Video conferencing system

• US 7,940,293 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Gorzynski, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Stella L
• Application Number:
  US11/442,421
• Publication Number:
  US 20070285507A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.16
• US Class Current: 348/14.01
• 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 video conferencing system includes a camera and a display within a room. The camera is directed towards participants in a foreground against a background. The room has lighting defining at least foreground luminance. The display defines maximum display luminance, and the display and flare of the room define minimum display luminance. The camera, the display, and/or the room are adapted to provide one or more of the following. First, that the maximum display luminance is greater than the foreground luminance but less than the foreground luminance times a first constant. Second, that the maximum display luminance is greater than the minimum display luminance by more than a second constant. Third, that illumination color of foreground images displayed on the display substantially match illumination color of the foreground. Fourth, that a color of background images displayed on the display substantially matches a color of the background.

Claims

1. A video conferencing system comprising:

a camera within a room and directed towards one or more participants in a foreground against a background, the room having lighting defining at least a foreground luminance; and

,

a display within the room and defining a maximum display luminance, the display and flare of the room defining a minimum display luminance,

in which one or more of the camera, the display, and the room provide

the maximum display luminance being greater than the foreground luminance but less than the foreground luminance times a first constant.

2. The video conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the foreground is defined by a focal plane of the camera.

3. The video conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the lighting within the room further defines a background luminance, the background luminance being less than the foreground luminance.

4. The video conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the background comprises a back wall having a substantially solid color.

5. The video conferencing system of claim 1, wherein one or more walls surrounding the display are illuminated by the lighting less than other parts of the room to decrease the flare.

6. The video conferencing system of claim 5, wherein the background comprises a back wall having a color with lightness less than a lightness of a color of the walls surrounding the display to compensate for lesser illumination by the lighting of the walls surrounding the display as compared to the back wall.

7. The video conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the camera, the display, and the room are adapted to provide at least the maximum display luminance being greater than the foreground luminance but less than the foreground luminance times a first constant.

8. The video conferencing system of claim 7, wherein the first constant is at least about two.

9. The video conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the camera, the display, and the room are adapted to provide at least the maximum display luminance being greater than the minimum display luminance by more than the second constant.

10. The video conferencing system of claim 9, wherein the second constant is at least about 150.

11. The video conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the camera, the display, and the room are adapted to provide at least the illumination color of foreground images displayed on the display substantially matching the illumination color of the foreground.

12. The video conferencing system of claim 11, wherein the video conferencing system is communicatively connected to a camera at a remote location directed towards a remote participant in a remote foreground against a remote background at the remote location, such that the foreground images displayed on the display are of the remote foreground at the remote location.

13. The video conferencing system of claim 1, wherein the camera, the display, and the room are adapted to provide at least the color of the background images displayed on the display substantially matching the color of the background.

14. The video conferencing system of claim 13, wherein the video conferencing system is communicatively connected to a camera at a remote location directed towards a remote participant in a remote foreground against a remote background, such that the background images displayed on the display are of the remote background at the remote location.

15. A method comprising:

directing a camera of a video conferencing system towards a participant in a foreground of a room against a background of the room, the room having lighting defining at least a foreground luminance;

situating a display of the video conferencing system within the room such that the participant is able to view the display, the display defining a maximum display luminance, the display and flare of the room defining a minimum display luminance; and

adapting one or more of the camera, the display, and the room to provide

the maximum display luminance being greater than the foreground luminance but less than the foreground luminance times a first constant.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising adapting one or more of the camera, the display, and the room to provide at least the maximum display luminance being greater than the minimum display luminance by more than a second constant.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising adapting one or more of the camera, the display, and the room to provide at least the illumination color of foreground images displayed on the display substantially matching the illumination color of the foreground.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising adapting one or more of the camera, the display, and the room to provide at least the color of the background images displayed on the display substantially matching the color of the background.

19. A video conferencing system comprising:

a camera that electronically captures at least images of a participant in a foreground of a room against a background of the room, the room having lighting defining at least a foreground luminance; and

a display that displays captured images of a remote participant to the participant, the display defining a maximum display luminance, the display and flare of the room defining a minimum display luminance,

in which one or more of the camera, the display, and the room provide

the maximum display luminance being greater than the minimum display luminance by more than a first constant.

20. The video conferencing system of claim 19, in which the camera, the display, and the room are adapted to provide at least the maximum display luminance being greater than the foreground luminance but less than the foreground luminance times a second constant.

21. The video conferencing system of claim 20, in which the second constant is at least about two.

22. The video conferencing system of claim 19, in which the first constant is at least about 150.

23. The video conferencing system of claim 19, in which the camera, the display, and the room are adapted to provide at least the illumination color of foreground images displayed on the display substantially matching the illumination color of the foreground.

24. The video conferencing system of claim 19 in which the camera, the display, and the room are adapted to provide at least the color of the background images displayed on the display substantially matching the color of the background.