Multi-point communication arrangement and method
First Claim
1. A video communication system comprising:
- a plurality of stations, each station including a video camera configured and arranged to generate a video signal; and
a central control unit including a cascaded arrangement of signal processing units, each signal processing unit constructed and arranged to receive the video signal from a corresponding one of said plurality of stations and a cascaded video signal from another signal processing unit in a cascaded manner at a designated position in the cascaded arrangement, and each signal processing unit configured and arranged to combine the video signal of the corresponding one of said plurality of stations with the cascaded video signal according to the designated position of another signal processing unit in the cascaded arrangement.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A videocommunication system combines video signals for screen-region display for multi-point monitoring and/or conferencing. Consistent with one embodiment directed to a modular implementation, each of a plurality of stations includes an arrangement having a video display and a video camera for generating a video signal, and a cascaded arrangement of signal processing units. Each signal processing unit is constructed and arranged for receiving cascaded signals, including at least one cascaded video signal, at a designated position in the cascaded arrangement. Each signal processing unit combines the video signal of an associated one of the stations with a cascaded video signal according to the designated position of the signal processing unit in the cascaded arrangement.
64 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A video communication system comprising:
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a plurality of stations, each station including a video camera configured and arranged to generate a video signal; and
a central control unit including a cascaded arrangement of signal processing units, each signal processing unit constructed and arranged to receive the video signal from a corresponding one of said plurality of stations and a cascaded video signal from another signal processing unit in a cascaded manner at a designated position in the cascaded arrangement, and each signal processing unit configured and arranged to combine the video signal of the corresponding one of said plurality of stations with the cascaded video signal according to the designated position of another signal processing unit in the cascaded arrangement. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of video communicating between a plurality of stations, each station arrange to generate a corresponding video signal, the method comprising:
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providing a plurality of signal processing units within a central control unit;
receiving the corresponding video signal from a corresponding one of said plurality of stations and a cascaded video signal from another signal processing unit in a cascaded manner at each signal processing unit;
using the central control unit to cascaded the signal processing units with each signal processing unit having a designated position in the cascaded arrangement, the position being designated by the central control unit; and
at each signal processing unit, using the designated position of the signal processing unit in the cascaded arrangement to combine the video signal of the corresponding one of said plurality of stations with the cascaded video signal. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A video communication system, comprising:
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a plurality of cameras, each arranged to generate a video signal;
a central control unit; and
a cascaded arrangement of signal processing units within the central control unit, each signal processing unit constructed and arranged to receive the video signal from a corresponding one of said plurality of cameras and a cascaded video signal from another signal processing unit at a position in the cascaded arrangement as designated by the central control unit, and each signal processing unit configured and arranged to combine the video signal of the corresponding one of said plurality of stations with the cascaded video signal according to the designated position of the signal processing unit in the cascaded arrangement, the cascaded arrangement configured to drive a display device with regionally-assigned video images. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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Specification