KR20020022885A - System and method for producing virtual character of mascot and method for computer service using virtual character - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A system and a method for generating a virtual character and a method of providing the virtual character are provided to represent the form of a virtual character according to a motion picture obtained by taking a picture of the shape and motion of a user. CONSTITUTION: A virtual character generating system includes an image input unit(10), a video processor(20), an external memory(40), and a central controller(50). The image input unit for taking a motion picture of an object and receiving the motion picture. The video processor processes the motion picture data to generate virtual character data of the motion picture. The external memory stores the virtual character data and software program constructed for the virtual character in an external memory medium. The central controller controls the functions of the input unit, video processor and external memory.

Description

System and method for producing virtual character of mascot and method for computer service using virtual character}

The present invention relates to a system and method for generating a virtual character, and a character service method using the generated virtual character. More specifically, the virtual character is formed by photographing a predetermined subject to form a virtual character in a moving image form. The present invention relates to a virtual character generation system and method and a virtual character service method that can be applied to a specific computer terminal.

In recent years, with the remarkable growth of multimedia processing technology and the advancement of data processing technology using computer, various applications on offline using multimedia information of still image, moving picture, and voice with large capacity and high quality and high sound quality have been developed. In addition, it is possible to create a web page containing such multimedia information online and provide it to an unspecified number of communication computer terminals through an Internet communication network.

In addition, in the case of a system operating system such as Windows or Linux that is applied to the current computer terminal, as a part for more effectively performing data display and voice reproduction of such information as well as data processing for such multimedia information. As the provided operating system, it is possible to use the user quickly and conveniently even if the user does not have various knowledge about the instructions of the computer system.

On the other hand, in a computer terminal having a system operating system in which such multimedia technology is applied, various applications including online and offline can be operated only by limited functions intended by the program creator. Since there is no function to actively participate in various features and execute various application programs according to the characteristics, the execution and operation of various applications can be performed using the virtual information data generated in the form of multimedia information data. By adding new functions to assist, there is an urgent need for adding visual and auditory satisfaction to the user and adding convenience for use.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and an object thereof is to reproduce the form of a virtual character by a moving image obtained by photographing the shape and motion of a user, and the virtual character is online and offline. It is to provide a virtual character generation system for synthesizing the agent program to have a multifunction in the computer environment of.

Another object of the present invention is a virtual character generation method for synthesizing the form of a virtual character by a moving image obtained by photographing a user's motion, and the agent program so that the virtual character has a multi-function in online and offline computer environment To provide.

Another object of the present invention is to record the data of the virtual character generated by photographing the user's motion, and the data of the agent software program synthesized to have a multi-function in the online and offline computer environment on a separate external storage medium To provide a virtual character generation system implemented in the form of a bending machine (Vending Machine) for commercial distribution.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a virtual character service method in which various agent system functions can be executed through a virtual character in a moving picture form under online and offline computer environments.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a virtual character generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of the image input unit shown in FIG.

3 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of the preprocessor shown in FIG.

4 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the configuration of an image processor and an image synthesizer illustrated in FIG. 1;

5 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of the speech synthesizer shown in FIG.

6 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of the data output unit shown in FIG.

7 is a block diagram showing in detail the configuration of the main operation unit shown in FIG.

8 is a flowchart for explaining an operation of a virtual character generation method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

9A and 9B are diagrams exemplarily illustrating operations in which a virtual character generated according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied to a computer terminal to guide various functions;

10A and 10B are flowcharts illustrating a virtual character service method according to the present invention;

11 is a block diagram showing a state in which a virtual character generation system is implemented in the form of a bending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention;

12 is a flowchart for describing an operation of a virtual character generation method implemented in the form of a bending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: image input device, 20: image processing device,

30: auxiliary storage, 40: external storage,

50: main operation unit, 60: preprocessor,

70: image processor, 80: image synthesizer,

90: speech synthesizer, 100: data output,

150: payment amount input unit, 160: payment detection unit,

170: function selector, 180: voice memory,

190: voice decoder, 220: external storage medium recording device,

230: medium output mechanism, 240: external memory medium.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, the image input means for receiving and inputting the shape of the subject as a moving image, and the moving image data of the subject photographed through the image input means to process the virtual character data of the moving image Image processing means for generating and synthesizing a software program operable to have multifunctionality with respect to the virtual character data, virtual character data image-processed by the image processing means, and a software program synthesized with the virtual character as an external storage medium. An external storage means for storing the information in the memory, a subject photographing function of the image input means, an image processing function of the image processing means, and central control means for controlling the external memory medium storage function of the external storage means. A virtual character generation system is provided.

According to the present invention configured as described above, by photographing the user's shape as a moving picture to produce a virtual character, the virtual character can be given a variety of functions to operate in a multi-function in online and offline computer environment, There is an advantage that can increase the ease of use of using a computer.

