LED CAMERA ANGLE IDENTIFIER SYSTEM

• US 20170359503A1
• Filed: 08/25/2017
• Published: 12/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Okunami, Alvin
• Application Number:
  US15/687,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20170359503A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 33/0052 Audio or video equipment, e.g. televisions, telephones, cameras or computers; Remote control devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display

Abstract

A light-emitting diode (LED) speaker identification system that illuminates at least one LED in the direction in which a camera having a 360 degree field of view is recording. The LED speaker identification system includes a base, a printed circuit board coupled to a surface of the base, and a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) coupled to a surface of the printed circuit board around a circumference thereof. The plurality of LEDs are electrically connected to a camera having a 360 degree viewing angle.

Claims

1. A lighted camera angle identification system for use with a 360 degree camera of which only a portion of the 360 degrees is used for providing an image, comprising:

a base having at least one surface;

a printed circuit board coupled to the at least one surface of the base and operably connected to the 360 degree camera; and

a plurality of lights operably connected to the printed circuit board and around an outer perimeter of the printed circuit board,

wherein one or more of the plurality of lights are activated to indicate the portion of the 360 degrees being used for providing the image.

2. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 1, wherein the base is disk shaped, and further comprising a plurality of separators situated around a circumference thereof and spaced between each of the plurality of lights.

3. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of lights are light-emitting diodes (LEDs) coupled to the surface of the printed circuit board.

4. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 3, wherein the LEDs are top-firing RGB LEDs.

5. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 1, further comprising a top cover which encloses the printed circuit board and the plurality of lights between the top cover and the base.

6. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 1, further comprising a reflector stacked on top of the printed circuit board and covering the plurality of lights.

7. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 6, further comprising a diffuser ring situated around an outer edge of the printed circuit board.

8. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 1, further comprising at least one controller electrically connected to the printed circuit board to control activation of each of the lights.

9. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 8, wherein the printed circuit board communicates between the camera and the at least one controller to activate at least one of the lights which is in closest proximity to the portion of the 360 degrees being used for providing an image.

10. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 1, wherein the lighted camera angle identification system is removably coupled to a top of the camera.

11. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 1, wherein three or more of the plurality of lights are activated to indicate the portion of the 360 degrees being used for providing the image.

12. The lighted camera angle identification system of claim 11, wherein one of the three of more lights is a different color than remaining three or more lights, that one light is substantially centered on the portion of the 360 degrees being used for providing an image and that one light is between at least two of the three or more lights.

13. A method for visually indicating an active field of view of a 360 degree camera comprising the steps of:

directing, using electronics, the providing of an image of only a first portion of the 360 degrees of the camera; and

signaling a light assembly to activate at least one light on the light assembly, wherein the location of the at least one activated light corresponds to the first portion of the 360 degrees being used for providing an image.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising activating light emitting diodes, wherein the light assembly is a light-emitting diode (LED) camera angle indication system comprising:

a base having at least one surface;

a disk shaped printed circuit board coupled to the at least one surface of the base; and

a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) coupled to a surface of the printed circuit board around a circumference thereof,

wherein the plurality of LEDs are electrically connected to the camera.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the signaling is performed by a circuit board on a camera and further comprises sending a signal to an LED assembly.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling a plurality of light emitting diodes using a printed circuit board and the signaling.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving from at least one microphone an audio signal; and

determining using a processor a first angular direction of the audio signal relative to the camera,

wherein the directing the providing of an image of only a first portion of the 360 degrees of the camera directs the image at the first angular direction.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

directing, using electronics, the providing of an image of only a second portion of the 360 degrees of the camera which is different than the first portion; and

signaling the light assembly to activate at least one light on the light assembly, wherein the location of the at least one activated light corresponds to the second portion of the 360 degrees being used for providing an image.

19. A video conferencing system having a 360 degree camera of which only a portion of the 360 degrees is used for providing an image, comprising:

a controller mounted on a circuit board;

a multipath electrical connector to connect the circuit board with the 360 degree camera;

a signal with data about the portion of the 360 degrees being used for providing an image, wherein the signal travels from the camera to the controller through the multipath electrical connector and is processed by the controller; and

an indicator assembly operably connected to and controlled by the controller, wherein the indicator assembly is activated and indicates the portion of the 360 degrees is used for providing an image.