Video conference system

• US 20020041324A1
• Filed: 09/26/2001
• Published: 04/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Satoda, Kozo
• Granted Patent: US 6,563,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A video conference system includes a camera, camera driving section, human figure extracting section, human figure picture storage section, camera parameter storage section, and human figure instructing section. The imaging direction and field angle of the view of the camera can be changed. The camera driving section controls the imaging direction and field angle of the camera view in accordance with camera parameters. The human figure extracting section extracts a human figure picture of each participant from a picture obtained by capturing an entire conference room, and calculates camera parameters associated with the imaging direction and field angle of the camera view on the basis of the extracted human figure picture. The human figure picture storage section stores the extracted human figure picture. The camera parameter storage section stores the camera parameters calculated by the human figure extracting section. The human figure instructing section reads out camera parameters corresponding to a human figure picture selected as a shooting target from the human figure pictures stored in the human figure picture storage section from the camera parameter storage section, and outputs the camera parameters to the camera driving section.

Claims

1. A video conference system comprising:

a camera whose imaging direction and field angle of the view can be changed;

camera driving means for controlling the imaging direction and field angle of the view of said camera in accordance with camera parameters;

human figure extracting means for extracting a human figure picture of each participant from a picture obtained by capturing an entire conference room with said camera, and calculating camera parameters associated with the imaging direction and field angle of the camera view with respect to each participant on the basis of the extracted human figure picture;

human figure picture storage section for storing the human figure picture extracted by the human figure extracting means;

camera parameter storage means for storing the camera parameters calculated by said human figure extracting means; and

human figure instructing means for reading out camera parameters corresponding to a human figure picture selected as a shooting target from the human figure pictures stored in said human figure picture storage means from said camera parameter storage section, and outputting the camera parameters to said camera driving means.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said human figure extracting means comprises:

first panoramic picture generating means for generating a first panoramic picture depicting the entire conference room from plural pictures inside the conference room captured in all imaging directions by said camera at a first timing;

second panoramic picture generating means for generating a second panoramic picture depicting the entire conference room from plural pictures inside the conference room captured in all imaging directions by said camera at a second timing different from the first timing;

human figure picture extracting means for extracting a human figure picture of each participant on the basis of a difference between the first and second panoramic pictures respectively output from said first and second panoramic picture generating means, and storing the extracted human figure picture in said human figure picture storage means; and

camera parameter calculating means for calculating camera parameters associated with an imaging direction and field angle of the camera view with which each participant is captured by said camera, and stores the obtained camera parameters in said camera parameter storage means.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said first panoramic picture generating means generates the first panoramic picture on the basis of pictures inside the conference room at the first timing at which no participant captured by said camera is present, and

said second panoramic picture generating means for generating the second panoramic picture on the basis of pictures inside the conference room at the second timing at which the participants captured by said camera are seated.

4. A system according to claim 2, wherein

said first panoramic picture generating means generates the first panoramic picture on the basis of pictures inside the conference room at the first timing at which the participants captured by said camera are seated, and

said second panoramic picture generating means for generating the second panoramic picture on the basis of pictures inside the conference room at the second timing after said first panoramic picture generating means generates the first panoramic picture.

5. A system according to claim 2, wherein said human figure picture extracting means comprises:

difference extracting means for obtaining a difference between the first and second panoramic pictures respectively output from said first and second panoramic picture generating means; and

human figure extracting means for extracting a human figure picture from the difference picture extracted by said difference extracting means.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein

said difference extracting means comprises binary image generating means for generating a difference picture as a binary image by performing threshold processing, and

said human figure extracting means comprises:

histogram calculating means for calculating vertical and horizontal histograms respectively indicating accumulations of pixel values at every x- and y-coordinates in vertical and horizontal directions from the binary difference picture generated by said binary image generating means;

range extracting means for extracting a range of not less than a predetermined threshold from the vertical and horizontal histograms calculated by said histogram calculating means, and extracting participant existing ranges in the vertical and horizontal directions; and

area determining means for determining a rectangular area where each participant exists on the basis of the participant existing range in the vertical and horizontal directions which are extracted by said range extracting means.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said human figure instructing means comprises:

human figure picture instructing means for selecting one human figure picture from information associated with the human figure pictures stored in said human figure picture storage means; and

camera parameter searching means for reading out camera parameters corresponding to the human figure picture selected by said human figure picture instructing means, and outputting the camera parameters to said camera driving means.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein said human figure picture instructing means comprises:

a display device for displaying information associated with human figure information; and

an input section with which an operator selects/inputs a human figure picture in accordance with the information displayed on said display device.

9. A video conference system comprising:

a camera whose imaging direction and field angle of the view can be changed;

camera driving means for controlling the imaging direction and field angle of the view of said camera in accordance with camera parameters;

human figure picture extracting means for extracting a human figure picture of each participant from a picture obtained by capturing an entire conference room with said camera;

parameter calculating means for calculating camera parameters associated with an imaging direction and field angle of the camera view with respect to each participant on the basis of the human figure picture output from said human figure picture extracting means; and

human figure instructing means for outputting camera parameters corresponding to the human figure picture selected as a shooting target from an output from said human figure picture extracting means.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said human figure extracting means comprises:

panoramic picture generating means for generating first and second panoramic pictures depicting the entire conference room from plural pictures inside the conference room captured by said camera in all imaging directions at first and second timings;

human figure picture extracting means for extracting a human figure picture of each participant on the basis of a difference between the first and second panoramic pictures output from said panoramic picture generating means; and

camera parameter calculating means for calculating camera parameters associated with the imaging direction and field angle of the camera view with which each participant is captured by said camera, on the basis of the human figure picture output from said human figure picture extracting means.