Hereinafter, the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

That is, Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a virtual character generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a virtual character generation system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an image input unit 10 for capturing a motion state of a subject, a video correction of a moving image of the photographed subject, and a required image region. Extracts and synthesizes the voice data to generate virtual character data, and combines the image processing apparatus 20 for synthesizing with a multi-functional agent software program and the image input apparatus 10 for moving image processing of the image processing apparatus 20. Auxiliary memory device 30 for temporarily storing moving picture data of a subject photographed through the second memory device, and storing the synthetic data of the virtual character and the agent software program generated by the image processing device 20 in a separate external storage medium. External storage device 40 and the image input device 10 and the image processing device 20, the auxiliary storage device 30, and an external storage device. It is composed of a main operation unit 50 for controlling the overall operation of the teeth (40).

In the figure, the image input unit 10 captures the user's position, i.e., the motion state of a given user in a desired position, and grasps the position information of the user and corrects it to the correct position so as to obtain optimal illumination. In order to timely photographing with a, as shown in Figure 2, including an image photographing unit 11, the lighting operation unit 12, the control unit 13, the position correction sensor 14, the sensor controller 15 It is configured by.

The image capturing unit 11 is located in front of the user and is composed of a digital camera or a digital camcorder to capture the motion state of the user at high speed, and the lighting manipulation unit 12 includes the image capturing unit 11 as a user. It is to adjust the flashing state and illuminance of the lighting fixtures installed in the vicinity of the user so as to shoot under the appropriate illumination.

In addition, when the control unit 13 receives the user's position correction control signal from the sensor controller 15 under the control of the main computing device 50, focusing control of the image capturing unit 11 and photographing start are started. In addition to performing a command, the lighting control unit 12 performs flashing control and illuminance control of the lighting fixture.

In addition, the position correction sensor 14 detects the position of the user scheduled to be photographed by the image capturing unit 11, outputs a position detection signal to the sensor controller 15, and controls the sensor controller 15. For properly calibrating the position and pose of the user, which includes an ultrasonic sensor or an infrared sensor for sensing the position of the user in a non-contact manner at a distance, and an LED for calibrating the position of the user by visual indication. It may include a display alarm means (not shown), such as a display element, or may include a separate position correction mechanism (not shown).

On the other hand, the sensor control unit 15 receives the position information from the control unit 13, the image capturing unit 11 is set to be photographed at an appropriate position to detect the position applied from the position correction sensor 14 By analyzing the signal, the position correction control signal for correcting the position and pose of the user according to the position designation information is output to the position correction sensor 14.

In the figure, the image buffer 16 buffers the moving image data of the user photographed from the image capturing unit 11 under the control of the control unit 13 and outputs it to the image processing apparatus 20.

In FIG. 1, the image processing apparatus 20 performs image correction on moving image data of a user received from the image buffer 16 of the image input unit 10, and performs a predetermined process through chroma key processing and image synthesis of the image. Synthesized with the voice of the to generate the virtual character data to be implemented as a moving image, and to synthesize the agent software program so that the virtual character data has a multi-function under online and offline computer environment, which is a preprocessor 60, an image processor 70, an image synthesizer 80, an audio synthesizer 90, and a data output device 100.

In the image processing apparatus 20, the preprocessor 60 is to perform image correction processing as a preprocessing process for synthesizing the moving image data of the user captured by the image input unit 10 with high quality. As shown in FIG. 6, the frame grabber includes a frame grabber 61, a digitizer 62, a contrast control unit 63, a vector compensator 64, and a color reconstructor 65.

The frame grabber 61 is for accurately acquiring the moving picture data of the user output from the image buffer 16 of the image input unit 10 in a standard image method to have a desired resolution, and the digitizer 62 is the frame. The moving picture data obtained from the grabber 61 is digitized.

In addition, the contrast control unit 63 adaptively adjusts the contrast of the image of the moving image data output from the digitizer 62 to a predetermined set value, and the vector compensator 64 from the digitizer 62. Compensation for image quality by analyzing vector values of moving image data output, and the color reconstructor 65 adaptively reconstructs color values of images of each frame of the moving image data to predetermined values. It is for.

On the other hand, in the image processing apparatus 20, the image processor 70 separates the user's image and the background image by chroma key processing the moving image data subjected to image correction through the preprocessor 60, the separated In order to naturally connect the boundary line for the image, as shown in FIG. 4, the image separation processor 71, the chroma key processor 72, and the image emphasis processor 73 are included.

The image separation processor 71 separates an image portion of the moving image data output from the preprocessor 60 from the background image portion surrounding the user in each image frame, and the chroma key processing unit 72 Chroma key processing is performed to process the background color of the separated user's image part as a single color, and the user's image part is activated. This is for emphasizing the boundary part with the background image by extracting the contour of the part.

