Lighting may be provided, from one or more light sources, to facilitate the generation of one or more images (e.g., of a plurality of images, as for a video recording) of an environment of interest. Such lighting can be provided from a device that is also configured to generate the images (e.g., a flash of a camera, an annular illuminator disposed around the aperture or lens of a camera) or could be provided from standalone devices (e.g., from overhead lighting, from light emitters of a light box, from an off-camera flash or diffuser).
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method including: (i) capturing, using a camera, a plurality of images of an environment, wherein the images are captured during respective capture periods, wherein sequential capture periods are separated by delay periods, and wherein the captured images are of a target area that is disposed within the environment; (ii) providing, from a first light emitter, first modulated illumination to a first portion of the environment, wherein the target area is exposed to the first modulated illumination, wherein the first modulated illumination has a first intensity during the capture periods that is greater than a first mean intensity of illumination emitted by the first light emitter across the capture and delay periods; and (iii) providing, from a second light emitter, second modulated illumination to a second portion of the environment, wherein the second modulated illumination has a second intensity during the capture periods that is less than a second mean intensity of illumination emitted by the second light emitter across the capture and delay periods.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method including: (i) transmitting, from a computing device, instructions to a camera to capture a plurality of images of an environment, wherein the images are captured during respective capture periods, wherein sequential capture periods are separated by delay periods, and wherein the captured images include a target area that is disposed within the environment; (ii) transmitting, from the computing device, instructions to a first light emitter to provide first modulated illumination to a first portion of the environment, wherein the target area is exposed to the first modulated illumination, wherein the first modulated illumination has a first intensity during the capture periods that is greater than a first mean intensity of illumination emitted by the first light emitter across the capture and delay periods; and (iii) transmitting, from the computing device, instructions to a second light emitter to provide second modulated illumination to a second portion of the environment, wherein the second modulated illumination has a second intensity during the capture periods that is less than a second mean intensity of illumination emitted by the second light emitter across the capture and delay periods.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a system including: (i) a camera configured to capture a plurality of images of an environment, wherein the images are captured during respective capture periods, wherein sequential capture periods are separated by delay periods, and wherein the captured images include a target area that is disposed within the environment; (ii) a first light emitter configured to provide first modulated illumination to a first portion of the environment, wherein the target area is exposed to the first modulated illumination, wherein the first modulated illumination has a first intensity during the capture periods that is greater than a first mean intensity of illumination emitted by the first light emitter across the capture and delay periods; and (iii) a second light emitter configured to provide second modulated illumination to a second portion of the environment, wherein the second modulated illumination has a second intensity during the capture periods that is less than a second mean intensity of illumination emitted by the second light emitter across the capture and delay periods.
These as well as other aspects, advantages, and alternatives, will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description, with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying figures, which form a part hereof. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, figures, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the scope of the subject matter presented herein. In some examples herein, illumination is describes as alternating between ‘on’ and ‘off’ levels of intensity. ‘On’ and ‘off’ levels of intensity could describe levels of intensity that differ with respect to each other but that are both non-zero. Alternatively, an ‘off’ level of intensity could correspond to providing substantially no illumination. Aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.
A variety of applications include the use of a camera to take pictures or video of an environment. These applications can include videoconferencing, the recording of video to record a meeting, performance, speech, personal event, or other applications. However, providing adequate lighting to facilitate such imaging can be difficult. In many locations where video may be taken (e.g., conference rooms, offices, homes), lighting is provided by overhead light sources or other means. A target area of a camera may be poorly lit, may move around, may change, or may otherwise be difficult to properly light. For example, different people could be the focus of a videoconference at different points in time. Person-facing light emitters (e.g., light emitters disposed on a camera) may be used to light a person or other target directly, but the presence of such additional illumination directed at the face of a person may be unpleasant and/or intrusive. A target may be backlit by light sources in an environment (e.g., in examples wherein a target is viewing a display while being imaged from the direction of the display) and/or non-target objects in the background may be more brightly lit and/or may generate glare, further degrading images captured of the target.
Modulated illumination could be provided to different portions of an environment to increase or decrease the amount of illumination received by the portions of the environment when a camera is capturing images of the environment. Such modulated illumination could vary its intensity in time with the operation of the camera in order to illuminate a target area of a camera when the camera is capturing images and/or to reduce the illumination of non-target areas of the camera when the camera is capturing images. For example, to increase the brightness of a target area (e.g., an area including a person) as captured by a camera in a plurality of images (e.g., a plurality of images used to generate a video stream), the intensity of light provided to the target area during image capture periods could be increased relative to a mean intensity of illumination provided to the target area across capture and non-capture periods.
