3D video conferencing

• US 20030035001A1
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Published: 02/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Van Geest, Bartolomeus Wilhelmus Damianus, Op De Beeck, Marc Joseph Rita
• Granted Patent: US 7,825,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/753
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/207 using a single 2D image sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0081 Depth or disparity estimation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/0092 Image segmentation from stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A 3D video conferencing station (100) comprises a video camera (102) for capturing video signals and a depth map calculator (104) for creating a depth map (120) of a user (114) of the 3D video conferencing station (100). The video signals together with the depth map are transmitted as 3D video data. The 3D video conferencing station (100) further comprises a stereoscopic display device (112) for displaying stereo images, which are calculated on the basis of received 3D video data. The depth map which is generated by the depth map calculator (104) is also used for estimating the position of the user (114) in order to control the calculation of the stereo images.

Claims

1. A 3D video conferencing station (100) comprising:

a video camera (102) for capturing video signals;

depth means (104) for creating a depth map (120) of a user (114) of the 3D video conferencing station (100);

a transmitter (106) for transmitting 3D video data which is based on the video signals and the depth map (120); and

a stereoscopic display device (112) for displaying stereo images, which are calculated on the basis of the depth map (120) and received video signals (110).

2. A 3D video conferencing station (101) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the depth means (104) are arranged to receive a signal from a depth sensor (124) which is registered with the camera.

3. A 3D video conferencing station (103) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the depth means (104) are designed to create the depth map (120) on the basis of the video signals.

4. A 3D video conferencing station (200) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the 3D video conferencing station (200) comprises a processor (202) for detecting a position of a nose of the user (114) of the 3D video conferencing station (200) by analyzing the depth map (120).

5. A 3D video conferencing station (200) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the processor (202) is designed to detect the position of the nose of the user (114) of the 3D video conferencing station (100) by searching for a maximum or a minimum depth value of the depth map (120).

6. A 3D video conferencing station (200) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the processor is designed to detect the position of the nose of the user (114) of the 3D video conferencing station (100) by comparing depth values of the depth map (120) with a model of a human face.

7. A 3D video conferencing station (200) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the processor (202) is designed to detect an orientation of a head of the user (114) of the 3D video conferencing station (100) by calculating an average derivative of depth values of a region of the depth map (120) that corresponds with a part of a face of the user (114).

8. A 3D video conferencing station (200) as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the processor (202) is designed to detect a first position of a left eye and a second position of a right eye based on the position of the nose of the user (114) of the 3D video conferencing station (200).

9. A 3D video conferencing station (100) as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the processor (202) is designed to detect the first position of the left eye and the second position of the right eye based on the video signals.

10. A 3D video conferencing method (100) comprising:

capturing (102) video signals;

creating (104) a depth map (120) of a user (114) of the 3D video conferencing station (100);

transmitting (106) 3D video data which is based on the video signals and the depth map (120); and

displaying (112) stereo images, which are calculated on the basis of the depth map (120) and received video signals (110).

11. An eye-tracker (104,202) for estimating a first position of a left eye and a second position of a right eye, characterized in that the eye tracker (104,202) is designed to estimate the first position of the left eye and the second position of the right eye on the basis of a depth map (120).

12. A method of eye-tracking to estimate a first position of a left eye and a second position of a right eye, characterized in that the first position of the left eye and the second position of the right eye are estimated on the basis of a depth map (120).