Method and design for optimum camera and display alignment of center of the room video conferencing systems

摘要

Systems for videoconferencing are designed for where people are seated around a video conferencing system. The systems include a camera so the far site can see the local participants and the systems include displays that show the far site. The displays are properly aligned with the cameras so that when people at the far site view the displayed images of the near site, it looks like they have eye contact with the near site. Obtaining the alignments of the camera and the displays to provide this apparent eye contact result requires meeting a series of different constraints relating to the various sizes and angles of the components and the locations of the participants.

主权项

1. A near site videoconferencing unit for use with a far site videoconferencing unit, the near site videoconferencing unit comprising:
a plurality of rectangular video displays having a predetermined height and width arranged generally vertically and generally forming the sides of an equilateral polyhedron, each video display having a predetermined angle from vertical, the plurality of video displays for displaying video provided from the far site videoconferencing unit; a camera receiving images from at least a plurality of views equal to the plurality of video displays, the camera for providing video images of the near site to the far site videoconferencing unit; and a central structure to which the plurality of video displays are mounted to fix the individual video displays at the predetermined angle from vertical and in the generally equilateral polyhedron configuration and to which the camera is mounted so that the camera is mounted above the plurality of video displays, the central structure having a relationship to a floor of a room so that the camera is a predetermined distance from the floor, wherein the relationship between the height of the camera and the height, width and angle from vertical of the plurality of video displays is such that a participant whose eyes are within a predetermined distance from the camera and a predetermined distance from the floor is perceived by participants at the far site as making eye contact; and wherein the predetermined distance from the camera, the predetermined distance from the floor, the height of the camera and the height and angle from vertical of the plurality of video displays are such that the angle between the camera and the center of an individual video display with reference to the participant's eyes is less than 10 degrees.