Further, in the image processing apparatus 20, the image synthesizer 80 analyzes motion vector components for each image frame by moving image data whose chroma key processing and boundary lines are emphasized by the image processor 70, As shown in FIG. 4, the motion analyzer 81 and the image estimating unit 82 generate image data of a virtual character by efficiently adjusting the number of image frames according to the analysis result and synthesizing the images. And a linear synthesizer 83.

The motion analyzer 81 separates the moving image data for each image frame and analyzes motion vector components between the image frame and the frame, and the image estimating unit 82 uses the motion vector by the motion analyzer 81. According to the result of component analysis, by eliminating video frames with low motility in the user's moving images and extracting and synchronizing only the video frames with high motility, the video data of 30 frames per second is reduced to about 8 to 10 frames per second. Each frame is output as image data in the form of a bitmap.

In addition, the linear synthesizer 83 divides the virtual character data by motion for which the user poses for the bitmap type moving image data output by reducing the number of image frames by 8 to 10 frames by the image estimating unit 82. Will be completed as basic data.

In FIG. 1, the voice synthesizer 90 is for synthesizing and connecting virtual character data output from the image synthesizer 80 with voice data input from the outside, and as illustrated in FIG. 5, a voice synthesizer ( 92, a voice incorporation unit 94, and a microphone 95, a voice recording unit 96, a voice compression unit 97, and a structure for receiving voice from the outside. And a voice storage unit 98.

The voice synthesizer 92 is for synthesizing the virtual character data output from the image synthesizer 80 with external voice data stored in the voice storage unit 98, and the voice combiner 94 is a preset matching. According to the table, the external voice data synthesized with the virtual character data is extracted and the image and voice are synchronized.

In addition, the voice recording unit 96 digitally records an external voice signal such as a user's voice input from the microphone 95 to perform data correction and level adjustment, and the voice compression unit 97 performs the voice. The external voice data recorded through the recording unit 96 is compressed in the form of a wave file, and the voice storage unit 98 stores the compressed external voice data and then the voice synthesis unit 92. Output to

In FIG. 1, the data outputter 100 compiles a software program for including a multifunction allocated in a preset function table for the virtual character data in the form of a moving image which is synthesized with the external voice by the voice synthesizer 90. As shown in FIG. 6, the ringer includes a function integrator 101, a compiler 105, and an executable file creator 106.

The function integrator 101 is for connecting a software function program for granting multifunction to the virtual character data by using a preset program function, which is a character for setting various functions assigned to the virtual character. A setting function table 102, a setting function table 103 for setting a program included as a basic condition for the virtual character to operate in an online / offline computer environment, and a software in advance so that user's arbitrary setting is impossible A source file function table 104 is provided for providing a fundamental source file for operating the virtual character on a computer, having a source function defined as a functional function.

In the function incorporator 101, the character setting function table 102 checks the mail data received at the e-mail address accounted by the user's user number (ID) and password (Password) through the guidance of the virtual character. The mail check function program, the link service function program for accessing the Internet domain that can be linked from the Internet web browser program through the guidance of the virtual character, and the news for receiving the news data set from the Internet newsgroup through the guidance of the virtual character. Import function program, fortune-telling function program that can execute specific fortune-telling program in accordance with the guidance of the virtual character, character setting function program for setting the option of the corresponding virtual character, advertisement file that can be downloaded and stored online from internet frequently Guide of virtual characters Through which advertising has a view-in program for viewing.

The basic setting function table 103 includes a network access function program that provides a network access function set under a Windows or Linux environment, a designation of an Internet service provider (ISP), and setting of an Internet e-mail address. An Internet Setup function program that provides various Internet setting functions, and an Install / Uninstall function program that provides an install and uninstall function for a software program utilizing the virtual character.

In addition, the source file function table 104 includes a mouse position search function program for searching for a position of a pointer of a mouse device installed in a computer terminal to which the virtual character is applied to determine a moving position on the screen of the virtual character; A program window search function program providing a search function for matching a screen area in which the virtual character is located within a monitor screen of a computer terminal with a position of a program window for a predetermined program executed in the computer terminal; And a server message search function program for receiving messages from the server on the Internet at regular intervals, and a mascot replacement function program for selectively replacing the mascot form when there are a plurality of mascots of the virtual character data. Equipped.

Meanwhile, the function integrator 101 receives external information input on-line or off-line from a specific administrator so that the function inclusion device 101 can be utilized as additional information to the information of the character setting function table 102 and the basic setting function table 103. This corresponds to external mail check information, external link service information, and external network access information.

In addition, the compiler 105 program-compiles the multi-functional software program assigned by the function integrator 101 and the virtual character data in the form of a moving image, and the executable file creator 106 is configured to the compiled virtual The execution file (Execution File) that can be executed in the computer terminal for the character data and the multifunctional software program is created and output to the external storage device 40.

