U.S. patent application number 17/332829 was filed with the patent office on 2021-11-18 for establishing a video conference during a phone call.
The applicant listed for this patent is Apple Inc.. Invention is credited to Joe S. Abuan, Elizabeth C. Cranfill, Roberto Garcia, JR., Stephen O. Lemay, Hsi-Jung Wu, Xiaosong Zhou.
Application Number | 20210360192 17/332829 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005750052 |
Filed Date | 2021-11-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210360192 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Cranfill; Elizabeth C. ; et
al. |
November 18, 2021 |
ESTABLISHING A VIDEO CONFERENCE DURING A PHONE CALL
Abstract
Some embodiments provide a method for initiating a video
conference using a first mobile device. The method presents, during
an audio call through a wireless communication network with a
second device, a selectable user-interface (UI) item on the first
mobile device for switching from the audio call to the video
conference. The method receives a selection of the selectable UI
item. The method initiates the video conference without terminating
the audio call. The method terminates the audio call before
allowing the first and second devices to present audio and video
data exchanged through the video conference.
Inventors: |
Cranfill; Elizabeth C.; (San
Francisco, CA) ; Lemay; Stephen O.; (San Francisco,
CA) ; Abuan; Joe S.; (San Jose, CA) ; Wu;
Hsi-Jung; (Sunnyvale, CA) ; Zhou; Xiaosong;
(Campbell, CA) ; Garcia, JR.; Roberto; (Sunnyvale,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Apple Inc. |
Cupertino |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005750052 |
Appl. No.: |
17/332829 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16666073 |
Oct 28, 2019 |
11025861 |
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17332829 |
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15725868 |
Oct 5, 2017 |
10462420 |
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16666073 |
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14263889 |
Apr 28, 2014 |
9787938 |
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15725868 |
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12794766 |
Jun 6, 2010 |
8744420 |
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14263889 |
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61321871 |
Apr 7, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/04817 20130101;
H04N 7/147 20130101; H04N 5/2624 20130101; G06F 3/0482 20130101;
G06F 3/04886 20130101; G06F 9/451 20180201; H04N 7/15 20130101;
H04N 5/2258 20130101; H04N 5/272 20130101; H04N 7/141 20130101;
G06F 3/04842 20130101; G06F 3/0486 20130101; H04M 1/72469 20210101;
G06F 3/04812 20130101; G06F 3/0488 20130101; G09G 5/14
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 7/14 20060101
H04N007/14; G09G 5/14 20060101 G09G005/14; H04N 5/225 20060101
H04N005/225; G06F 3/0488 20060101 G06F003/0488; G06F 9/451 20060101
G06F009/451; G06F 3/0481 20060101 G06F003/0481; G06F 3/0482
20060101 G06F003/0482; G06F 3/0486 20060101 G06F003/0486; H04M
1/72469 20060101 H04M001/72469; H04N 7/15 20060101 H04N007/15; G06F
3/0484 20060101 G06F003/0484; H04N 5/262 20060101 H04N005/262; H04N
5/272 20060101 H04N005/272 |
Claims
1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising
instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to:
display, on a display of a first electronic device, a selectable
user interface (UI) item within a contact information page for a
contact; receive user input indicative of a selection of the
selectable UI item; and in response to receiving the user input,
initiate a video conference between the first electronic device and
a second electronic device.
2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein:
the display comprises a touchscreen; and the user input comprises a
user touching the touchscreen.
3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors
to: display, via the display of the first electronic device, a
contacts list; receive a second user input indicative of a
selection to view the contact information page for the contact; and
in response to receiving the second user input, display the contact
information page.
4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors
to: display, via the display of the first electronic device, a call
history list comprising a plurality of contacts, wherein the
plurality of contacts comprises the contact; receive a second user
input indicative of a selection the contact in the call history
list; and in response to receiving the second user input, display
the contact information page.
5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 4, wherein
the plurality of contacts corresponds to users of electronic
devices with which the first electronic device has had a prior
video conference, audio call, or both.
6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors
to: display, via the display of the first electronic device, a
second selectable UI item in the contact information page; receive
a second user input indicative of a selection of the second
selectable UI item; and in response to receiving the second user
input, initiate an audio call between the first electronic device
and the second electronic device.
7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the first electronic device comprises a mobile phone, a tablet, a
laptop computer, or a personal digital assistant.
8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein
the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors
to initiate the video conference by: displaying content
corresponding to a hold stage; and after a user of the second
electronic device accepts the video conference, displaying an
animation to visually indicate initiation of the video
conference.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein:
the content corresponding to the hold stage comprises a first video
captured by a camera of the first electronic device; and the
animation starts with reducing a size of the first video while
displaying the first video and ends with displaying the first video
overlapping at least a portion of a second video captured by the
second electronic device.
10. An electronic device comprising: a display; and one or more
processors communicatively coupled to the display, wherein the one
or more processors are configured to: cause a contact information
page for a contact to be displayed via the display, wherein the
contact information page comprises a selectable user interface (UI)
item for initiating a video conference; receive user input
indicative of a selection of the selectable UI item; and in
response to receiving the user input, initiate the video conference
between the electronic device and a second electronic device.
11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein: the display
comprises a touchscreen; and the user input indicative of the
selection of the selectable UI item comprises tapping or pressing
the selectable UI item.
12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the one or more
processors are configured to cause the selectable UI item to
highlighting at least a portion of the selectable UI item in
response to receiving the user input.
13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the contact
information page is accessible from a contacts list.
14. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the contact
information page is accessible from a call history list.
15. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the electronic
device comprises a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, or a
personal digital assistant.
16. A method comprising: displaying, on a display of a first
electronic device, a selectable user interface (UI) item within a
contact information page for a contact; receiving, via the first
electronic device, user input indicative of a selection of the
selectable UI item; and in response to receiving the user input,
initiating, via the first electronic device, a video conference
between the first electronic device and a second electronic
device.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein: the display comprises a
touchscreen; and the user input indicative of the selection of the
selectable UI item comprises tapping or pressing the selectable UI
item.
18. The method of claim 16, comprising: displaying, via the display
of the first electronic device, a contacts list; receiving a second
user input indicative of a selection to view the contact
information page for the contact; and displaying the contact
information page in response to receiving the second user
input.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein initiating the video conference
comprises: displaying, via the display of the first electronic
device, content corresponding to a hold stage; and after a user of
the second electronic device accepts the video conference,
displaying, via the display of the first electronic device, an
animation to visually indicate initiation of the video
conference.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein: the content corresponding to
the hold stage comprises a first video captured by a camera of the
first electronic device; and the animation starts with reducing a
size of the first video while displaying the first video and ends
with displaying the first video overlapping at least a portion of a
second video captured by the second electronic device.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 16/666,073, filed Oct. 28, 2019, and entitled
"ESTABLISHING A VIDEO CONFERENCE DURING A PHONE CALL," which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/725,868, filed
Oct. 5, 2017, and entitled "ESTABLISHING A VIDEO CONFERENCE DURING
A PHONE CALL," which is a continuation of U.S. patent application
Ser. No. 14/263,889, filed Apr. 28, 2014, and entitled
"ESTABLISHING A VIDEO CONFERENCE DURING A PHONE CALL," which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/794,766, filed
Jun. 6, 2010, and entitled "ESTABLISHING A VIDEO CONFERENCE DURING
A PHONE CALL," which claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/321,871, filed Apr. 7, 2010, and entitled
"ESTABLISHING A VIDEO CONFERENCE DURING A PHONE CALL," the entire
disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference for all
purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many of today's portable devices, such as smartphones,
provide video capture functionality. A user of the portable device
can capture both still images and video through a camera on the
phone. However, to transmit captured video to another party, the
user must generally either send the video directly to the other
party or upload the video to another location (e.g., an Internet
video hosting site) after the video is done being captured.
Unfortunately, this does not allow the other party to view the live
video stream as it is captured by the portable device.
[0003] In addition, standard portable devices are only equipped
with one camera, and processing information from this one camera is
difficult enough. An ideal device would have multiple cameras and
could send out live video that is a composition of video from at
least two cameras. This is an especially difficult problem in light
of the limited resources available for portable devices, both in
terms of the device processing multiple captured video streams and
a network to which the device is connected handling the
transmission of the live video streams.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0004] Some embodiments of the invention provide a mobile device
with two cameras that can take pictures and videos. The mobile
device of some embodiments has a display screen for displaying the
captured picture images and video images. It also includes a
storage for storing the captured images for later transmission to
another device. The device further has a network interface that
allows the device to transmit the captured images to one or more
devices during a real-time communication session between the users
of the devices. The device also includes an encoder that it can use
to encode the captured images for local storage or for transmission
to another device. The mobile device further includes a decoder
that allows the device to decode images captured by another device
during a real-time communication session or to decode images stored
locally.
[0005] One example of a real-time communication session that
involves the transmission of the captured video images is a video
conference. In some embodiments, the mobile device can only
transmit one camera's captured video images at any given time
during a video conference. In other embodiments, however, the
mobile device can transmit captured video images from both of its
cameras simultaneously during a video conference or other real-time
communication session.
[0006] During a video conference with another device, the mobile
device of some embodiments can transmit other types of content
along with the video captured by one or both of its cameras. One
example of such other content includes low or high resolution
picture images that are captured by one of the device's cameras,
while the device's other camera is capturing a video that is used
in the video conference. Other examples of such other content
include (1) files and other content stored on the device, (2) the
screen display of the device (i.e., the content that is displayed
on the device's screen), (3) content received from another device
during a video conference or other real-time communication session,
etc.
[0007] The mobile devices of some embodiments employ novel
in-conference adjustment techniques for making adjustments during a
video conference. For instance, while transmitting only one
camera's captured video during a video conference, the mobile
device of some embodiments can dynamically switch to transmitting a
video captured by its other camera. In such situations, the mobile
device of some embodiments notifies any other device participating
in the video conference of this switch so that this other device
can provide a smooth transition on its end between the videos
captured by the two cameras.
[0008] In some embodiments, the request to switch cameras not only
can originate on the "local" device that switches between its
cameras during the video conference, but also can originate from
the other "emote" device that is receiving the video captured by
the local device. Moreover, allowing one device to direct another
device to switch cameras is just one example of a remote control
capability of the devices of some embodiments. Examples of other
operations that can be directed to a device remotely in some
embodiments include exposure adjustment operations (e.g.,
auto-exposure), focus adjustment operations (e.g., auto-focus),
etc. Another example of a novel in-conference adjustment that can
be specified locally or remotely is the identification of a region
of interest (ROI) in a captured video, and the use of this ROI
identification to modify the behavior of the capturing camera, to
modify the image processing operation of the device with the
capturing camera, or to modify the encoding operation of the device
with the capturing camera.
[0009] Yet another example of a novel in-conference adjustment of
some embodiments involves real-time modifications of composite
video displays that are generated by the devices. Specifically, in
some embodiments, the mobile devices generate composite displays
that simultaneously display multiple videos captured by multiple
cameras of one or more devices. In some cases, the composite
displays place the videos in adjacent display areas (e.g., in
adjacent windows). In other cases, the composite display is a
picture-in-picture (PIP) display that includes at least two display
areas that show two different videos where one of the display areas
is a background main display area and the other is a foreground
inset display area that overlaps the background main display
area.
[0010] The real-time modifications of the composite video displays
in some embodiments involve moving one or more of the display areas
within a composite display in response to a user's selection and
movement of the display areas. Some embodiments also rotate the
composite display during a video conference, when the screen of the
device that provides this composite display rotates. Also, the
mobile device of some embodiments allows the user of the device to
swap the videos in a PIP display (i.e., to make the video in the
foreground inset display appear in the background main display
while making the video in the background main display appear in the
foreground inset display).
