Video conference system for transmission of information

VIDEO CONFERENCE SYSTEM FOR TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION

TECHNICAL FIELD

0003Video conference system for transmission of information via a communications network, consisting of a first room with conference participants, who execute two- way communication with conference participants in one, or more, remotely/at a distance located conference rooms, at which the by eyesight conveyed information is shown via an image showing surface located in the different conference rooms .

PRIOR ART

0005Video conference systems are generally previously known and are today used in several different applications. A common application is that one at a company wants to communicate with other units within a company that are located at different places. The video system then is built up in such a way that one has a video camera and display monitor or other image showing surface on either unit, and it is possible to put through both sound and image of the person who is talking. The display monitor in these cases consists of an ordinary computer or TV-screen. At, for instance, educational situations, then it is so that the person who is teaching is seen on a viewing screen, and those who are being taught are passively sitting and listening.

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

0007The general problem is to effect a video conference system so that the listeners at, for instance, a lecture or other educational situation will have a feeling that the teaching person is in the room, and that he/she can activate the persons being taught, to physically influence the working material. At an educational situation of video conference type, according to the technology that is prevalent today, the teacher can be seen on a TV-screen, talking and possibly drawing on a board, or using some other kind of means to convey his/her message. Those who are being taught are all the time sitting passively watching. They can at any rate not participate actively in the presentation the teacher is engaged in. Further, the listeners will experience, which is actually true, that the teacher is in another spatial room than where the persons being taught are. The problem then is to create a video conference system which makes it possible for the teacher to enter the same three-dimensional system as the physical room constitutes, where the persons being taught are sitting. Another problem that the present invention solves, is to activate those who are being taught, by giving them possibility to influence the education material by means of the teacher's instructions. Much research within the field of education indicates that those who are teaching should influence the persons being taught, to be more active to make the conveyed message understood.

0008The invention solves the problem that the teacher shall have eye contact with the listeners in certain situations, and eye contact with the education material in certain situations during the teaching. Education according to the previous technology, with TV-screens and cameras, often results in that the teacher in certain situations almost is turning his back towards the audience.

TECHNICAL SOLUTION

0010The technical solution is described in what is claimed in patent claim 1. ADVANTAGES

0011By the present invention, video conference systems are improved m that way that remote presentations resemble presentations that are made at the place, as to where the feeling of presence is concerned.

0012By the superimposing of images, possibility is obtained to a lecturer to in real time comment on an image and in this image show where changes, if any, shall be made .

0013Persons being in another place have possibility to enter in full scale and can, together with present persons, discuss and debate on the material.

0014Distributed cooperation utilizes the same technology as local cooperation. Conferences where a number of participants are in another place can be held, since the lecturing and presentation possibilities for physically present and "electronically" present are similar.

0015L st of drawings

0016Figure 1 shows a graphical outline of an education room with audience/listeners.

0017Figure 2 shows a graphical outline of the room where a lecturer is.

0018Detailed description

0019In order to facilitate the understanding of the invention, a description over the configuration of the video conference system, and an example of how the invention is realized, is provided m the following. In Figure 1 is shown a big rectangle, which symbolizes a first room where there is an oval table with a number of seats, which are indicated as half-circles in the figure. These seats are intended for participants in a video conference. Further, there are in this room a number of cameras, which are taking films of the participants, and are connected to a communications network for transmission of sound and image to one or more remotely/at a distance located rooms, where there are persons with whom one wants to communicate. One of these cameras is also filming an image showing surface or projector screen. Further there are two projectors which are projecting moving images on the image showing surface.