The external memory device 40 may include virtual character data in which an executable file is written and a multifunctional software program, for example, a floppy diskette, a CD ROM, a DVD disc, or a mini disc. In order to store the data on a separate external storage medium such as), such an external storage device 40 is applied as a floppy disk drive device in the case where the data is to be stored on a floppy disk, and the data is stored on a CD-ROM or DVD disk. A CD writer device or a recordable DVD disk drive device is used for storing data, and a mini disk recording device is applied for storing data on a mini disk.

In FIG. 1, the main computing device 50 has an image capturing function of the image input device 10, a function of generating a virtual character through image processing of the image processing device 20, and a connection function of a multifunctional software program. For controlling the data storage function of the auxiliary storage device 30 and the data recording function of the external storage device 40 to the external storage medium as a whole, which is shown in FIG. The first memory 52 includes a first memory 52 (ROM), a second memory 53 (SRAM), a data storage unit 54, a network connection unit 55, and an external device control unit 56.

In the main operation unit 50, the central processing unit 51 is mainly responsible for the operation operation for the control processing of the main operation unit 50, the first memory 52 is the main operation unit 50 BIOS data and various setting data required for the overall functional operation of the &lt; RTI ID = 0.0 &gt;) &lt; / RTI &gt; are stored, and in the second memory 53, data generated by the operation processing operation of the central processing unit 51 or loaded It is for temporarily storing program data.

In addition, the data storage unit 54 is for storing a software program for executing a calculation operation for the control processing of the central processing unit 51, a large capacity hard disk drive device is generally applied.

In addition, the network connection unit 55 is remotely connected to a management computer terminal or server device operated by a specific administrator via an Internet communication network, and external information (i.e., to the data output unit 100 of the image processing apparatus 20). , External mail check information, external link service information, external network access information, etc.), for example, a network interface card (NIC), a modem using a telephone line or a dedicated line, or the like is applied.

In addition, the external device control unit 56 and the photographing function of the image capturing unit 11 through the control communication with the control unit 13 of the image input unit 10 in accordance with the operation processing of the central processing unit 51 and , The position correction function of the position correction sensor 14, and to control the overall flashing and illuminance adjustment function of the lighting operation unit 12.

Next, an operation according to an embodiment of the present invention made as described above will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 8.

First, in the state in which the operation of the overall system is activated, the main computing device 50 transmits the data value of the predetermined positioning information for accurate photographing of the subject to the control unit 13 of the image inputter 10, and the virtual When a predetermined user who wishes to produce a character is positioned in front of the image capturing unit 11 of the image input unit 10 as a subject, the position correction sensor 14 detects the current position of the subject and generates a position detection signal. Done.

Accordingly, the sensor controller 15 analyzes the position detection signal based on the data value of the predetermined position information from the control unit 13 to correct the position so that the user can take an appropriate position and pose. The control signal is output, and the position correction sensor 14 performs an operation for correcting the position of the subject by the position correction control signal from the sensor controller 15 (step S10).

That is, the position correction sensor 14 operates a separate position correction mechanism or operates a display correction means for position correction so that the user as the subject can correct the position and pose accurately.

In this state, when the subject is positioned at the photographing position as a result of the position correction control process from the sensor controller 15, the control unit 13 controls the lighting operation unit 12 to flash the flash and illuminance of the luminaire. At the same time, focusing is performed on the image capturing unit 11 so that a high speed photographing operation is performed as a moving image (step S11).

When the photographing operation is performed, the main computing device 50 activates the microphone 95 installed in the voice synthesizer 90 of the image processing device 20 to the virtual character to be produced for the user. The voice message can be input and recorded in the voice recording unit 96 in accordance with a specific scenario given to the user, and the voice data recorded in the voice recording unit 96 is transmitted by the voice compression unit 97 in the form of a wave file. To be stored in the voice storage 98 (step S12).

Next, when the moving image data of the user photographed through the image input unit 10 is input to the preprocessor 60 of the image processing apparatus 20 to perform digitization and image / color correction, the image processor 70 The image portion photographed by the user is separated from the image portion of the background, and chroma image processing is performed to extract only the image data of the user (step S13).

On the other hand, the user's moving image data extracted by the image processor 70 is analyzed by the motion vector component between each image frame and the frame through the image synthesizer 80, and removes the image frame having a low frequency of movement 8 ~ 8 By synchronizing with the video data of 10 frames, the data in the form of the synchronized bitmap video is connected to create virtual character data as basic data (step S14).

Next, in the main computing device 50, the virtual character data generated by the video synthesizing process of the video synthesizer 80 is stored in advance in the voice storage unit 98 of the voice synthesizer 90 and the scenario-specific voice data. The result is synthesized and output by the set matching table (step S15).

