Low bandwidth video

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9848167-B1
Application number	US-201615188581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 21, 2016
Priority date	Jun 21, 2016
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

Devices, systems and methods are disclosed for enabling a standby mode during videoconferencing, the standby mode having reduced bandwidth consumption and configured to indicate whether a person is present while protecting a privacy of the person. For example, a local device may capture low resolution video data at a low sampling rate, downsample the video data and send the downsampled video data to a remote device, which may upsample the downsampled video data and display the upsampled video data on a display. The upsampled video data indicates an environment of the local device while blurring details, enabling a user of the remote device to identify movement or activity while maintaining privacy for anyone near the local device. The local device may identify activity, motion and/or objects of interest in the video data and may apply a special effect emphasizing the activity, motion and/or objects of interest.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for videoconferencing, the method comprising:
by a local device:
capturing, in a videoconferencing mode, by a camera coupled to the local device, first video data at a first resolution and at a first sampling rate;
generating compressed video data by applying a video compression algorithm to the first video data;
sending the compressed video data to a remote device;
receiving a command to enter a standby mode;
capturing, in the standby mode, by the camera, second video data at a second resolution and at a second sampling rate, the second resolution lower than the first resolution and the second sampling rate lower than the first sampling rate;
detecting motion in the second video data;
detecting, using a computer vision algorithm, an object of interest corresponding to the motion;
determining a portion of the second video data corresponding to the object of interest;
applying a visual effect to the portion of the second video data, the visual effect emphasizing the portion of the second video data;
downsampling, by a first graphics processor on the local device, the second video data to generate downsampled video data, the downsampled video data having a third resolution that is lower than the second resolution;
generating blurred video data by applying a Gaussian blur to the downsampled video data;
sending the blurred video data to the remote device, and

by the remote device:
receiving the blurred video data;
upsampling, by a second graphics processor on the remote device, the blurred video data to generate upsampled video data, the upsampled video data having a fourth resolution that is larger than the third resolution; and
displaying, on a display coupled to the remote device, a video using the upsampled video data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising, by the local device:
receiving, from the remote device, an instruction to enter the videoconferencing mode;
displaying a request for authorization to enter the videoconferencing mode;
receiving, at the local device, input authorizing the local device to enter the videoconferencing mode;
capturing, in the videoconferencing mode, by the camera, third video data at the first resolution and the first sampling rate;
generating second compressed video data by applying the video compression algorithm to the third video data; and
sending the second compressed video data to the remote device, the second compressed video data having a higher resolution, a higher sampling rate and greater level of detail than the blurred video data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising, by the local device:
detecting motion in the second video data;
determining, using facial recognition, that a human is present in the second video data; and
sending, to the remote device along with the blurred video data, a human-present indication indicating that the human is present in the blurred video data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
by the local device:
capturing, by the camera, first image data, the first image data having the first resolution;
capturing, in the standby mode, by the camera, third video data at the second resolution and at the second sampling rate;
detecting motion in the third video data;
determining a portion of the third video data corresponding to the motion;
sending the first image data to the remote device; and
sending the portion of the third video data to the remote device, and

by the remote device:
receiving the first image data;
receiving the portion of the third video data;
generating combined video data, the combined video data comprising the first image data and the portion of the third video data superimposed over a portion of the first image data; and
displaying the combined video data on the display.

5. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
capturing, in a first mode, by a camera coupled to a local device, first image data at a first resolution and at a first sampling rate;
generating compressed image data from the first image data;
sending the compressed image data to a remote device;
entering a second mode;
capturing, in the second mode, by the camera, second image data at a second resolution and at a second sampling rate, the second resolution lower than the first resolution and the second sampling rate lower than the first sampling rate;
generating, using a first graphics processor on the local device, downsampled image data by downsampling the second image data, the downsampled image data having a third resolution that is lower than the second resolution;
sending the downsampled image data to the remote device;
receiving, from the remote device, an instruction to enter the first mode;
displaying a request for authorization to enter the first mode;
receiving, at the local device, input authorizing the local device to enter the first mode;
capturing, in the first mode, by the camera, third image data at the first resolution and the first sampling rate;
generating second compressed image data from the third image data; and
sending the second compressed image data to the remote device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , further comprising, by the local device:
capturing, in the second mode, by the camera prior to capturing the first image data, fourth image data at the second resolution and the second sampling rate;
receiving, from the remote device, a second instruction to enter the first mode;
determining that the second instruction includes first security data matching second security data; and
capturing, in the first mode, by the camera, the first image data at the first resolution and the first sampling rate.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , further comprising, prior to sending the downsampled image data to the remote device:
detecting motion in the second image data;
determining, using object recognition, that a human is present in the second image data; and
sending a human-present indication associated with the downsampled image data.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , further comprising, prior to sending the downsampled image data to the remote device:
detecting motion in the second image data;
detecting, using a computer vision algorithm, an object of interest corresponding to the motion;
determining a portion of the second image data corresponding to the object of interest; and
applying a visual effect to the portion of the second image data, the visual effect emphasizing the portion of the second image data.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , further comprising, prior to receiving the instruction to enter the first mode:
capturing, by the camera, fourth image data, the fourth image data having the first resolution;
detecting motion in the second image data;
determining a portion of the second image data corresponding to the motion;
sending the fourth image data to the remote device;
generating the downsampled image data by downsampling the portion of the second image data; and
sending the downsampled image data to the remote device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , further comprising, by the remote device:
receiving the fourth image data;
receiving the downsampled image data corresponding to the portion of the second image data;
generating combined image data, the combined image data comprising the fourth image data and the downsampled image data superimposed over a portion of the fourth image data; and
displaying, based on the combined image data, a combined image on the display.

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Christian Andrew Dean
• Levine David Marc
• Beebe Blair Harold

Classifications

• H04N5/144

  Movement detection (for video coding H04N19/503; analysis of motion in general G06T7/20) · 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

• H04N5/265

  Mixing · CPC title

• H04N5/2621

  Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects during image pickup, e.g. digital cameras, camcorders, video cameras having integrated special effects capability · CPC title

• H04N23/667

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title