Dynamic Video Layout Switching for Conference Bridge Apparatus

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing video conferencing systems face challenges in dynamically managing display layouts for multiple participants, leading to inefficient video stream presentation and participant visibility, especially when the number of participants exceeds a certain threshold.

Innovation Solution

A conference bridge apparatus that selects and assigns display layouts based on the number of participants, designating fixed and non-fixed video streams, and selectively switches between non-fixed streams to optimize display positions, using a processor to execute logic for layout selection and video stream assignment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If a fixed display layout is used for all participants, then the layout structure is simple and stable, but participant visibility and video stream presentation efficiency deteriorate when participant count exceeds the layout capacity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelayout structure stabilityVSAvoidparticipant visibility adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically switches between a fixed display layout for small participant counts and a selective switching display layout for large participant counts. The display layout controller monitors the number of participants and automatically adjusts the layout mode, transforming the static layout system into a dynamic one that adapts to varying conference sizes, thereby resolving the contradiction between layout stability and participant visibility adaptability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the display layout parameter (from fixed to selective switching) based on the participant count threshold. When participants exceed the threshold, the system transitions from displaying all participants to selectively switching between video streams, thus adapting the layout configuration to match the scale of the conference and maintaining effective participant visibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If video streams of all participants are displayed simultaneously, then participant visibility is maximized, but device complexity and processing load increase significantly when participant count exceeds display capacity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveparticipant visibilityVSAvoidvideo stream management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the most relevant video streams for display when participant count exceeds the threshold. The selective switching mechanism identifies and prioritizes active speakers or important participants, extracting their video streams for display while omitting others, thereby reducing the number of video streams that need to be processed and managed simultaneously, which lowers device complexity while maintaining essential participant visibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of displaying all participant video streams simultaneously (excessive action), the system displays only a subset of video streams at any given time (partial action). The selective switching mechanism ensures that the displayed video streams are sufficient to capture important conference interactions without overwhelming the system with excessive processing requirements, thus balancing visibility needs with computational constraints

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Adaptability or versatility

If the display layout is dynamically adjusted for each participant count change, then participant visibility is optimized, but processing time and computational overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay layout adaptabilityVSAvoidlayout switching time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-defines display layout configurations for different participant count ranges and prepares the selective switching mechanism in advance. When participant count changes, the system quickly matches the current count to the pre-defined configurations rather than creating new layouts from scratch, significantly reducing the time required for layout adjustment while maintaining adaptability to different conference sizes

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8379077B2Automatic layout and speaker selection in a continuous presence video conference

Publication Date: 2013.02.19 CISCO TECHNOLOGY INC

AI summary

Techniques are provided for managing display layouts for a continuous presence video conference. Each display layout has a fixed number of positions, and one of the display layouts has a maximum number of positions for display to participants in the video conference. The display layouts comprise video display positions for participants in a video conference. When the number of participants is greater than a threshold, one of the positions in that layout is used as a shared position assigned to a video stream of participants not assigned to fixed positions in that layout. The shared position is used in a scanning manner such that video streams of participants not assigned to fixed positions in the layouts are classified as scanning streams and are displayed in the non-fixed (shared) position over a predetermined time interval.