In addition, when the virtual character data is synthesized with the voice data through the voice synthesizer 90, the main computing device 50 activates the operation of the function integrator 101 and is stored in the character setting function table 102. Software program such as mail check function, link service function, news import function, fortune telling function, character setting function, advertisement viewing function, network access function, internet setting function, which are stored in the basic setting function table 103, A software program such as an install / uninstall function, a mouse position search function stored in the source file function table 104, a software program related to a program window search function, a server message search function, and a mascot replacement function are synthesized. The program and the virtual character data are program compiled through the compiler 105 Next, the executable file is created by the executable file generator 106 (step S16).

Accordingly, the main computing device 50 activates the operation of the external storage device 40 to record the data file in which the software program and the virtual character data are compiled by the data output device 100 on a separate external storage medium. (Step S17).

That is, for example, when the external storage medium is a CD-ROM, the external memory device 40 may be applied as a CD writer.

Next, a virtual character service method using a virtual character produced according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

That is, FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams exemplarily illustrating operations in which a virtual character generated according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is applied to a computer terminal to guide various functions.

As shown in the figure, according to the service method of the present invention, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a predetermined character in which virtual character data, voice data synthesized with the virtual character data, and a multifunctional software program are recorded. When the installation function is executed by applying the external storage medium to the computer terminal, the program data and system data installed in the storage space of the hard disk drive of the computer terminal are stored.

Here, in the state where the software program from the external storage medium is installed, the network connection function and the Internet setting function set as basic setting functions are executed, and the network connection function is set up under the management of a system operating program such as Windows or Linux, The related setting operation is performed.

In this state, when the executable file of the installed program is executed by the user's operation, the moving picture data of the mascot 120 photographed to the user and completed in the form of a virtual character is shown in FIG. 9A. The position and size of the program window 122 opened on the monitor screen are recognized by the program window search function of the source file set as a previously defined function, and the position of the mascot 120 is determined ( That is, as illustrated in FIG. 9A, the mascot 120 may have an effect such as sitting on the top of the program window 122.

At this time, the mascot 120 is to be moved according to the position where the user of the computer terminal to operate the mouse device to move the pointer on the monitor screen, the movement operation is a mouse position synthesized as a source file This can be done by executing the search function.

In addition, when the mascot 120 is displayed on the monitor screen of the computer terminal, a software program connected to the mascot 120 is executed to form a push window in the form of a dialog box 124. In the dialog box 124, a multi-function that can be guided through the motion and voice of a moving image using the mascot 120, that is, the advertisement (CM), the received mail, the confirmation of the virtual character Links to execution menus such as access to the website where the mascot was created, access to a predetermined homepage, hiding the mascot, and canceling of the program, so that the user can operate the mouse device or the keyboard device. do.

On the other hand, when the user operates the mouse device or the keyboard device to execute, for example, the advertisement function reading function of the execution menu of the dialog box 124, as shown in FIG. 9B, the push advertisement window 126 is displayed. As it is formed, the advertisement data stored in the hard disk drive device of the computer terminal is displayed in the form of a moving picture or a still picture, and the voice can be output through a separate speaker.

Next, the operation of the virtual character service method according to the present invention made as described above will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 10A and 10B.

First, the installation of the program is performed by applying the virtual character data, an external storage medium storing the voice data synthesized with the virtual character data, and a multifunctional software program to a computer terminal that can be connected to a network communication network such as an internet communication network. (Step S20), the computer terminal proceeds with the installation of the associated program and performs the network setting function and the Internet automatic setting function according to the execution of the network access function and the Internet setting function included in the software program. (Step S21).

In this state, when the installation of the virtual character data and the program which can be guided by the virtual character data is completed, a user number (ID) and password (Password) are given to the corresponding computer terminal, and the e-mail address where the account is established And a link service setting function of the Internet website related to the service using the virtual character (step S22).

Then, the computer terminal automatically executes various optional functions (e.g., mail checking interval, on / off of voice guidance message, virtual character, etc.) assigned to the virtual character according to the operation of the mouse device or the keyboard device by the user. To be connected, etc.) (step S23).

As described above, when the installation of the program and the option setting are completed, the virtual character service is executed according to the user's execution file operation (step S24). When the virtual character service is executed, the monitor screen as shown in FIG. 9A is executed. The position and size of the predetermined program window 122 displayed in the search in the source file having the program window search function to specify the position of the mascot 120 selected according to the virtual character service, mouse position search function According to the search operation of the source file having the user, the position where the user moves the pointer using the mouse device is found and the movement position of the mascot 120 is changed according to the position where the pointer moves (step S25).

In this state, when the virtual character service is executed, a dialog box 124 is formed on the monitor screen of the corresponding computer terminal and a multi-function menu is displayed. In the computer terminal, the user checks the mail in the multi-function menu. If it is determined that the execution operation for checking the mail is made by determining whether to execute the menu for the mail (YES in step S26), the operation and voice guidance prepared in advance in the moving picture data of the mascot 120 are executed. Run an e-mail receiving program (e.g., Outlook Express or Frontpage Express) to connect to an Internet mail server via an Internet communication network (step S27), and then send the mail to an already set e-mail address. The operation of receiving and confirming is performed (step S28).

