COMMUNICATION SUPPORT SYSTEM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, CONTROL METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20160307349A1
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Published: 10/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Hirochika
• Granted Patent: US 10,057,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/62 Semi-transparency
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/026 Control of mixing and/or overlay of colours in general G09G5/022 and G09G5/024 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/377 for mixing or overlaying two or more graphic patterns G09G5/02, G09G5/397 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355

Abstract

A communication support system of the present invention provides an improved visibility of an operation by an operator without losing visibility of a content and supports accurate communication between operators in different locations. The communication support system of the present embodiment crops an image of an area having a reference image arranged therein out of a captured image obtained in another location and makes an area that is different from a person area corresponding to a person transparent in the cropped image. The communication support system displays an output image obtained by superposing the reference image as an upper layer over the captured image and further superposing the cropped image as an upper layer over the reference image.

Claims

1. A communication support system comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, via a network, a captured image obtained in another location;

a display unit configured to display the captured image received by the receiving unit;

a cropping unit configured, in a case where the display unit superposes and displays a reference image as an upper layer over the captured image, to crop an image of an area having the reference image arranged therein out of the captured image;

a specifying unit configured to specify a person area corresponding to a person within a cropped image obtained by the cropping unit; and

a processing unit configured to make an area that is different from the person area specified by the specifying unit transparent in the cropped image,

wherein the display unit displays an output image obtained by superposing the reference image as an upper layer over the captured image and further superposing the cropped image processed by the processing unit as an upper layer over the reference image.

2. The communication support system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit makes the person area specified by the specifying unit translucent in the cropped image.

3. The communication support system according to claim 1, wherein the specifying unit specifies, as the person area, also an area corresponding to an object held by the person within the cropped image obtained by the cropping unit.

4. The communication support system according to claim 1,

wherein the captured image is a distance image including a value of a distance from a camera imaging a subject to the subject, and

wherein the specifying unit specifies the person area based on the value of the distance of the distance image.

5. The communication support system according to claim 1, further comprising an image generation unit configured to generate a trajectory image representing a content of an action by the person based on positional information detected in another location,

wherein the display unit displays the output image obtained by superposing the trajectory image as an upper layer over the cropped image.

6. The communication support system according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is a projector projecting an image on a screen.

7. The communication support system according to claim 1, wherein the reference image is one of an electronic material, a document image, and a photography image.

8. A communication support system comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, via a network, a captured image obtained in another location;

a display unit configured to display the captured image received by the receiving unit;

a specifying unit configured, in a case where the display unit superposes and displays a reference image as an upper layer over the captured image, to specify a person area corresponding to a person within the reference image; and

a processing unit configured to make the person area specified by the specifying unit translucent in the reference image,

wherein the display unit displays an output image obtained by superposing the reference image as an upper layer over the captured image.

9. An information processing apparatus constituting a communication support system comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive, via a network, a captured image obtained in another location;

a cropping unit configured to crop an image of an area having a reference image arranged therein out of the captured image received by the receiving unit;

a specifying unit configured to specify a person area corresponding to a person within the cropped image obtained by the cropping unit;

a processing unit configured to make an area different from the person area specified by the specifying unit transparent in the cropped image; and

an image generation unit configured to generate an output image for outputting, the output image obtained by superposing the reference image as an upper layer over the captured image and further superposing the cropped image processed by the processing unit as an upper layer over the reference image.

10. A control method for a communication support system, the control method comprising the steps of:

receiving, via a network, a captured image obtained in another location;

displaying the captured image received in the receiving step;

cropping, in a case where a reference image is superposed and displayed as an upper layer over the captured image in the displaying step, an image of an area having the reference image arranged therein out of the captured image;

specifying a person area corresponding to a person in a cropped image obtained in the cropping step; and

processing to make an area that is different from the person area specified in the specifying step transparent in the cropped image,

wherein in the displaying step, an output image is displayed, the output image obtained by superposing the reference image as an upper layer over the captured image and further superposing the cropped image processed in the processing step as an upper layer over the reference image.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to perform a method,

where the method comprises the steps of:

receiving, via a network, a captured image obtained in another location;

displaying the captured image received in the receiving step;

cropping, in a case where a reference image is superposed and displayed as an upper layer over the captured image in the displaying step, an image of an area having the reference image arranged therein out of the captured image;

specifying a person area corresponding to a person in a cropped image obtained in the cropping step; and

processing to make an area that is different from the person area specified in the specifying step transparent in the cropped image,

wherein in the displaying step, an output image is displayed, the output image obtained by superposing the reference image as an upper layer over the captured image and further superposing the cropped image processed in the processing step as an upper layer over the reference image.