Anticipatory image capture for stereoscopic remote viewing with foveal priority

• US 20040010803A1
• Filed: 06/20/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tobii Technology AB
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Berstis, Viktors
• Granted Patent: US 6,919,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A client-server arrangement for camera viewing using digital cameras across a computer network. A camera server controls a motorized gimbal which determines the viewing angle of a camera, according to signals from a client computer which is equipped with an eye movement tracking system. Movements of the viewer'"'"'s eyes result in changes in viewing angle of the remote cameras. The original full-resolution image is divided into a foveal area and a peripheral area. Subsequently, if a change in the peripheral area of a field of view is detected relative to the most recently displayed image, the viewing angle of the cameras is changed to center on the detected change, and an image is captured of this anticipated future field of view. When the viewer eventually changes his or her point of interest to the area of detected change, the pre-captured image is transmitted immediately for viewing.

Claims

1. A method for reducing latency to providing a future or subsequent image by anticipating a new field of view comprising the steps of:

comparing a most recently displayed peripheral field of view to a more current field of view to detect a change in said peripheral field of view which may attract a viewer'"'"'s attention, both of said most recently displayed peripheral field of view and said more current field of view being centered upon an initial point of interest;

capturing and storing an anticipated field of view essentially centered upon a detected change detected in said peripheral fields of view; and

transmitting to a client view said stored anticipated field of view responsive to receipt of a change of view command which indicates a viewer has changed from said initial point of interest to a point of interest corresponding with said detected change in said peripheral field of view.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of reducing the resolution of the peripheral field of view of said captured image, thus leaving a full resolution foveal area of the captured image.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of capturing an anticipated field of view comprises commanding a motorized gimbal change for one or more cameras.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said step of transmitting said anticipated field of view image comprises transmitting an image from a server to a client over a computer network.

5. A computer readable medium encoded with software for reducing latency to providing a future or subsequent image by anticipating a new field of view, said software causing a server to perform the steps of:

comparing a most recently displayed peripheral field of view to a more current field of view to detect a change in said peripheral field of view which may attract a viewer'"'"'s attention, both of said most recently displayed peripheral field of view and said more current field of view being centered upon an initial point of interest;

capturing and storing an anticipated field of view essentially centered upon a detected change detected in said peripheral fields of view; and

transmitting to a client view said stored anticipated field of view responsive to receipt of a change of view command which indicates a viewer has changed from said initial point of interest to a point of interest corresponding with said detected change in said peripheral field of view.

6. The medium as set forth in claim 5 further comprising software for performing the step of reducing the resolution of the peripheral field of view of said captured image, thus leaving a full resolution foveal area of the captured image.

7. The medium as set forth in claim 5 wherein said software for capturing an anticipated field of view comprises software for commanding a motorized gimbal change for one or more cameras.

8. The medium as set forth in claim 5 wherein said software for transmitting said anticipated field of view image comprises software for transmitting an image from a server to a client over a computer network.

9. An anticipating view system comprising:

a peripheral view comparator for receiving a current image and comparing said current image to a most recently displayed image, said comparator indicating a position of a change detected within peripheral view areas of said images;

an anticipated view capturer which captures and stores an new image centered essentially upon said indicated position of change; and

an anticipated view image transmission means for receiving a change of view command, correlating a new point of interest indicated by said change of view command to be corresponding to said position of change in the peripheral view, and transmitting said stored new image to a client viewer.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said anticipated view capturer comprises a means for commanding a pointing angle change of a camera mounted on a gimbal.

11. The system as set forth in claim 9 wherein said transmission means comprises a means for transmitting and image from a server to a client over a computer network.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said server is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server, and wherein said client is a web browser.