[0011] The preceding Summary is intended to serve as a brief
introduction to some embodiments of the invention. It is not meant
to be an introduction or overview of all inventive subject matter
disclosed in this document. The Detailed Description that follows
and the Drawings that are referred to in the Detailed Description
will further describe the embodiments described in the Summary as
well as other embodiments. Accordingly, to understand all the
embodiments described by this document, a full review of the
Summary, Detailed Description and the Drawings is needed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] The novel features of the invention are set forth in the
appended claims. However, for purpose of explanation, several
embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following
figures.
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a composite display of some
embodiments.
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates another composite display of some
embodiments.
[0015] FIG. 3 conceptually illustrates a software architecture for
a video processing and encoding module of a dual camera mobile
device of some embodiments.
[0016] FIG. 4 conceptually illustrates a captured image processing
unit of some embodiments.
[0017] FIG. 5 conceptually illustrates examples of different frame
rates based on different vertical blanking intervals (VBis).
[0018] FIG. 6 conceptually illustrates examples of different
interleaving frame rates based on different VBis.
[0019] FIG. 7 conceptually illustrates another captured image
processing unit of some embodiments.
[0020] FIG. 8 conceptually illustrates another captured image
processing unit of some embodiments.
[0021] FIG. 9 conceptually illustrates a software architecture for
a video conferencing and processing module of a dual camera mobile
device of some embodiments.
[0022] FIG. 10 conceptually illustrates an example video conference
request messaging sequence of some embodiments.
[0023] FIG. 11 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a video conference setup operation.
[0024] FIG. 12 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
accepting an invitation to a video conference.
[0025] FIG. 13 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for accepting an invitation to a video conference.
[0026] FIG. 14 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a video conference setup operation.
[0027] FIG. 15 conceptually illustrates a process of some
embodiments for setting a bit rate for a video conference.
[0028] FIG. 16 conceptually illustrates another software
architecture for a video conferencing and processing module of a
dual camera mobile device of some embodiments.
[0029] FIG. 17 conceptually illustrates another software
architecture for a dual camera mobile device of some
embodiments.
[0030] FIG. 18 conceptually illustrates a process performed by a
video conference manager of some embodiments such as that
illustrated in FIG. 16.
[0031] FIG. 19 conceptually illustrates a software architecture for
a temporal noise reduction module of some embodiments.
[0032] FIG. 20 conceptually illustrates a process of some
embodiments for reducing temporal noise of images of a video.
[0033] FIG. 21 conceptually illustrates a process performed by an
image processing manager of some embodiments such as that
illustrated in FIG. 9.
[0034] FIG. 22 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
an exposure adjustment operation.
[0035] FIG. 23 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a focus adjustment operation.
[0036] FIG. 24 conceptually illustrates a perspective correction
process performed by an image processing manager of some
embodiments such as that illustrated in FIG. 16.
[0037] FIG. 25 conceptually illustrates example perspective
correction operations of some embodiments.
[0038] FIG. 26 conceptually illustrates a software architecture for
an encoder driver of some embodiments such as that illustrated in
FIG. 16.
[0039] FIG. 27 conceptually illustrates an image resizing process
performed by an encoder driver of some embodiments such as that
illustrated in FIG. 26.
[0040] FIG. 28 conceptually illustrates a software architecture for
a decoder driver of some embodiments such as that illustrated in
FIG. 16.
[0041] FIG. 29 conceptually illustrates an image extraction process
performed by a decoder driver of some embodiments such as that
illustrated in FIG. 28.
[0042] FIG. 30 illustrates an encoder driver of some embodiments
that includes two rate controllers.
[0043] FIG. 31 conceptually illustrates a software architecture for
a networking manager of some embodiments such as that illustrated
in FIG. 16.
[0044] FIG. 32 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a snap-to-comer operation.
[0045] FIG. 33 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a snap-to-comer operation.
[0046] FIG. 34 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a PIP display rotation operation.
[0047] FIG. 35 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a PIP display rotation operation.
[0048] FIG. 36 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a PIP display rotation operation.
[0049] FIG. 37 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a PIP display rotation operation.
[0050] FIG. 38 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
resizing a foreground inset display area in a PIP display.
[0051] FIG. 39 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for resizing an inset display area in a PIP
display.
[0052] FIG. 40 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for resizing an inset display area in a PIP
display.
[0053] FIG. 41 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for resizing an inset display area in a PIP
display.
[0054] FIG. 42 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
identifying a region of interest in a display.
[0055] FIG. 43 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for identifying a region of interest in a display.
[0056] FIG. 44 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for identifying a region of interest in a display.
[0057] FIG. 45 illustrates a process of some embodiments for
performing a local switch camera operation on a dual camera mobile
device.
[0058] FIG. 46 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a switch camera operation.
[0059] FIG. 47 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a switch camera operation.
[0060] FIG. 48 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a switch camera operation.
[0061] FIG. 49 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a switch camera operation.
[0062] FIG. 50 illustrates a process of some embodiments for
performing a remote switch camera operation on a dual camera mobile
device.
[0063] FIG. 51 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a remote control switch camera operation.
[0064] FIG. 52 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a remote control switch camera operation.
[0065] FIG. 53 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a remote control switch camera operation.
[0066] FIG. 54 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a remote control switch camera operation.
[0067] FIG. 55 conceptually illustrates a process of some
embodiments for performing an exposure adjustment operation.
[0068] FIG. 56 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
an exposure adjustment operation.
[0069] FIG. 57 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for an exposure adjustment operation.
[0070] FIG. 58 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for an exposure adjustment operation.
[0071] FIG. 59 conceptually illustrates an exposure adjustment
process performed by an image processing manager of some
embodiments such as that illustrated in FIG. 16.
[0072] FIG. 60 conceptually illustrates exposure adjustment
operations of some embodiments.
[0073] FIG. 61 conceptually illustrates a process of some
embodiments for performing a focus adjustment operation.
[0074] FIG. 62 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a focus adjustment operation.
[0075] FIG. 63 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a focus adjustment operation.
[0076] FIG. 64 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a focus adjustment operation.
[0077] FIG. 65 illustrates different display arrangements of some
embodiments for videos captured from one or more dual camera mobile
devices.
[0078] FIG. 66 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
supenmposmg a foreground of an inset video onto a background video
in a PIP display.
[0079] FIG. 67 illustrates a technique of some embodiments for
determining a foreground of video images.
[0080] FIG. 68 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
swapping an inset display with a background display in a PIP
display during a video conference.
[0081] FIG. 69 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a snap-to-comer operation.
[0082] FIG. 70 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a snap-to-comer and push operation.
[0083] FIG. 71 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a PIP display rotation operation.
[0084] FIG. 72 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a PIP display rotation operation.
[0085] FIG. 73 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
selecting one video from two remote videos during a video
conference.
[0086] FIG. 74 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
selecting one video from two local videos during a video
conference.
[0087] FIG. 75 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a pre-conference selection of a video to use for the video
conference.
[0088] FIG. 76 illustrates examples of bandwidth allocation between
two videos captured by a dual camera mobile device of some
embodiments.
[0089] FIG. 77 conceptually illustrates an arbitrator module of
some embodiments for managing rate controllers of a dual camera
mobile device.
[0090] FIG. 78 conceptually illustrates a method of some
embodiments for encoding images captured by cameras of a dual
camera mobile device.
[0091] FIG. 79 conceptually illustrates another method of some
embodiments for encoding images captured by cameras of a dual
camera mobile device.
[0092] FIG. 80 illustrates example image composites for the method
illustrated in FIG. 79.
[0093] FIG. 81 conceptually illustrates another method of some
embodiments for encoding images captured by cameras of a dual
camera mobile device.
[0094] FIG. 82 conceptually illustrates a method of some
embodiments for decoding images captured by cameras of a dual
camera mobile device.
[0095] FIG. 83 conceptually illustrates another method of some
embodiments for decoding images captured by cameras of a dual
camera mobile device.
[0096] FIG. 84 conceptually illustrates another software
architecture for a video conferencing and processing module of a
dual camera mobile device of some embodiments.
[0097] FIG. 85 illustrates a user interface of some embodiments for
a multi-participant video conference.
[0098] FIG. 86 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a multi-participant video conference.
[0099] FIG. 87 illustrates another user interface of some
embodiments for a multi-participant video conference.
[0100] FIG. 88 conceptually illustrates an application programming
interface (API) architecture of some embodiments.
[0101] FIG. 89 illustrates an architecture for a dual camera mobile
computing device of some embodiments.
[0102] FIG. 90 conceptually illustrates a touch input/output (I/O)
device of some embodiments.
[0103] FIG. 91 conceptually illustrates an example communication
system of some embodiments.
[0104] FIG. 92 conceptually illustrates another example
communication system of some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0105] In the following description, numerous details are set forth
for purpose of explanation. However, one of ordinary skill in the
art will realize that the invention may be practiced without the
use of these specific details. In other instances, well-known
structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order not
to obscure the description of the invention with unnecessary
detail.
[0106] Some embodiments of the invention provide a mobile device
with two cameras that can take pictures and videos. Examples of
mobile devices include mobile phones, smartphones, personal digital
assistants (PDAs), laptops, tablet personal computers, or any other
type of mobile computing device. As used in this document, pictures
refer to still picture images that are taken by the camera one at a
time in a single-picture mode, or several at a time in a
fast-action mode. Video, on the other hand, refers to a sequence of
video images that are captured by a camera at a particular rate,
which is often referred to as a frame rate. Typical frame rates for
capturing video are 25 frames per second (fps), 30 fps, and 60 fps.
The cameras of the mobile device of some embodiments can capture
video images (i.e., video frames) at these and other frame
rates.
[0107] The mobile device of some embodiments (1) can display the
captured picture images and video images, (2) can store the
captured images for later transmission to another device, (3) can
transmit the captured images to one or more devices during a
real-time communication session between the users of the devices,
and (4) can encode the captured images for local storage or for
transmission to another device.
[0108] One example of a real-time communication session that
involves the transmission of the captured video images is a video
conference. In some embodiments, the mobile device can only
transmit one camera's captured video images at any given time
during a video conference. In other embodiments, however, the
mobile device can transmit captured video images from both of its
cameras simultaneously during a video conference or other real-time
communication session.
[0109] The mobile devices of some embodiments generate composite
displays that include simultaneous display of multiple videos
captured by multiple cameras of one or more devices. In some cases,
the composite displays place the videos in adjacent display areas
(e.g., in adjacent windows). FIG. 1 illustrates one such example of
a composite display 100 that includes two adjacent display areas
105 and 110 that simultaneously display two videos captured by two
cameras of one device or captured by two cameras of two different
devices that are in a video conference.
[0110] In other cases, the composite display is a PIP display that
includes at least two display areas that show two different videos,
where one of the display areas is a background main display area
and the other is a foreground inset display area that overlaps the
background main display area. FIG. 2 illustrates one such example
of a composite PIP display 200. This composite PIP display 200
includes a background main display area 205 and a foreground inset
display area 210 that overlaps the background main display area.
The two display areas 205 and 210 simultaneously display two videos
captured by two cameras of one device, or captured by two cameras
of two different devices that are in a video conference. While the
example composite PIP displays illustrated and discussed in this
document are similar to the composite PIP display 200, which shows
the entire foreground inset display area 210 within the background
main display area 205, other composite PIP displays that have the
foreground inset display area 210 overlapping, but not entirely
inside, the background main display area 205 are possible.
[0111] In addition to transmitting video content during a video
conference with another device, the mobile device of some
embodiments can transmit other types of content along with the
conference's video content. One example of such other content
includes low or high resolution picture images that are captured by
one of the device's cameras, while the device's other camera is
capturing a video that is used in the video conference. Other
examples of such other content include (1) files and other content
stored on the device, (2) the screen display of the device (i.e.,
the content that is displayed on the device's screen), (3) content
received from another device during a video conference or other
real-time communication session, etc.