0020The image showing surface consists entirely, or partly, of an electronic whiteboard, which normally is white. It consist of an interactive whiteboard, where it is possible to control, for instance, a Windows application by pressing by the fingers, or draw by means of specific pens. On this image showing surface is projected by one of the in the figure shown projectors a moving image of the one, or those, who is/are lecturing in the remotely/at a distance located room. The projection covers the entire image showing surface. The other projector projects an image of some type of education material, which the lecturer is using. It can be an image of a computer screen, OH-film or the like. This projection covers only a part of the image showing surface. The image showing surface also can be so arranged that a part of the surface consist of a whiteboard which not only has the function of an input unit, but also has the function of an output unit, and consequently without projector produces an image on the surface. By output unit is meant that one via a computer can transmit images to the board which in its turn shows them. When there is a plurality of persons who remotely/at a distance participate in the conference, it is appropriate to supplement the room with a number of projector screens that show these persons. (Not shown) .

0021In Figure 2 is shown one of these remotely/at a distance located video conference rooms where a person is filmed by a video camera, which is shown in the figure. This image then is, by a projector, projected on the image showing surface in the first room. Further, behind a person is shown a preferably black screen against which the person is filmed. The person is filmed in full-length, and then, in the first room, is projected in full-length on the image showing screen.

0022In this room there is also a showing screen so that the person in this room sees a projected image of the image showing surface. When the lecturer then turns and looks at the education material, he/she is filmed from the side by the camera that is in the room, and the audience in the first room see him/her from the side. When he/she then points at the education material, the audience in the first room experiences that he/she is pointing in the same vertical plane as the education material is. This means that the lecturer does not have his/her back towards the audience when he/she is looking at his/her education material. If the lecturer then wants that some of the listener/listeners shall change anything in the material the lecturer has, he/she asks them to step up to the image showing surface and press, draw, or m any other way change the material, at which the electronic whiteboard executes the change. As to the rest, there are m all conference rooms computers, for the listeners, and for the lecturer, which are connected to the digital whiteboard in such a way that also those can follow the education material that is shown on the digital whiteboard via the computer. The lecturer consequently sees changes that are made when a listener makes the change directly on the digital whiteboard. The camera in this room is placed at about right angles to the showing screen in the horizontal plane.

0023As for the type of information that is superimposed on the image showing surface, it is worth mentioning that one of the video images is created in real time, whereas the other image is previously created as a basis for discussion, or constitutes some type of education material.

0024A conceivable scenario is the following

0025A group of persons from a development department have come together in the first conference room to revise a suggestion regarding change of the production process that is practiced in the company.

0026The presentation of the suggestion has just started, it consists of a number of flow charts made in PowerPoint. The participants can either choose to follow the presentation on the electronic whiteboard, which serves as showing surface, or to follow the presentation on their own computer, which is connected with the display computer via some type of network.

0027During the presentation/showing, critic turns up from one of the participants; it concerns a certain flow chart which, according to the critic, should not be complete. The critic is asked by the lecturer to show what he/she means, which he/she also does.

0028It, however, becomes apparent that not everybody shares the critic's views. The person who possesses the knowledge that might solve the problem is working in Oslo; this so-called expert is "called" (via for instance NetMeeting) and a video conference has started. He/she then is in a conference room according to what is shown in Figure 2.

0029After a brief presentation of the problem, the so called expert stands up from his/her place, which all the time has been visible on a screen (not shown in Figure 1), which is located beside the image showing surface in Figure 1. He/she has been video filmed in conventional way by a camera, at which the image in conventional way has been transmitted and then projected on the screen.

0030He/she then disappears from image and puts himself/herself in the position the person in Figure 2 has. Then he/she turns up on the image showing surface beside the material that is discussed.

0031From this place the expert now shows, with the hand directed towards the showing screen he has in the room, where changes shall be made. The participants in the first room see him/her in full length (in life-size) and his/her hand in the same plane as the PowerPoint image. One/some of the participants in the first room now steps up to the electronic whiteboard and activates it so that suggested change is performed. The expert then can see that this person is doing right by watching the showing screen.

0032The invention is not limited to the above shown example but can also be used in all connections and educational situations where one wants to achieve a high experience of presence at remote cooperation and education.