If the modulation of the illumination is provided at a sufficiently high frequency (e.g., at 60 Hertz, or at some frequency less than 60 Hertz), the brightness of the target area in the captured images could be increased without causing an increase in the intensity of the provided illumination as perceived by a person (e.g., by a person who is within the target area of the camera). This could include increasing the intensity of the modulated illumination during the capture periods and decreasing the intensity of the modulated illumination during non-capture periods such that the mean intensity, over time, of the modulated illumination remains the same. Conversely, the brightness of non-target contents of the environment, as represented in images captured by the camera, could be decreased by decreasing the intensity of light provided to the non-target contents of the environment during the capture periods relative to a mean intensity of illumination provided to the non-target contents across capture and non-capture periods.
Such modulated illumination could be provided to different portions of an environment in a variety of ways. In some examples, the illumination could be provided by devices for providing general illumination to an area, e.g., ceiling-mounted lights, wall-mounted lights, lamps, or other sources. The light sources could include light-emitting diodes (LEDs), fluorescent elements, or other light-emitting components that can be operated to provide modulated illumination to portions of an environment. A display (e.g., a display of a videoconferencing system, a display of a cellphone) could be operated to provide modulated illumination to a person or to some other target area. A light source could be operated to provide modulated illumination by providing light having an intensity that varies continuously across a range, that switches between a number of discrete levels, or that switches between ‘on’ and ‘off’ states. The intensity of the modulated illumination could include a plurality of pulses of illumination that have a specified frequency, duty cycle, pulse width, pulse timing, or other specified properties to effect light of an environment in combination with image capture of the environment as described herein.
A variety of cameras, light-emitters, or other components could be operated to provide modulated illumination to an environment and to capture images of the environment in time with the provided illumination. In some examples, one or more cameras and/or light-emitters could be part of a system that includes a controller or other elements configured to operate the camera(s) and light emitter(s) to operate as described herein. Alternatively, the camera(s) and/or light-emitter(s) could be part of a home automation system, could include respective controllers and communications elements, or could be otherwise configured to receive instructions from a server or other computing device and/or to communicate with each other to operate as described herein. This could include receiving instructions from a master system (e.g., a server that is configured to facilitate videoconferencing). Alternatively, the camera(s) and/or light emitter(s) could operate to synchronize with each other or to otherwise operate in combination. This could include forming an ad-hoc network and/or one of the elements (e.g., a camera) acting as a master to light emitters or other elements. Alternatively, modulated illumination could be provided in an environment and a camera could operate to detect the modulated illumination and to time image capture relative to the timing of modulation of the illumination (e.g., to capture images when the intensity of the modulated illumination is increased).
It should be understood that the above embodiments, and other embodiments described herein, are provided for explanatory purposes, and are not intended to be limiting.
A variety of systems and methods may be employed to provide, to one or more portions of an environment, modulated illumination to improve video and/or image capture of a person or other target area in the environment. Modulated illumination could be provided to a target area such that the intensity of the illumination is greater during periods of time when a camera is capturing images of the target area (such periods of image capture by a camera are referred to herein as capture periods) than a mean intensity of the modulated illumination across periods when the camera is capturing images and periods when the camera is not capturing images. By capturing images during periods of time when the intensity of the illumination is increased, the brightness of the target area in the captured images may be increased without increasing the mean intensity of the provided illumination. Further, the brightness of background objects or other non-target areas in the images may be reduced by providing additional modulated illumination to the non-target areas. This could be accomplished by the additional modulated illumination having a decreased intensity when the camera is capturing images. Modulated illumination could be provided by overhead or wall lighting fixtures, spot lights, displays, light emitters disposed proximate to a camera, or other light-emitting devices or systems.
In an example, modulated illumination could be provided to improve video capture of a person engaged in a videoconference by increasing the intensity of modulated illumination provided to the person (or to some other target area) when a camera is capturing images of the person and decreasing the intensity of modulated illumination provided to background objects when the camera is capturing images.
