Bandwidth Management Through Lighting Control of a User Environment via a Display Device

• US 20070257928A1
• Filed: 05/04/2007
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Marks, Richard, Zalewski, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 7,880,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/581
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0232 Special driving of display border areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0626 for control of overall brightness
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/02 Handling of images in compressed format, e.g. JPEG, MPEG
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/16 Calculation or use of calculated indices related to luminance levels in display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2226 Determination of depth image, e.g. for foreground/background separation determining depth by image analysis in general G06T7/50; segmentation by image analysis in general G06T7/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system and method for controlling lighting conditions in a user environment whereby bandwidth consumption may be managed is disclosed. An inner frame area and an outer frame area adjust certain lighting conditions in the user environment in response to certain lighting conditions detected by the image capture device as those conditions affect bandwidth consumption during transmission of the image capture data. The frame areas may be dynamically controlled as to affect the brightness and/or color of the particular user environment.

Claims

1. A system for managing bandwidth consumption through control of lighting conditions in a user environment, comprising:

an image capture device configured to capture image data in a user environment;

a computing device coupled to a communications network, the computing device configured to measure consumption of bandwidth related to transmission of the captured image data over the communications network;

a display device configured to display an inner frame area and an outer frame area, wherein the inner frame area and the outer frame area control at least one lighting condition in the user environment in response to the consumption of bandwidth as measured by the computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the size of the inner frame may be adjusted relative to the size of the outer frame.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the captured image data is transmitted to a remote computing device as a part of a video conference.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the remote computing device is a conferencing management server.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the remote computing device is associated with a video conference participant.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the image capture device is further configured to track an object in the user environment in response to a source of audio tracked by a directional-sensitive microphone.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the image capture device automatically focuses on the object in accordance with the position of the audio source relative to the image capture device.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a lighting source external to the display device, the lighting source configured to control at least one lighting condition in the user environment in response to the consumption of bandwidth as measured by the computing device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one lighting condition includes color.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one lighting condition includes brightness.

11. A method for managing bandwidth consumption through control of lighting conditions in a user environment, the method comprising:

capturing image data in the user environment;

transmitting the captured image data over a communications network;

measuring consumption of bandwidth related to transmission of the captured image data over the communications network;

generating an inner frame area and an outer frame area on a display device in the user environment; and

controlling at least one lighting condition in the user environment, wherein the inner frame area and the outer frame area control the at least one lighting condition in the user environment in response to the consumption of bandwidth as measured by the computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein controlling the at least one lighting condition includes decreasing the brightness of the user environment.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein controlling the at least one lighting condition includes adjusting the color of the user environment.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the brightness of the user environment is controlled by the intensity of the outer frame area.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the brightness of the user environment is controlled by the size of the outer frame area.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the brightness of the user environment is controlled through a combination of intensity and size of the outer frame area.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the intensity and size of the outer frame area are dynamically controlled as the at least one lighting condition in the user environment changes.

18. A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program executable by a machine, the program comprising instructions for controlling lighting conditions in a user environment, the method comprising:

capturing image data in the user environment;

identifying at least one lighting condition in the user environment;

generating an inner frame area and an outer frame area on a display device; and

controlling at least one lighting condition in the user environment through the outer frame area.

19. A video conference system, comprising:

a first image capture device configured to capture first user environment image data in a first user environment for transmission over a communications network;

a second image capture device configured to capture second user environment image data in a second user environment;

for transmission over the communications network;

a conference management server coupled to the network, the conference management server configured to receive the first user environment image data and the second user environment image data, the conference management server further configured to measure consumption of bandwidth related to transmission of the first user environment image data and the second user environment image data over the communications network;

a first user client computing device associated with the first image capture device, the first user client computing device configured to receive lighting control instructions from the conference management server in response to the consumption of bandwidth as measured by the conference management server; and

a second user client computing device associated with the second image capture device, the second user client computing device configured to receive lighting control instructions from the conference management server in response to the consumption of bandwidth as measured by the conference management server, wherein the lighting control instructions received from the conference management server include generating an outer frame area and an inner frame area on a display device at both the first user client computing device and second user client computing device, the outer frame area and inner frame area collectively controlling at least one lighting condition in the respective user environment.

20. The video conference system of claim 19, wherein the conference management server is further configured to exchange data ancillary to the video conference with the first user client computing device and the second user client computing device.

21. The video conference system of claim 19, wherein the ancillary data includes application data.

22. The video conference system of claim 19, wherein the ancillary data includes text data.

23. The video conference server of claim 19, wherein the conference server is further configured to record image capture data exchanged between the first client computing device and the second client computing device.