Information processing apparatus and image processing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9894320-B2
Application number	US-201615262542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2016
Priority date	Sep 14, 2015
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

An information processing apparatus for transmitting image data to an information terminal, the information processing apparatus being capable of performing communication with the information terminal via a network is disclosed. The information processing apparatus includes a determination unit configured to determine persons from the image data captured by an imaging unit; a speaker estimating unit configured to estimate a speaker among the persons captured in the image data; a measurement unit configured to measure a speech time of the speaker estimated by the speaker estimating unit; an acquisition unit configured to obtain from the image data, based on the speech time measured by the measurement unit, a speaker image including the speaker that continuously speaks for a certain duration; and a transmission unit configured to transmit the speaker image obtained by the acquisition unit to the information terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An information processing apparatus for transmitting image data to an information terminal, the information processing apparatus being capable of performing communication with the information terminal via a network, the information processing apparatus comprising:
a determination unit configured to determine persons from the image data captured by an imaging unit;
a speaker estimating unit configured to estimate a speaker among the persons captured in the image data;
a measurement unit configured to measure a speech time of the speaker estimated by the speaker estimating unit;
an acquisition unit configured to obtain from the image data, based on the speech time measured by the measurement unit, a speaker image including the speaker that continuously speaks for a certain duration; and
a transmission unit configured to transmit the speaker image obtained by the acquisition unit to the information terminal.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where the measurement unit measures the speech time that continues longer than a first threshold, the acquisition unit obtains, from the image data, the speaker image showing the speaker whose speech time is longer than the first threshold.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit obtains, from the image data, the speaker image including a number of speakers selected from the persons in descending order of accumulated speech times, the accumulated speech times being measured in a predetermined period of time, the number of speakers being set in advance.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein after obtaining a first speaker image, upon obtaining a second speaker image, the acquisition unit obtains one or more intermediate images from the image data between the first speaker image and the second speaker image, and
wherein the transmission unit transmits the one or more intermediate images to the information terminal.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein after obtaining a first speaker image, upon obtaining a second speaker image including at least a part of the first speaker image and being larger than the first speaker image, the acquisition unit obtains one or more intermediate images from the image data, the one or more intermediate images being larger than the first speaker image and being smaller than the second speaker image, and
wherein the transmission unit transmits the one or more intermediate images to the information terminal.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein after obtaining a first speaker image, upon obtaining a second speaker image including at least a part of the first speaker image and being smaller than the first speaker image, the acquisition unit obtains one or more intermediate images from the image data, the one or more intermediate images being smaller than the first speaker image and being larger than the second speaker image, and
wherein the transmission unit transmits the one or more intermediate images to the information terminal.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein upon obtaining a plurality of the intermediate images from the image data between the first speaker image and the second speaker image, the acquisition unit obtains the intermediate images from the image data within predetermined ranges of the first speaker image and the second speaker image, the intermediate images being obtained at shorter intervals than outside the predetermined ranges.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein in a case where the first speaker image and the second speaker image are separated by more than a second threshold, the acquisition unit obtains the second speaker image from the image data after the first speaker image without obtaining the one or more intermediate images.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the acquisition unit obtains, based on the speech time, the speaker image including the speaker that continuously speaks for a certain duration from a plurality of fields obtained by dividing the image data.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein an instruction to select one of the persons captured in the image data is received or the acquisition unit specifies a person having a longest speech time measured by the measurement unit, and
wherein the acquisition unit obtains the speaker image from the image data, the speaker image including the speaker specified based on the speech time and either the one person selected or the person having the longest speech time.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein an instruction to select one of the persons captured in the image data is received or the acquisition unit specifies a person having a longest speech time measured by the measurement unit, and
wherein in a case where the image data is wide-angle image data in which 360-degree surroundings of the imaging unit are captured, the acquisition unit disposes the wide-angle image data such that the one person selected or the person having the longest speech time is arranged in a predetermined direction.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein in a case where the image data is wide-angle image data in which 360-degree surroundings of the imaging unit are captured, the acquisition unit disposes the wide-angle image data such that the speaker whose speech time is measured to be longer than the first threshold is arranged in a predetermined direction.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein in a case where the image data is wide-angle image data in which 360-degree surroundings of the imaging unit are captured, the acquisition unit performs a process to emphasize the speaker on the wide-angle image data, the speaker being estimated by the speaker estimating unit.

14. An image processing system comprising:
an information processing apparatus for transmitting image data to an information terminal, the information processing apparatus being capable of performing communication with the information terminal via a network; and
an imaging device for communication with the information processing apparatus,
the imaging device including an imaging unit configured to capture an image of 350-degree surroundings,
the information processing apparatus including:
a determination unit configured to determine persons from the image data captured by the imaging unit;
a speaker estimating unit configured to estimate a speaker among the persons captured in the image data;
a measurement unit configured to measure a speech time of the speaker estimated by the speaker estimating unit;
an acquisition unit configured to obtain from the image data, based on the speech time measured by the measurement unit, a speaker image including the speaker that continuously speaks for a certain duration; and
a transmission unit configured to transmit the speaker image obtained by the acquisition unit to the information terminal.

Assignees

• Uchiyama Hiroaki
• Takahashi Masato
• Kuwata Koji
• Kitazawa Kazuki
• Igarashi Kiyoto
• Goto Tomoyuki
• Gingawa Nobumasa
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Uchiyama Hiroaki
• Takahashi Masato
• Kuwata Koji
• Kitazawa Kazuki
• Igarashi Kiyoto
• Goto Tomoyuki
• Gingawa Nobumasa

Classifications

• H04N23/698

  for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture · CPC title

• H04N7/15 Primary

  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

• G10L25/57

  for processing of video signals · CPC title

• H04N5/23238

  Electricity · mapped topic