For example, the first 130a and second 130b light emitters could be operated (e.g., by the controller 110) to increase the brightness of the person 150 in captured images of the environment 105 while decreasing the brightness of background objects (e.g., walls, plants, wall hangings). This could include using the first light emitter 130a to provide a greater intensity of illumination 135a during capture periods when the camera 120 captures images (e.g., 160) than during other periods of time (e.g., delay periods between such capture periods). Operating the first light emitter 130a in this way could cause the brightness of the person 155 in the first portion 160a of the image 160 to be increased while allowing a mean intensity of the first illumination 135a to remain the same. Conversely, the second light emitter 130a could be operated such that the intensity of the second illumination 135b is less during the capture periods than during other periods of time to cause the brightness of background elements in the second portion 160b of the image 160 to be decreased while allowing a mean intensity of the second illumination 135b to remain the same. Further, the mean intensity of illumination provided by the light emitters 130a 130b could be substantially the same (e.g., within 15% of one another) such that most humans will be unlikely to perceive a difference in the illumination provided by the different light emitters 130a, 130b.
Transmitting instructions to light emitters and/or cameras to provide modulated illumination, to capture images, or to perform some other operations could be accomplished in a variety of ways. In some examples, transmitting such instructions could include transmitting information describing an absolute or relative timing of pulses of illumination and/or capture periods for one or more images. The instructions could specify the timing of particular capture periods and/or periods of illumination or could specify a frequency, phase, or other information about recurring capture periods. Transmitting such instructions could include transmitting the instructions once (e.g., transmitting commands to begin providing modulated illumination and/or to capture images) or could include transmitting instructions multiple times (e.g., generating a transmission for each capture period or for a set of capture periods). Transmitting instructions to light emitters and/or cameras could include transmitting timing information sufficient to synchronize the operation of multiple systems (e.g., via clock synchronization, by transmitting timing pulses). Additionally or alternatively, transmitted instructions could reference timing information that is accessible by multiple different (e.g., absolute time provided by the global positioning system or a radio clock).
The use of a controller 110 to operate, send instructions to, or otherwise control or organize the operations of cameras, light emitters, or other systems is intended as a non-limiting example of a system configured to provide the functionality described herein. In some examples, a camera, light emitters, display, or other components could be configured to form an ad hoc network or to otherwise communicate with each other (e.g., via wireless signals, via the internet or some other network) to provide modulated illumination and the capture images of an environment. This could include one of the elements (e.g., the camera) acting as a master to transmit instructions, timing data, or other information to other elements (e.g., light emitters). Additionally or alternatively, one or more light emitters could provide modulated illumination and another device could detect the pattern, timing, or other properties of the modulated illumination and operate accordingly. For example, a cellphone or other image-capturing device could detect that it is being exposed to modulated illumination (e.g., using a camera or other light-sensitive elements of the device) and could operate to capture images during periods of time when the intensity of the modulated illumination is greater.
The controller 110 could operate the display 140 to provide images, video, or other information to individuals or systems in the environment 105. In some examples, the intensity of light emitted by the display 140 could be controlled to provide modulated illumination. For example, the intensity of light provided by the display 140 (e.g., in the form of images, or in the form of a solid white ‘image’ presented in sequence with other images) could be modulated to provide a greater intensity of illumination to the person 150 when the camera 120 is capturing images of the person 150. The camera 120 could be operated to generate a plurality of images of the person 150 and/or the environment 105 and such images could be used to generate a video stream of a target area in the environment 105. For example, the images captured using the camera 120 could be compressed, postprocessed, downsampled, or otherwise used to generate a video stream that could be transmitted to another system to facilitate videoconferencing, broadcast or recording of a presentation or speech, or to facilitate some other applications. The controller 110 could provide other functionality, e.g., to transmit and/or receive video and audio streams as part of a videoconference.
Illumination provided by a light emitter could be modulated over time in a variety of ways to provide the functionality described herein. The intensity of the illumination provided by a particular light emitter could vary continuously across a range of intensities or could be varied between a set of discrete intensity values. For example, the light emitter could be operated to provide intermittent illumination that is ‘on’ during capture periods when a camera is capturing images of an environment and ‘off’ during delay periods between such capture periods. The pattern of modulation of such illumination could repeat at a specified frequency (e.g., at a frame rate of images captured by a camera) or could vary according to some other pattern. The intensity of modulated illumination could vary over time according to pulses (e.g., square pulses, triangular pulses, raised sinusoid pulses), sinusoids, or some other pattern. The pulse width, duty cycle, intensity, or other properties of the modulated illumination could be specified to provide increased (or decreased) illumination intensity during capture periods of a camera while also providing a mean intensity of illumination corresponding to a specified mean illumination level (e.g., a mean intensity controlled by a dimmer switch or other controls or systems).
