. Alternatively, the touch screen control unit 220, the camera module unit 230, and the control unit 240 may be implemented as one semiconductor chip.

The display unit 250 receives the image data provided from the camera module unit 230 and outputs the image data on the screen of the video communication device. The display unit 250 may be implemented using a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). The user can confirm the image of the user currently being transmitted to the video communication apparatus of the other party through the screen output of the display unit 250. [

The display unit 250 may display the processed image on the user image area of the screen of the video communication apparatus or may generate and display a separate screen on the screen of the video communication apparatus.

The display unit 250 receives the processed image data from the controller 240 so that the portion corresponding to the coordinate value is covered, and displays the processed image on the screen of the video communication device 240, Can be output.

The wireless transceiver 260 receives image data processed by the controller 240 so that the portion corresponding to the coordinate value is hidden, and transmits the image data processed by the wireless transceiver 260 to the wireless transceiver 260, To the other party's video communication device through the network.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be possible.

FIGS. 1A to 1G are user interface screens for illustrating an obscured image transmission method using a touch screen in a video call according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen in a video call according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen in a video call according to another embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of transmitting an obscured image using a touch screen in a video call according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a block diagram illustrating a video communication apparatus for performing an obscured image transmission method using a touch screen in a video call according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Description of the Related Art [0002]

210: touch screen unit 220: touch screen control unit

230: camera module section 240: control section

250: display unit 260: wireless transmission /

Claims (18)

A method of transmitting an image in a video communication apparatus having a touch screen, Detecting a predetermined touch input from the user on the touch screen; Generating a coordinate value corresponding to the detected predetermined touch input; Processing so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is obscured for an image to be transmitted in a video call; Determining whether a portion corresponding to the coordinate value for the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call is being processed so as to be already covered; And And processing the image to be transmitted in the video call so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is not covered when it is determined that the image is being processed. The method according to claim 1, The predetermined touch input is a method of touching a point on the touch screen and releasing a touch at the same point, or a method of touching a point on the touch screen, moving in a state of keeping the touch, Wherein at least one of the plurality of images is at least one of a plurality of images. The method according to claim 1, The step of detecting the predetermined touch input from the user on the touch screen Wherein the predetermined touch input is detected on a user image area of a screen of the video communication apparatus. The method according to claim 1, The step of processing such that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is obscured for the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call Wherein the processing is performed when the predetermined touch input holds a touch longer than a reference input time predetermined on the touch screen. The method according to claim 1, The step of processing such that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is obscured for the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call Wherein a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is covered with at least one of white, black, gray, and a predefined image pattern. The method according to claim 1, The step of processing such that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is obscured for the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call A process of replacing a pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with an image generated by using an image of surrounding pixels by an interpolation method and a process of replacing a pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with a predefined background color Wherein the method comprises the steps of: delete The method according to claim 1, Further comprising the step of displaying on the screen of the video communication device a result of processing the image to be transmitted in the video communication so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is hidden from the screen. 9. The method of claim 8, Wherein the step of displaying the processed result on the screen of the video communication apparatus such that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is hidden at the time of the video call Wherein the controller is configured to perform a display operation on a user image area of a screen of the video communication apparatus and an operation to generate and display a separate screen on the screen of the video communication apparatus, A method for transmitting an obscured image using a method. The method according to claim 1, And transmitting the processed image to the other party's video communication apparatus through the network so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is obscured during the video communication, . 1. A video communication apparatus having a touch screen, A touch screen unit for detecting a predetermined touch input from the user on the touch screen; A touch screen control unit for generating a coordinate value corresponding to the predetermined touch input; A camera module unit receiving an image to be transmitted in a video call; A control unit for processing the image to be transmitted at the time of the video call so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is covered; A display unit for outputting the image input from the camera module unit on the screen of the video communication device, And a wireless transmitting / receiving unit for transmitting the processed image to the other party's video communication device through a network, When the image corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is being processed so as to be already covered at the time of the video call, processing is performed such that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is not covered at the time of the video call Video communication device. 12. The method of claim 11, The touch screen unit And receives the predetermined touch input on a user image area of the screen of the video communication device. 12. The method of claim 11, The control unit Wherein the processing is performed when the predetermined touch input holds a touch longer than a predetermined reference input time on the touch screen. 12. The method of claim 11, The control unit And a part corresponding to the coordinate value is covered with at least one of white, black, gray, or a predefined picture pattern. 12. The method of claim 11, The control unit A process of replacing a pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with an image generated using an image of surrounding pixels by an interpolation method and a process of replacing a pixel corresponding to the coordinate value with a predefined background color Wherein the video call apparatus is a video call apparatus. delete 12. The method of claim 11, The display unit And outputs a processed result on a screen of the video communication apparatus so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value is hidden from the image to be transmitted upon the video communication. 18. The method of claim 17, The display unit Displaying a processed result on the user image area of the screen of the video communication apparatus so that a portion corresponding to the coordinate value of the image to be transmitted is obscured during the video communication, And generating and displaying a screen based on the received information.

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