Image Processing for Realistic Gaze Coincidence in Telecommunication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing telecommunication systems struggle to create a realistic experience where users' gazes coincide, especially with large display devices, as previous technologies produce unnatural images despite using multiple capture devices.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and method that sets high and low fidelity display regions, generates images from virtual capture positions, and superimposes high fidelity images onto low fidelity images to create a more realistic gaze coincidence effect.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple capture devices are arranged around a large display device to generate images, then the coverage area increases, but the image fidelity and naturalness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the display area into multiple regions: a high fidelity display region (center region including eye contact area) and a low fidelity display region (peripheral areas). Different image processing methods are applied to each region - high fidelity processing for the center and lower fidelity processing for periphery - thereby maintaining overall image quality while enabling large display coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality levels to different parts of the displayed image. The central high fidelity display region receives processed images with higher quality and more accurate gaze alignment, while the peripheral low fidelity display region uses standard processing. This local differentiation allows the system to optimize resource allocation and maintain natural appearance where it matters most (eye contact area) while still providing broad coverage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If capture devices are arranged outside the display to expand viewing area, then the display coverage improves, but the gaze coincidence and realism worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a virtual capture position concept that exists in a different dimensional space than the physical capture devices. By calculating virtual capture positions based on the arrangement of multiple physical capture devices and the display geometry, the system creates synthetic viewpoints that maintain accurate gaze alignment without requiring physical cameras at every viewing position. This dimensional transformation allows broad viewing area coverage while preserving gaze coincidence accuracy.
3Ease of operation
If standard image processing is applied to all regions, then the processing simplicity is maintained, but the eye contact realism and user experience deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the display region into high fidelity and low fidelity areas, applying different processing complexities to each. The high fidelity display region receives sophisticated processing including virtual capture position calculation and multi-image synthesis to achieve realistic eye contact. The low fidelity display region uses standard processing methods. This segmentation allows the system to enhance realism where it matters most while maintaining overall processing efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to an image processing device, an image processing method, and a telecommunication system including a high fidelity display region setting unit for setting a predetermined region as a high fidelity display region, a high fidelity image generation unit for generating a high fidelity image in which the first user looks are captured from a virtual capture position that is obtained by setting a viewpoint position of a second user as the virtual capture image, a low fidelity image generation unit for generating a low fidelity image in which the first user looks are captured from the virtual capture position and having lower fidelity than the high fidelity image, and an image superimposing unit for superimposing the high fidelity image on the high fidelity display region of the low fidelity image to generate an output image to be output as an image processing result.