The capture periods 205a have a uniform duration, TCAPTURE, and the beginning of the capture periods 205a are separated regularly in time by a uniform duration, PERCAPTURE. The first modulated illumination 210a includes pulses of illumination having duration TILLUM,1 that repeat in time with the capture periods 205a offset by an offset TDELAY,1. In the illustrated example, TDELAY,1 is approximately zero (that is, there is substantially no delay between to beginning of the capture periods 205a and the beginning of pulses of the first modulated illumination 210a). The second modulated illumination 210b includes pulses of illumination having duration TILLUM,2 that repeat in time with the capture periods 205a and that are offset by an offset TDELAY2. In the example shown in
As shown in
Sequential capture periods 205a are separated by delay periods 207a. A camera could, during the delay periods, read-out light-sensitive elements of the camera (e.g., read out charges accumulated by pixels of a charge coupled device of the camera) or perform some other operations. In some examples, the delay periods could be non-capture periods during which the camera does not capture images. Alternatively, the camera could capture further images during the delay periods 207a. Such images could be used, e.g., to set a color, timing, mean intensity, capture-period intensity, or other properties of modulated illumination (e.g., 210a, 220a) provided to the environment imaged by the camera. Additionally or alternatively, the camera could be operated, during respective different sets of capture periods, to capture respective pluralities of images of respective different target areas within an environment.
For example, a first person could be imaged, during the illustrated capture periods 205a, by the camera. The timing or other properties of the first and second modulated illumination 210a, 220a could be controlled to facilitate this imaging by, during the capture periods 205a, providing additional illumination to the first person and reducing the amount of illumination provided to other portions of the environment. A second person could also be imaged, using the camera, during further capture periods (not shown). The further capture periods could wholly or partially overlap with the delay periods 207a. Modulated illumination could be provided to the second person and/or to other portions of the environment (e.g., to the first person) to facilitate imaging of the second person during the further capture periods. This could include providing the illustrated modulated illumination 210a, 220a via the first and second light emitters or could include operating additional or alternative light emitters.
Modulated illumination can be provided to illuminate a target area during the entirety of each capture period of a camera and/or to provide no illumination to non-target areas of an environment during such capture periods. This is illustrated by way of example in
Indeed, it could be beneficial to decrease an amount of illumination provided to a person when imaged by a camera (e.g., to reduce glare from the skin of the person) and/or to increase the amount of illumination provided to a background of the person when imaging the person (e.g., to provide information about the location of the person). The timing, relative phase, pulse width, or other properties of the modulated illumination could be controlled to adjust the overall amount of illumination provided to elements of the environment when imaging the environment. These adjustments could be performed manually (e.g., by a person adjusting a control or operating a user interface) or automatically (e.g., by a controller, based on images generated by the camera, to set a brightness, a color balance, or some other property of images generated by the camera).
This is illustrated by way of example in
It could be beneficial to modulate provided illumination at a sufficiently high rate and/or bandwidth that the majority of humans are unable to perceive that the illumination is varying over time and/or to prevent the majority of humans from experiencing some other effects (e.g., nausea) due to the modulation of the illumination. However, a rate of image capture by a camera could be limited to a frequency that is less than that sufficiently high rate. In such examples, modulated illumination could be provided according to a repeating pattern of wavelength that repeats at a frequency that is an integer multiple of the frequency of image capture. Thus, the modulated illumination may be repeatedly varied at a frequency that is sufficiently high but may also be varied in time with capture periods of a camera to facilitate the functionality described herein
This is illustrated by way of example in
Further, the systems and operations described herein are not limited to capture of images and/or variation in the intensity of modulated illumination according to a regular rate. Images could be captured during capture periods that are not regularly spaced and/or that do not have a single, uniform duration. Correspondingly, modulated illumination provided to portions of an environment imaged according to such irregular capture periods could vary according to some irregular pattern such that the intensity of illumination provided to a particular portion of the environment is greater (or less) than the mean intensity of such provided illumination during the capture periods.
Multiple cameras could be used to image respective different people or other target areas of an environment. Such multiple targets could be exposed to modulated illumination from respective different light emitters, and be imaged during respective sets of capture periods, to improve the imaging of the multiple targets as described herein. This could include providing modulated illumination to the different targets such that the intensity of the illumination provided to a particular target is increased during capture periods when the particular target is being imaged. Conversely, illumination provided to non-target elements of the environment (e.g., to background elements that are imaged by multiple different cameras) could be reduced whenever one or more of the multiple cameras are capturing an image.
