Polycom, Inc.

Jonathan Gallmeier

Peter L Chu

Jinwei Feng

Wayne Grosvenor Dunlap

Alain Elon Nimri

Stephen Paul Schaefer

Yibo Liu

Krishna Sai

Zhemin Tu

Wayne Dunlap

A videoconferencing apparatus automatically tracks speakers in a room and dynamically switches between a controlled, people-view camera and a fixed, room-view camera. When no one is speaking, the apparatus shows the room view to the far-end. When there is a dominant speaker in the room, the apparatus directs the people-view camera at the dominant speaker and switches from the room-view camera to the people-view camera. When there is a new speaker in the room, the apparatus switches to the room-view camera first, directs the people-view camera at the new speaker, and then switches to the people-view camera directed at the new speaker. When there are two near-end speakers engaged in a conversation, the apparatus tracks and zooms-in the people-view camera so that both speakers are in view.

Videoconferencing endpoint having multiple voice-tracking cameras

A master device (e.g., a laptop) controls a videoconference connection with a far-end and acts as a controller for slave devices in a group. The master establishes the connection with the far-end using a wide area network and connects with the slaves using a Wi-Fi connection of a local area connection. To connect to the slaves, the master outputs an ultrasonic beacon encoding the master's address in the local network. The beacon also allows differences in the various clocks to be handled during audio processing. During the videoconference, the master outputs far-end audio to a loudspeaker and sends the far-end video to its display and to the slaves. Each device captures audio/video with its microphone and camera. The master determines which captured audio is a dominant talker's and may only send that audio to the far-end. The video associated with the dominant talker's device may also be sent to the far-end.

Mobile group conferencing with portable devices

Automatic camera framing for videoconferencing

A system and method are disclosed for controlling presentations and videoconference using hand motions. A camera captures video of an area relative to content displayed on a display device from a content source. A control unit is communicatively coupled to the content source, the display device, and the camera. The control unit receives captured video from the camera. The control unit detects a hand motion by a presenter that occurs within the captured video and determines the location within the captured video of at least one control for controlling the presentation or videoconference. The control unit determines if the detected hand motion occurs within the determined location of the at least one control, and the control unit controls the content source based on the determined control.

System and method for controlling presentations and videoconferences using hand motions

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Jonathan Gallmeier