[0112] The mobile devices of some embodiments employ novel
in-conference adjustment techniques for making adjustments during a
video conference. For instance, while transmitting only one
camera's captured video during a video conference, the mobile
device of some embodiments can dynamically switch to transmitting
the video captured by its other camera. In such situations, the
mobile device of some embodiments notifies any other device
participating in the video conference of this switch so that this
other device can provide a smooth transition on its end between the
videos captured by the two cameras.
[0113] In some embodiments, the request to switch cameras not only
can originate on the "local" device that switches between its
cameras during the video conference, but also can originate from
the other "remote" device that is receiving the video captured by
the local device. Moreover, allowing one device to direct another
device to switch cameras is just one example of a remote control
capability of the devices of some embodiments. Examples of other
operations that can be directed to a device remotely in some
embodiments include exposure adjustment operations (e.g.,
auto-exposure), focus adjustment operations (e.g., auto-focus),
etc. Another example of a novel in-conference adjustment that can
be specified locally or remotely is the identification of a region
of interest (ROI) in a captured video, and the use of this ROI
identification to modify the behavior of the capturing camera, to
modify the image processing operation of the device with the
capturing camera, or to modify the encoding operation of the device
with the capturing camera.
[0114] Yet another example of a novel in-conference adjustment of
some embodiments involves real-time modifications of composite
video displays that are generated by the devices. Specifically, in
some embodiments, the real-time modifications of the composite
video displays involve moving one or more of the display areas
within a composite display in response to a user's selection and
movement of the display areas. Some embodiments also rotate the
composite display during a video conference, when the screen of the
device that provides this composite display rotates. Also, the
mobile device of some embodiments allow the user of the device to
flip the order of videos in a PIP display (i.e., to make the video
in the foreground inset display appear in the background main
display, while making the video in the background main display
appear in the foreground inset display).
[0115] Several more detailed embodiments are described below.
Section I provides a description of the video processing
architecture of some embodiments. Section 11 then describes the
captured image processing unit of some embodiments. In some
embodiments, this unit is the component of the device that is
responsible for processing raw images captured by the cameras of
the device.
[0116] Next, Section III describes the video conferencing
architecture of some embodiments. This section also describes the
video conference module of some embodiments, as well as several
manners for setting up a single camera video conference. Section IV
then describes in-conference adjustment and control operations of
some embodiments. Section V then describes video conference
features of embodiments that transmit and display multiple videos
from individual devices during a video conference. Section VI next
describes transmission of real-time video along with non real-time
content during a video conference. Lastly, Section VII describes
the hardware architecture of the dual camera device of some
embodiments.
I. Video Capture and Processing
[0117] FIG. 3 conceptually illustrates a video processing and
encoding module 300 of a dual camera mobile device of some
embodiments. In some embodiments, the module 300 processes images
and encodes videos that are captured by the cameras of the dual
camera mobile device. As shown in FIG. 3, this module 300 includes
a captured image processing unit (CIPU) driver 305, a media
exchange module 310, an encoder driver 320, and a video processing
module 325.
[0118] In some embodiments, the media exchange module 310 allows
programs on the device that are consumers and producers of media
content to exchange media content and instructions regarding the
processing of the media content. In the video processing and
encoding module 300, the media exchange module 310 of some
embodiments routes instructions and media content between the video
processing module 325 and the CIPU driver 305, and between the
video processing module 325 and the encoder driver 320. To
facilitate the routing of such instructions and media content, the
media exchange module 310 of some embodiments provides a set of
application programming interfaces (APis) for the consumers and
producers of media content to use. In some of such embodiments, the
media exchange module 310 is a set of one or more frameworks that
is part of an operating system running on the dual camera mobile
device. One example of such a media exchange module 310 is the Core
Media framework provided by Apple Inc.
[0119] The video processing module 325 performs image processing on
the images and/or the videos captured by the cameras of the device.
Examples of such operations include exposure adjustment operations,
focus adjustment operations, perspective correction, dynamic range
adjustment, image resizing, image compositing, etc. In some
embodiments, some image processing operations can also be performed
by the media exchange module 310. For instance, as shown in FIG. 3,
the media exchange module 310 of some embodiments performs a
temporal noise reduction (TNR) operation (e.g., by TNR 315) that
reduces noise in video images captured by the cameras of the
device. Further examples of such image processing operations of the
video processing module 325 and the media exchange module 310 will
be provided below.
[0120] Through the media exchange module 310, the video processing
module 325 interfaces with the CIPU driver 305 and the encoder
driver 320, as mentioned above. The CIPU driver 305 serves as a
communication interface between a captured image processing unit
(CIPU) 330 and the media exchange module 310. As further described
below, the CIPU 330 is the component of the dual camera device that
is responsible for processing images captured during image capture
or video capture operations of the device's cameras. From the video
processing module 325 through the media exchange module 310, the
CIPU driver 305 receives requests for images and/or videos from one
or both of the device's cameras. The CIPU driver 305 relays such
requests to the CIPU 330, and in response receives the requested
images and/or videos from the CIPU 330, which the CIPU driver 305
then sends to the video processing module 325 through the media
exchange module 310. Through the CIPU driver 305 and the media
exchange module 310, the video processing module 325 of some
embodiments also sends instructions to the CIPU 330 in order to
modify some of its operations (e.g., to modify a camera's frame
rate, exposure adjustment operation, focus adjustment operation,
etc.).
[0121] The encoder driver 320 serves as a communication interface
between the media exchange module 310 and an encoder hardware 335
(e.g., an encoder chip, an encoding component on a system on chip,
etc.). In some embodiments, the encoder driver 320 receives images
and requests to encode the images from the video processing module
325 through the media exchange module 310. The encoder driver 320
sends the images to be encoded to the encoder 335, which then
performs picture encoding or video encoding on the images. When the
encoder driver 320 receives encoded images from the encoder 335,
the encoder driver 320 sends the encoded images back to the video
processing module 325 through the media exchange module 310.
[0122] In some embodiments, the video processing module 325 can
perform different operations on the encoded images that it receives
from the encoder. Examples of such operations include storing the
encoded images in a storage of the device, transmitting the encoded
images in a video conference through a network interface of the
device, etc.
[0123] In some embodiments, some or all of the modules of the video
processing and encoding module 300 are implemented as part of an
operating system. For example, some embodiments implement all four
components 305, 310, 320, and 325 of this module 300 as part of the
operating system of the device. Other embodiments implement the
media exchange module 310, the CIPU driver 305, and the encoder
driver 320 as part of the operating system of the device, while
having the video processing module 325 as an application that runs
on the operating system. Still, other implementations of the module
300 are possible.
[0124] The operation of the video processing and encoding module
300 during a video capture session will now be described. To start
a video capture session, the video processing module 325
initializes several components that are needed for the video
capture session. In some embodiments, these components include (1)
the CIPU 330, (2) a scaling and compositing module (not shown) of
the video processing module 325, (3) an image processing module
(not shown) of the video processing module 325, and (4) the encoder
335. Also, the video processing module 325 of some embodiments
initializes a network manager (not shown) when it is participating
in a video conference.
[0125] Through the media exchange module 310 and the CIPU driver
305, the video processing module sends its initialization request
to the CIPU 330, in order to have one or both of the cameras of the
device start video capturing. In some embodiments, this request
specifies a particular frame rate, exposure level, and scaling size
for each camera that needs to capture a video. In response to this
request, the CIPU 330 starts to return video images from the
requested cameras at the specified rate(s), exposure level(s), and
scaling size(s). These video images are returned to the video
processing module 325 through the CIPU driver 305 and the media
exchange module 310, which, as mentioned above, performs TNR
operations on the video images before supplying them to the video
processing module 325. At the video processing module 325, the
video images are stored in a buffer (not shown) for additional
image processing.
[0126] The image processing module of the video processing module
325 retrieves the video images stored in the buffer for additional
video processing. The scaling and compositing module then retrieves
the processed video images in order to scale them if necessary for
real time display on the display screen of the device. In some
embodiments, this module creates composite images from the images
captured by two cameras of the device or from images captured by
the camera(s) of the device along with the camera(s) of another
device during a video conference in order to provide a real-time
display of the captured video images on the device or to create a
composite video image for encoding.
[0127] The processed and/or composited video images are supplied to
the encoder 335 through the encoder driver 320 and the media
exchange module 310. The encoder 335 then encodes the video images.
The encoded images are then returned to the video processing module
325 (again through the encoder driver 320 and the media exchange
module 310) for storage on the device or for transmission during a
video conference. When the device is participating in a video
conference, the network manager (that was initialized by the video
processing module 325) then retrieves these encoded images,
packetizes them and transmits them to one or more other devices
through a network interface (not shown) of the device.
II. Captured Image Processing
[0128] A. Single Pipeline
[0129] The images captured by cameras of the dual camera mobile
device of some embodiments are raw, unprocessed images. These
images require conversion to a particular color space before the
images can be used for other operations such as transmitting the
images to another device (e.g., during a video conference), storing
the images, or displaying the images. In addition, the images
captured by the cameras may need to be processed to correct errors
and/or distortions and to adjust the images' color, size, etc.
Accordingly, some embodiments perform several processing operations
on the images before storing, transmitting, and displaying such
images. Part of the processing of such images is performed by the
CIPU 330.
[0130] One example of such a CIPU is illustrated in FIG. 4.
Specifically, this figure conceptually illustrates a captured image
processing unit (CIPU) 400 of some embodiments. This CIPU 400
includes a single processing pipeline 485 that either processes
images from only one of the device's cameras at a time, or
processes images from both of the device's cameras simultaneously
in a time-division multiplex fashion (i.e., in a time interleaved
manner). The CIPU 400's processing pipeline 485 can be configured
differently to address differing characteristics and/or operational
settings of the different cameras. Examples of different camera
characteristics in some embodiments include different resolutions,
noise sensors, lens types (fixed or zoom lens), etc. Also, examples
of different operational settings under which the device can
operate the cameras in some embodiments include image resolution
size, frame rate, zoom level, exposure level, etc.
[0131] As shown in FIG. 4, the CIPU 400 includes a sensor module
415, a line/frame buffer 417, a bad pixel correction (BPC) module
420, a lens shading (LS) module 425, a demosaicing module 430, a
white balance (WB) module 435, a gamma module 440, a color space
conversion (CSC) module 445, a hue, saturation, and contrast (HSC)
module 450, a scaler module 455, a filter module 460, a statistics
engine 465, two sets of registers 470, and a controller module 475.
In some embodiments, all of the modules of the CIPU 400 are
implemented in hardware (e.g., an ASIC, FPGA, a SOC with a
microcontroller, etc.), while in other embodiments, some or all of
the modules of the CIPU 400 are implemented in software.
[0132] As shown in FIG. 4, the sensor module 415 communicatively
couples to two pixel arrays 41Oa and 41Ob and two sets of sensors
405a and 405b of two cameras of the device. In some embodiments,
this communicative coupling is facilitated through each camera
sensor's mobile industry processor interface (MIPI).
[0133] Through this communicative coupling, the sensor module 415
can forward instructions to the cameras to control various aspects
of each camera's operations such as its power level, zoom level,
focus, exposure level, etc. In some embodiments, each camera has
four operational power modes. In the first operational power mode,
the camera is powered off. For the second operational power mode,
the camera is powered on, but it is not yet configured. In the
third operational power mode, the camera is powered on, the
camera's sensor is configured, and the camera sensor's pixels are
collecting photons and converting the collected photons to digital
values. However, the camera sensor is not yet sending images to the
sensor module 415. Finally, in the fourth operational power mode,
the camera is in the same operational power mode as the third power
mode except the camera is now sending images to the sensor module
415.
[0134] During the operation of the device, the cameras may switch
from one operational power mode to another any number of times.
When switching operational power modes, some embodiments require
the cameras to switch operational power modes in the order
described above. Therefore, in those embodiments, a camera in the
first operational power mode can only switch to the second
operational power mode. When the camera is in the second
operational power mode, it can switch to the first operational
power mode or to the third operational power mode. Similarly, the
camera can switch from the third operational power mode to the
second operational power mode or the fourth operation power mode.