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S26 that the user is executing a menu for accessing a website or a related homepage that has produced a mascot of the virtual character without selecting a menu for checking mail (in step S29). YES), while performing the operation and voice guidance prepared in advance in the moving picture data of the mascot 120, and connected to the Internet through a separate Internet service provider (ISP) or one-click Internet automatic access service (step S30), A web browser program for searching the Internet (for example, Internet Explorer or Netscape Nevigator, etc.) is executed to receive and display data of the corresponding website (step S31).

In addition, if it is determined that the user selects a menu for viewing an advertisement without performing an operation for accessing a website among the selection menus displayed on the dialog box 124 according to the determination result of the step S29 (step S32). YES), as shown in FIG. 9B, the push advertisement window 126 is formed, and the advertisement data stored in the hard disk drive device is loaded in advance and displayed in the form of a moving image or a still image, and through a separate speaker. The voice for the advertisement is output (step S33).

On the other hand, if it is determined in the determination result of step S32 that the user has not selected a menu for viewing the advertisement, the computer terminal hides the mascot 120 designated by the virtual character service in the dialog box 124. It is judged whether or not the menu for the selection is selected (step S34).

As a result of the determination, if it is determined that the user is selecting a menu for hiding the mascot 120 executed according to the virtual character service, the display function for displaying the mascot 120 on the corresponding monitor screen is released (step). S35).

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

That is, FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a state in which a virtual character generation system is implemented in the form of a bending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 11, in the virtual character generation system according to another embodiment of the present invention, the same reference numerals are assigned to components substantially similar to those according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1. However, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 11, a virtual character generation system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an image inputter 10, an image processing apparatus 20, an auxiliary storage device 30, a main computing device 50, and a payment amount inputting unit 150. ), Payment detector 160, function selector 170, voice memory 180, voice decoder 190, power amplifier 200, speaker 210, external storage medium recording device 220, media output It consists of a mechanism 230.

In the figure, the payment amount input unit 150 is a predetermined amount of payment amount for a predetermined user to request the production of a virtual character, or to purchase a virtual character of another person, such as entertainers or celebrities, etc. It is preferable to employ a cash storage device for storing cash, such as coins or banknotes, for inputting the data.

Here, the payment amount input unit 150 is to be applied to a cash storage device for storing cash, such as coins or bills, it is also possible to apply a card storage device for receiving a cash card, debit card or credit card.

In addition, the payment detection unit 160 calculates a payment amount input through the payment amount input unit 150 to check whether a predetermined amount of money is input correctly, and generate payment completion information accordingly. When the payment amount input unit 150 is applied as a cash receiving device that receives cash, such as coins or bills, it is preferable that the settlement amount input unit 150 be applied as a cash counting device that counts coins or bills and generates an electrical signal according to the counting result.

Here, the payment detection unit 160 is connected to a separate financial settlement communication network (ATM) when the payment amount input unit 150 is applied as a card storage device that receives a cash card, debit card or credit card It is preferable to apply as a card inquiry terminal that performs credit inquiry or balance inquiry of a card stored in the amount input unit 150, and withdraws a predetermined amount for a virtual character production service.

In the figure, the function selection unit 170 is equipped with a plurality of function keys to set various options and options required for the production of the virtual character according to the user's arbitrary operation, which is the operation of the virtual character to be produced And a function key for selecting a kind and a kind of voice message, and a function key for selectively selecting a function that a virtual character can perform on a computer terminal.

Meanwhile, the function items selected by the function selecting unit 170 may be selected differently according to the amount input through the payment amount input unit 150.

In the figure, when the main operation device 50 receives the payment completion information from the payment detection unit 160, the subject by the image input unit 10 according to the function selection operation of the function selection unit 170; Execution of the recording function, the image processing function of the moving image data photographed by the image processing apparatus 20, and the recording function of the completed virtual character to the external storage medium by the external storage medium recording device 220. Will be allowed.

In addition, the voice memory 180 stores a voice guidance message for guiding a position and a pose when the subject, i.e., the user, is photographed by the image inputter 10, and the voice decoder 190 performs the main operation. Under the control of the device 50, data of the voice guidance message necessary to guide the user's shooting position and pose from the voice memory 180 is read, decoded, and analog converted.

In addition, the power amplifier 200 is for amplifying the decoding process and analog-converted voice guidance message signal through the voice decoder 190 to output through the speaker 210.

In the figure, the external storage medium recording device 220 is the image processing through the image processing device 20, the virtual character data is produced and the software program data synthesized to give a multi-function to the virtual character data For example, the recording medium is for recording to an external storage medium 240 such as a CD-ROM disc, and the media output mechanism 230 allows a user to acquire the external storage medium 240 for which recording has been completed through the external storage medium recording device 220. In order to output to the outside so that it is desirable to be structurally secured to prevent damage and theft by external forces.

