Simultaneous Subject and Desk Capture in Videoconferencing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing videoconferencing systems lack the ability to automatically detect, crop, and apply independent distortion correction operations to different portions of captured images, limiting users' flexibility in capturing and transmitting diverse content during videoconferencing sessions.
Innovation Solution
The system obtains images from a first image capture device, crops and applies distortion correction to separate portions of the image, such as a human face and a surface like a desktop, and transmits these corrected portions to another device, allowing for simultaneous streaming of different, distortion-corrected video image portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a wide-angle camera is used to capture large scenes, then the field of view is improved, but image distortion increases especially in peripheral areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the captured image into multiple regions of interest (e.g., face region, document region, whiteboard region) and applies different distortion correction operations to each region independently. This segmentation allows the system to maintain the wide field of view while correcting distortion in specific areas where high image quality is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quality levels of distortion correction to different regions of the image. High-quality correction is applied to regions where subjects are located (such as faces and documents), while lower-quality or no correction is applied to background areas. This local quality approach optimizes overall image quality without requiring uniform high-quality processing across the entire wide-angle image.
2Manufacturing precision
If a narrow-angle camera is used for portraits, then image quality is improved, but the field of view is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the image to identify specific regions of interest and processes them separately. By detecting faces, documents, or whiteboards in the wide-angle image, the system can apply portrait-optimized distortion correction only to those specific regions while maintaining the wide field of view capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes distortion correction parameters based on the detected region type and subject position. Different correction strengths and algorithms are applied depending on whether the region contains a face, document, or other objects, allowing optimal image quality for each region type within the wide-angle context.
3Manufacturing precision
If distortion correction is applied to the entire image, then image quality is improved, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image processing task by identifying and isolating regions of interest (faces, documents, whiteboards) from the rest of the image. Distortion correction is applied only to these segmented regions rather than the entire image, significantly reducing processing time and computational resources while maintaining image quality where it matters most.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies distortion correction selectively to specific regions rather than uniformly to the entire image. This partial action approach processes only the necessary portions of the image (regions containing subjects of interest) at high quality, while leaving other areas with minimal or no correction, thereby reducing overall processing time and resource consumption.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, methods, and non-transitory program storage devices are disclosed herein to: obtain, at a first electronic device, one more images captured by a first image capture device; crop a first portion of a first image of the one or more images, e.g., comprising a face of a human subject; apply a distortion correction operation to the cropped first portion; and then crop a second portion of the first image, wherein the second portion comprises a portion of a surface (e.g., a desktop or document) in the first image; apply a distortion correction operation to the cropped second portion; and transmit the distortion-corrected first and second portions to a second electronic device, e.g., after compositing the first and second portions into an output image to be transmitted. The first image capture device may be integrated into the first electronic device, or it may be connected in a wired or wireless fashion.