When the camera is in the fourth operational power mode, it can
only switch back to the third operational power mode.
[0135] Moreover, switching from one operational power mode to the
next or the previous operational power mode takes a particular
amount of time. Thus, switching between two or three operational
power modes is slower than switching between one operational power
mode. The different operational power modes also consume different
amounts of power. For instance, the fourth operational power mode
consumes the most amount of power, the third operational power mode
consumes more power than the first and second, and the second
operational power mode consumes more than the first. In some
embodiments, the first operational power mode does not consume any
power.
[0136] When a camera is not in the fourth operational power mode
capturing images, the camera may be left in one of the other
operational power modes. Determining the operational mode in which
to leave the unused camera depends on how much power the camera is
allowed to consume and how fast the camera may need to respond to a
request to start capturing images. For example, a camera configured
to operate in the third operational power mode (e.g., standby mode)
consumes more power than a camera configured to be in the first
operational power mode (i.e., powered off). However, when the
camera is instructed to capture images, the camera operating in the
third operational power mode can switch to the fourth operational
power mode faster than the camera operating in the first
operational power mode. As such, the cameras can be configured to
operate in the different operational power modes when not capturing
images based on different requirements (e.g., response time to a
request to capture images, power consumption).
[0137] Through its communicative coupling with each camera, the
sensor module 415 can direct one or both sets of camera sensors to
start capturing images when the video processing module 325
requests one or both cameras to start capturing images and the
sensor module 415 receives this request through the controller
module 475, as further described below. Bayer filters are
superimposed over each of the camera sensors and thus each camera
sensor outputs Bayer pattern images, which are stored in the pixel
array associated with each camera sensor. A Bayer pattern image is
an image where each pixel only stores one color value: red, blue,
or green.
[0138] Through its coupling with the pixel arrays 41Oa and 41Ob,
the sensor module 415 retrieves raw Bayer pattern images stored in
the camera pixel arrays 41Oa and 41Ob. By controlling the rate at
which the sensor module 415 retrieves images from a camera's pixel
array, the sensor module 415 can control the frame rate of the
video images that are being captured by a particular camera. By
controlling the rate of its image retrieval, the sensor module 415
can also interleave the fetching of images captured by the
different cameras in order to interleave the CIPU processing
pipeline 485's image processing of the captured images from the
different cameras. The sensor module 415's control of its image
retrieval is further described below in sub-sections II.A.I and
II.A.2.
[0139] The sensor module 415 stores image lines (i.e., rows of
pixels of an image) in the line/frame buffer 417, which the sensor
module 415 retrieves from the pixel arrays 41Oa and 41Ob. Each
image line in the line/frame buffer 417 is processed through the
CIPU processing pipeline 485. As shown in FIG. 4, the CIPU
processing pipeline 485 is formed by the BPC module 420, the LS
module 425, the demosaicing module 430, the WB module 435, the
gamma module 440, the CSC module 445, the HSC module 450, the
scaler module 455, and the filter module 460. In some embodiments,
the CIPU processing pipeline 485 processes images from the
line/frame buffer 417 on a line-by-line (i.e., row-by-row) basis
while in other embodiments the CIPU processing pipeline 485
processes entire images from the line/frame buffer 417 on a
frame-by-frame basis.
[0140] In the exemplary pipeline illustrated in FIG. 4, the BPC
module 420 is the module that retrieves the images from the
line/frame buffer 417. This module performs a bad-pixel removal
operation that attempts to correct bad pixels in the retrieved
images that might have resulted from one or more of the camera
sensors being defective (e.g., the defective photo sensors do not
sense light at all, sense light incorrectly, etc.). In some
embodiments, the BPC module 420 detects bad pixels by comparing a
particular pixel in an image with one or more neighboring pixels in
the image. If the difference between the value of the particular
pixel and the values of the neighboring pixels is greater than a
threshold amount, the particular pixel's value is replaced by the
average of several neighboring pixels' values that are of the same
color (i.e., red, green, and blue) as the particular pixel.
[0141] The operation of the BPC module 420 is in part controlled by
the values stored for this module in the two sets of registers 470
of the CIPU 400. Specifically, to process the images captured by
the two different cameras of the device, some embodiments configure
the CIPU processing pipeline 485 differently for each camera, as
mentioned above. The CIPU processing pipeline 485 is configured for
the two different cameras by storing two different sets of values
in the two different sets of registers 470a (Ra) and 470b (Rb) of
the CIPU 400. Each set of registers 470 includes one register (Ra
or Rb) for each of the modules 420-460 within the CIPU processing
pipeline 485. Each register in each register set stores a set of
values that defines one processing pipeline module's operation.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the register set 470a is for
indicating the mode of operation of each processing pipeline module
for one camera (camera A) of the dual camera mobile device, while
the register set 470b is for indicating the mode of operation of
each module for the other camera (camera B) of the dual camera
mobile device.
[0142] One example of configuring the CIPU processing pipeline 485
differently for each camera is to configure the modules of the CIPU
processing pipeline 485 to process different sized images. For
instance, if the camera sensor 405a is 640.times.480 pixels and the
camera sensor 405b is 2048.times.1536 pixels, the set of registers
470a is configured to store values that instruct the modules of the
CIPU processing pipeline 485 to process 640.times.480 pixel images
and the set of registers 470b is configured to store values that
instruct the modules of the CIPU processing pipeline 485 to process
2048.times.1536 pixel images.
[0143] In some embodiments, different processing pipeline
configurations (i.e., register values) are stored in different
profile settings. In some of such embodiments, a user of the mobile
device is allowed to select one of the profile settings (e.g.,
through a user interface displayed on the mobile device) to set the
operation of a camera(s). For example, the user may select a
profile setting for configuring a camera to capture high resolution
video, a profile setting for configuring the same camera to capture
low resolution video, or a profile setting for configuring both
cameras to capture high resolution still images. Different
configurations are possible, which can be stored in many different
profile settings. In other of such embodiments, instead of allowing
the user to select a profile setting, a profile setting is
automatically selected based on which application or activity the
user selects. For instance, if the user selects a video
conferencing application, a profile that configures both cameras to
capture video is automatically selected, if the user selects a
photo application, a profile that configures one of the cameras to
capture still images is automatically selected, etc.
[0144] After the BPC module 420, the LS module 425 receives the
bad-pixel-corrected images. The LS module 425 performs a lens
shading correction operation to correct for image defects that are
caused by camera lenses that produce light falloff effects (i.e.,
light is reduced towards the edges of the camera sensor). Such
effects cause images to be unevenly illuminated (e.g., darker at
comers and/or edges). To correct these image defects, the LS module
425 of some embodiments estimates a mathematical model of a lens'
illumination fall-off. The estimated model is then used to
compensate the lens fall-off of the image to evenly illuminate
unevenly illuminated portions of the image. For example, if a comer
of the image is half the brightness of the center of the image, the
LS module 425 of some embodiments multiplies the comer pixels value
by two in order to produce an even image.
[0145] The demosaicing module 430 performs a demosaicing operation
to generate full color images from images of sampled colors. As
noted above, the camera sensors output Bayer pattern images, which
are incomplete because each pixel of a Bayer pattern image stores
only one color value. The demosaicing module 430 reconstructs a
red, green, blue (RGB) image from a Bayer pattern image by
interpolating the color values for each set of colors in the Bayer
pattern image.
[0146] The WB module 435 performs a white balance operation on the
RGB images received from the demosaicing module 430 so that the
colors of the content of the images are similar to the colors of
such content perceived by the human eye in real life. The WB module
435 adjusts the white balance by adjusting colors of the images to
render neutral colors (e.g., gray, white, etc.) correctly. For
example, an image of a piece of white paper under an incandescent
light may appear yellow whereas the human eye perceives the piece
of paper as white. To account for the difference between the color
of the images that the sensor captures and what the human eye
perceives, the WB module 435 adjusts the color values of the image
so that the captured image properly reflects the colors perceived
by the human eye.
[0147] The statistics engine 465 collects image data at various
stages of the CIPU processing pipeline 485. For example, FIG. 4
shows that the statistics engine 465 collects image data after the
LS module 425, the demosaicing module 430, and the WB module 435.
Different embodiments collect data from any number of different
stages of the CIPU processing pipeline 485. The statistics engine
465 processes the collected data, and, based on the processed data,
adjusts the operations of the camera sensors 405a and 405b through
the controller module 475 and the sensor module 415. Examples of
such operations include exposure and focus. Although FIG. 4 shows
the statistics engine 465 controlling the camera sensors 405a and
405b through the controller module 475, other embodiments of the
statistics engine 465 control the camera sensors through just the
sensor module 415.
[0148] The processed data can also be used to adjust the operations
of various modules of the CIPU 400. For instance, the statistics
engine 465 of some embodiments adjusts the operations of the WB
module 435 based on data collected after the WB module 435. In some
of such embodiments, the statistics engine 465 provides an
automatic white balance (AWB) function by using the processed data
to adjust the white balancing operation of the WB module 435. Other
embodiments can use processed data collected from any number of
stages of the CIPU processing pipeline 485 to adjust the operations
of any number of modules within the CIPU processing pipeline 485.
Further, the statistics engine 465 can also receive instructions
from the controller module 475 to adjust the operations of one or
more modules of the CIPU processing pipeline 485.
[0149] After receiving the images from the WB module 435, the gamma
module 440 performs a gamma correction operation on the image to
code and decode luminance or tristimulus values of the camera
system. The gamma module 440 of some embodiments corrects gamma by
converting a 10-12 bit linear signal into an 8 bit non-linear
encoding in order to correct the gamma of the image. Some
embodiments correct gamma by using a lookup table.
[0150] The CSC module 445 converts the image received from the
gamma module 440 from one color space to another color space.
Specifically, the CSC module 445 converts the image from an RGB
color space to a luminance and chrominance (YUV) color space.
However, other embodiments of the CSC module 445 can convert images
from and to any number of color spaces.
[0151] The HSC module 450 may adjust the hue, saturation, contrast,
or any combination thereof of the images received from the CSC
module 445. The HSC module 450 may adjust these properties to
reduce the noise or enhance the images, for example. For instance,
the saturation of images captured by a low-noise camera sensor can
be increased to make the images appear more vivid. In contrast, the
saturation of images captured by a high-noise camera sensor can be
decreased to reduce the color noise of such images.
[0152] After the HSC module 450, the scaler module 455 may resize
images to adjust the pixel resolution of the image or to adjust the
data size of the image. The scaler module 455 may also reduce the
size of the image in order to fit a smaller display, for example.
The scaler module 455 can scale the image a number of different
ways. For example, the scaler module 455 can scale images up (i.e.,
enlarge) and down (i.e., shrink). The scaler module 455 can also
scale images proportionally or scale images anamorphically.
[0153] The filter module 460 applies one or more filter operations
to images received from the scaler module 455 to change one or more
attributes of some or all pixels of an image. Examples of filters
include a low-pass filter, a high-pass filter, a band-pass filter,
a bilateral filter, a Gaussian filter, among other examples. As
such, the filter module 460 can apply any number of different
filters to the images.
[0154] The controller module 475 of some embodiments is a
microcontroller that controls the operation of the CIPU 400. In
some embodiments, the controller module 475 controls (1) the
operation of the camera sensors (e.g., exposure level) through the
sensor module 415, (2) the operation of the CIPU processing
pipeline 485, (3) the timing of the CIPU processing pipeline 485
(e.g., when to switch camera sensors, when to switch registers,
etc.), and (4) a flash/strobe (not shown), which is part of the
dual camera mobile device of some embodiments.
