TWO WAY COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20080106591A1
• Filed: 11/02/2006
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Border, John N., Cok, Ronald S.
• Application Number:
  US11/555,834
• Publication Number:
  US 20080106591A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/144 camera and display on the same optical axis, e.g. optically multiplexing the camera and display for eye to eye contact

Abstract

A two-way communication system for viewers at first and second sites, including an integrated imaging apparatus at the first site for displaying second site images from the second site while capturing first site images from the first site and sending them over a channel to a second site; a structure at the second site coupled to the channel and responsive to images from the integrated imaging apparatus to display such first site images and capturing second site images sending them over the channel to the integrated imaging apparatus; wherein the integrated imaging apparatus, includes, an electronic display having an array of display pixels in which at least one display pixel is partially transparent; and at least one image capture device which is operably associated with the partially transparent pixel.

Claims

1. A two-way communication system for viewers at first and second sites, comprising:

a) an integrated imaging apparatus at the first site for displaying second site images from the second site while capturing first site images from the first site and sending them over a channel to a second site;

b) means at the second site coupled to the channel and responsive to images from the integrated imaging apparatus to display such first site images and capturing second site images sending them over the channel to the integrated imaging apparatus;

wherein the integrated imaging apparatus, includes,

c) an electronic display having an array of display pixels in which at least one display pixel is partially transparent; and

d) at least one image capture device which is operably associated with the partially transparent pixel.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein in the integrated imaging apparatus comprises:

a) an electronic display for displaying a second site image and having an array of display pixels and intermingled partially transparent pixels;

b) means for operating the partially transparent pixels in a periodic manner, providing both light emission and light transmission states within a frame time; and

c) means for capturing a scene image with one or more image capture devices, each of which looks through at least one of the partially transparent pixels.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein both the displayed images and the captured images are subject to image processing to improve image quality.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the display pixels are used to provide display light to display image content during at least the portion of a frame time that the partially transparent pixels are operating to emit light.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the display pixels are used to provide display light to display image content only during the portion of a frame time that the partially transparent pixels are operating to emit light.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein the scene image is captured only during the portion of frame time that the partially transparent pixels are operating to transmit light.

7. A two-way communication system for viewers at first and second sites, comprising:

a) an integrated imaging apparatus at the first site for displaying second site images from the second site while capturing first site images from the first site and sending at least a portion of the first site images over a channel to a second site;

b) means at the second site coupled to the channel and responsive to images from the integrated imaging apparatus to display such first site images and capturing second site images sending at least a portion of the second site images over the channel to the integrated imaging apparatus;

wherein the integrated imaging apparatus, includes,

c) an electronic display having an array of display pixels in which at least one display pixel is partially transparent; and

d) at least one image capture device which is operably associated with the partially transparent pixel.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the integrated imaging apparatus includes two or more image capture devices and the first site images are formed by combining the images from the two or more image capture devices.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the integrated imaging apparatus includes two or more image capture devices and the image capture devices have different imaging attributes including:

different focal lengths, different capture fields of view, different magnifications, different resolutions, or different spectral sensitivities, or combinations thereof.