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US 2003/0197779 A1Published application
Video-teleconferencing system with eye-gaze correction
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsZhengyou Zhang, Ruigang Yang
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AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsZhengyou Zhang, Ruigang Yang
Estimating the term…
Correcting for eye-gaze in video communication devices is accomplished by blending information captured from a stereoscopic view of the conferee and generating a virtual image of the conferee. A personalized face model of the conferee is captured to track head position of the conferee. First and second video images representative of a first conferee taken from different views are concurrently captured. A head position of the first conferee is tracked from the first and second video images. Matching features and contours from the first and second video images are ascertained. The head position as well as the matching features and contours from the first and second video images are synthesized to generate a virtual image video stream of the first conferee that makes the first conferee appear to be making eye contact with a second conferee who is watching the virtual image video stream.
A method, comprising:
A method, comprising:
A system, comprising:
A video-teleconferencing system, comprising:
One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors of a computer system to:
One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors of a computer system to:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display: camera and display on the same optical axis,…
Pictorial communication
Term end not estimated
This invention relates to video conferencing, and more particularly, to correcting for eye-gaze between each viewer and the corresponding image or images of persons being viewed.
A primary concern in video-teleconferencing is a lack of eye contact between conferees. Eye contact is not possible with common terminal configurations, because a camera is placed at the perimeter of the display that images a distant conferee, so that the camera does not interfere with a local conferee's viewing of the display. In a typical desktop video-teleconferencing setup, a camera and the display screen cannot be physically aligned. In other words, in order for the participant to make eye contact with the camera, the user must shift his eyes from the display terminal and look upward towards the camera. But, in order for the participant to see who he is viewing, he must look straight at the display terminal and not directly into the camera.
As a result, when the participant looks directly at the display terminal, images of the user received by the camera appear to show that the participant is looking down with a peculiar eye-gaze. With this configuration the conferees fail to look directly into the camera, which results in the appearance that the conferees are looking away or down and appear disinterested in the conversation. Accordingly, there is no direct eye-to-eye contact between participants of the typical desktop video-teleconferencing setup video conferencing system.
The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears.
FIG. 1 shows two conferees participating in a video teleconference over a communication channel.
FIG. 2 illustrates functional components of an exemplary video-teleconferencing system that permits natural eye-contact to be established between participating conferees in a video conference; thus, eliminating eye-gaze.
The following discussion is directed to correcting for eye-gaze in video teleconferencing systems. The subject matter is described with specificity to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different elements or combinations of elements similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies.
Overview
FIG. 1 shows two conferees (A and B in different locations) participating in a video teleconference over a communication channel 102. The communication channel 102 can be implemented through any suitable communication link, such as, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, direct or wireless connection, etc.). Normally, conferees A and B would orient themselves in front of their respective display monitors 106. Each of the conferees is able to view a virtual image video stream 104, in real-time, of the other conferee shown on their respective display monitors 106. The virtual image video stream 104 makes each conferee appear to be making direct eye contact with the other conferee on their ii respective display monitors 106.