This is illustrated by way of example in
Additional cameras and/or additional light emitters could be operated to provide the functionality described herein. In some examples, a set of light emitters could be operated to provide modulated illumination of a person or other portions of an environment. One or more of the set of light emitters could be selected and used to illuminate a target area of a camera in time with image capture by the camera. For example, each overhead light of a conference room could be operable to provide modulated illumination. The light emitter above a speaker in the conference room could be operated to provide modulated illumination in time with image capture of the speaker by a camera. One or more other light emitters in the room (e.g., light emitters providing light to portions of the conference room in the background of the speaker, from the point of view of the camera) could be operated to provide further modulated illumination, e.g., to reduce the brightness of background elements of the conference room when imaged by the camera.
Selection of one or more light emitters, from a set of light emitters, to provide modulated illumination could be performed in a variety of ways. In some examples, one or more light emitters could be selected manually, or according to the location of a target area relative to each light emitter of the set. For example, when the target area is a particular seat at a table in a conference room (e.g., due to a speaker occupying the seat), a light emitter above the seat could be selected to provide modulated illumination that has an increased intensity when images are captured of the particular seat. Additionally or alternatively, the light emitters and camera(s) could be operated to determine which light emitters to select and/or how to operate such selected light emitters. This could be beneficial in circumstances where the configuration of the light emitters and camera(s) in a room changes and/or is not known ahead of time, where the location of a target of a camera and/or of the camera itself is variable (e.g., when using a camera that is on a gimbal, when the camera is in a portable device), or some other circumstances.
The light emitters and camera(s) could be operated in a variety of ways to determine which light emitters to select and/or how to operate such selected light emitters. For example, each of the light emitters could be operated, during a respective test period, to provide illumination. One or more images could be captured using a camera during each of the test periods, and the captured images could be used to determine the contribution of each of the light emitters to portions of the environment that are visible to the camera. Based on this information, one or more of the light emitters could be selected to provide illumination to a target area of the camera and/or to other areas of the environment in time with image capture by the camera.
The systems and operations described herein could be beneficially applied to videoconferencing. In such examples, a person is imaged by a camera and a video stream or other information (e.g., an audio stream) is sent to one or more other participants in the videoconference. Additionally, video of the other videoconference participant(s) may be presented, via a display, to the person. As the person is looking toward the display, it could be beneficial to use the camera to image the person by way of the display. The camera could be disposed behind or within the display and could receive image light from the environment (e.g., form the person) through a hole or other formed channel through one or more elements (e.g., through an array of pixels, a backplane, a light spreader, a polarizing filter) of the display. Additionally or alternatively, the camera could receive image light through polarization filters, interconnects, thin films, or other transparent or functionally transparent materials of the display.
The display 330 could be operated to provide illumination to the person 307 to facilitate image capture by the camera 320. For example, the display 330 could be operated to provide, during specified capture periods, white light from all or a portion of the light-emitting area of the display 330. To reduce interference between such provide illumination and image light being received by the camera 320, a portion 332 of the light-emitting area of the display 330 might not emit illumination during the capture periods. The illumination provided by the display could be modulated as described herein to facilitate imaging of the person 307, e.g., by having an intensity that is greater during image capture periods than the mean intensity of the illumination across capture and non-capture (e.g., delay) periods.
Illumination provided to an environment (e.g., as modulated illumination) could be white light or could have some other specified spectral content. The spectral content (e.g., center wavelength or intensity at one or more wavelengths) of illumination provided to an environment could be controllable in order to control a white balance or other properties of images captured of the environment or to provide some other functionality. This could be accomplished by providing illumination at multiple different wavelengths from respective different light emitting elements (e.g., LEDs) of a light emitter. The intensity, pulse width, pulse timing, or other properties of modulated illumination provide form each of the light emitting elements could be specified to control the spectrum of the illumination used to image the environment.
