Interactive zooming in video conferencing

• US 9,307,192 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel IP Corporation (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Oyman, Ozgur
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US14/109,121
• Publication Number:
  US 20140320587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 840 Days
• Field of Search: 345/633, 348/14.05, 348/14.07, 348/36, 348/159, 348/591, 348/14.02, 348/14.03, 348/14.08, 348/14.12, 382/232, 382/282, 382/239, 382/203, 370/231, 370/311, 386/239, 707/769
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/00 Orthogonal multiplex systems, e.g. using WALSH codesH04J13/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/0023 Interference mitigation or co-ordination direct sequence spread spectrum [DSSS] systems H04B1/7097; frequency hopping H04B1/713; allocation criteria for ingress interference avoidance H04L5/0062; frequency allocation criteria for requirements on out-of-channel emissions H04L5/0066; arrangements for removing intersymbol interference or baseband equalisers H04L25/03006; peak power aspects in multicarrier modulation H04L27/2614; power management H04W52/00; traffic scheduling H04W72/54, H04W72/541
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 11/005 of intercell interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1671 the supervisory signal being transmitted together with control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1812 Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1861 Physical mapping arrangements for ACK signaling see also H04L5/0053
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1407 Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/12 Avoiding congestion; Recovering from congestion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0007 the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A), DMT
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0032 Distributed allocation, i.e. involving a plurality of allocating devices, each making partial allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0033 each allocating device acting autonomously, i.e. without negotiation with other allocating devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0044 allocation of payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/005 of common pilots, i.e. pilots destined for multiple users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0073 Allocation arrangements that take into account other cell interferences for intercell interference mitigation or co-ordination in orthogonal multiplex systems H04J11/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 : Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 : Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 : Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 : Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 : at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 : Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 : based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 : Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 : for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 : communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 : Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 : between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• 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 7/15 : Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0236 : radio quality, e.g. interference, losses or delay
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0066 : of control information between different types of networks in order to establish a new radio link in the target network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/06 : based on traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 : Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 : managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 : using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/08 : Closed loop power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 : Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/242 : taking into account path loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/32 : TPC of broadcast or control channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/325 : Power control of control or pilot channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 : Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 : User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 : Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/044 : based on the type of the allocated resource
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 : Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 : Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 : Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 : in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 : in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 : based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 : using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 : Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 : Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 : Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 : triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 : Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 : Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a video conferencing application, a user viewing a scene can performing zooming by selecting an area in the scene, then dynamically switching a video feed of the scene to the selected area of the scene. The hardware and software of the video conferencing application can limit the video transmitted to the user to include only the selected area of the scene. Transmitting only the selected area of the scene, and excluding the non-selected area of the scene from transmission, can more efficiently use the available bandwidth of the video conferencing application.

Claims

1. A method performed by a local user equipment (local UE) for zooming within a video conferencing application that provides two-way video communication between the local UE and a remote user equipment (remote UE), the method comprising:

defining, at the local UE, a user-defined region of interest (ROI) within a field of view at the remote UE, without changing the field of view of the remote UE;

directing the remote UE to capture video within the ROI, without changing the field of view of the remote UE;

receiving, at the local UE, the captured video from the remote UE, the received video including regions within the ROI and excluding regions outside the ROI; and

displaying, at the local UE, the received video.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein directing the remote UE to capture video within the ROI comprises:

indicating the ROI in RTCP feedback reports; and

sending the RTCP feedback reports to the remote UE.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein directing the remote UE to capture video within the ROI comprises:

capturing local video at the local UE;

embedding the ROI in at least one RTP header extension in the captured local video; and

sending the captured local video, with the embedded at least one RTP header extension, to the remote UE.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one RTP header extension includes a position and a size, the position and the size defining the ROI.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the position comprises two position values indicative of a corner position of the ROI within the field of view at the remote UE.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the two position values are normalized to indicate relative position in two dimensions.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the size comprises two size values indicative of a size of the ROI within the field of view at the remote UE.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the two size values are normalized to indicate relative size in two dimensions.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the ROI includes a variable number of pixels;

and

wherein the received video has a variable refresh rate that is inversely proportional to the number of pixels in the ROI.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the ROI includes a fixed number of pixels;

and

wherein the received video has a constant refresh rate.

11. A user equipment (UE), comprising:

circuitry configured to perform two-way video conferencing between the UE and a remote user equipment (remote UE), the circuitry arranged to;

define, at the UE, a user-defined region of interest (ROI) within a field of view at the remote UE, without changing the field of view of the remote UE;

direct the remote UE to capture video within the ROI, without changing the field of view of the remote UE;

receive, at the UE, the captured video from the remote UE, the received video including regions within the ROI and excluding regions outside the ROI; and

display, at the UE, the received video.

12. The UE of claim 11, wherein directing the remote UE to capture video within the ROI comprises:

indicating the ROI in RTCP feedback reports; and

sending the RTCP feedback reports to the remote UE.

13. The UE of claim 11, wherein directing the remote UE to capture video within the ROI comprises:

capturing local video at the local UE;

embedding the ROI in at least one RTP header extension in the captured local video; and

sending the captured local video, with the embedded at least one RTP header extension, to the remote UE.

14. The UE of claim 13, wherein the at least one RTP header extension includes a position and a size, the position and the size defining the ROI.

15. The UE of claim 14, wherein the position comprises two position values indicative of a corner position of the ROI within the field of view at the remote UE.

16. The UE of claim 15, wherein the two position values are normalized to indicate relative position in two dimensions.

17. The UE of claim 14, wherein the size comprises two size values indicative of a size of the ROI within the field of view at the remote UE.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the two size values are normalized to indicate relative size in two dimensions.

19. The UE of claim 11,

wherein the ROI includes a variable number of pixels;

and

wherein the received video has a variable refresh rate that is inversely proportional to the number of pixels in the ROI.

20. The UE of claim 11,

wherein the ROI includes a fixed number of pixels;

and

wherein the received video has a constant refresh rate.

21. A method performed by a local user equipment (local UE) for zooming within a video conferencing application that provides two-way video communication between the local UE and a remote user equipment (remote UE), the method comprising:

defining, at the local UE, a user-defined region of interest (ROI) within a field of view at the remote UE;

capturing local video at the local UE;

embedding the ROI in at least one RTP header extension in the captured local video; and

sending the captured local video, with the embedded at least one RTP header extension, to the remote UE, the at least one RTP header extension including a position and a size, the position and the size defining the ROI, the position including two position values indicative of a corner position of the ROI within the field of view at the remote UE, the size including two size values indicative of a size of the ROI within the field of view at the remote UE;

directing the remote UE to capture video within the ROI;

receiving, at the local UE, the captured video from the remote UE, the received video including regions within the ROI and excluding regions outside the ROI; and

displaying, at the local UE, the received video.