Television – Two-way video and voice communication – Conferencing
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-23
2001-09-04
Kuntz, Curtis (Department: 2643)
Television
Two-way video and voice communication
Conferencing
C348S014080, C348S014100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06285392
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-site television conference system and a central control apparatus and a conference terminal for use with the multi-site television conference system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a multi-site television conference system presents, to each participant to a television conference, images of participants at the other sites using several techniques. One of the techniques is illustrated in FIG.
10
. Referring to
FIG. 10
, a participant
1
A observes images
1
B,
1
C and
1
D at the other sites which are displayed in multi-windows on a single monitor or individually displayed on a plurality of monitors. The technique, however, is disadvantageous in that it cannot be recognized readily who is talking at present and the talking condition is unnatural in that the eyes of the talking person and the eyes of the persons who are listening to the talking person do not coincide with each other.
A solution to the problem is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-351013, in which a plurality of cameras are used. The improved technique is illustrated in FIG.
11
. Referring to
FIG. 11
, cameras
114
B,
114
C and
114
D are arranged at locations in a monitor at which the images
1
B,
1
C and
1
D of the individual participants are displayed. An image picked up by the camera
114
B is transmitted to a terminal of the participant of the image
1
B, and images picked up by the cameras
114
C and
114
D are transmitted to the participants of the cameras
1
C and
1
D. Also the camera for any other participant if it is present is arranged similarly.
With the arrangement described above, for example, if the participant
1
A talks to the image
1
B, then an image of the participant
1
A as viewed from the front is displayed on the image
1
B, but images of the participant
1
A as viewed from the sides are displayed on the images
1
C and
1
D. According to the technique, a feeling of presence of each participant in a conference is increased by coincidence of the eyes. However, where n participants at different sites are involved, n−1 cameras must be provided for a terminal of each of the participants. Therefore, as the number of participants increases, it becomes difficult to install a necessary number of cameras.
A further technique which augments the feeling of presence is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-67035 wherein the computer graphics (CG) is utilized to produce and present an image of an imaginary conference space to a participant. According to the technique, images of participants are arranged on the background of a conference room including a table and so forth so that each participant may have a feeling of participation in the conference. This technique adopts also the technique for establishing coincidence of the eyes by means of a plurality of cameras proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-351013 mentioned hereinabove and similarly has a problem that, as the number of participants increases, it is difficult to install cameras for them.
In this manner, since the conventional television conference systems provide a feeling of presence in a conference to each participant by making the eyes principally of a talking person and one of the other participants, where n participants participate in the conference, n−1 cameras must be installed for each terminal, which makes implementation of the television conference system difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-site television conference system and a central control apparatus and a conference terminal for use with the multi-site television conference system by which an image of a virtual conference space which provides a good feeling of presence can be produced using a comparatively small number of cameras.
In order to attain the object described above, according to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multi-site television conference system, comprising a central control unit for controlling a conference, and a plurality of conference terminals connected to the central control unit, each of the conference terminals including a plurality of image pickup apparatus for picking up video images of a participant, who participates in the conference through the conference terminal, from a plurality of directions, a multi-direction image inputting section for receiving the video images from the plurality of image pickup apparatus and transmitting the video images to the central control unit, an image outputting section for receiving a video image of a virtual conference room transmitted thereto from the central control unit and presenting the received video image to the participant, and a control information inputting section for inputting information for controlling the conference therethrough and transmitting the inputted information to the central control unit, the central control unit including a multi-site image inputting section for receiving video images transmitted thereto from the conference terminals of individual participants to the conference, an image production timing generation section for designating one of the participants who should see a video image to be synthesized by and transmitted from the central processing unit in order that video images may be produced and transmitted to the conference terminals of the individual participants, a virtual space information storage section for storing information to be used for production of a video image of the virtual conference space, updating the information of the virtual conference space with control information from the conference terminals and transmitting the information to be used for production of a video image in response to an instruction from the image production timing generation section, an image selection section for selecting appropriate video images from among the multi-direction video images received by the multi-site image inputting section by distinguishing how, when the participant for which a video image is being produced at present views the participants of the other conference terminals in the virtual conference space based on the information from the virtual space information storage section, the participants look to the participant, and an image production section for producing a video image in which the video images selected by the image selection section are arranged in the virtual conference space based on the information from the virtual space information storage section and transmitting the produced video image to the conference terminal of the participant.
Preferably, the image selection section of the central control unit has a function of producing, when the multi-direction video images received by the multi-site image inputting section do not include an appropriate video image, an appropriate video image using a plurality of ones of the multi-direction video images.
Preferably, each of the conference terminals further includes a speech inputting section for inputting speech of the conference participant therethrough and transmitting the inputted speech to the central control unit, and a speech outputting section for receiving speech synthesized by the central control unit and presenting the received speech to the participant, the virtual space information storage section of the central control unit further being capable of storing information to be used for production of an acoustic image of the virtual conference space, updating the information of the virtual conference space with control information from the conference terminals and transmitting the information to be used for production of an acoustic image, and the central control unit further includes a multi-site speech inputting section for receiving speech transmitted thereto from the conference terminals of the individual participants, and an acoustic image synthesis section for producing an appropriate acoustic image by distinguishing how, when the participant for
Hiraike Ryuichi
Satoda Kozo
Kuntz Curtis
NEC Corporation
Ramakrishnaiah Melur
Young & Thompson
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