AMBULATORY SYSTEM TO COMMUNICATE VISUAL PROJECTIONS

• US 20150092020A1
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Vaughn, Robert L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,324,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/47
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/20 for use as communications relays, e.g. high-altitude platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0094 involving pointing a payload, e.g. camera, weapon, sensor, towards a fixed or moving target
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/167 Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/204 using stereoscopic image cameras stereoscopic photography G03B35/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3176 wherein the projection device is incorporated in a camera details of cameras adapted for combination with a projector not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B17/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3179 Video signal processing therefor

Abstract

An ambulatory system to communicate visual projections. An embodiment of an apparatus for ambulatory communication includes: a propulsion system to enable the apparatus to fly, including to hover in place and to follow a user; a stereo camera to record an image of a user of the apparatus or a scene nearby the user of the apparatus; a transmitter to transmit video data generated by the stereo camera to a second apparatus via network for a communication with a remote user; a receiver to receive video data via the network from the remote user; and a video projection mechanism to project an image including the received video to the user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for ambulatory communication comprising:

a propulsion system to enable the apparatus to fly, including to hover in place and to follow a user;

a stereo camera to record an image of a user of the apparatus or a scene nearby the user of the apparatus;

a transmitter to transmit video data generated by the stereo camera to a second apparatus via network for a communication with a remote user;

a receiver to receive video data via the network from the second apparatus; and

a video projection mechanism to project an image including the received video to the user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image projected to the user includes an image of the remote user.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is to operate cooperatively with a mobile device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the transmitter is to transmit the video data via the mobile device to the network the receiver is to receive video data via the mobile device from the network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the video projection mechanism is to project an image using a laser projection.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the video projection mechanism is a Virtual Retinal Display (VRD).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an audio projection mechanism to project audio data to the user, wherein the receiver is further to receive the audio data via the network, and wherein the audio projection mechanism is to project audio to the user in a focused manner.

8. A system for ambulatory communication comprising:

a first set of one or more unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV'"'"'s) for operation with a first user; and

a second set of one or more UAV'"'"'s for operation with a second user;

wherein the first set of UAV'"'"'s and the second set of UAV'"'"'s are operable to support a communication session between the first user and the second user;

wherein each of the sets of UAV'"'"'s includes;

a stereo camera to record an image of the user of the apparatus or a scene nearby the user of the apparatus,

a transmitter to transmit video data generated by the stereo camera to the other set of UAV'"'"'s,

a receiver to receive video data via the network from the other set of UAV'"'"'s, and

a video projection mechanism to project an image including the received video to the user of the set of UAV'"'"'s.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising a first mobile device to operate cooperatively with the first set of UAV'"'"'s and a second mobile device to operate cooperatively with the second set of UAV'"'"'s.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each set of UAV'"'"'s is to transmit data via the respective mobile device, and wherein each set of UAV'"'"'s is to receive data via the respective mobile device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first mobile device is operable to record audio from the first user and the second mobile device is operable to record audio from the second user.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the video projection mechanism of the first or second set of UAV'"'"'s is to project a blended reality image, the blended reality image including a first video image that has been recorded by the other set of UAV'"'"'s and a second video image that has not been recorded by either the first or second set of UAV'"'"'s.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second video image is an image of a location in which neither the first user or the second user is located.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the receiver of each of the sets of UAV'"'"'s is further to receive audio data via the network from the other set of UAV'"'"'s, wherein each of the sets of UAV'"'"'s further includes an audio projection mechanism to project the audio data to the user of the set of UAV'"'"'s.

15. A method comprising:

commencing a communication between a local user and a remote user;

initiating an ambulatory communication session for the local user and the remote user;

enabling at least one autonomous device, wherein each autonomous device is operable to hover and follow the local user;

recording by the at least one autonomous device a stereo image of the local user or a scene; and

transmitting data for the recorded stereo image to a remote device for the remote user.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving stereo video data from the remote device; and

projecting to the local user by the at least one autonomous device an image including the received stereo video data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the image projected to the local user is a blended image including a first image recorded by the remote device and a second image that is not recorded by the remote device.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

recording audio of the local user;

transmitting data for the recorded audio to the remote user;

receiving audio data from the remote user; and

projecting to the local user by the at least one autonomous device audio including the received audio data.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the recording of the audio of the local user is performed by the at least one autonomous device.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the recording of the audio of the local user is performed using a mobile device operated by the local user, the mobile device to operate cooperatively with the at least one autonomous device.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon data representing sequences of instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

commencing a communication between a local user and a remote user;

initiating an ambulatory communication session for the local user and the remote user;

enabling at least one autonomous device, wherein each autonomous device is operable to hover and follow the local user;

recording by the at least one autonomous device a stereo image of the local user or a scene; and

transmitting data for the recorded stereo image and the recorded audio to a remote device for the remote user.

22. The medium of claim 21, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving stereo video data from the remote device; and

projecting to the local user by the at least one autonomous device an image including the received stereo video data.

23. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

recording audio of the local user;

transmitting data for the recorded audio to the remote device;

receiving audio data from the remote device; and

projecting to the local user by the at least one autonomous device audio including the received audio data.

24. The medium of claim 22, further comprising instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

stitching together a first image recorded by the remote user and a second image that is not recorded by the remote user, the blended image being the image projected to the local user by the at least one autonomous device.

25. The medium of claim 24, wherein the first image is an image of the remote user and the second image is an image of a location in which the local user and the remote user are not located.