[0155] Some embodiments of the controller module 475 process
instructions received from the statistics engine 465 and the CIPU
driver 480. In some embodiments, the instructions received from the
CIPU driver 480 are instructions from the dual camera mobile device
(i.e., received from the local device) while in other embodiments
the instructions received from the CIPU driver 480 are instructions
from another device (e.g., remote control during a video
conference). Based on the processed instructions, the controller
module 475 can adjust the operation of the CIPU 400 by programming
the values of the registers 470. Moreover, the controller module
475 can dynamically reprogram the values of the registers 470
during the operation of the CIPU 400.
[0156] As shown in FIG. 4, the CIPU 400 includes a number of
modules in the CIPU processing pipeline 485. However, one of
ordinary skill will realize that the CIPU 400 can be implemented
with just a few of the illustrated modules or with additional and
different modules. In addition, the processing performed by the
different modules can be applied to images in sequences different
from the sequence illustrated in FIG. 4.
[0157] An example operation of the CIPU 400 will now be described
by reference to FIG. 4. For purposes of explanation, the set of
registers Ra is used for processing images captured by camera
sensor 405a of the dual camera mobile device and the set of
registers Rb is used for processing images captured by camera
sensor 405b of the dual camera mobile device. The controller module
475 receives instructions from the CIPU driver 480 to produce
images captured by one of the cameras of the dual camera mobile
device.
[0158] The controller module 475 then initializes various modules
of the CIPU processing pipeline 485 to process images captured by
one of the cameras of the dual camera mobile device. In some
embodiments, this includes the controller module 475 checking that
the correct set of registers of the registers 470 are used. For
example, if the CIPU driver 480 instructs the controller module 475
to produce images captured by the camera sensor 405a, the
controller module 475 checks that the set of registers Ra is the
set of registers from which the modules of the CIPU 400 read. If
not, the controller module 475 switches between the sets of
registers so that the set of registers Ra is the set that is read
by the modules of the CIPU 400.
[0159] For each module in the CIPU processing pipeline 485, the
mode of operation is indicated by the values stored in the set of
registers Ra. As previously mentioned, the values in the set of
registers 470 can be dynamically reprogrammed during the operation
of the CIPU 400. Thus, the processing of one image can differ from
the processing of the next image. While the discussion of this
example operation of the CIPU 400 describes each module in the CIPU
400 reading values stored in registers to indicate the mode of
operation of the modules, in some software-implemented embodiments,
parameters are instead passed to the various modules of the CIPU
400.
[0160] In some embodiments, the controller module 475 initializes
the sensor module 415 by instructing the sensor module 415 to delay
a particular amount of time after retrieving an image from the
pixel array 410a. In other words, the controller module 475
instructs the sensor module 415 to retrieve the images from the
pixel array 41Oa at a particular rate.
[0161] Next, the controller module 475 instructs the camera sensor
405a through the sensor module 415 to capture images. In some
embodiments, the controller module 475 also provides exposure and
other camera operation parameters to the camera sensor 405a. In
other embodiments, the camera sensor 405a uses default values for
the camera sensor operation parameters. Based on the parameters,
the camera sensor 405a captures a raw image, which is stored in the
pixel array 41Oa. The sensor module 415 retrieves the raw image
from the pixel array 41Oa and sends the image to the line/frame
buffer 417 for storage before the CIPU processing pipeline 485
processing the image.
[0162] Under certain circumstances, images may be dropped by the
line/frame buffer 417. When the camera sensors 405a and/or 405b are
capturing images at a high rate, the sensor module 415 may receive
and store images in the line/frame buffer 417 faster than the BPC
module 420 can retrieve the images from the line/frame buffer 417
(e.g., capturing high frame-rate video), and the line/frame buffer
417 will become full. When this happens, the line/frame buffer 417
of some embodiments drops images (i.e., frames) based on a first
in, first out basis. That is, when the line/frame buffer 417 drops
an image, the line/frame buffer 417 drops the image that was
received before all the other images in the line/frame buffer
417.
[0163] The processing of the image by the CIPU processing pipeline
485 starts by the BPC module 420 retrieving the image from the
line/frame buffer 417 to correct any bad pixels in the image. The
BPC module 420 then sends the image to the LS module 425 to correct
for any uneven illumination in the image. After the illumination of
the image is corrected, the LS module 425 sends the image to the
demosaicing module 430 where it processes the raw image to generate
an RGB image from the raw image. Next, the WB module 435 receives
the RGB image from the demosaicing module 430 and adjusts the white
balance of the RGB image.
[0164] As noted above, the statistics engine 465 may have collected
some data at various points of the CIPU processing pipeline 485.
For example, the statistics engine 465 collects data after the LS
module 425, the demosaicing module 430, and the WB module 435 as
illustrated in FIG. 4. Based on the collected data, the statistics
engine 465 may adjust the operation of the camera sensor 405a, the
operation of one or more modules in the CIPU processing pipeline
485, or both, in order to adjust the capturing of subsequent images
from the camera sensor 405a. For instance, based on the collected
data, the statistics engine 465 may determine that the exposure
level of the current image is too low and thus instruct the camera
sensor 405a through the sensor module 415 to increase the exposure
level for subsequently captured images. Thus, the statistics engine
465 of some embodiments operates as a feedback loop for some
processing operations.
[0165] After the WB module 435 adjusts the white balance of the
image, it sends the image to the gamma module 440 for gamma
correction (e.g., adjusting the gamma curve of the image). The CSC
module 445 receives the gamma-corrected image from the gamma module
440 and performs color space conversion. In this example, the CSC
module 445 converts the RGB image to a YUV image. In other words,
the CSC module 445 converts an image that is represented in an RGB
color space to an image that is represented in a YUV color space.
The HSC module 450 receives the YUV image from the CSC module 445
and adjusts the hue, saturation, and contrast attributes of various
pixels in the image. After the HSC module 450, the scaler module
455 resizes the image (e.g., enlarging or shrinking the image). The
filter module 460 applies one or more filters on the image after
receiving the image from the scaler module 455. Finally, the filter
module 460 sends the processed image to the CIPU driver 480.
[0166] In this example of the operation of the CIPU 400 described
above, each module in the CIPU processing pipeline 485 processed
the image in some manner. However, other images processed by the
CIPU 400 may not require processing by all the modules of the CIPU
processing pipeline 485. For example, an image may not require
white balance adjustment, gamma correction, scaling, or filtering.
As such, the CIPU 400 can process images any number of ways based
on a variety of received input such as instructions from the CIPU
driver 480 or data collected by the statistic engine 465, for
example.
[0167] Different embodiments control the rate at which images are
processed (i.e., frame rate) differently. One manner of controlling
the frame rate is through manipulation of vertical blanking
intervals (VBI). For some embodiments that retrieve image lines for
processing images on a line-by-line basis, a VBI is the time
difference between retrieving the last line of an image of a video
captured by a camera of the dual camera mobile device from a pixel
array and retrieving the first line of the next image of the video
from the pixel array. In other embodiments, a VBI is the time
difference between retrieving one image of a video captured by a
camera of the dual camera mobile device from a pixel array and
retrieving the next image of the video the pixel array.
[0168] One example where VBI can be used is between the sensor
module 415 and the pixel arrays 410a and 410b. For example, some
embodiments of the sensor module 415 retrieve images from the pixel
arrays 410a and 410b on a line-by-line basis and other embodiments
of the sensor module 415 retrieve images from the pixel arrays 410a
and 41.theta.b on an image-by-image basis. Thus, the frame rate can
be controlled by adjusting the VBI of the sensor module 415:
increasing the VBI reduces the frame rate and decreasing the VBI
increases the frame rate.
[0169] 1. Use of VBI for Single Camera: Frame Rate Control
[0170] FIG. 5 conceptually illustrates examples of different frame
rates 505, 510, and 515 based on different VBis. Each sequence
shows an image, which is captured by one of the cameras of the dual
camera mobile device, of a person holding a guitar at various time
instances 525-555 along timeline 520. In addition, the time between
each time instance 525-555 is the same and will be referred to as
one time unit. For purposes of explanation, FIG. 5 will now be
described by reference to the sensor module 415 and the pixel array
41Oa of FIG. 4. As such, each image represents a time instance
along the timeline 520 at which the sensor module 415 retrieves an
image from the pixel array 41Oa.
[0171] In the example frame rate 505, the VBI of the sensor module
415 for the pixel array 410a is set to three time units (e.g., by
the controller module 475). That is, the sensor module 415
retrieves an image from the pixel array 410a every third time
instance along the timeline 520. As shown in the example frame rate
505, the sensor module 415 retrieves an image at the time instances
525, 540, and 555. Thus, the example frame rate 505 has a frame
rate of one image per three time units.
[0172] The example frame rate 510 is similar to the example frame
rate 505 except the VBI is set to two time units. Thus, the sensor
module 415 retrieves an image from the pixel array 41Oa every
second time instance along the timeline 520. The example frame rate
510 shows the sensor module 415 retrieving an image from the pixel
array 410a at the time instances 525, 535, 545, and 555. Since the
VBI of the example frame rate 510 is less than the VBI of the
example frame rate 505, the frame rate of the example frame rate
510 is higher than the frame rate of the example frame rate
505.
[0173] The example frame rate 515 is also similar to the example
frame rate 505 except the VBI of the sensor module 415 for the
pixel array 41Oa is set to one time unit. Therefore, the sensor
module 415 is instructed to retrieve an image from the pixel array
41Oa every time instance along the timeline 520. As illustrated,
the sensor module 415 retrieves an image from the pixel array 410a
at the time instances 525-555. The VBI of the example frame rate
515 is less than the VBis of the example frame rates 505 and 510.
Therefore, the frame rate of the example frame rate 515 is higher
than the example frame rates 505 and 510.
[0174] 2. Use of VBI for Two Cameras
[0175] Some embodiments may wish to operate both cameras of the
dual camera mobile device at the same time (e.g., transmit videos
from both cameras during a video conference). Different embodiments
of the dual camera mobile device that include a single processing
pipeline provide different mechanisms for simultaneously operating
both cameras of the dual camera mobile device.
[0176] One such mechanism is interleaving the processing of images
captured by both cameras by controlling each camera's VBI. That is,
one or more images captured by one camera are captured and
processed during the VBI of the other camera and vice versa. Since
the CIPU 400 described above has a single processing pipeline 485,
this mechanism can be implemented in the CIPU 400 of some
embodiments. In such embodiments, the sensor module 415 retrieves
an image from one of the pixel arrays 41Oa and 41Ob and the
retrieved image is processed by the CIPU 400 during the sensor
module 415's VBI for the other pixel array.
[0177] The sensor module 415's VBI for each pixel array can be set
to a particular value. However, in some embodiments, the VBI is not
set to a value that is less than the time it takes for the CIPU 400
to retrieve and process one image. Some embodiments set the sensor
module 415's VBI for each pixel array to the same value. For
example, when the sensor module 415's VBI for each pixel array is
set to the same value, the sensor module 415 alternately retrieves
images from the pixel arrays 410a and 410b. Other embodiments set
the sensor module 415's VBI for each pixel array to different
values. In some of such embodiments, the sensor module 415's VBI
for one pixel array is set to a multiple of the sensor module 415's
VBI for the other pixel array. For instance, the sensor module
415's VBI for one pixel array is set to 2 units of time, and the
sensor module 415's VBI for the other pixel array is set to 4 units
of time. In this example, the sensor module 415 retrieves two
images from the one pixel array for every one image the sensor
module 415 retrieves from the other pixel array.
[0178] FIG. 6 conceptually illustrates examples of different
interleaving frame rates 605, 610, and 615 based on different VBis.
FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 5 except FIG. 6 includes thirteen time
instances 625-685 along timeline 620. In addition, the image of a
person holding the guitar represents a time instance along the
timeline 620 at which the image is retrieved from one pixel array
while the image of the person wearing an academic cap (i.e., a
mortarboard) represents a time instance along the timeline 620 at
which the image is retrieved from the other pixel array.
