Patent ID: 6285392
Filing Date: 2001-09-04
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A multi-site television conference system, comprising:a central control unit for controlling a conference; anda plurality of conference terminals connected to said central control unit;each of said conference terminals including a plurality of image pickup apparatus for picking up video images of a participant, who participates in the conference through the conference terminal, from a plurality of directions, a multi-direction image inputting section for receiving the video images from said plurality of image pickup apparatus and transmitting the video images to said central control unit, an image outputting section for receiving a video image of a virtual conference room transmitted thereto from said central control unit and presenting the received video image to the participant, and a control information inputting section for inputting information for controlling the conference therethrough and transmitting the inputted information to said central control unit;said central control unit including a multi-site image inputting section for receiving video images transmitted thereto from said conference terminals of individual participants to the conference, an image production timing generation section for designating one of the participants who should see a video image to be synthesized by and transmitted from said central processing unit in order that video images may be produced and transmitted to said conference terminals of the individual participants, a virtual space information storage section for storing information to be used for production of a video image of the virtual conference space, updating the information of the virtual conference space with control information from said conference terminals and transmitting the information to be used for production of a video image in response to an instruction from said image production timing generation section, an image selection section for selecting appropriate video images from among the multi-direction video images received by said multi-site image inputting section by distinguishing how, when the participant for which a video image is being produced at present views the participants of the other conference terminals in the virtual conference space based on the information from said virtual space information storage section, the participants look to the participant, and an image production section for producing a video image in which the video images selected by said image selection section are arranged in the virtual conference space based on the information from said virtual space information storage section and transmitting the produced video image to the conference terminal of the participant.