Next, an operation according to another embodiment of the present invention made as described above will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 12.

First, when a user inputs a payment amount to the payment amount input unit 150 to request the production of a virtual character, the payment detection unit 160 detects the amount of the amount input through the payment amount input unit 150. (Step S40).

At this time, the main computing device 50 determines whether or not the payment amount detected by the payment detection unit 160 corresponds to a predetermined amount (step S41).

As a result of the determination, when it is determined that the amount detected by the payment detecting unit 160 corresponds to a predetermined payment amount, the function selection unit 170 receives a function item selected by the user, and the operation type of the virtual character. Alternatively, the type of function to be given to the virtual character is determined (step S42).

Subsequently, the main operation unit 50 controls the voice decoder 190 to read data of the voice guidance message stored in the voice memory 180, and to decode and convert the data to amplify the power amplifier 200. By outputting through the speaker 210, the image input unit 10 guides the correction of the position and pose of the user to be photographed (step S43).

When the user takes an appropriate photographing position and pose by the above process, the main computing device 50 allows the image inputter 10 to photograph the user as a moving image (step S44).

On the other hand, in the state in which the photographing operation is in progress, the main operation device 50 is selected by the function selection unit 170 to determine whether the replacement of the predetermined various shooting position and pose is completed or not. (Step S45), if it is determined that the replacement of the shooting position and pose has not yet been completed, the process returns to step S43 and outputs a voice guidance message for guiding the corresponding shooting position and pose to be replaced through the speaker 210, and the In operation S44, the image input unit 10 performs the photographing function again.

However, according to the determination result of the step S45, when it is determined that the replacement of the shooting position and pose for the user is completed, the main operation device 50 of the voice to be given to the virtual character through the speaker 210 By outputting a voice guidance message for guiding recording, the user's voice received through the microphone 95 configured in the voice synthesizer 90 of the image processing apparatus 20 can be recorded through the voice recording unit 96. (Step S46).

Accordingly, the main computing device 50 performs image correction on the moving picture data of the user captured by the image input device 10 by the preprocessor 60 of the image processing device 20, and the image processor 70. The chroma key processing of the image is performed, and through the image synthesis by the image synthesizer 80, synthesized with the voice of the user recorded in the voice synthesizer 90 to generate virtual character data implemented as a moving image ( In step S47), the agent software program is synthesized and compiled so that the virtual character data is multifunctional under computer environments of online and offline (step S48).

When the virtual character data is generated by the image processing apparatus 20, and a software program for giving multifunction to the virtual character is compiled, the main computing device 50 is the external storage medium recording device 220. By activating the operation, the virtual character data and the multifunctional software program can be recorded on the external storage medium 240 such as a CD-ROM disk (step S49).

When the data recording operation is completed by the external storage medium recording device 220, the main computing device 50 activates the media output mechanism 230 to record the external memory in which the virtual character data and the multifunctional software program are recorded. The media 240 is output to the outside for the user to acquire (step S50).

The present invention having the above-described embodiments can be embodied in various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention. In an embodiment of the present invention, a virtual character is used in a computer terminal. Although the functions that can be performed are limited to the mail checking function, the website access function, the advertisement viewing function, and the like, the automatic execution function for other software programs, the online video chatting function using the virtual character, Of course, it is possible to apply a wider variety of online and offline, such as the function to utilize the virtual character data as security information replaced with the user number and password on the Internet.

As described above, according to the present invention, a virtual character is generated by synthesizing a virtual program by photographing a user's shape as a moving image, and synthesizing a software program that can perform various functions in a computer terminal on the virtual character. Various community services can be executed online and offline, thereby providing the user with a variety of conveniences.

Claims (17)