[0179] For purposes of explanation, the image of the person holding
the guitar is assumed to have been captured by the camera sensor
405a of the dual camera mobile device, and the image of the person
wearing the academic cap is assumed to have been captured by the
camera sensor 405b of the dual camera mobile device. Moreover, FIG.
6 will now be described by reference to the sensor module 415 and
the pixel arrays 41Oa and 41Ob of FIG. 4.
[0180] In the example interleaving frame rate 605, the sensor
module 415's VBI for both the pixel array 41Oa and the pixel array
41Ob is set to two time units. As illustrated in the example
interleaving frame rate 605, the sensor module 415 retrieves an
image from the pixel array 410a at the time instances 625, 635,
645, 655, 665, 675, and 685 along the timeline 620, and the sensor
module 415 retrieves an image from the pixel array 410b at the time
instances 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, and 680 along the timeline 620.
That is, the sensor module 415 alternately retrieves an image from
a pixel array every time unit.
[0181] The example interleaving frame rate 610 is similar to the
example interleaving frame rate 605 except the sensor module 415's
VBI for both the pixel array 41Oa and the pixel array 41Ob is set
to four time units. The example interleaving frame rate 610 shows
the sensor module 415 retrieving an image from the pixel array 41Oa
at the time instances 625, 645, 665, and 685 along the timeline
620, and the sensor module 415 retrieves an image from the pixel
array 41Ob at the time instances 635, 655, and 675 along the
timeline 620. Because the VBI of the example interleaving frame
rate 610 is greater than the VBI of the example interleaving frame
rate 605, the frame rate of the example interleaving frame rate 610
is lower than the frame rate of the example interleaving frame rate
605.
[0182] The example interleaving frame rate 615 is also similar to
the example interleaving frame rate 605 except the sensor module
415's VBI for both the pixel array 41Oa and the pixel array 41Ob is
set to six time units. As shown in FIG. 6, the sensor module 415
retrieves an image from the pixel array 410a at the time instances
625, 655, and 685 along the timeline 620, and the sensor module 415
retrieves an image from the pixel array 41Ob at the time instances
640 and 670 along the timeline 620. The VBI of the example
interleaving frame rate 615 is greater than the VBis of the example
interleaving frame rates 605 and 610. Thus, the frame rate of the
example interleaving frame rate 615 is lower than the example
interleaving frame rates 605 and 610.
[0183] B. Multiple Pipelines
[0184] FIG. 7 conceptually illustrates another captured image
processing unit (CIPU) 700 of some embodiments. The CIPU 700
performs the same functions as the CIPU 400 described above except
the CIPU 700 is implemented by two frontend processing pipelines, a
storage, and a backend processing pipeline instead of a single
processing pipeline. As such, the description of the functions of
the CIPU 700 will be described by reference to the modules of the
CIPU 400.
[0185] As shown, the CIPU 700 includes a frontend processing
pipeline 715 for the camera sensor 405a and the pixel array 41Oa, a
frontend processing pipeline 720 for the camera sensor 405b and the
pixel array 410b, a storage 725, a controller module 730, and a
backend processing pipeline 735. The camera sensors 405a and 405b
of some embodiments are sensors of the cameras of the dual camera
mobile device.
[0186] The frontend processing pipelines 715 and 720 of some
embodiments perform a portion of the CIPU 400's image processing.
As such, different embodiments can include a different number of
modules of the CIPU 400. For example, each of the frontend
processing pipelines 715 and 720 of some embodiments includes the
sensor module 415, the BPC module 420, the LS module 425, the
demosaicing module 430, the WB module 435, and the statistics
engine 465 of the CIPU 400.
[0187] Although the frontend processing pipelines 715 and 720
perform the same type of image processing by virtue of having the
same modules, each module of each of the frontend processing
pipelines 715 and 720 can be configured differently through
different register values as described above for the CIPU 400.
Moreover, since each of the camera sensors 405a and 405b has its
own frontend processing pipeline, the frontend processing pipelines
715 and 720 can process images independently of each other. For
instance, the frontend processing pipelines 715 and 720 can process
images in parallel (i.e., at the same time), at different times,
and at different rates.
[0188] In some embodiments, each of the front end processing
pipelines 715 and 720 can retrieve images from its corresponding
camera sensor and pixel array. For instance, the frontend
processing pipeline 715 retrieves images captured by the camera
sensor 405a from the pixel array 41Oa and the frontend processing
pipeline 720 receives images captured by the camera sensor 405b
from the pixel array 41Ob. When one of the frontend processing
pipelines 715 and 720 retrieves an image from its corresponding
camera sensor and pixel array, that frontend processing pipeline
processes the image and sends the processed image to the storage
725. Also, each of the frontend processing pipelines 715 and 720
communicates with the controller module 730 as described above
(e.g., through the statistics engine of each frontend processing
pipeline).
[0189] The storage 725 of some embodiments stores partially
processed images for the backend processing pipeline 735 to finish
processing. In these embodiments, the storage 725 receives
partially processed images from the frontend processing pipelines
715 and 720 and sends the partially processed images to the backend
processing pipeline 735. Some embodiments implement the storage 725
as volatile storage (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) while other
embodiments implement the storage 725 as non-volatile storage (e.g.
flash memory, hard disk, optical disk, etc.). Furthermore, the
storage 725 of some embodiments is internal storage (e.g., RAM)
while the storage 725 of other embodiments is external storage
(e.g., a compact flash (CF) card, a secure digital (SD) card,
etc.).
[0190] Some embodiments of the backend processing pipeline 735
perform a portion of the CIPU 700's image processing. In some
embodiments, the backend processing pipeline 735 includes the
modules of the CIPU 400 that the frontend processing pipelines 715
and 720 do not include. For instance, referring to the above
example, the backend processing pipeline 735 would include the CSC
module 445, the gamma module 440, the HSC module 450, the scaler
module 455, and the filter module 460 of the CIPU 400. As such, the
backend processing pipeline 735 of such embodiments performs the
remaining image processing of the CIPU 400 that the frontend
processing pipelines 715 and 720 do not perform. Accordingly, the
backend processing pipeline 735 retrieves partially processed
images from the storage 725 and performs the remaining image
processing on the partially processed images. After processing the
images, the backend processing pipeline 735 sends the processed
images to the CIPU driver 480.
[0191] The controller module 730 performs the same functions
described above by reference to FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 7, the
controller module 730 interacts with the frontend processing
pipelines 715 and 720 and the backend processing pipeline 735. In
some embodiments, the controller module 730 is included in the
backend processing pipeline 735 while in other embodiments the
controller module 730 is included in one of the frontend processing
pipelines 715 and 720.
[0192] The operation of the CIPU 700 will now be described by
reference to the camera sensors 405a and 405b, the pixel arrays
410a and 410b, the frontend processing pipelines 715 and 720, the
storage 725, and the backend processing pipeline 735 that are
illustrated in FIG. 7. When one of the frontend processing
pipelines 715 and 720 retrieves an image from its corresponding
camera sensor and pixel array, the frontend processing pipeline
processes the image and sends the partially processed image to the
storage 725. For instance, the frontend processing pipeline 715 may
retrieve an image captured by the camera sensor 405a from the pixel
array 410a or the frontend processing pipeline 720 may retrieve an
image captured by the camera sensor 405b from the pixel array 410b.
As noted above, each frontend processing pipeline 715 and 720 can
process images in parallel.
[0193] The backend processing pipeline 735 retrieves the partially
processed image from the storage 725 and processes the partially
processed image to complete the image processing of the image. In
some embodiments, the backend processing pipeline 735 retrieves and
processes images stored in the storage 725 on a first in, first out
basis. In other words, a particular image in the storage 725 is
processed after all images that were received and stored in the
storage 725 before the particular image, but the particular image
is processed before images that were received and stored in the
storage 725 after the particular image. After the backend
processing pipeline 735 processes the image, it sends the processed
image to the CIPU driver 480.
[0194] FIG. 8 conceptually illustrates another captured image
processing unit (CIPU) 800 of some embodiments. The CIPU 800
performs the same functions as the CIPU 400 described above except
the CIPU 800 is implemented by two separate processing pipelines
with each camera sensor having its own separate processing
pipeline. As such, the description of the functions of the CIPU 800
will be described by reference to the modules of the CIPU 400.
[0195] As shown, the CIPU 800 includes a processing pipeline 815
for the camera sensor 405a and the pixel array 41Oa and a
processing pipeline 820 for the camera sensor 405b and the pixel
array 410b. Each of the processing pipelines 815 and 820 of some
embodiments includes all the modules included in the CIPU 400.
Therefore, the operation of each of the processing pipelines 815
and 820 of these embodiments is the same as the operation of the
CIPU 400.
[0196] Since each of the camera sensors 405a and 405b has its own
processing pipeline, the processing pipelines 815 and 820 can
process images independently of each other. For example, the
processing pipelines 815 and 820 can process images in parallel
(i.e., at the same time), at different times, and at different
rates. In addition, each of the processing pipelines 815 and 820 of
some embodiments can be configured differently through different
register values as described above by reference to the CIPU
400.
[0197] In some embodiments, a number of modules of the CIPU 400
include one or more line/frame buffers for performing some or all
of the module's operations. For example, a filtering module 460 of
some embodiments is implemented to perform a 3.times.3 low-pass
filtering. In such embodiments, the 3.times.3 low-pass filter
processes three consecutive lines in the image in order to apply
the 3.times.3 low-pass filter on the middle line of the three
consecutive lines. Thus, the filtering module 460 of such
embodiments requires at least three line/frame buffers in order
perform the 3.times.3 low-pass filtering. Other modules in the CIPU
400 also include one or more line/frame buffers like the BPC module
420 and the LS module 425, for example.
[0198] The processing pipelines of the CIPU 800 can each have
different line/frame buffer sizes in order to customize the image
processing to characteristics of its corresponding camera. For
instance, if one camera of the dual camera mobile device has a
2048.times.1500 pixel sensor, the processing pipeline of the
2048.times.1500 pixel sensor can include line/frame buffers that
are 2048 pixels wide. Similarly, if the other camera of the dual
camera mobile device has a 640.times.480 pixel sensor, the
processing pipeline of the 640.times.480 pixel sensor can include
line/frame buffers that are 640 pixels wide. That is, the size of
the line/frame buffers included in the modules of one processing
pipeline can be different from the size of the line/frame buffers
included in the modules of another processing pipeline.
III. Video Conferencing
[0199] A. Video Conference Architecture
[0200] FIG. 9 conceptually illustrates a software architecture for
a video conferencing and processing module 900 of a dual camera
mobile device of some embodiments. The video conferencing and
processing module 900 includes a CIPU driver 905, a media exchange
module 910, and an encoder driver 920 that are similar to the
corresponding modules and drivers 305, 310, and 320 described above
by reference to FIG. 3. The video conferencing and processing
module 900 also includes a video conference module 925, a video
conference client 945, and a network interface 950 for performing a
variety of video conferencing functions. Like the video processing
and encoding module 300, the video conferencing and processing
module 900 processes and encodes images that are captured from
cameras of the dual camera mobile device.
[0201] As described above by reference to FIG. 3, the media
exchange module 910 allows consumers and producers of media content
in the device to exchange media content and instructions regarding
the processing of the media content, the CIPU driver 905 serves as
a communication interface with the captured image processing unit
(CIPU) 955, and the encoder driver 920 serves as a communication
interface with the encoder hardware 960 (e.g., an encoder chip, an
encoding component on a system on chip, etc.).
[0202] The video conference module 925 of some embodiments handles
vanous video conferencing functions such as image processing, video
conference management, and networking. As shown, the video
conference module 925 interacts with the media exchange module 910,
the video conference client 945, and the network interface 950. In
some embodiments, the video conference module 925 receives
instructions from and sends instructions to the video conference
client 945. The video conference module 925 of some embodiments
also sends data to and receives data from networks (e.g., a local
area network (LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wide
area network (WAN), a network of networks, a code division multiple
access (CDMA) network, a GSM network, etc.) through the network
interface 950.
