System and method for enhancing eye gaze in a telepresence system

• US 7,679,639 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lombrozo, Pete, Wales, Richard T., Graham, Philip R., Desai, Ashok T., Abed, Tark, Grunes, Andrew D., Harrell, Randy K., How, Peter H. J., Dhuey, Michael J., Marechal, Philip E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah; Melur
• Application Number:
  US11/483,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20070263080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1401- 1416, 370260-261, 715/753, 715/755, 715/751
• US Class Current: 348/14.08
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system for enhancing eye gaze in a telepresence system includes a plurality of local cameras coupled to at least one local display. Each local camera is directed to at least one respective local user section and operable to generate an image of the respective local user section. The system also includes a plurality of remote displays. Each remote display is operable to reproduce the local video image of the local user section. Within the system the plurality of remote displays and the plurality of local cameras are aligned such that when a first local user within a local user section looks at a target at least one remote display is operable to reproduce the local video image of the first user section comprising the first local user such that the eye gaze of the reproduced image of the first local user is directed approximately at a corresponding target.

Claims

1. A system for enhancing eye gaze in a telepresence system, comprising:

a plurality of local cameras coupled to at least one local display of a plurality of local displays, each local camera directed to at least one unique local user section of a plurality of local user sections and operable to generate a local video image of the at least one unique respective local user section;

a plurality of remote displays, each remote display associated with a respective local camera of the plurality of local cameras and operable to concurrently reproduce the local video image of the at least one unique local user section generated by its respective local camera; and

wherein the plurality of remote displays and the plurality of local cameras are aligned such that when a first local user within at least one local user section looks at a target at least one remote display of the plurality of remote displays is operable to reproduce the local video image of the at least one local user section comprising at least the first local user such that the eye gaze of the reproduced image of the first local user is directed approximately at a corresponding target.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the target is an image of the corresponding target displayed on at least one local display of the plurality of local displays.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the target is located within at least one local user section of the plurality of local user sections; and

the corresponding target is an image of the target reproduced on at least one remote display of the plurality of remote displays.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of local user sections are within a local room;

the plurality of remote displays are within a remote room;

the target is located within the local room comprising the plurality of local user sections; and

the corresponding target is located within the remote room such that the location of the corresponding target within the remote room corresponds to the location of the target within the local room.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote displays and the plurality of local cameras are aligned such that when the local video image of the at least one unique local user section is reproduced on at least one remote display of the plurality of remote displays the image of a local user within the at least one user section is fully proportional.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote displays are further aligned so as to face the center of the plurality of remote user sections.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of local cameras operable to generate a local video image of the at least one unique local user section comprise a plurality of local cameras operable to generate a local video image of the at least one unique local user section in high-definition (HD).

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote displays operable to concurrently reproduce the local video image generated by its respective local camera comprises a plurality of remote displays operable to concurrently reproduce the local video images in high definition (HD).

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote displays comprises a plurality of displays being at least 60 inches in size.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a local table coupled to the plurality of local displays and extending away from the local displays and into the plurality of local user sections wherein the plurality of local cameras are further aligned so that a central axis of each local camera of the plurality of local cameras is perpendicular to an edge of the local table at a point along the local table within each local user section, the point along the table being at a mid-point between two sides of each local user section.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of local cameras comprises a first number of local cameras;

the plurality of local displays comprises the first number of local displays; and

the plurality of local user sections comprises the first number of local user sections.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the first number is three;

the three local displays comprise a left local display, a center local display, and a right local display; and

the three local cameras are all coupled to the center local display and comprise a left local camera, a center local camera and a right local camera, the left local camera having a central axis aligned approximately between 30 and 36 degrees counterclockwise from a central axis of the center local camera, the right local camera having a central axis aligned approximately between 30 and 36 degrees clockwise from the central axis of the center local camera.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of local cameras are coupled to the at least one local display of the plurality of local displays at a first distance below the top edge of the at least one local display of the plurality of local displays, the first distance related to the size of the local display.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of local cameras are coupled to the at least one local display of the plurality of local displays at approximately between four to six inches below the top edge of the at least one local display.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of local cameras are coupled to the at least one local display of the plurality of local displays such that the plurality of local cameras are approximately equidistant from a left edge of a left most local display of the plurality of local displays and a right edge of a right most local display of the plurality of local displays.

