Computer camera system and method for reducing parallax

• US 7,551,199 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2003
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ledbetter, Carl, Adams, Aditha May, Kaneko, Steve, Magendanz, Chad, Bear, Eric Gould
• Primary Examiner(s): Henn; Timothy J
• Application Number:
  US10/429,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20040223061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,241 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.07, 348/14.16, 348/207.1, 348/207.11, 348373-376
• US Class Current: 348/207.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• 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 camera mounted on a computer system such as on a side of a monitor or behind a displayed image to reduce the parallax that results from a camera viewing angle that differs from a viewed party'"'"'s viewing angle of a display, and that causes unnatural looking video communications. An item of interest corresponding to a focal point of the user that is being viewed, such as a counterpart displayed video image from a participant in the communication, may be positioned near the camera, such that the user tends to look in the general direction of the camera while communicating. Camera movement may be sensed to facilitate automatic or manual repositioning of the displayed item of interest, and a participant, such as a remote participant receiving video in a video communication may control the position of a displayed image on the monitor to minimize the parallax.

Claims

1. In a computing network in which a plurality of computing systems are interconnected so as to be able to digitally communicate among the computing systems, and wherein at least some of the computing systems are capable of communicating by means of digital video, a system adapted to decrease parallax in order to provide improved video imaging and communication, comprising:

a computing system that includes a monitor that displays an image;

a camera interconnected to the computing system, the camera producing an outgoing image for transmission to another, remote computing system;

means for mounting the camera so that the camera is situated relative to a viewed party and relative to the incoming image on the monitor so that the camera and the incoming image are at substantially the same vertical height in order to decrease vertical parallax in the outgoing image produced by the camera; and

means for positioning the incoming image on the monitor in response to received information corresponding to the incoming image and in response to a detected position of the camera in order to position the incoming image on the monitor at a location on the monitor that will reduce parallax of the outgoing image produced by the camera.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a mechanism that positions an item of interest on the display so as to further reduce parallax.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the mechanism positions the item of interest on the display horizontally and vertically to further reduce the parallax.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein the mechanism that positions the item of interest moves the item of interest on the display horizontally to reduce horizontal parallax.

5. The system of claim 2 wherein the mechanism that positions the item of interest includes a user interface.

6. The system of claim 2 wherein the mechanism that positions the item of interest includes a camera movement sensor which automatically senses the location of the camera and provides camera location information to the means for positioning the incoming image.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein the mechanism that positions the item of interest positions the item of interest includes a camera location sensor.

8. The system of claim 2 wherein the mechanism that positions the item of interest includes a component for handling remote positioning data.

9. The system of claim 2 wherein the mechanism that positions the item of interest includes a component for handling local positioning data.

10. The system of claim 2 wherein the item of interest on the display comprises a video image received from a party viewing the camera image.

11. In a computing network in which a plurality of computing systems are interconnected so as to be able to digitally communicate among the computing systems, and wherein at least some of the computing systems are capable of communicating by means of digital video teleconferencing, an improved video conferencing system adapted to decrease parallax in order to provide improved video imaging and communication, comprising:

a first computing system that includes a monitor with a display for receiving and displaying an incoming image on the monitor during video conferencing;

a camera interconnected to the first computing system, the camera producing an outgoing image for transmission to another, remote computing system for display as the incoming image at that remote computing system during video conferencing;

means for mounting the camera at a vertical and a horizontal location relative to the monitor;

means for detecting at the first computing system interconnected to the camera information corresponding to the camera position;

means for receiving information corresponding to an incoming image for display on the monitor of the first computing system; and

means for positioning the incoming image on the monitor in response to the received information corresponding to the incoming image and in response to the detected position of the camera in order to position the incoming image on the monitor at a location on the monitor that will reduce parallax of the outgoing image produced by the camera.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the means for positioning comprises means for aligning the camera behind the incoming image on the monitor.