Patent Application
20170099426
The invention relates to a system for indicating an identified speaker for use with a camera having a 360 degree viewing angle. The speaker identifier system activates light emitting diode(s) (LEDs) that indicate the direction in which the camera is pointing so that participants in a video conferencing session are aware of what is being captured by the camera.
Circular seating arrangements in conference rooms provide an advantage in allowing participants to interact and communicate more comfortably with everyone in the room. In fact, in a conference room where people meet in a circle, they are able to interact with each other better than in a traditional rectangular conference room. Each person can see other individuals in the room equally without having to turn their heads to see someone in the circle. To capture this interaction for video conferencing, a 360 degree camera may be placed in the middle of the group of participants. However, due to the design of the camera, the participants cannot easily discern the direction in which the camera is “pointing” so as to be able to know if they are being recorded.
Accordingly, an identification and indication system is needed that alerts participants to the focus of the camera.
A speaker identification system is provided that may be used in connection with a 360 degree camera. More particularly, a system for indicating an identified speaker is described for use with a wide angle or 360 degree camera. The indication part of the system may be visual, touch or audio.
In some embodiments, the speaker identification system includes a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged in a circle that selectively activate in the direction that is being recorded by the camera. In this way, the LEDs “point” to the participant or participants that are being recorded at any given moment in time.
A lighted speaker identification system for use with a camera having a wide angle which includes a base having at least one surface, a printed circuit board coupled to the at least one surface of the base and operably connected to the camera having a wide angle view, and a plurality of lights operably connected to the printed circuit board and around an outer perimeter of the printed circuit board, wherein one or more of the plurality of lights are activated to indicate a camera angle.
A light-emitting diode speaker identification system is detailed, which includes a base having a plurality of separators situated around a circumference thereof and an opening extending through its center, a printed circuit board coupled to a surface of the base, such that an edge of the printed circuit board abuts the plurality of separators, the printed circuit board having an opening extending through its center, a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) coupled to a surface of the printed circuit board around a circumference thereof, such that each of the plurality of LEDs is spaced between each of the plurality of separators, at least one ribbon cable extending through the opening of the base and the opening of the printed circuit board which electrically connects to the printed circuit board, and at least one controller connected to the printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board is electrically connected to a camera having a 360 degree viewing angle by the at least one ribbon cable.
A method for visually indicating an active field of view of a 360 degree or wide angled camera is described. One method describes the steps of receiving from at least one microphone an audio signal, determining using a processor a first angular direction of the audio signal relative to the camera, directing, using electronics, the camera to capture an image in the first angular direction of the audio signal, and signaling a light assembly to activate at least one light on the light assembly, wherein the location of the at least one activated light corresponds to the first angular direction of the camera.
Lastly, a video conferencing system having a 360 degree camera is detailed. The conferencing system comprises a controller mounted on a circuit board, a multipath electrical connector to connect the circuit board with the 360 degree camera, a signal with data about an angular view of the 360 degree camera wherein the signal travels from the camera to the controller through the multipath electrical connector and is processed by the controller, and an indicator assembly operably connected to and controlled by the controller, wherein the indicator assembly is activated and indicates an angular view of the 360 degree camera.
A more complete appreciation of the invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof will be readily obtained as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The speaker identification assembly described may be used in conjunction with a 360 degree camera or other wide angle camera. In a video conferencing setting, for example, where a camera having a 360 degree field of view is used, it is difficult for the participants of the video conference to ascertain where the camera is “focused” when it is recording. An indication system, such as a visual indication system, to inform the participants of the cameras direction or focus is desired.
In many embodiments, the speaker identification assembly communicates with or receives signals from the camera to determine the direction in which the camera is focused. Once this is established, the speaker identification assembly provides the participants with an indication relating to the direction of the camera's view. This informs the participants in a video conference room of which person, generally the speaker, is on camera.