This is illustrated by way of example in
As shown in
The system 500 includes first 510a and second 510b light emitters that are configured to provide modulated illumination to an environment. The first light emitter 510a is configured to provide modulated illumination to a target area within a first portion of the environment (e.g., to a person participating in a videoconference) and the second light emitter 510b is configured to provide modulated illumination to a second portion of the environment (e.g., to an area behind or in the background of the person participating in the videoconference). The system 500 also includes a camera 530 configured to capture images (e.g., to capture images at a sufficiently high rate to generate video) of the environment. In particular, the camera 530 can capture images of the target area. The camera 530 can be operated to capture a plurality of images during respective capture periods, and the light emitters 510a, 510b can be operated to facilitate image capture by the camera 530. This could include providing modulated illumination as described elsewhere herein, e.g., to increase the intensity of illumination provided to the target of the camera during the capture periods and to decrease the intensity of the illumination provided to other portions of the environment during the capture periods. The system 500 further includes a controller 550, a transceiver 540 (e.g., an Ethernet interface, a WiFi radio, a Bluetooth radio, a cellular data radio) and a display 520 (e.g., a projector, a monitor).
The system 500 could be configured as a server, a desktop computer, a videoconferencing or presentation system, or some other type of system. Elements of the system 500 could be located proximate to each other (e.g., the light emitters 510a, 510b, controller 550, display 520, camera 530, and transceiver 540 could be located in a single room and connected via wired or wireless interconnects). Additionally or alternatively, one or more elements of the system 500 could be located at a distance from each other. For example, the controller 550 could be implemented as a server or as an application or process being executed in a cloud computing system and the controller 550 could be in communication with other elements of the system via Ethernet, a router, the internet, or some other wired or wireless interconnects.
Note that, while the system 500 is illustrated as including a display 520, camera 530, and two light emitters 510a, 510b, a system as described herein could include more or fewer of the illustrated elements and/or could include further elements not shown in
In some examples, a system could include no central controller and a camera and two or more light emitters could operate in concert to provide the functionality described herein. This could include one of the cameras and/or light emitters acting as a master device to transmit instructions to other elements of the system to provide modulated illumination, to capture images, or to perform some other operations, in time with capture periods of the camera. In another example, one or more light emitters could operate to provide modulate illumination to an environment and a camera device could detect the presence and timing of the modulated illumination and could operate to capture images in time with the modulate illumination (e.g., to capture images when the intensity of the illumination is increased above some mean level). Such a camera device could operate a camera or other image-forming component to detect the time-varying intensity of illumination to which the camera device is exposed; additionally or alternatively, the camera device could operate some other light-sensitive elements to perform this detection.
The controller 550 of the system 500 is configured to operate the light emitters 510a, 510b, camera 530, transceiver 540, and other elements of the system 500 (e.g., the display 520) and/or of other systems in communication with the system 500 (e.g., the third light emitter 392 of the remote device 590) to provide the some or all of the operations described herein. The controller 550 could include one or more microcontrollers, servers, cloud computing systems, or other components configured to perform operations described herein. The controller 550 could include elements configured to perform such actions based on program instructions or other information contained within a computer readable medium, e.g., to cause a light emitter to provide modulated illumination to a portion of an environment, to select such a light emitter from a set of light emitters, to capture a plurality of images using the camera 530, to compress or otherwise process images captured by the camera 530 to generate a video stream, to facilitate a videoconference (e.g., by transmitting a video stream, by receiving a video stream and presenting the received video stream using the display 520), or to perform some other actions.
The remote device 590 includes a third light emitter 592 and a transceiver 594. The transceiver can receive instructions from the controller 550 of the system 500. The third light emitter 592 is configured to provide modulated illumination as described elsewhere herein. The remote device 590 could be configured as a drop-in element designed to mount into a ceiling fixture, wall-mounted fixture, lamp, or other standard lighting fixture and to communicate with wired or wireless means with the system 500. Such communications could include indications of a pattern, intensity, timing, waveform, frequency of repetition, or other properties of modulated illumination that the remote device 590 could provide to a portion of an environment.
It is noted that the block diagram shown in
The method 600 further includes providing, from a first light emitter, first modulated illumination to a first portion of the environment, wherein the target area is exposed to the first modulated illumination, wherein the first modulated illumination has a first intensity during the capture periods that is greater than a first mean intensity of illumination emitted by the first light emitter across the capture and delay periods (604). The first light emitter could include a ceiling light, a wall light, a spot light, a display of a device (e.g., a computer monitor, a cellphone display), a light disposed on or proximate to a camera used to capture images, or some other light emitting device(s). Providing, from the first light emitter, first modulated illumination (604) could include controlling a width, timing, frequency, waveform, or some other properties of a plurality of pulses of illumination. The first modulated illumination could vary over time at a sufficiently high frequency (e.g., greater than 60 Hertz) that the modulated illumination appears to most people human to be consistent. The mean intensity of the provided illumination over time (e.g., across capture and non-capture periods) could correspond to a specified mean light level (e.g., a light level corresponding to a dimmer switch or other user interface).
