System and method for providing location specific sound in a telepresence system

• US 7,692,680 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• 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: Richman, Marc L., McLaughlin, Hugh J., Graham, Philip R., Abed, Tark, Harrell, Randy K., Yu, Feng Hao, Marechal, Philip E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz; Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): El-Zoobi; Maria
• Application Number:
  US11/483,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20070263079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,366 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.05, 715/753, 379/406.01, 381/424, 381/369, 381/335, 370/480, 455/575.3
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• 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 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

A system for providing location-specific sound in a telepresence system includes a plurality of remote microphones. Each remote microphone is associated with a respective area and operable to generate a sound signal from the voice of at least one user within the respective area. The system also includes a plurality of remote cameras. Each remote camera is associated with a respective remote microphone of the plurality of remote microphones and aligned to generate an image of its associated respective area. The system further includes a plurality of local displays. Each local display is operable to reproduce the image of a respective area generated by a respective remote camera. The system also includes a plurality of local loudspeakers. Each local loudspeaker is positioned proximate to a respective local display and operable to reproduce the sound signal from the voice of the at least one user within the respective area reproduced by the respective local display.

Claims

1. A system for providing location-specific sound in a telepresence system comprising:

a plurality of remote microphones, each remote microphone associated with a respective area and operable to generate a sound signal from the voice of at least one user within the respective area;

a plurality of remote cameras, each remote camera associated with a respective remote microphone of the plurality of remote microphones and aligned to generate an image of its associated respective area;

a plurality of local displays, each local display operable to reproduce the image of a respective area generated by a respective remote camera;

a plurality of local loudspeakers, each local loudspeaker associated with a respective local display and operable to reproduce the sound signal from the voice of the at least one user within the respective area reproduced by the respective local display; and

wherein each remote microphone is associated with a respective local loudspeaker such that each local loudspeaker is operable to reproduce only the sound signal from its associated microphone based on the image being reproduced on its associated local display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of directional remote microphones.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of cardioid remote microphones.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of hypercardioid remote microphones.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of higher order directional remote microphones.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of low profile remote microphones.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a filter operable to remove unwanted sound from the sound detected by the plurality of remote microphones.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the unwanted sound comprises sound detected by at least two remote microphones of the plurality of remote microphones, the sound detected at each remote microphone having a different amplitude, the unwanted sound being the sound having the smaller amplitude.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each local loudspeaker is positioned below the respective associated local display.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each local loudspeaker is positioned above the respective associated local display.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each local loudspeaker is positioned on a side of the respective associated local display such that each local display has at least one local loudspeaker on each side.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each remote microphone associated with a respective area comprises a remote microphone coupled to a table wherein the table spans each respective area.

13. A method for providing location-specific sound in a telepresence system, comprising:

generating a sound signal from the voice of at least one user within a respective area, the sound signal generated by at least one remote microphone of a plurality of remote microphones, each remote microphone associated with the respective area;

aligning a plurality of remote cameras to generate an image of an associated respective area each remote camera associated with a respective remote microphone of the plurality of remote microphones;

reproducing the image of a respective area generated by a respective remote camera at each local display of a plurality of local displays;

reproducing the sound signal from the voice of the at least one user within the respective area reproduced by the respective local display, each local loudspeaker associated with a respective local display; and

wherein each remote microphone is associated with a respective local loudspeaker such that each local loudspeaker is operable to reproduce only the sound signal from its associated microphone based on the image being reproduced on its associated local display.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of directional remote microphones.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of cardioid remote microphones.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of hypercardioid remote microphones.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of higher order directional remote microphones.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of remote microphones comprises a plurality of low profile remote microphones.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising filtering unwanted sound from the sound detected by the plurality of remote microphones.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the unwanted sound comprises sound detected by at least two remote microphones of the plurality of remote microphones, the sound detected at each remote microphone having a different amplitude, the unwanted sound being the sound having the smaller amplitude.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein each local loudspeaker is positioned below the respective associated local display.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein each local loudspeaker is positioned above the respective associated local display.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein each local loudspeaker is positioned on a side of the respective associated local display such that each local display has at least one local loudspeaker on each side.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein each remote microphone associated with a respective area comprises a remote microphone coupled to a table wherein the table spans each respective area.

25. A system comprising:

at a remote location;

a first remote microphone associated with a first area and operable to generate a first sound signal capturing the voice of at least one user within the first area;

a first remote camera associated with the first area and aligned so as to generate a first video signal capturing a first video image of the first area;

a second remote microphone associated with a second area and operable to generate a second sound signal capturing the voice of at least one user within the second area, wherein a position of the first area with respect to the second area is known; and

a second remote camera associated with the second area and aligned so as to generate a second video signal capturing a second video image of the second area;

at a local location;

a first local display and a second local display each operable to reproduce different video images from different video signals, wherein a position of each of the local displays with respect to one another is known;

a first local loudspeaker located below the first local display and operable to reproduce a voice of at least one user from a sound signal; and

a second local loudspeaker located below the second display and operable to reproduce a different voice of at least one user from a different sound signal; and

a processor coupled to the first and second remote microphones, the first and second remote cameras, the first and second local loudspeakers, and the first and second local displays, wherein the processor is operable to;

associate the first video signal only with the first local display and the first sound signal only with the first local loudspeaker such that the first local display reproduces the video image of the first area and the first local loudspeaker reproduces the voice of the at least one user of the first area;

associate the second video signal only with the second local display and the second sound signal only with the second local loudspeaker such that the second local display reproduces the video image of the second area and the second local loudspeaker reproduces the voice of the at least one user of the second area; and

wherein the associations are based on the positions of the first and second areas with respect to one another and the positions of the first and second local displays with respect to one another.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

at the remote location;

a third remote microphone associated with a third area and operable to generate a third sound signal capturing the voice of at least one user within the third area, wherein a position of the third area is known with respect to the first and second areas; and

a third remote camera associated with the third area and aligned so as to generate a third video signal capturing a third video image of the third area;

at a local location;

a third local display operable to reproduce a third different video image from a third different video signal; and

a third local loudspeaker located below the third display and operable to reproduce a third different voice of at least one user from a third different sound signal; and

wherein the processor is further coupled to the third remote microphone, the third remote camera, the third local loudspeaker, and the third local display, and is further operable to;

associate the third video signal only with the third local display and the third sound signal only with the third local loudspeaker such that the third local display reproduces the video image of the third area and the third local loudspeaker reproduces the voice of the at least one user of the third area; and

wherein the associations are based on the positions of the first, second, and third areas with respect to one another, and the positions of the first, second, and third local displays with respect to one another.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein:

the first remote camera is aligned such that the captured first video image of the first area does not include a user in the second area; and

the second remote camera is aligned such that the captured second video image of the second area does not include a user in the first area.