France Telecom

Other

L'etat Francais

France Telecom Etablissement Autonome De Droit Public

Thomson-Cfs

Etat Francais Represented by Le Centre National D'etudes Des

Georges Buchner

Jacques M Guichard

Alain Isckia

Jacques Labat

Alain Leyreloup

Marc Emerit

Yannick Mahieux

Jean-Philippe Thomas

Jean-Yves Eouzan

Alain Poirier

Christian Wipliez

Jean-Pascal Jullien

Jean-Claude Hertaux

Jean-Dominique Gascuel

Hervé Lissek

Gilbert Francois Martel

Michel Beaudovin Lafon

Patrick Desrousseaux

Nicolas Roussel

Jacques Martin

An audio-visual system is provided for bringing together a local scene and a remote scene. The audio-visual system includes several concatenated audio-visual modules, and feedback control and control means between the various modules. Each audio-visual module comprises an image sensing device and a sound pickup device of the local scene, and an image and sound recovery device of the remote scene in an image plane. The audio-visual modules are connected to a transmission network. The feedback control and control means ensures image and sound quality continuity on the image plane when the people being filmed or recorded pass in front of the various image and sound pickup devices of the scene concerned.

Modular audio-visual system to bring together a local scene and a remote scene

A videoconference terminal comprises image restoring means having a display arranged substantially horizontally. The terminal preferably has the shape of a well seat closed at one end by the display, thereby enabling a large number of users to distribute the space around the display. This makes the terminal an original and convivial communication equipment dedicated to informal communications between users distant from one another.

Communication terminal and system

The invention concerns an interactive audio-visual system between a local scene and a remote scene, comprising at least a device () for producing images of the local scene and a device () for reproducing the image of the remote scene in an image plane (). The image sensing device () comprises at least a camera () and a mirror () capable of reflecting on said camera () the parallel rays derived from the local scene and perpendicular to the image plane (). Preferably, the mirror () is concave and has a focal point and the camera () is located in the proximity of the focal point of said mirror ().

Interactive audio-visual system

The invention concerns an audio-visual system interactive between a local scene and a remote scene. It comprises: a system for filming the local scene including several shooting devices () each provided with a field of view (&#x3b1;), means for arranging () said shooting devices so that the field of view of one shooting device should be adjacent to the next shooting device field of view and means for simultaneously controlling () the shots, and a system for restoring the image of the remote scene comprising at least a restoring device itself including a display screen whereon the image of the remote scene is formed.

Audio-visual interactive system comprising several filming devices

A video-conferencing system between participants located at distant sites, each site featuring a viewing screen. The viewing screen is a large screen of the projection, overhead projection, or direct projection type which has one or more viewing systems forming an image wall to simultaneously view all the distant participants within a space reproduced on the image wall formed by the screen. The system includes devices for each site that spatially distribute the sound to match the sound generated by each distant participant and the image of the participant projected on the screen at the site considered.

Videoconference system

Method and device for throughput compression for a videophone camera

Articulated, orientable audiovisual telecommunication terminal

A visual and sound telecommunication system includes an audiovisual terminal, a camera and a handset with earpiece and microphone. The handset has a remote control acting on the terminal and on the camera by way of the terminal.

Visual and sound communication system with remote control means

An audio and video communications terminal, of the type comprising a housing, a camera provided with an optical system, a display screen, a microphone, a loudspeaker, and a central unit including a sound and image information encoder and decoder, and an interface in association with the elements for communication with another terminal of the same type via a digital transmission network, the terminal further comprising electric motors and clutches for adjusting at least one camera parameter; a manual control suitable for generating control information for adjusting the parameter(s); and a switch for switching between a local adjustment mode in which the control information is applied to the electric motors and clutches, and a remote adjustment mode in which the control information is sent to the other terminal over the digital network in parallel with the sound and image information, and in which control information received from the other terminal, likewise over the digital network and in parallel with sound and image information, is applied to the electric motors and clutches. The invention is applicable to improving user comfort with video telephones.

Audio and video communications terminal with improved adjustments

A table-top terminal for sound and vision communications, of the type associated, in particular, with a telephone set, and comprising a case (100) containing: a display screen monitor (128), a camera (132) having a lens system (130), manual control means, and an electronic assembly for the purposes of control, coding/decoding, and interfacing with a transmission line, wherein, for the purpose of compensating the illumination of a speaker in an environment having overhead ambient lighting and thereby enabling the camera to obtain a balanced image of said speaker, the terminal further includes an auxiliary lighting device (160) having a general emission direction (C) which is essentially upwardly inclined towards the speaker, together with a mechanism for adjusting the light flux emitted by the device as a function of the ambient lighting.

Sound and vision communications terminal including an auxiliary lighting

A terminal for sound and vision communication, of the type associated, in particular, with a telephone set, comprises a case (100) containing a display screen monitor (128), a camera (132) provided with optics (130), an electronic assembly (134) for control, coding/decoding, and telephone line interfacing and control (114). The case (100) comprises a first part (110) via which the terminal is supported on a support surface, and a second part (120) which is hinged to the first part about a substantially horizontal axis (A) and which receives the camera (132) and its optics (130) together with the monitor (128). The terminal is such that, in use, the second part (120) of the case can assume at least two different angular positions relative to the first part (110), corresponding to two different aiming directions (B) for the camera.

Hinged-case sound and vision communications terminal, in particular a

A telecommunications terminal is provided which has a central unit (100) and a handset (200). The handset houses a microphone (210) and a speaker (220) and is connected to the central unit via a cord (300). The connecting cord has a plurality of wires (301-304) for conveying output signals from the microphone and input signals to the speaker. The telecommunications terminal incorporates at least one function under the manual control of its user. That function is controlled by a switching means (l1, l2; 230) housed in the handset, with the corresponding control signals being conveyed along said cord in the form of phantom D.C. voltages.

Telecommunications terminal with improved control functions

Video conference system connecting a plurality of remotely located conference rooms, each containing a group of conferees. It comprises in each room a plurality of videotelephones respectively assigned to the conferees, each including a camera and an image receiver and a plurality of microphones respectively associated with these videotelephones. Means are provided for comparing the levels of the speech signals generated by said microphones in each room and registering an address signal defining the videotelephone associated with the microphone generating the loudest speech signal. Means are further provided for adding all the signals generated by the microphones in each room and thereby obtaining room cumulated microphone signals, the levels of which are compared and an address signal defining the room whose microphones generate the loudest cumulated signal is registered. The rooms are connected through transmitting and receiving video facilities. Switching means selectively connects the cameras of the videotelephones of a room to the image receivers thereof and to said video signal transmitting and receiving video facilities and a switch logic controls said switching means and is itself controlled by the videotelephone address signals and the room address signals.

Growing community of inventors

Paris, France

Georges Buchner