Image input means for receiving and inputting a shape of a subject as a moving image; Image processing means for generating virtual character data of a moving image by processing the moving image data of a subject photographed through the image input means, and synthesizing a software program operable to have multifunction with the virtual character data; External storage means for storing the virtual character data imaged by the image processing means and a software program synthesized for the virtual character on an external storage medium; And central control means for controlling the subject photographing function of the image input means, the image processing function of the image processing means, and the external memory medium storage function of the external memory means. The image input unit of claim 1, wherein the image input unit comprises: an image photographing unit for capturing a shape of a subject at high speed, an illumination manipulation unit for adjusting a flashing and peripheral illumination of the subject, a photographing operation and an illumination manipulation unit And a control unit for controlling the flashing and illuminance control operation of the flash and an image buffer for buffering and outputting the moving image data captured by the image capturing unit to the image processing unit. The image input device of claim 2, wherein the image input unit detects a position of the subject and accurately corrects the position of the subject and a position detection signal from the position correction sensor according to a predetermined positioning value. And a sensor controller for analyzing and outputting a correction signal for position correction of the subject to a position correction sensor. And the control unit is configured to control the operation of the image capturing unit and the lighting manipulation unit according to the position correction control state from the sensor control unit. The image processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processing unit comprises: a preprocessor for performing image correction processing on moving image data of a subject photographed by the image input unit; and extracting moving image data of only a subject excluding a background image from the image correction processed moving image data. An image processor, an image synthesizer for generating virtual character data by adjusting an image frame so that the moving image data of the subject has an efficient frame interval, and a data output unit for synthesizing a software program to give multifunction to the virtual character data; Virtual character generation system, characterized in that configured. The image processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the preprocessor constituting the image processing means comprises: a frame grabber for precisely acquiring moving image data of the subject in a standard image method so as to have a desired resolution, a digitizer for digitizing the obtained moving image data, and the digitizer; A contrast control unit for adjusting contrast in moving image data from the moving image data, a vector compensating unit for compensating image quality by analyzing a vector value of an image of the moving image data, and a color reconstruction for reconstructing color values of an image of the moving image data Virtual character generation system, characterized in that configured to include. The image processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the image processor constituting the image processing means specifies an image separation processor that separates an image portion of a subject from an image portion of a background in the moving image data, and specifies a background image of the image portion of the separated subject. And a chroma key processing unit for chroma key processing a single color, and an image enhancement processor for extracting an outline of an image portion of a subject from the chroma key processed moving image data and emphasizing a boundary portion with a background image. Virtual character generation system. The image synthesizer of claim 4, wherein the image synthesizer constituting the image processing means extracts and synchronizes only a motion frame for analyzing a motion vector component of the moving image data, and only a video frame having high mobility according to a result analyzed by the motion analyzer. And a linear synthesizer configured to generate virtual character data of a moving image by connecting an image estimating unit and an image frame of the moving image data of which the image frame is reduced. 5. The data output device constituting the image processing means according to claim 4, further comprising: a function integrator for including a software program to impart multifunction to the virtual character data by a predefined function table, and the virtual character data and multifunctional software. And a compiler for compiling synthetic data of a program, and an executable file generator for creating executable files for the compiled virtual character data and a software program. 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the function integrating device constituting the data output device comprises: a character setting function table for generating various functions for the virtual character to execute a guide operation in a computer environment, and a service function using the virtual character; And a source file function table for providing a source file in which the virtual character can be operated under a computer environment. 10. The virtual character generating system according to claim 9, wherein the function incorporating constituting the data output unit is configured to synthesize information input from the outside as a software program giving multifunction to the virtual character. The virtual character generation system according to claim 4, wherein the image processing means further comprises a voice synthesizer for synthesizing the voice data received from the outside by synchronizing with the image of the virtual character data. Determining the position and pose of the subject and shooting the shape of the subject in a moving image; Producing virtual character data through image processing on the moving image data of the photographed subject; Compiling a software program defined such that the virtual character data is multifunctional in a computer environment by synthesizing the virtual character data with the virtual character data; And storing the synthetic data of the software program in which the virtual character data and the multifunction are defined in an external storage medium that can be recognized in a computer environment. The method of claim 12, wherein the manufacturing of the virtual character data further comprises synchronizing and synthesizing the voice data input from the outside with the image of the virtual character data. An amount payment processing means for receiving an amount of money required for the production request of the virtual character and processing the payment; Function selection means for arbitrarily selecting by the user the functions and options of the virtual character requested for production under the payment processing of the amount payment processing means, Image input means for receiving and inputting a shape of a predetermined subject as a moving image under the payment processing of the money payment processing means; Image processing means for generating virtual character data of a moving image by processing the moving image data of a subject photographed through the image input means, and synthesizing a software program operable to have multifunction with the virtual character data; External memory medium recording and output means for recording the virtual character data image-processed by the image processing means and a software program synthesized for the virtual character on an external memory medium and outputting the same to a user; The object photographing function of the image input means, the image processing function of the image processing means, and the external according to a function and an option selected by the function selecting means by activating an operation by the payment processing of the money payment processing means; And a central control means for controlling overall storage and output functions of the external storage medium of the storage medium recording and output means. 15. The virtual character generating system according to claim 14, wherein the image processing means further comprises voice synthesizing means for synthesizing the external voice data input by the user in synchronization with the image of the virtual character data. 15. The virtual character generation system according to claim 14, further comprising a voice guidance message generating means for guiding the photographing process of the subject by the image input means by voice. In a computer terminal capable of online multimedia data communication, Installing a virtual character service program stored in an external storage medium and setting all settings related to the execution of a function of the virtual character; When the virtual character service is executed, the virtual character data acting as a moving image is displayed, and the guidance operation by the virtual character is executed in accordance with the operation of the multifunctional software program synthesized with the virtual character data, and the online and offline operations are performed on the computer terminal. Virtual character service method comprising the step of selecting and executing a function that can be performed on.