TELEPRESENCE APPARATUS FOR IMMERSION OF A HUMAN IMAGE IN A PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20130141519A1
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Sayeed, Zulfiquar, Kotch, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,947,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A telepresence device allows a remote meeting participant to establish a telepresence at a remote meeting location. The telepresence device provides a video image of the remote meeting participant on a video display screen at a meeting location To enhance the visual sensation that the remote person is present at the meeting location, the telepresence device may display the silhouette image of the remote meeting participant without the image of the background scene of the remote participant'"'"'s location (e.g., office, home or home office). Further, the telepresence device may be equipped with a rear-facing camera that captures a video image of the background scene behind the telepresence device at the meeting location. The silhouette image of the remote meeting participant may be superimposed on the video image of the background scene at the meeting location, which is captured by the rear-facing camera.

Claims

1. A video teleconferencing apparatus, comprising:

a video display;

a support member configured to support the display;

a video camera mounted on the support member, the video camera having a line of sight directed rearward of the display; and

an image-processing module configured to superimpose a silhouette image on an image captured by the video camera to produce a superimposed image, and to display the superimposed image on the video display screen.

2. The video teleconferencing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a base unit on which the support member is rotatably supported.

3. The video teleconferencing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a control module configured to rotate the base unit, and thereby rotate the video display screen, in response to commands generated at a remote location.

4. The video teleconferencing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a communication interface in communication with the image-processing module and with a remote device at the remote participant'"'"'s locations;

wherein the silhouette image is an image of the silhouette of the remote participant and the image captured by the video camera is an image of a local background.

5. The video teleconferencing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive a video image of the remote participant from the remote device.

6. The video teleconferencing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the image-processing module is configured to extract a silhouette image of the remote participant from the video image received from the remote device.

7. The video teleconferencing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive the silhouette image of a remote participant from the remote device.

8. The video teleconferencing apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a powered base on which the base unit is removably supported, such that the base unit along with the support member, video display screen and video camera have removable functionality from the powered base.

9. The video teleconferencing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the powered base comprises an induction-charging unit configured to inductively charge a rechargeable battery on the base unit.

10. The video teleconferencing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the powered base comprised a wireless communication unit configured to communicate with a wireless communication unit of the base unit.

11. A computer-implemented method for video teleconferencing, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by an image-processing module, a video image of a local background captured by a video camera directed behind a telepresence device at a local meeting location;

superimposing, by the image-processing module, a silhouette image of a remote participant on the video image of the local background captured by the video camera to produce a superimposed image, and

displaying, by the image-processing device, the superimposed image on a video display screen on the telepresence device.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving, by the image-processing module, a video image of the remote participant from a remote device.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12 further comprising:

extracting, by the image-processing module, a silhouette image of the remote participant from the video image received from the remote device.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 further comprising:

receiving, by the image-processing module, the silhouette image of the remote participant from the remote device.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 further comprising:

rotating the telepresence device in response to commands generated at a remote location.

16. A non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium storing instructions adapted to be executed by a computer processor to perform a method for video teleconferencing, comprising the steps of:

receiving, by the computer processor, a video image of a local background captured by a video camera directed behind a telepresence device at a local meeting location;

superimposing, by the computer processor, a silhouette image of a remote participant on the video image of the local background captured by the video camera to produce a superimposed image, and

displaying, by the computer processor, the superimposed image on a video display screen on the telepresence device.

17. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the computer processor, a video image of the remote participant from a remote device.

18. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

extracting, by the computer processor, a silhouette image of the remote participant from the video image received from the remote device.

19. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, by the computer processor, the silhouette image of the remote participant from the remote device.

20. The non-transitory, tangible computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

rotating the telepresence device in response to commands generated at a remote location.