The method 600 yet further includes providing, from a second light emitter, second modulated illumination to a second portion of the environment, wherein the second modulated illumination has a second intensity during the capture periods that is less than a second mean intensity of illumination emitted by the second light emitter across the capture and delay periods (606). Providing this second modulated illumination could include performing operations similar to those described elsewhere herein, e.g., in relation to providing, from the first light emitter, the first modulated illumination (604).
The method 600 could include additional or alternative steps. The method 600 could include operating additional light emitters to provide additional modulated illumination and/or operating additional cameras to capture images (e.g., during respective different and/or non-overlapping capture periods). The method 600 could include selecting the first and second (or more) light emitters from a set of light emitters, e.g., based on operating the light emitters and the camera to determine the contribution of illumination provided by each of the light emitters to the illumination of a person or other target of the camera and/or of other elements of an environment imaged by the camera. The method 600 could include generating a video stream based on images captured by the camera (e.g., by compressing, downsampling, filtering, or otherwise processing the images). The method 600 could include operating one or more displays, speakers, microphones, cameras, or other equipment, e.g., to facilitate a presentation, videoconference, or other applications. The method 600 could include further steps, or steps alternative to those listed here.
The computing device could be a computer, server, elements of a cloud computing service, a cellphone, or some other computing device. Transmitting instructions to a camera (702) and/or a light emitter (704, 706) could include transmitting information via wired and/or or wireless signals to the camera, e.g., via Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, optical signals, acoustic signals, or some other signals. The information could be transmitted via the internet or some other network. The operations of the camera, responsive to receiving the instructions, could include performing operations similar to those described elsewhere herein, e.g., in relation to capturing, using a camera during a plurality of capture periods, a plurality of images of an environment (702). The operations of the light emitters, responsive to receiving the instructions, could include performing operations similar to those described elsewhere herein, e.g., in relation to providing modulated illumination to first (604) or second (606) portions of an environment.
Instructions transmitted during implementation of the method 700 (e.g., when performing steps 702, 704, and/or 706) could include information describing an absolute or relative timing of pulses of illumination and/or capture periods for one or more images. The instructions could specify the timing of particular capture periods and/or periods of illumination or could specify a frequency, phase, or other information about recurring capture periods. Transmitting such instructions could include transmitting the instructions once (e.g., transmitting commands to begin providing modulated illumination and/or to capture images) or could include transmitting instructions multiple times (e.g., generating a transmission for each capture period). Transmitting instructions to light emitters and/or cameras could include transmitting timing information sufficient to synchronize the operation of multiple systems (e.g., via clock synchronization, by transmitting timing pulses). Additionally or alternatively, transmitted instructions could reference timing information that is accessible by multiple different (e.g., absolute time provided by the global positioning system or a radio clock).
The methods 600, 700 or other operations described herein could be performed by one or more processors or other computational devices executing instructions stored in a computer readable medium. The instructions stored in the computer readable medium could include instructions that, when executed by a processor or other computational device, could result in the performance of all or part of any of the methods or other operations described herein. The computer readable medium containing the instructions could be part of a system that includes the computing device executing the instructions (e.g., a hard disk, solid state memory, RAM, ROM or other computer-readable memory storage of a computer, server, tablet, building automation controller, cell phone, or other device or system) or could be part of a system in communication with such a system (e.g., a cloud storage service, a network attached storage appliance, an app store accessible through the internet).
The particular arrangements shown in the figures should not be viewed as limiting. It should be understood that other embodiments may include more or less of each element shown in a given figure. Further, some of the illustrated elements may be combined or omitted. Yet further, an exemplary embodiment may include elements that are not illustrated in the figures.
Additionally, while various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
5959668 | Cryder et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
7859563 | Quine | Dec 2010 | B2 |
8408464 | Zhu et al. | Apr 2013 | B2 |
8985456 | Zhu et al. | Mar 2015 | B2 |
20090009628 | Janicek | Jan 2009 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
201083935 | Jul 2008 | CN |
9118475 | Nov 1991 | WO |
9119382 | Dec 1991 | WO |