Image display system and image display method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10182206-B2
Application number	US-201615562331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2016
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Jan 15, 2019
Grant date	Jan 15, 2019

Abstract

In an image display system for viewing, by a user in a first space, an image of a second space remote from the first space, image data indicating an image acquired by an imaging device placed in the second space is received from the imaging device. A partial image of the image indicated by the received image data is displayed on a display screen in the first space, the partial image having a display size corresponding to the size of the display screen. At least one of the position, the facial direction, the visual line, or the facial position of the user in the first space is detected by a detector. When a detection result of the detector changes while the partial image is being displayed, it is determined which partial image of the image indicated by the image data is to be displayed on the display screen.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image display system used for viewing, by a user in a first space, an image of a second space remote from the first space, comprising:
an imaging device placed in the second space;
a display screen formation instrument placed in the first space to form an image display screen;
a receiver configured to receive image data from the imaging device, the image data indicating an image acquired by the imaging device;
an image display configured to display, on the display screen, a partial image of the image indicated by the image data received by the receiver, the partial image having a display size corresponding to a size of the display screen; and
a detector configured to detect at least one of a position, a facial direction, a visual line, or a facial position of the user in the first space,
wherein:
when a detection result of the detector changes, the image display determines, according to the detection result after the change, which partial image of the image indicated by the image data is to be displayed on the display screen,
the detector is another imaging device placed in the first space and configured to image the user in front of the display screen formation instrument to detect a position of a face of the user, and
the image display calculates a coordinate value indicating the position of the face of the user detected by the another imaging device, and when the coordinate value changes due to a change in the position of the face of the user, determines, according to the coordinate value after the change, which partial image of the image indicated by the image data is to be displayed on the display screen.

2. The image display system of claim 1 , further comprising:
first and second computers communicable with each other,
the first computer is connected to the imaging device, and functions as a transmitter configured to transmit the image data indicating the image acquired by the imaging device, and
the second computer is connected to the display screen formation instrument and the detector, and functions as the receiver and the image display.

3. The image display system of claim 1 , wherein
the imaging device is a fixed camera including a fish-eye lens or a wide-angle lens and configured to acquire an image via the fish-eye lens or the wide-angle lens.

4. The image display system of claim 1 , wherein
when the calculated coordinate value is a preset reference value, the image display displays, on the display screen, a reference partial image of the image indicated by the image data, the reference partial image being set corresponding to the reference value, and
when the calculated coordinate value is different from the reference value, the image display displays, on the display screen, a partial image of the image indicated by the image data, the partial image being shifted from the reference partial image according to a shift amount between the coordinate value and the reference value.

5. The image display system of claim 4 , wherein
when the user in the front of the display screen formation instrument moves one's face in a first direction of first and second directions opposing each other as viewed from the display screen formation instrument, the image display displays, on the display screen, the partial image shifted in the second direction from the partial image displayed before movement, and
when the user in the front of the display screen formation instrument moves one's face in the second direction as viewed from the display screen formation instrument, the image display displays, on the display screen, the partial image shifted in the first direction from the partial image displayed before movement.

6. The image display system of claim 1 , wherein
the display screen formation instrument forms a portion of a building material, furniture, or a decoration disposed in the first space, and forms the display screen,
a sensor is provided in the first space, the sensor being configured to sense a sensing target satisfying a preset sensing condition when the sensing target is at least one of action of the user, a position of the user, a posture of the user, or sound from the user,
while the sensor is not sensing the sensing target satisfying the sensing condition, the display screen formation instrument has an outer appearance as the portion without formation of the display screen, and
only while the sensor is sensing the sensing target satisfying the sensing condition, the display screen formation instrument forms the display screen.

7. An image display method in which a user in a first space uses a computer to view an image of a second space remote from the first space, comprising:
a step of receiving, by the computer, image data from an imaging device placed in the second space, the image data indicating an image acquired by the imaging device;
a step of displaying, by the computer, a partial image of the image indicated by the received image data on a display screen formed by a display screen formation instrument placed in the first space, the partial image having a display size corresponding to a size of the display screen; and
a step of detecting, by a detector, at least one of a position, a facial direction, a visual line, or a facial position of the user in the first space,
wherein when a detection result of the detector changes during execution of the step of displaying the partial image on the display screen, the computer determines, according to the detection result after the change, which partial image of the image indicated by the image data is to be displayed on the display screen, and
wherein the detector is another imaging device placed in the first space, the method further comprising:
a step of imaging the user in front of the display screen formation instrument to detect a position of a face of the user,
a step of calculating a coordinate value indicating the position of the face of the user detected by the another imaging device, and
when the coordinate value changes due to a change in the position of the face of the user, a step of determining, according to the coordinate value after the change, which partial image of the image indicated by the image data is to be displayed on the display screen.

Assignees

• Daiwa House Ind
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Takahashi Yasuo
• Matsumoto Hiroki
• Nakano Tsukasa
• Orime Takashi
• Takeuchi Yuichiro
• Miyajima Yasushi

Classifications

• G06F3/0346

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title

• H04N7/147 Primary

  Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals (selecting H04Q) · CPC title

• H04N7/15 Primary

  Conference systems · CPC title

• H04N7/18

  Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast · CPC title