Patent ID: 6731334
Filing Date: 2004-05-04
Classification: G01S,H04N

Abstract:
An automatic voice tracking camera system, comprising:a first camera operable to receive control signals for controlling a view of the first camera; a microphone array comprising a plurality of microphones, the microphone array operable to receive a voice of a speaker and to provide an audio signal representing the voice; a beamformer coupled to the microphone array, the beamformer operable to receive the audio signal, to generate from the audio signal speaker position data representing a position of the speaker as coordinates for a point in space, and to provide the speaker position data; and a camera controller coupled to the beamformer and to the first camera, the camera controller operable: to receive the speaker position data, to determine a responsive camera movement based upon changes of greater than a predetermined amount in the coordinates for the point in space indicative of sneaker position changes, to generate camera control signals based upon the responsive camera movement, and to provide the camera control signals to the first camera such that the view of the first camera automatically tracks the position of the speaker.