METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUDIO/IMAGE SPEAKER DETECTION AND LOCATOR

Title:

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUDIO/IMAGE SPEAKER DETECTION AND LOCATOR

Document Type and Number:

WIPO Patent Application WO2002079792

Kind Code:

A3

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for a video conferencing system using an array of two microphones and a stationary camera to automatically locate a speaker and electronically manipulate the video image to produce the effect of a movable pan tilt zoom ("PTZ") camera. Computer vision algorithms are used to detect, locate, and track people in the field of view of a wide-angle, stationary camera. The estimated acoustic delay obtained from a microphone array, consisting of only two horizontally spaced microphones, is used to select the person speaking. This system can also detect any possible ambiguities, in which case, it can respond in a fail-safe way, for example, it can zoom out to include all the speakers located at the same horizontal position.

Inventors:

COLMENAREZ ANTONIO
STRUBBE HUGO J
GUTTA SRINIVAS

Application Number:

PCT/IB2002/000870

Publication Date:

December 05, 2002

Filing Date:

March 15, 2002

Export Citation:

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Assignee:

KONINKL PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NV (NL)

International Classes:

H04N5/232; G01S3/808; H04N7/14; H04N7/15; G01S3/786; (IPC1-7): G01S3/782; G01S3/808; H04N5/232; H04N7/15

Domestic Patent References:

WO1999060788A1

1999-11-25

Foreign References:

US6198693B1	2001-03-06
US4581758A	1986-04-08

Other References: