Portable video communication system

• US 10,270,972 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2018
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Inventors: Border, John N., Cok, Ronald S., Enge, Amy D., Kurtz, Andrew F., Manico, Joseph A., Schilling-Benz, Lynn, Stubler, Peter O., Williams, Frances C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US15/872,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20180146141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 4555561
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2621 Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A method and device for adapting a display image on a hand-held portable wireless display and digital capture device. The device includes a camera for capturing a digital video and/or still image of a user, means for adjusting the captured digital image in response to poor image capture angle of said image capture device so as to create a modified captured digital image; and means for transmitting said modified captured digital image over a wireless communication network to a second hand-held portable wireless display and digital capture device.

Claims

1. A method of operating a hand-held portable wireless digital capture device, comprising:

capturing, using a first image capture component of the digital capture device, first digital video images;

capturing, using a second image capture component of the digital capture device, second digital video images;

for at least one of the first digital video images and the second digital video images;

determining that at least some captured images are of poor quality caused, at least in part, by jitter or unstable motion of the digital capture device by performing at least one or both of an analysis of the digital images being captured and detecting motion of the digital capture device;

automatically adjusting one or more digital images of the captured images that were determined to be of poor quality due to jitter or unstable motion of the digital capture device to produce adjusted digital images; and

transmitting the first digital video images and the second digital video images from the digital capture device over a wireless communication network to a second device, wherein either or both of the first digital video images and the second digital video images are transmitted as adjusted digital images according to which one or both of the first digital video images and the second digital video images were determined to have at least some captured images of poor quality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the one or more digital images of the captured images that were determined to be of poor quality caused, at least in part, by jitter or unstable motion of the digital capture device comprises adjusting an allowed image capture area of the digital image to remove at least a portion of a background of the digital image.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising storing the removed portion of the background of the digital image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the digital images that were determined to be of poor quality caused, at least in part, by jitter or unstable motion of the digital capture device comprises detecting a face area, representing an image of a face, in the captured image and adjusting the digital images to include the detected face area.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the digital images that were determined to be of poor quality caused, at least in part, by jitter or unstable motion of the digital capture device comprises compensating for poor image capture conditions of the captured digital image.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first digital video images and the second digital video images comprise a still digital image.

7. A hand-held portable wireless digital capture device, comprising:

a first capture device configured to capture digital video;

a second capture device configured to capture digital video;

a processor operatively coupled to the first capture device and to the second capture device, and configured to detect motion of the apparatus that affects quality of digital images being captured by either or both of the first capture device and the second capture device and to detect jitter by an analysis of digital video being captured and automatically adjust captured digital images from either or both of the first capture device and the second capture device in response to determining that at least some captured images are of poor quality;

a transceiver operatively coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the adjusted captured digital images over a wireless communication network to a second device, and to receive from the second device over the wireless communication network an instruction to adjust a viewing angle of at least one of the first and second capture devices.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to adjust an allowed image capture area of the digital images such that at least a portion of a background of the digital images from at least one of the first capture device and the second capture device is removed from the digital images.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein automatically adjusting the digital images in response to the detected motion and the detected jitter comprises detecting a face area, representing an image of a face, in the captured images and adjusting the captured digital images to include the detected face area.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein automatically adjusting the digital images in response to the detected motion and the detected jitter comprises compensating for poor image capture conditions of the captured digital images.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein poor image capture conditions include one of poor capture angle, low light, motion of the digital capture device, and motion in the scene or in bright and dark areas.

12. A system comprising:

a first digital capture device configured to capture, using a first image capture component of the first digital capture device, first digital video images, and, using a second image capture component of the first digital capture device, second digital video images,

the first digital capture device including;

a display,

one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to detect motion of the first digital capture device that affects quality of digital images being captured by at least one of the first image capture component and the second image capture component and to detect jitter by an analysis of the digital images being captured by the at least one of the first image capture component and the second image capture component and automatically adjust the digital video images captured by the at least one of the first image capture component and the second image capture component in response to the detected motion and the detected jitter, and

a transceiver operatively coupled to the one or more processors to transmit, to a second digital capture device over a wireless communication network, the first digital video images and the second digital video images,

wherein the one or more processors operate according to stored instructions to transmit, using the transceiver, either or both of the first digital video images and the second digital video images as adjusted digital images according to which one or both of the first digital video images and the second digital video images were determined to have at least some captured images of poor quality; and

the second device including a display to present both of the first digital video images and the second digital video images received from the first digital capture device over the wireless communication network in a split screen view.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to adjust an allowed image capture area of at least one of the first digital video images and the second digital video images such that at least a portion of a background of the at least one of the first digital video images and the second digital video images is removed therefrom.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein automatically adjusting the digital video images captured by the at least one of the first image capture component and the second image capture component in response to the detected motion and the detected jitter comprises compensating for poor image capture conditions of the digital video images captured by the at least one of the first image capture component and the second image capture component.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors further operate according to stored instructions to adjust a viewing angle of at least one of the first and second image capture components according to an instruction received from the second device over the wireless communication network.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second device includes a user interface and control processor configured to receive a user input representing the instruction to adjust the viewing angle of at least one of the first and second image capture components of the first digital capture device and to provide the instruction to the first digital capture device over the wireless communication network.