[0203] The video conference module 925 includes an image processing
layer 930, a management layer 935, and a network layer 940. In some
embodiments, the image processing layer 930 performs image
processing operations on images for video conferencing. For
example, the image processing layer 930 of some embodiments
performs exposure adjustment, image resizing, perspective
correction, and dynamic range adjustment as described in further
detail below. The image processing layer 930 of some embodiments
sends requests through the media exchange module 910 for images
from the CIPU 955.
[0204] The management layer 935 of some embodiments controls the
operation of the video conference module 925. For instance, in some
embodiments, the management layer 935 initializes a camera/cameras
of the dual camera mobile device, processes images and audio to
transmit to a remote device, and processes images and audio
received from the remote device. In some embodiments, the
management layer 935 generates composite (e.g., PIP) displays for
the device. Moreover, the management layer 935 may change the
operation of the video conference module 925 based on networking
reports received from the network layer 940.
[0205] In some embodiments, the network layer 940 performs some or
all of the networking functionalities for video conferencing. For
instance, the network layer 940 of some embodiments establishes a
network connection (not shown) between the dual camera mobile
device and a remote device of a video conference, transmits images
to the remote device, and receives images from the remote device,
among other functionalities, as described below. In addition, the
network layer 940 receives networking data such as packet loss,
one-way latency, and roundtrip delay time, among other types of
data, processes such data, and reports the data to the management
layer 935.
[0206] The video conference client 945 of some embodiments is an
application that may use the video conferencing functions of the
video conference module 925 such as a video conferencing
application, a voice-over-IP (VOIP) application (e.g., Skype), or
an instant messaging application. In some embodiments, the video
conference client 945 is a stand-alone application while in other
embodiments the video conference client 945 is integrated into
another application.
[0207] In some embodiments, the network interface 950 is a
communication interface that allows the video conference module 925
and the video conference client 945 to send data and receive data
over a network (e.g., a cellular network, a local area network, a
wireless network, a network of networks, the Internet, etc.)
through the network interface 950. For instance, if the video
conference module 925 wants to send data (e.g., images captured by
cameras of the dual camera mobile device) to another device on the
Internet, the video conference module 925 sends the images to the
other device through the network interface 950.
[0208] B. Video Conference Set Up
[0209] FIG. 10 conceptually illustrates an example video conference
request messaging sequence 1000 of some embodiments. This figure
shows the video conference request messaging sequence 1000 among a
video conference client 1010 running on a device 1005, a video
conference server 1015, and a video conference client 1025 running
on a device 1020. In some embodiments, the video conference clients
1010 and 1025 are the same as the video conference client 945 shown
in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 10, one device (i.e., the device 1005)
requests a video conference and another device (i.e., the device
1020) responds to such request. The dual camera mobile device
described in the present application can perform both operations
(i.e., make a request and respond to a request).
[0210] The video conference server 1015 of some embodiments routes
messages among video conference clients. While some embodiments
implement the video conference server 1015 on one computing device,
other embodiments implement the video conference server 1015 on
multiple computing devices. In some embodiments, the video
conference server is a publicly accessible server that can handle
and route messages for numerous conferences at once. Each of the
video conference clients 1010 and 1025 of some embodiments
communicates with the video conference server 1015 over a network
(e.g., a cellular network, a local area network, a wireless
network, a network of networks, the Internet etc.) through a
network interface such as the network interface 950 described
above.
[0211] The video conference request messaging sequence 1000 of some
embodiments starts when the video conference client 1010 receives
(at operation 1) a request from a user of the device 1005 to start
a video conference with the device 1020. The video conference
client 1010 of some embodiments receives the request to start the
video conference when the user of the device 1005 selects a user
interface (UI) item of a user interface displayed on the device
1005. Examples of such user interfaces are illustrated in FIG. 11
and FIG. 14, which are described below.
[0212] After the video conference client 1010 receives the request,
the video conference client 1010 sends (at operation 2) a video
conference request, which indicates the device 1020 as the
recipient based on input from the user, to the video conference
server 1015. The video conference server 1015 forwards (at
operation 3) the video conference request to the video conference
client 1025 of the device 1020. In some embodiments, the video
conference server 1015 forwards the video conference request to the
video conference client 1025 using push technology. That is, the
video conference server 1015 initiates the transmission of the
video conference request to the video conference client 1025 upon
receipt from the video conference client 1010, rather than waiting
for the client 1025 to send a request for any messages.
[0213] When the video conference client 1025 of some embodiments
receives the video conference request, a user interface is
displayed on the device 1020 to indicate to the user of the device
1020 that the user of the device 1005 sent a request to start a
video conference and to prompt the user of the device 1020 to
accept or reject the video conference request. An example of such a
user interface is illustrated in FIG. 12, which is described below.
In some embodiments, when the video conference client 1025 receives
(at operation 4) a request to accept the video conference request
from the user of the device 1005, the video conference client 1025
sends (at operation 5) a video conference acceptance to the video
conference server 1015. The video conference client 1025 of some
embodiments receives the request to accept the video conference
request when the user of the device 1020 selects a user interface
item of a user interface as illustrated in FIG. 12, for
example.
[0214] After the video conference server 1015 receives the video
conference acceptance from the video conference client 1025, the
video conference server 1015 forwards (at operation 6) the video
conference acceptance to the video conference client 1010. Some
embodiments of the video conference server 1015 forward the video
conference acceptance to the video conference client 1010 using the
push technology described above.
[0215] Upon receiving the video conference acceptance, some
embodiments establish (at operation 7) a video conference between
the device 1005 and the device 1020. Different embodiments
establish the video conference differently. For example, the video
conference establishment of some embodiments includes negotiating a
connection between the device 1005 and the device 1020, determining
a bit rate at which to encode video, and exchanging video between
the device 1005 and the device 1020.
[0216] In the above example, the user of the device 1020 accepts
the video conference request. In some embodiments, the device 1020
can be configured (e.g., through the preference settings of the
device) to automatically accept incoming video conference requests
without displaying a UI. Moreover, the user of the device 1020 can
also reject (at operation 4) the video conference request (e.g., by
selecting a user interface item of a user interface displayed on
the device 1020). Instead of sending a video conference acceptance,
the video conference client 1025 sends a video conference rejection
to the video conference server 1015, which forwards the video
conference rejection to the video conference client 1010. The video
conference is then never established.
[0217] 1. Video Conference Setup User Interface
[0218] In some embodiments, a video conference is initiated based
on an ongoing phone call. That is, while the user of a mobile
device is engaged in a phone call with a second user, the user can
turn the phone call into a video conference with the permission of
the other party. For some embodiments of the invention, FIG. 11
illustrates the start of such a video conference by a dual camera
handheld mobile device 1100. This figure illustrates the start of
the video conference in terms of five operational stages 1110,
1115, 1120, 1125, and 1130 of a user interface ("UI") 1105 of the
device 1100.
[0219] As shown in FIG. 11, the UI 1105 includes a name field 1135,
a selection menu 1140, and a selectable UI item 1145. The name
field 1135 displays the name of the person on the other end of the
phone call, with whom a user would like to request a video
conference. In this example, the selectable UI item 1145 (which can
be implemented as a selectable button) provides a selectable End
Call option for the user to end the phone call. The selection menu
1140 displays a menu of selectable UI items, such as a Speakerphone
item 1142, a Mute item 1144, a Keypad item 1146, a Phonebook item
1148, a Hold item 1152, a Video Conference item 1154, etc.
Different embodiments display the selection menu differently. For
the embodiments illustrated by FIG. 11, the selection menu 1140
includes several equally sized icons, each of which represents a
different operation. Other embodiments provide a scrollable menu,
or give priority to particular items (e.g., by making the items
larger).
[0220] The operation of the UI 1105 will now be described by
reference to the state of this UI during the five stages, 1110,
1115, 1120, 1125, and 1130 that are illustrated in FIG. 11. In the
first stage 1110, a phone call has been established between the
handheld mobile device user and Nancy Jones. The second stage 1115
displays the UI 1105 after the user selects the selectable Video
Conference option 1154 (e.g., through a single finger tap by finger
1150) to activate a video conference tool. In this example, the
Video Conference option 1154 (which can be implemented as a
selectable icon) allows the user to start a video conference during
the phone call. In the second stage, the Video Conference option
1154 is highlighted to indicate that the video conference tool has
been activated. Different embodiments may indicate such a selection
in different ways (e.g., by highlighting the border or the text of
the item).
[0221] The third stage 1120 displays the UI 1105 after the device
1100 has started the video conference process with the selection of
the Video Conference option 1154. The third stage is a transitional
hold stage while the device waits for the video conference to be
established (e.g., while the device waits for the device on the
other end of the call to accept or reject the video conference). In
the third stage 1120, the user of the device 1100 can still talk to
the user of the other device (i.e., Nancy Jones) while the video
conference connection is being established. In addition, some
embodiments allow the user of the device 1100 to cancel the video
conference request in the third stage 1120 by selecting a
selectable UI item displayed on the UI 1105 (not shown) for
canceling the video conference request. During this hold stage,
different embodiments use different displays in the UI 1105 to
indicate the wait state.
[0222] As shown in FIG. 11, in some embodiments the wait state of
the third stage Is illustrated in terms of a full screen display of
a video being captured by the device 1100 along with a "Preview"
notation at the bottom of this video. Specifically, in FIG. 11, the
third stage 1120 illustrates the start of the video conference
process by displaying in a display area 1160 of the UI 1105 a full
screen presentation of the video being captured by the device's
camera. In some embodiments, the front camera is the default camera
selected by the device at the start of a video conference. Often,
this front camera points to the user of the device at the start of
the video conference. Accordingly, in the example illustrated in
FIG. 11, the third stage 1120 illustrates the device 1100 as
presenting a full screen video of the user of the device 1100. The
wait state of the device is further highlighted by the "Preview"
designation 1165 below the video appearing in the display area 1160
during the third stage 1120.
[0223] The transitional third hold stage 1120 can be represented
differently in some embodiments. For instance, some embodiments
allow the user of the device 1100 to select the back camera as the
camera for starting the video conference. To allow for this
selection, some embodiments allow the user to specify (e.g.,
through a menu preference setting) the back camera as the default
camera for the start of a video conference, and/or allow the user
to select the back camera from a menu that displays the back and
front cameras after the user selects the Video Conference option
1154. In either of these situations, the UI 1105 (e.g., display
area 1160) displays a video captured by the back camera during the
third hold stage 1120.
[0224] Also, other embodiments might indicate the activation of the
video conference tool by displaying the smaller version of the
video captured by the device 1100, by displaying a still image that
is stored on the device 1100, by providing a message to highlight
the wait state of the device (e.g., by showing "Conference Being
Established"), by not displaying the "Preview" designation, etc.
Also, in the third stage 1120, the UI 1105 of some embodiments
provides an End button (not shown) to allow the user to cancel
entering the video conference and revert back to the phone call if
he decides not to enter the video conference at this stage (e.g.,
while the user is waiting for the remote user to respond to his
request).
[0225] The fourth stage 1125 illustrates the UI 1105 in a
transitional state after the remote user has accepted the video
conference request and a video conference connection has been
established. In this transitional state, the display area 1160 that
displays the video of the local user (that is being captured by the
front camera in this example) gradually decreases in size (i.e.,
gradually shrinks), as indicated by the arrows 1175. The display
area 1160 (i.e., the local user's video) shrinks so that the UI
1105 can display a display area 1170 (e.g., a display window 1170)
that contains the video from a camera of the remote device behind
the display area 1160. In other words, the shrinking of the local
user's video 1160 creates a PIP display 1180 that has a foreground
inset display 1160 of the local user's video and a background main
display 1170 of the remote user. In this example, the background
main display 1170 presents a video of a lady whose video is being
captured by the remote device's front camera (e.g., Nancy Jones,
the user of the remote device) or a lady whose video is being
captured by the remote device's back camera (e.g., a lady whose
video is being captured by Nancy Jones). One of ordinary skill will
realize that the transitional fourth stage shown in FIG. 11 is
simply one exemplary approach used by some embodiments, and that
other embodiments might animate the transitional fourth stage
differently.