While various types of indicators may be used, a passive visual indicator is shown in
Referring to
Referring to
The at least one printed circuit board 104 (hereinafter referred to as “PCB 104”) generally has a circular, disk-like shape to correspond to the shape of the base 102. While not particularly limited, the PCB 104 may contain a microprocessor. In one embodiment, the PCB 104 includes an I2C computer bus for connections. The PCB 104 communicates with the camera 500 (see
As shown in
In one embodiment, the LEDs 106 are top-firing RGB LEDs, such as those manufactured by Kingbright of Taipei, Taiwan, e.g., Kingbright APTF1616SEEZGQBDC. Such LEDs are capable of showing different colors for different modes. The LEDs 106 typically run on about 20 mA of power. In other embodiments, simple single color LEDs are used. In still other embodiments, other types of visual indication devices are used, for example, light assemblies with various types of light sources. Some examples of light sources include, lights such as incandescent, neon, fluorescent, LCD, laser lights, etc.
In some visual indicator embodiments, a blinking light is used. The speed of the blinking light can be used to convey additional visual information to the participants, for example, the faster the blinking, the farther the focal point of the camera 500 and, conversely, the slower the blinking, the wider the angle of focus of the camera 500.
Further, alternative indication devices may be used in the speaker identification system. An addressable lighting display may be used. A round LCD display may be used. In embodiments in which there are video display screens, such as those shown in
In other embodiments, the indicators are non-visual and may be touch or sound. In embodiments in which the participants have electronic devices registered with the video conferencing system, the registered participant's device may be sent as an electronic indication. The registered device will then inform the participant that he or she is on camera. Typically, this will be accomplished by vibrating the participant's smart phone or vibrating the participant's watch. This has the side benefit of ensuring the participant is not unaware or asleep while the camera is focused on the person. This feature is particularly helpful if the participant has his or her back to the visual indication system. The registered device could also receive an electronic-type message by email, Twitter®, Lync®, flash message or the like. The registered device screen may flash the indication of the camera location.
Referring to the light indication embodiments of
As illustrated in
Referring back to
The LED assembly 100 may also include additional layers that adjust the properties of the emanated LED light, such as diffuser 108 and/or a reflector 110. The diffuser 108 functions to adjust various properties of the emanated LED light, including equalizing the brightness across each LED light to minimize hot spots (bright areas). The diffuser 108 is a ring-shaped member that is placed around the edge 124 of the PCB 104 on the substrate 114 of the base 102. In one embodiment, the diffuser 108 may be coupled to the substrate 114 using screws, bolts, double-sided tape, glue, or the like. As illustrated in
The reflector 110 sits just beneath the cover 112 and may be coupled to the cover 112 using double-sided tape 128, which may be the same as the double-sided tape 122 used to couple the PCB 104 to the base 102. The reflector 110 is a circular, disk-like structure that has a shape diameter similar to that of the PCB 104 so as to extend to the edge 124 of the PCB 104 over the plurality of LEDs 106. The reflector 110 reflects the emanated LED light and projects it upwards through the cover 112. In this way, the LED light may emanate from the top and the side of the LED assembly 100. The design of the reflector 110 and material used to form the reflector 110 are not particularly limited and are known in the art.
