Video display apparatus, video composition delivery apparatus, and system

• US 7,559,031 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2006
• Issued: 07/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Sugasawa, Nobuhiko, Shibuya, Naohisa, Kawamura, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hassan; Rashedul
• Application Number:
  US11/335,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20060170763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,264 Days
• Field of Search: 715/722, 715/753, 715/756, 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/263, 370/264, 370/265, 370/266, 370/267, 370/268, 370/269, 370/270, 370/271, 709/204, 709/203, 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 348/14.1, 348/14.11, 348/14.14, 348/14.15, 348/14.16
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/152 Multipoint control units therefor

Abstract

There is provided with a video display apparatus comprising: a receiving unit configured to receive a composite video image generated from a plurality of video sources; a display unit configured to display the received composite video image; an area manager configured to store area information pieces; a position specification unit configured to specify a position on the composite video image; an area selection unit configured to select an area information piece from the area information pieces; an area display unit configured to provide information indicating the area represented by the selected area information piece to the display unit so as to superpose the information on the displayed composite video image; an area change unit configured to change the information; an area information update unit configured to update the selected area information piece; and a transmission unit configured to transmit an update control signal containing the area information piece after update.

Claims

1. A video display apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a composite video image generated from a plurality of video sources;

a display unit configured to display the received composite video image;

an area manager configured to store area information pieces;

a position specification unit configured to specify a position on the composite video image displayed by the display unit;

an area selection unit configured to select an area information piece from the area information pieces stored in the area manager;

an area display unit configured to provide information indicating the area represented by the area information piece selected by the area selection unit to the display unit so as to superpose the information on the displayed composite video image;

an area change unit configured to change the information;

an area information update unit configured to update the area information piece selected by the area selection unit stored in the area manager according to the information obtained after the change; and

a control signal transmission unit configured to generate an update control signal containing the area information piece after update, and transmit the update control signal to a generation source of the composite video image.

2. The video display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the area information pieces include position information of an area on the composite video image, size information of the area, and an identifier identifying the area;

and

the area change unit changes at least one of the position information and the size information of the information.

3. The video display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the position specification unit selects an area information piece of an area including the position specified.

4. The video display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the area selection unit generates a default area information piece indicating a default area,

the area manager stores the default area information piece generated by the area selection unit,

the area display unit provides information indicating the area represented by the default area information piece generated by the area selection unit to the display unit so as to superpose the information on the displayed composite video image, and

the control signal transmission unit generates a registration control signal containing the default area information piece and containing further position information indicating the position specified by the position specification unit, and transmits the registration control signal to the generation source of the composite video image.

5. The video display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an area specification unit configured to specify an area on the composite video image displayed by the display unit; and

a predetermined area selection unit configured to specify a predetermined area information piece, on the basis of a position and a size of the area specified by the area specification unit;

wherein

the area manager stores the predetermined area information piece, the area display unit provides information indicating an area represented by the predetermined area information piece specified by the predetermined area selection unit to the display unit so as to superpose the information on the composite video image, and

the control signal transmission unit generates a registration control signal containing the predetermined area information piece specified by the predetermined area selection unit and containing predetermined position information indicating a predetermined position in the area specified by the area specification unit, and transmits the registration control signal to the generation source of the composite video image.

6. The video display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the area specification unit specifies an area on the composite video image by dragging a pointer, and

the predetermined position information is a position of a start point of the pointer when specifying the area by the pointer.

7. The video display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined area information piece is a center position in the area specified by the area specification unit or the area specified by the default information piece.

8. A video composition delivery apparatus, comprising:

a video source receiving unit configured to receive video sources of a composite video image;

a layout information manager configured to manage layout information pieces including an identifier identifying a respective video source, each layout information piece indicating the layout of an image represented by the respective video source on the composite video image;

a composite video generation unit configured to generate the composite video image from the video sources received by the video source receiving unit, by using the layout information pieces;

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the generated composite video image to a destination device;

a control signal receiving unit configured to receive an update control signal from the destination device, the update control signal containing an area information piece indicating an area on the composite video image;

a video manager configured to manage a corresponding relation between the identifier of a video source and a further identifier identifying the area information piece contained in the update control signal; and

a layout information update unit configured to update the layout information piece of a video source associated with the further identifier according to the area information piece contained in the update control signal.

9. The video composition delivery apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the control signal receiving unit receives a registration control signal from the destination device, the registration control signal containing a position information which indicates a position on the composite video image, and an area information piece which indicates an area on the composite video image,

the video manager specifies a video source corresponding to the position indicated by the position information contained in the registration control signal, and relates an identifier of the specified video source with the further identifier identifying the area information piece contained in the registration control signal, and

the layout information update unit updates a layout information piece of the specified video source according to the position information and the area information piece contained in the registration control signal.

