Adaptive PTZ Camera Control for Video Conferencing Blind Spots
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current video conferencing solutions using Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras often result in undesirable video feeds due to blind spots, hidden participants, and misleading gaze direction, with a 'one-size-fits-all' default operating mode that fails to adapt to different conferencing settings.
Innovation Solution
A video-enabled communication system with a microprocessor and computer-readable medium that switches between operating modes based on sensed context, controlling PTZ cameras to capture and display images and audio information effectively, including stereophonic sound playback, to provide a more immersive and inclusive video conferencing experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single default operating mode is used for all video conferencing scenarios, then device complexity is reduced, but video quality and participant visibility deteriorate due to blind spots and hidden participants
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between multiple operating modes (first operating mode with local camera control and second operating mode with remote camera control) based on sensed context, allowing the PTZ camera behavior to adapt to different conferencing scenarios rather than using a fixed default mode
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters by selecting different camera control modes, audio playback configurations (stereophonic vs monophonic), and display layouts based on detected session context, transforming the system from static to adaptive
2Device complexity
If PTZ cameras are fixed in position with pan-tilt around a fixed axis, then device complexity is reduced, but video coverage is limited creating blind spots and hidden participants
Solution Approach 1:
The system adds a first dimension of movement by allowing the PTZ camera to move along a guide track, expanding coverage from a single fixed position to multiple positions around the conference table, thereby eliminating blind spots while maintaining manageable system complexity
3Ease of operation
If local camera control is used in first operating mode, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability to different conferencing settings deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensed context (number of participants, session purpose, display layout requirements) as feedback to automatically determine which operating mode to use, eliminating the need for manual configuration while maintaining adaptability to different conferencing scenarios
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure is directed to a video-enabled communication system that comprises a control unit, coupled with a camera, the camera acquiring an image of a local participant to provide to a remote participant during a video communication session. A microprocessor in the control unit executes an audio controller that causes the microprocessor to control, based on audio information collected by the control unit, movement and/or pan and/or tilt of a camera at a remote endpoint of the remote participant to capture a selected image of the remote participant for display to the local participant. The control unit can operate in multiple operating modes depending on the context of the video conference.