Avatar-Based Video Communication Reducing Bandwidth Usage
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for video communication over wireless networks strains bandwidth resources, particularly with existing 2G/3G technologies, leading to potential degradation in video call quality due to high data transmission requirements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing systems and methods for video communication using avatars instead of live images, which reduces data transmission needs, allowing for communication over 2G, 3G, 4G cellular connections or WiFi, by capturing images, performing facial detection and feature extraction, and converting these into parameters for animating avatars on remote devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If real-time video transmission is used for video calls, then communication quality and visual fidelity are improved, but bandwidth consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified copy (avatar) of the user's appearance and animation parameters instead of transmitting the actual video feed. The avatar is a 2D or 3D graphical representation that replicates visual appearance and movements through extracted features, reducing data requirements while maintaining communication quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts essential visual features from the user's appearance and movements (such as facial features, body pose, expressions) and transmits only these extracted parameters rather than the complete video data. This extraction process retains the critical visual information needed for communication while discarding redundant data.
2Measurement precision
If high-resolution video transmission is used, then visual fidelity and communication effectiveness are improved, but bandwidth resources are strained
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of transmitting high-resolution video data, the system creates and transmits a simplified graphical copy (avatar) that represents the user visually. This avatar maintains visual fidelity through proper rendering of features and animations while consuming significantly less bandwidth than actual video transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the representation parameters from continuous video pixel data to discrete animation parameters (such as joint angles, facial feature positions, expression intensities). This parameter transformation enables high visual fidelity through smooth animations while reducing data transmission requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple concurrent video calls are conducted, then user communication needs are met, but existing wireless infrastructure bandwidth is overloaded
Solution Approach 1:
By replacing video feeds with avatar representations, the system enables multiple concurrent communications simultaneously. Each participant's avatar requires minimal bandwidth compared to full video transmission, allowing the wireless infrastructure to support more concurrent calls without becoming overloaded.
Solution Approach 2:
The extraction of only essential visual parameters enables efficient multi-user communication. By transmitting only the necessary animation data rather than complete video streams, the system maximizes the number of concurrent calls that can proceed simultaneously within available bandwidth constraints.
Data Source
AI summary
Generally this disclosure describes a video communication system that replaces actual live images of the participating users with animated avatars. A method may include selecting an avatar, initiating communication, capturing an image, detecting a face in the image, extracting features from the face, converting the facial features to avatar parameters, and transmitting at least one of the avatar selection or avatar parameters.