Video input for conversation with sing language, video i/o device for conversation with sign language, and sign language interpretation system

A videophone sign language conversation assistance device used by a deaf-mute person to have a sign language conversation using of a videophone comprising:

• hand imaging means including waist fixing means to be fixed at the waist of a deaf-mute person to capture images of the hands of said deaf-mute person to acquire a sign language video;
• sight line direction imaging means fixed to the head of said deaf-mute person and arranged to capture images of an area in a direction of the sight line of said deaf-mute person;
• video signal synthesis means for synthesizing a video signal captured by said hand imaging means and a video signal captured by said sight line direction imaging means;
• and
• a videophone connection means for transmitting a video signal obtained through synthesis by said video signal synthesis means to a videophone terminal;
• wherein
• the deaf-mute person can include an explanation by sign language while transmitting a video in the sight line direction.

A videophone sign language interpretation system connecting the videophone sign language conversation assistance device according to claim 1 with the videophone terminal of a deaf-mute person and interconnecting the videophone terminal of said deaf-mute person, the videophone terminal of a non-deaf-mute person and the videophone terminal of a sign language interpreter in order to provide sign language interpretation by a sign language interpreter in a videophone conversation between a deaf-mute person and a non-deaf-mute person, wherein

• said videophone sign language interpretation system includes terminal connection means including a sign language interpreter registration table where the terminal number of the videophone terminal of a sign language interpreter is registered;
• said terminal connection means including a function to accept a call from said videophone terminal of said deaf-mute person or videophone terminal of said non-deaf-mute person, a function to prompt a calling videophone terminal for which said call is accepted to enter the terminal number of the called terminal, a function to extract the terminal number of the videophone terminal of a sign language interpreter from said sign language interpreter registration table, a function to call the videophone terminal of a sign language interpreter by using said extracted terminal number, and a function to call the called videophone terminal by using said acquired called terminal number;
• and
• video/audio communications means including a function to synthesize at least a video from the videophone terminal of said non-deaf-mute person and a video from the videophone terminal of said sign language interpreter and transmit the resulting video to the videophone terminal of said deaf-mute person, a function to transmit at least a video from the videophone terminal of said deaf-mute person and an audio from the videophone terminal of said sign language interpreter to the videophone terminal for said non-deaf-mute person and a function to transmit at least a video from the videophone terminal of said deaf-mute person and an audio from the videophone terminal of said non-deaf-mute person to the videophone terminal of said sign language interpreter.