10. The video composition delivery apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a detection unit configured to detect the number of video sources received by the video source receiving unit,

wherein if the number of video sources received by the video source receiving unit has increased, the layout information update unit determines positions and sizes of video sources whose identifiers are not related with further identifiers in the video manager, among the video sources received by the video source receiving unit, and updates layout information pieces of the video sources whose identifiers are not related with further identifiers, by the determined positions and sizes.

11. The video composition delivery apparatus according to claim 10, wherein when updating the layout information pieces of the video sources, the layout information update unit determines positions and sizes of the video sources such that a ratio of an area overlapping between a video source to be updated in layout information piece and a video source not to be updated in layout information piece to an area of the video source to be updated in layout information, becomes a definite ratio or less.

12. The video composition delivery apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a detection unit which detects the number of video sources received by the video source receiving unit,

wherein if the number of video sources received by the video source receiving unit has decreased, the layout information update unit determines positions and sizes of video sources whose identifiers are not related with further identifiers in the video manager, among the video sources received by the video source receiving unit, and updates layout information pieces of the video sources whose identifiers are not related with further identifiers, by the determined positions and sizes.

13. The video composition delivery apparatus according to claim 12, wherein when updating the layout information pieces of the video sources, the layout information update unit determines positions and sizes of the video sources a ratio of an area overlapping between a video source to be updated in layout information piece and a video source not to be updated in layout information piece to an area of the video source to be updated in layout information, becomes a definite ratio or less.

14. A video delivery system comprising a video composition delivery apparatus configured to generate a composite video image from video sources and a video display apparatus configured to receive the composite video image from the video composition delivery apparatus to display the received composite video image:

the video display apparatus including;

a receiving unit configured to receive the composite video image from the video composition delivery apparatus,

a display unit configured to display the received composite video image,

an area manager configured to store area information pieces,

a position specification unit configured to specify a position on the composite video image displayed by the display unit,

an area selection unit configured to select an area information piece indicating an area including the position specified by the position specification unit from the area information pieces stored in the area manager,

an area display unit configured to provide information indicating the area represented by the area information piece selected by the area selection unit to the display unit so as to superpose the information on the displayed composite video image,

an area change unit configured to change the information provided by the area display unit,

an area information update unit configured to update the area information piece selected by the area selection unit according to the information obtained after the change, and

a control signal transmission unit configured to generate an update control signal containing the area information piece after update and a first identifier identifying the area information piece after update, and configured to transmit the update control signal to the video composition delivery apparatus,

the video composition delivery apparatus including;

a video source receiving unit configured to receive video sources,

a layout information manager configured to manage layout information pieces including a second identifier identifying a respective video source, the layout information piece indicating the layout of an image represented by the respective video source on the composite video image,

a composite video generation unit configured to generate the composite video image from the video sources received by the video source receiving unit, by using the layout information pieces,

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the generated composite video image to the video display apparatus,

a control signal receiving unit configured to receive the update control signal from the video display apparatus,

a video manager configured to manage a corresponding relation between the second identifier of a video source and the first identifier, and

a layout information update unit configured to update the layout information piece of a video source associated with the first according to the area information piece contained in the update control signal.

15. The video delivery system according to claim 14, wherein

the area selection unit in the video display apparatus generates a default area information piece indicating an default area,

the area manager in the video display apparatus stores the default area information piece generated by the area selection unit,

the area display unit in the video display apparatus provides information indicating the default area represented by the default area information piece generated by the area selection unit to the display unit so as to superpose the information on the displayed composite video image

the control signal transmission unit in the video display apparatus generates a registration control signal containing the default area information piece and containing further position information indicating the position specified by the position specification unit, and transmits the registration control signal to the video composition delivery apparatus,

the control signal receiving unit in the video composition delivery apparatus receives the registration control signal from the video display apparatus, the video manager in the video composition delivery apparatus specifies a video source on the position indicated by the registration control signal, and

the layout information update unit in the video composition delivery apparatus updates a layout information piece of the specified video source according to the registration control signal.

16. The video delivery system according to claim 14,

the video display apparatus further including:

an area specification unit configured to specify an area on the composite video image displayed by the display unit; and

a predetermined area selection unit configured to specify a predetermined area information piece, on the basis of a position and a size of the area specified by the area specification unit,

wherein

the area manager in the video display apparatus stores the predetermined area information piece,

the area display unit in the video display apparatus provides information indicating an area represented by the predetermined area information piece specified by the predetermined area selection unit to the display unit so as to superpose the information on the composite video image, and

the control signal transmission unit in the video display apparatus generates a registration control signal containing the area information piece specified by the predetermined area selection unit and containing predetermined position information indicating a predetermined position in the area specified by the area specification unit, and transmits the registration control signal to the generation source of the composite video image, the control signal receiving unit in the video composition delivery apparatus receives the registration control signal from the video display apparatus,

the video manager in the video composition delivery apparatus specifies a video source on the position indicated by the registration control signal, and

the layout information update unit in the video composition delivery apparatus updates a layout information piece of the specified video source according to the registration control signal.