Side views of the fully assembled LED assembly 100 are illustrated in
As illustrated in
Flow diagrams setting forth methods of indicating an active field of view of a camera 500 are provided in
As set forth above, the software directs the camera 500 to “point” to the location from which the sound emanates. Depending on the particular vector value, i.e., the location of the active speaker, a processor sends a signal to a light assembly, 606, 710. In some embodiments, a circuit board (not shown) on the camera 500 signals the LED assembly 100 to activate one or more of the LEDs 106 corresponding to the angular vector value, as illustrated in Steps 606, 710. For example, if a participant is seated at 90 degrees, the software processes the sound and directs the camera 500 to “point” to the vector value associated with 90 degrees, 602, 604, 702, 704. In turn, the LED assembly 100 activates one of the LEDs 106 that is most closely aligned with the 90 degree vector value. Alternatively, the LED assembly 100 may activate a series of LEDs 106 surrounding the 90 degree position to indicate that the camera 500 is recording within that field of view. For example, if the camera 500 is capturing anything within the 75-105 degree field, the LED 106 at the 90 degree position may light in one color or may have the brightest light intensity, while the LEDs 106 aligned with the surrounding positions, i.e., 75-90 degrees and 90-105 degrees, may light in another color or have a dimmer light intensity. In one embodiment, the LED 106 associated with the exact position of the camera 500 may light red, while the surrounding LEDs 106 associated with the surrounding field of the view of the camera 500 may light yellow. As set forth herein, in a preferred embodiment, the LEI) assembly 100 includes twenty LEDs 106, such that each LED is associated with an 18 degree field of illumination. Other arrangements of light assemblies and lights may be used, for example, one light for every 12 degrees of view.
The entire process set forth above is then repeated when a second audio signal is received by the microphone(s) in a different angular location. Specifically, where the microphone detects another audio signal that has an angular direction which is greater than a threshold angular distance measured from the angular direction of the first audio signal detected, such as at least 18 degrees different, as set forth in Step 706, the camera 500 is then directed by the controller to capture an image in the second angular direction field of view, as set forth in Step 708. This process is repeated as different audio signals are detected within the 360 degree view of view of the camera 500, as shown in Steps 608, 712. However, in order to filter “background noise” from what is actually intended to be captured by the camera 500, the SSL and associated processor(s) wait for a certain period of time (for example, at least 2-5 seconds) before directing the controller to adjust the field of view of the camera 500, in order to see if the source of the second audio signal emanating from a different angular location than the first audio signal is nothing more than an unintentional background noise, such as a cough from one of the participants. In practice, the audio analysis or SSL will continually sample and determine in which direction to “point” or focus the camera 500.
Each of the color control sections, namely, green control section 806, red control section 808, and blue control section 810, comprises at least two controllers 814 for controlling the color functions of the LEDs. These controllers 814 communicate with each other and are operably connected to one or more colored LEDs 106′ for changing the color of the LED 106′. Specifically, each control section 806, 808, 810 is utilized for activating its designating color. As set forth above, each control section 806, 808, 810 is in communication with the I2C bus 812. In one embodiment, an exemplary LED assembly 100 may include at least one Texas Instruments TLC59108 controller and at least one Texas Instruments TLC59116 controller, both manufactured by Texas Instruments Inc. of Dallas, Tex.
The 3-axis accelerometer 802 includes its own accelerometer controller, 816. When the camera 500 is in use, it should be level with the faces of the participants in the room (or as close as possible to level) for optimal use in a video conference setting. The accelerometer 802 can be used to determine if the camera 500 is not horizontal. If the camera 500 is not horizontal, adjustments can be made to level the camera 500. If the camera 500 is too low or too high, it will not capture the faces of the participants, such that other participants in another location will not be able to tell who is speaking. Adjustments can be made to resolve the height problem. Any suitable accelerometer may be used, such as a Freescale Semiconductor MMA8652 accelerometer manufactured by Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. of Austin, Tex.
In other alternative embodiments, other types and amounts of controllers may be used, and other exemplary PCBs may utilize different configurations according to the particular needs of the application.
As set forth above, a PCB 104, 104′ is electrically connected to the camera 500, more specifically, to a printed circuit board (not shown) within the camera 500. In this way, the camera 500 communicates with the PCB 104, 104′ in order for the PCB 104, 104′ to determine the field of view of the camera 500. In one embodiment, each LEI) 106′ is controlled by at least one controller positioned on the PCB 104′ (as shown in the diagram of
Although the LED assembly 100 has been described in connection with specific forms and embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that various modifications other than those discussed above may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope. For example, equivalent elements may be substituted for those specifically shown and described, certain features may be used independently of other features, and in certain cases, particular locations of elements may be reversed or interposed, all without departing from the spirit or scope as defined in the appended Claims.