16. A method for enhancing eye gaze in a telepresence system, comprising:

coupling a plurality of local cameras to at least one local display of a plurality of local displays;

directing each local camera to at least one unique local user section of a plurality of local user sections;

generating a local video image from each local camera of the at least one unique respective local user section;

concurrently reproducing the local video image of the at least one unique local user section generated by its respective local camera on a respective display of a plurality of remote displays, wherein each remote display is associated with a respective local camera of the plurality of local cameras; and

aligning the plurality of remote displays and the plurality of local cameras such that when a first local user within the at least one local user section looks at a target at least one remote display of the plurality of remote displays is operable to reproduce the local video image of the at least one local user section comprising at least the first local user such that the eye gaze of the reproduced image of the first local user is directed approximately at a corresponding target.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the target is an image of the corresponding target displayed on at least one local display of the plurality of local displays.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the target at which the at least one local user looks is located within at least one local user section of the plurality of local user sections; and

the corresponding target is an image of the target reproduced on at least one remote display of the plurality of remote displays.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the plurality of local user sections are within a local room;

the plurality of remote displays are within a remote room;

the target at which the at least one local user looks is located within the local room comprising the plurality of local user sections; and

the corresponding target is located within the remote room such that the location of the corresponding target within the remote room corresponds to the location of the target within the local room.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein aligning the plurality of remote displays and the plurality of local cameras comprises aligning the plurality of remote displays and the plurality of local cameras such that when the local video image of the at least one unique local user section is reproduced on at least one remote display of the plurality of remote displays the image of a local user within the at least one user section is fully proportional.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising aligning the plurality of remote displays so as to face the center of the plurality of remote user sections.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein generating a local video image from the plurality of local cameras of the at least one unique local user section comprises generating a local video image from the plurality of local cameras of the at least one unique local user section in high-definition (HD).

23. The method of claim 16, wherein concurrently reproducing the local video image comprises concurrently reproducing the local video image in high definition (HD).

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of remote displays comprises a plurality of displays being at least 60 inches in size.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising aligning a central axis of each local camera of the plurality of local cameras to be perpendicular to an edge of a local table at a point along the edge of the local table, the point along the table being at a mid-point between two sides of each local user section wherein the local table is coupled to the plurality of local displays and extending away from the local displays and into the plurality of local user sections.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein:

the plurality of local cameras comprises a first number of local cameras;

the plurality of local displays comprises the first number of local displays; and

the plurality of local user sections comprises the first number of local user sections.

27. The method of claim 26:

wherein the first number is three;

wherein the three local displays comprise a left local display, a center local display, and a right local display;

further comprising coupling the three local cameras to the center local display; and

further comprising aligning the three local cameras such that the left local camera has a central axis approximately between 30 and 36 degrees counterclockwise from a central axis of the center local camera, the right local camera having a central axis aligned approximately between 30 and 36 degrees clockwise from the central axis of the center local camera.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling the plurality of local cameras to the at least one local display of the plurality of local displays comprises coupling the plurality of local cameras to the at least one local display at a first distance below the top edge of the at least one local display, the first distance related to the size of the at least one local display.

29. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling the plurality of local cameras to the at least one local display of the plurality of local displays comprises coupling the plurality of local cameras to at least one local display of the plurality of local displays at approximately between four to six inches below the top edge of the at least one local display.

30. The method of claim 16, wherein coupling a plurality of local cameras to at least one local display of a plurality of local displays comprises coupling a plurality of local cameras to at least one local display of a plurality of local displays such that the plurality of local cameras are coupled to the at least one local display of the plurality of local displays such that the plurality of local cameras are approximately equidistant from a left edge of a left most local display of the plurality of local displays and a right edge of a right most local display of the plurality of local displays.