Image telecommunication system

• US 6,342,915 B1
• Filed: 03/12/1998
• Issued: 01/29/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Susumu Tachi, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Susumu Tachi, Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Tachi, Susumu, Ozaki, Nobuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vo, Tung
• Application Number:
  US09/038,629
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: G08/B 2.600, 348/141, 348/143, 348/144, 348/148, 348/150, 348/151, 348/152, 348/153, 348/160, 348/161, 348/169, 348/170, 348/61-67, 379/110.01, 379/21, 379/35, 379/93.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.08, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 340/505, 340/506, 340/531, 340/286.61
• US Class Current: 348/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/14 Systems for two-way working H04N7/12, H04N7/173 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

An image telecommunication system comprises a worker'"'"'s device and a manager'"'"'s device. The worker'"'"'s device collects an image of an object and transmits it to the manager'"'"'s device placed in a remote place, so that the image is displayed on a display screen of the manager'"'"'s device. The manager'"'"'s device transmits a designated position of the image, designated in a state where the image is displayed, to the worker'"'"'s device. The worker'"'"'s device indicates a position of the object corresponding to the designated position received from the manager'"'"'s device. The worker'"'"'s device detects a point of view of the worker. The manager'"'"'s device suppresses fluctuation of the image displayed on the display screen, when it is determined that the worker looks at the object substantially continuously.

Claims

1. An image telecommunication system comprising:

a worker'"'"'s device, put on a worker'"'"'s person, and configured to collect an image of an object present in a field of view of the worker and to transmit the image outside the worker'"'"'s device, wherein the worker'"'"'s device includes;

a detector configured to detect a point of view of the worker at fixed periods, and

a movement detector configured to detect amounts of movement of the worker at the fixed periods; and

a manager'"'"'s device, placed in a remote place distant from the worker'"'"'s device, and configured to receive and display the image of the object transmitted from the worker'"'"'s device on a display screen, wherein the manager'"'"'s device includes;

a fluctuation suppressor configured to suppress fluctuation of the image displayed on the display screen, when it is determined that the worker looks at the object substantially continuously, and

a circuit, when a difference between a point of view detected in a current period and a point of view detected in a previous period is within a predetermined range, configured to determine that the worker looks at the object substantially continuously, and to move the image of the object displayed on the display screen in a direction in which the difference is canceled.

2. An image telecommunication system comprising:

a worker'"'"'s device, put on a worker'"'"'s person, and configured to collect an image of an object present in a field of view of the worker and to transmit the image outside the worker'"'"'s device, wherein the worker'"'"'s device includes;

a first detector configured to detect a point of view of the worker at fixed periods,

a second detector configured to detect amounts of movement of the worker at fixed periods, and

an indicator configured to visually indicate a position on the object corresponding to a designated position received from a manager'"'"'s device;

the manager'"'"'s device, placed in a remote place distant from the worker'"'"'s device and configured to receive and display the image of the object transmitted from the worker'"'"'s device on a display screen, wherein the manager'"'"'s device includes;

a transmitter configured to transmit a designated position, designated in a state where the image is displayed on the display screen, to the worker'"'"'s device; and

a fluctuation suppressor configured to suppress fluctuation of the image displayed on the display screen, when it is determined that the worker looks at the object substantially continously;

a circuit, when a difference between a point of view detected in a current period and a point of view detected in a previous period is within a predetermined range, configured to determine that the worker looks at the object substantially continuously, and to move the image of the object displayed on the display screen in a direction in which the difference is canceled.

3. The image telecommunication system according to claim 2, wherein the indicator irradiates a laser beam onto the position on the object.

5. The image telecommunication system according to claim 2, wherein the indicator projects the position on the object onto eyeglasses put on the worker.

6. The image telecommunication system according to claim 2, wherein the image of the object present in the field of view of the worker is collected by a camera mounted on a front portion of a helmet put on the worker'"'"'s head.

7. The image telecommunication system according to claim 6, wherein the movement detector comprises an acceleration sensor mounted on the helmet and an integrator configured to integrate twice an acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor.

8. The image telecommunication system according to claim 6, wherein the movement detector is a gyroscope mounted on the helmet.

9. The image telecommunication system according to claim 6, wherein the detector is an eye tracking sensor, mounted on a front portion of the helmet, for detecting a position of a pupil of the worker.

10. The image telecommunication system according to claim 7, wherein the manager'"'"'s device further includes a calculator configured to calculate an inclination angle of the camera from the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor and a corrector configured to correct an inclination of the image displayed on the display screen using the calculated inclination angle.

11. The image telecommunication system according to claim 2, wherein the manager'"'"'s device further includes a lock mode setter configured to temporarily stop movement of the image displayed on the display screen, when a lock operation is performed in a state where the image is displayed.

12. The image telecommunication system according to claim 2, wherein the designated position is designated in the manager'"'"'s device through a touch panel provided in front of the display screen.

4. An image telecommunication system comprising:

a worker'"'"'s device, put on a worker'"'"'s person, and configured to collect an image of an object present in a field of view of the worker and to transmit the image outside the worker'"'"'s device; and

a manager'"'"'s device, placed in a remote place distant from the worker'"'"'s device and configured to receive and display the image of the object transmitted from the worker'"'"'s device on a display screen, wherein;

the manager'"'"'s device includes a transmitter configured to transmit a designated position, designated in a state where the image is displayed on the display screen, to the worker'"'"'s device; and

the worker'"'"'s device includes an indicator configured to visually indicate a position on the object corresponding to the designated position received from the manager'"'"'s device and the indicator projects the position on the object onto eyeglasses put on the worker.