Space information sharing apparatus, space information sharing method, and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11418565-B2
Application number	US-201917045616-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2019
Priority date	Apr 13, 2018
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

There is provided a space information sharing apparatus, a space information sharing method, and a program adapted to let users feel as if their spaces are interconnected in a multidirectional communication system while saving bandwidth. A control section is provided to control communication of space information indicative of appearances of a space of a first user to an apparatus of a second user on the basis of first sensing information representative of the state of the first user and second sensing information representative of the state of the second user. This technology is applied advantageously to multidirectional communication systems.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A space information sharing apparatus comprising:
a control section configured to control communication of space information indicative of appearances of a space of a first user to an apparatus of a second user, on a basis of first sensing information representative of a state of the first user and second sensing information representative of a state of the second user,
wherein the control section is further configured to change a frame rate or an image resolution of the communication to the apparatus of the second user on the basis of the first sensing information and the second sensing information,
wherein the state of the first user indicates whether or not the first user is present in the space of the first user and the state of the second user indicates whether or not the second user is present in a space of the second user, and
wherein the control section is implemented via at least one processor.

2. The space information sharing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to control the frame rate of the communication to the apparatus of the second user on the basis of the first sensing information and the second sensing information.

3. The space information sharing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to control the image resolution of the communication to the apparatus of the second user on the basis of the first sensing information and the second sensing information.

4. The space information sharing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to control an operating status of components of the space information sharing apparatus on the basis of the first sensing information and the second sensing information.

5. The space information sharing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control section is further configured to control the operating status of an imaging section configured to capture the space of the first user on the basis of the first sensing information and the second sensing information.

6. The space information sharing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the control section is further configured to control the operating status of a transmission section configured to transmit the space information regarding the first user to the apparatus of the second user, on the basis of the first sensing information and the second sensing information.

7. The space information sharing apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a reception section configured to receive space information indicative of appearances of a space of the second user,
wherein the control section is further configured to control the operating status of a presentation section configured to present the first user with the received space information regarding the second user on the basis of the first sensing information and the second sensing information, and
wherein the reception section is implemented via at least one processor.

8. The space information sharing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the space information sharing apparatus operates in one of two operation modes, one of the two operation modes being a connection priority mode giving priority to connecting the communication, another of the two operation modes being a bandwidth-saving priority mode giving priority to saving bandwidth for the communication,
wherein the space information sharing apparatus further comprises a switching section configured to switch the operation mode either to the connection priority mode or to the bandwidth-saving priority mode,
wherein the control section is further configured to control the communication to the apparatus of the second user on a basis of the mode having been switched to, and
wherein the switching section is implemented via at least one processor.

9. The space information sharing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control section is further configured to control the communication of the space information regarding the first user to the apparatus of the second user on a basis of third sensing information representative of a state of a third user.

10. A space information sharing method comprising:
causing a space information sharing apparatus to control communication of space information indicative of appearances of a space of a first user to an apparatus of a second user on a basis of first sensing information representative of a state of the first user and second sensing information representative of a state of the second user,
wherein the controlling of the communication of the space information includes changing a frame rate or an image resolution of the communication to the apparatus of the second user on the basis of the first sensing information and the second sensing information, and
wherein the state of the first user indicates whether or not the first user is present in the space of the first user and the state of the second user indicates whether or not the second user is present in a space of the second user.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a program, which when executed by a computer causes the computer to execute a space sharing information method, the method comprising:
controlling communication of space information indicative of appearances of a space of a first user to an apparatus of a second user on a basis of first sensing information representative of a state of the first user and second sensing information representative of a state of the second user,
wherein the controlling of the communication of the space information includes changing a frame rate or an image resolution of the communication to the apparatus of the second user on the basis of the first sensing information and the second sensing information, and
wherein the state of the first user indicates whether or not the first user is present in the space of the first user and the state of the second user indicates whether or not the second user is present in a space of the second user.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Sakai Yusuke
• Tanaka Yoshizumi

Classifications

• H04N21/42203

  sound input device, e.g. microphone · CPC title

• H04N21/2665

  Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite · CPC title

• H04N21/4223

  Cameras (H04N23/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04N7/15

  Conference systems · CPC title

• H04N7/147

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