Teleconference system with personal presence cells

• US 6,275,251 B1
• Filed: 11/05/1998
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Peterson, William, Chen, Diana, Richard, Fred Vincent, Jachimowicz, Karen E., Foley, Barbara McNeill, Johnson, Earnest J., Hartman, Davis H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/186,714
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.714, 348/14, 348/15, 348/20, 348/40, 348/744, 345/330, 345/331, 345/345, 345/355
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2215 Plane screen
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2218 being perpendicular to optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/2221 Screen having complex surface, e.g. a structured object
• 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 teleconference system including a plurality of personal presence cells positioned at a local communication site and at a remote communication site. The plurality of personal presence cells are characterized as either sensor cells or display cells. The sensor cells include at least one video camera positioned to sense and transmit an image of the local participant, and an image screen positioned to reflect an image of the local participant toward the at least one video camera and for viewing of an image through the screen. The display cells each include at least one projection display positioned to display a multi-dimensional image of a remote participant on a display screen. A transmission link interfaces the plurality of personal presence cells positioned at the local communication site and the plurality of presence cells positioned at the remote communication site.

Claims

1. A teleconference system comprising:

a plurality of personal presence cells positioned at a local communication site, the plurality of personal presence cells including at least one sensor cell and a plurality of display cells, the at least one sensor cell including at least one video camera positioned to sense and transmit an image of a participant at the local communication site, and a multi-faceted diffuse image screen positioned to reflect an image of the participant at the local communication site toward the at least one video camera and for viewing of an image through the multi-faceted diffuse image screen, the plurality of display cells each including at least one projection display positioned to display a multi-dimensional holographic image of a participant at a remote communication site;

an additional plurality of personal presence cells positioned at an least one remote communication site, the additional plurality of personal presence cells including at least one sensor cell and a plurality of display cells, the at least one sensor cell including at least one video camera positioned to sense and transmit an image of the participant at the at least one remote communication site, and a multi-faceted diffuse image screen positioned to reflect an image of the participant at the at least one remote communication site toward the at least one video camera and for viewing of an image through the multi-faceted diffuse image screen, the plurality of display cells each including at least one projection display positioned to display a multi-dimensional holographic image of the participant at the local communication site; and

a transmission link interfacing the plurality of personal presence cells positioned at the local communication site and the additional plurality of personal presence cells positioned at the at least one remote communication site.

2. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the image screen included as a part of the at least one sensor cell at the local communication site and the at least one remote communication site is partially reflective and partially transmissive.

3. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transmission link operates at a speed of at least 128 megabytes per second.

4. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one projection display included as a part of the plurality of display cells at the local communication site and the at least one remote communication site each include an image source, optics, and a display screen.

5. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the at least one projection display included as a part of the plurality of display cells at the local communication site and the at least one remote communication site is a rear projection display system.

6. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the at least one projection display included as a part of the plurality of display cells at the local communication site and the at least one remote communication site is a front projection display system.

7. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 4 wherein the at least one projection display included as a part of the plurality of display cells at the local communication site and the at least one remote communication site include a holographic projector.

8. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one video camera included as a part of the at least one sensor cell at the each of the local communication sites and the at least one remote communication site is characterized as sensing at least one of stereoscopic video information or panoramic video information.

9. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the teleconference system operates to display an image of the remote participant at a speed of {fraction (1/60)}th of a second or faster.

10. A teleconference system comprising:

a first communication site including at least one sensor cell and a plurality of display cells, the at least one sensor cell including at least one video camera positioned to sense and transmit an image of a first communication site participant, and a multi-faceted diffuse image screen positioned to reflect an image of the first communication site participant toward the at least one video camera and for viewing of an image through the multi-faceted diffuse image screen, the plurality of display cells each including at least one projection display positioned to display a multi-dimensional holographic image of a remotely positioned at least one additional communication site participant viewable by the first communication site participant;

at least one additional communication site including at least one sensor cell and a plurality of display cells, the at least one sensor cell including at least one video camera positioned to sense and transmit an image of the at least one additional communication site participant, and a multi-dimensional diffuse image screen positioned to reflect an image of the at least one additional communication site participant toward the at least one video camera and for viewing of an image through the multi-faceted diffuse image screen, each of the plurality of display cells including at least one projection display positioned to display a multi-dimensional holographic image of the first communication site participant; and

a broadband transmission link interfacing the first communication site and the at least one additional communication site.

11. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the at least one projection display included as a part of the plurality of display cells at the first communication site and the at least one additional communication site includes an image source, a plurality of optics, and a display screen.

12. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the image source includes one of a cathode ray tube (CRT), a field emission display (FED), a laser projection display including a modulator and x and y deflectors, a transmissive liquid crystal light modulator with a light source, a reflective liquid crystal light modulator with a light source, a machined silicon light modulator with a light source, an organic electroluminescent display, an inorganic electroluminescent display, a plasma display, or a light emitting diode (LED) display.

13. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the at least one projection display included as a part of the plurality of display cells at the first communication site and the at least one additional communication site is a rear projection display system.

14. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the at least one projection display included as a part of the plurality of display cells at the first communication site and the at least one additional communication site is a front projection display system.

15. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the broadband telecommunications transmission link operates at a speed of at least 128 megabytes per second.

16. A teleconference system as claimed in claim 10 wherein the display of the projected image is updated dependent upon the number of interfaced additional communication sites, at a speed of no less than {fraction (1/60)}th of a second.