Bridging Images for Unstitchable Video Conference Streams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conferencing software often lacks the capability to consolidate multiple video streams from a single location into a unified stream, leading to a fragmented view and reduced situational awareness for conference participants, with some streams being unstitchable due to lack of identifiable features.
Innovation Solution
The conferencing software obtains a stitching image from a participant's secondary device to bridge unstitchable streams with other streams, using features like objects or people, enabling the creation of a unified video stream.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If conferencing software attempts to consolidate multiple video streams into a unified stream, then situational awareness and conference engagement are improved, but the system fails when streams lack identifiable features for stitching
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bridging image as an intermediary element that connects unstitchable video streams to the unified stream. The bridging image contains identifiable features that can be matched with both the unstitchable stream and existing unified stream content, enabling the integration of streams that would otherwise be incompatible. This mediator resolves the reliability issue by providing a fallback mechanism when direct stitching fails.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-obtaining bridging images from participants before or during the conference. These bridging images are stored and ready to be used when stream integration is attempted. By preparing the bridging images in advance, the system ensures that even streams without identifiable features can be integrated when needed, improving both reliability and situational awareness.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system requests bridging images from participants, then integration of unstitchable streams is enabled, but device complexity and user burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the camera function of participants' existing devices, which is a universal feature across smartphones, tablets, and computers. By using the camera for dual purposes (both video conferencing and capturing bridging images), the system avoids adding specialized hardware requirements. This multi-functional approach enables stream integration capability without significantly increasing device complexity or user burden.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple separate video streams are displayed, then individual stream quality is maintained, but overall conference coherence and situational awareness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate video streams into a unified stream by stitching them together using identifiable features from bridging images. This combining process maintains the quality of individual streams while creating a coherent unified view that preserves contextual information. The unified stream displays all participants in a single coordinated view, eliminating the fragmentation and loss of contextual coherence that occurs when streams are displayed separately.
Data Source
AI summary
Video streams are received from devices of participants of a video conference. A determination is made that a video stream of the video streams is unstitchable into a unified stream of the video conference. A stitching image is received from a device of a participant. The stitching image includes a feature in common with the video stream and a feature in common with at least one other video stream from the video streams. The video stream is integrated into the unified stream using the stitching image. The unified stream is then provided for display.