[0226] The fourth stage 1125 also illustrates a selectable UI item
1132 in a lower display area 1155. The selectable UI item 1132
(which can be implemented as a selectable button) provides a
selectable End Conference option 1132 below the PIP display 1180.
The user may select this End Conference option 1132 to end the
video conference (e.g., through a single finger tap). Different
embodiments may allow the user to end the conference in different
ways, such as by toggling a switch on the mobile device, by giving
voice commands, etc. Moreover, different embodiments may allow the
End Conference option 1132 to fade away during the video
conference, thereby allowing the PIP display 1180) to take up the
entire display area 1185. The End Conference option 1132 may then
reappear at a single finger tap at the bottom of the display area
1185, giving the user access to the End Conference option 1132. In
some embodiments, the layout of the display area 1155 is same as
the display area 1155 described in further detail below.
[0227] The fifth stage 1130 illustrates the UI 1105 after the
animation of the fourth transitional state 1125 has ended.
Specifically, the fifth stage 1130 illustrates a PIP display 1180
that is presented by the UI 1105 during the video conference. As
mentioned above, this PIP display 1180 includes two video displays:
a larger background display 1170 from the remote camera and a
smaller foreground inset display 1160 from the local camera.
[0228] This PIP display 1180 is only one manner of presenting a
composite view of the videos being captured by the remote and local
devices. In addition to this composite view, the devices of some
embodiments provide other composite views. For example, instead of
having a larger background display 1170 of the remote user, the
larger background display 1170 can be of the local user and the
smaller foreground inset display 1160 of the remote user. As
further described below, some embodiments allow a user to switch
during a video conference between the local cameras and/or remote
cameras as the cameras for the inset and main views in the PIP
display 1180.
[0229] Also, some embodiments allow the local and remote videos to
appear in the UI 1105 in two side-by-side display areas (e.g., left
and right display windows, or top and bottom display windows) or
two diagonally aligned display areas. The manner of the PIP display
or a default display mode may be specified by the user in some
embodiments through the preference settings of the device or
through controls that the user can select during a video
conference, as further described below.
[0230] When the user of the device 1100 of FIG. 11 invites the
remote user to a video conference, the remote user may accept or
reject the invitation. FIG. 12 illustrates a UI 1205 of the remote
user's device 1200 at six different stages 1210, 1215, 1220, 1225,
1230, and 1235 that show the sequence of operations for presenting
and accepting a video conference invitation at the remote user's
device. The description of the UI 1205 below refers to the user of
the device 1200 (i.e., the device that receives the video
conference request) as the invite recipient, and the user of the
device 1100 (i.e., the device that sends the video conference
request) as the invite requestor. Also, in this example, it is
assumed that the invite recipient's device 1200 is a dual camera
device, like that of the invite requestor. However, in other
examples, one or both of these devices are single camera
devices.
[0231] The first stage 1210 illustrates the UI 1205 when the invite
recipient receives an invitation to a video conference from the
invite requestor, John Smith. As shown in FIG. 12, the UI 1205 in
this stage includes a name field 1235, a message field 1240, and
two selectable UI items 1245 and 1250. The name field 1235 displays
the name of a person who is requesting a video conference. In some
embodiments, the name field 1235 displays a phone number of the
person who is requesting a video conference instead of the name of
the person. The message field 1240 displays an invite from the
invite requestor to the invite recipient. In this example, the
"Video Conference Invitation" in the field 1240 indicates that the
invite requestor is requesting a video conference with the invite
recipient. The selectable UI items 1245 and 1250 (which can be
implemented as selectable buttons) provide selectable Deny Request
and Accept Request options 1245 and 1250 for the invite recipient
to use to reject or accept the invitation. Different embodiments
may display these options differently and/or display other
options.
[0232] Upon seeing the "Video Conference Invitation" notation
displayed in the message field 1240, the invite recipient may deny
or accept the request by selecting the Deny Request option 1245 or
Accept Request option 1250 in the UI, respectively. The second
stage 1215 illustrates that in the example shown in FIG. 12, the
user selects the Accept Request option 1250. In this example, this
selection is made by the user's finger tapping on the Accept
Request option 1250, and this selection is indicated through the
highlighting of this option 1250. Other techniques are provided in
some embodiments to select the Accept or Deny Request options 1245
and 1250 (e.g., double-tapping, etc.) to indicate the selection
(e.g., highlighting the border or text of the UI item).
[0233] The third stage 1220 displays the UI 1205 after the invite
recipient has agreed to join the video conference. In this stage,
the UI 1205 enters into a preview mode that shows a full screen
presentation of the video from the remote device's front camera in
a display area 1244. The front camera in this case is pointed to
the user of the remote device (i.e., Nancy Jones in this example).
Accordingly, her image is shown in this preview mode. This preview
mode allows the invite recipient to make sure that her video is
displayed properly and that she is happy with her appearance before
the video conference begins (e.g., before actual transmission of
the video begins). In some embodiments, a notation, such as a
"Preview" notation, may be displayed below the display area 1244 to
indicate that the invite recipient is in the preview mode.
[0234] Some embodiments allow the invite recipient to select the
back camera as the default camera for the start of the video
conference, or to select the front or back camera at the beginning
of the video conference, as further described below. Also, other
embodiments display the preview display of the invite recipient
differently (e.g., in a smaller image placed in the comer of the
display area 1244). Yet other embodiments do not include this
preview mode, but rather start the video conference immediately
after the invite recipient accepts the request.
[0235] In the third stage, the UI 1205 shows two selectable UI
items 1275 and 1246, one of which overlaps the display area 1244
while the other is below this display area 1244. The selectable UI
item 1275 is an Accept button 1275 that the user may select to
start video conferencing. The selectable UI item 1246 is an End
button 1246 that the invite recipient can select if she decides not
to join the video conference at this stage.
[0236] The fourth stage 1225 displays the UI 1205 after the invite
recipient selects the Accept button 1275. In this example, the
Accept button 1275 is highlighted to indicate that the invite
recipient is ready to start the video conference. Such a selection
may be indicated in different ways in other embodiments.
[0237] The fifth stage 1230 illustrates the UI 1205 in a
transitional state after the invite recipient has accepted the
video conference request. In this transitional stage, the display
area 1244 that displays the video of the invite recipient (that is
being captured by the front camera in this example) gradually
decreases in size (i.e., gradually shrinks), as indicated by the
arrows 1260. The invite recipient's video shrinks so that the UI
1205 can display a display area 1265 (e.g., a display window 1265)
that contains the video from a camera of the invite requestor
behind the display area 1244. In other words, the shrinking of the
invite recipient's video creates a PIP display 1280 that has a
foreground inset display area 1244 of the invite recipient's video
and a background main display 1265 of the invite requestor.
[0238] In this example, the background main display 1265 presents a
video of a man whose video is being captured by the local device's
front camera (i.e., John Smith, the user of the local device 1100).
In another example, this video could have been that of a man whose
video is being captured by the local device's back camera (e.g., a
man whose video is being captured by John Smith). Different
embodiments may animate this transitional fifth stage
differently.
[0239] The UI at the fifth stage 1230 also displays a display area
1155 (e.g., a tool bar or a menu bar) that includes selectable UI
item 1285 (e.g., mute button 1285) for muting the audio of the
other user during the video conference, selectable UI item 1287
(e.g., end conference button 1287) for ending the video conference,
and selectable UI item 1289 (e.g., switch camera button 1289) for
switching cameras, which is described in further detail below. As
such, the invite recipient may select any of the selectable UI
items 1285-1289 (e.g., through a single finger tap) to perform the
desired operation during the video conference. Different
embodiments may allow the invite recipient to perform any of the
operations in different ways, e.g., by toggling a switch on the
mobile device, by giving voice commands, etc.
[0240] Although FIG. 12 shows an example layout for the display
area 1155, some embodiments provide different layouts of the
display area 1155 such as the layout of display area 1155 of FIG.
11, which includes just a selectable End Conference UI item 1132
for ending the video conference. Other layouts of display area 1155
can include any number of different selectable UI items for
performing different functions. Moreover, the fifth stage 1230
shows the display area 1155 displayed at the bottom of the UI 1205.
Different embodiments of the display area 1155 can be displayed at
different locations within the UI 1205 and/or defined as different
shapes.
[0241] FIG. 12 shows the display area 1155 as a static display area
(i.e., the display area 1155 is always displayed). However, in some
embodiments the display area 1155 is a dynamic display area. In
some such embodiments, the display area 1155 is not ordinarily
displayed. Rather, the display area 1155 is displayed when a
triggering event is received (e.g., a user selection such tapping
the display area 1280 once, a voice command, etc.). The display
area 1155 disappears after a user selection is received (e.g.,
selecting the selectable mute UI item 1285) or a defined amount of
time (e.g., 3 seconds), which can be specified by the user through
the preference settings of the mobile device or the video
conference application. In some such embodiments, the display area
1155 is automatically displayed after the video conference starts
and disappears in the same manner mentioned above.
[0242] The sixth stage 1235 illustrates the UI 1205 after the
animation of the fifth transitional stage has ended. Specifically,
the sixth stage illustrates a PIP display 1280 that is presented by
the UI 1205 during the video conference. As mentioned above, this
PIP display 1280 includes two video displays: a larger background
display 1265 from the local camera and a smaller foreground inset
display 1244 from the remote camera. This PIP display 1280 is only
one manner of presenting a composite view of the videos being
captured by the remote and local devices. In addition to this
composite view, the devices of some embodiments provide other
composite views. For example, instead of having a larger background
display of the invite recipient, the larger background display can
be of the invite requestor and the smaller foreground inset display
of the invite recipient. As further described below, some
embodiments allow a user to control the inset and main views in a
PIP display to switchably display the local and remote cameras.
Also, some embodiments allow the local and remote videos to appear
in the UI 1205 in two side-by-side display areas (e.g., left and
right display windows, or top and bottom display windows) or two
diagonally aligned display areas. The manner of PIP display or a
default display mode may be specified by the user in some
embodiments through the preference settings of the device or
through controls that the user can select during a video
conference, as further described below.
[0243] Although FIG. 12 shows the sequence of operations for
presenting and accepting a video conference invitation in terms of
six different operational stages, some embodiments may implement
the operation in less stages. For instance, some of such
embodiments may omit presenting the third and fourth stages 1220
and 1225 and go from the second stage 1215 to the fifth stage 1230
after the user selects the Accept Request option 1250. Other
embodiments that implement that operation (i.e., presenting and
accepting a video conference invitation) in less stages may omit
the first and second stages 1210 and 1215 and present the user with
the third stage 1220 when the invite recipient receives an
invitation to a video conference from the invite requestor.
[0244] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of performing the operation
illustrated in FIG. 12 in less stages by combining the first and
third stages into one stage and the second and fourth stage into
one stage. In particular, this figure illustrates a UI 1205 of the
remote user's device 1200 at five different stages 1390, 1392,
1394, 1230, and 1235. The first stage 1390 is similar to the stage
1110 except the name field 1235 displays the name "John Smith" to
indicate the name of the person on the other end of the telephone
call. That is, a phone call has been established between the user
of the remote mobile device and the user of the local device (i.e.,
John Smith in this example). The second and third stages 1392 and
1394 are similar to the first and second stages 1210 and 1215 of
FIG. 12 except the second and third stage 1392 and 1394 also show a
preview of the user of the remote mobile device (i.e., Nancy Jones
in this example). The fourth and fifth stages 1230 and 1235 are the
same as the fifth and sixth stages 1230 and 1235 of FIG. 12.
[0245] In addition to activating the video conference tool through
a selectable option during a phone call, some embodiments allow a
user of a dual camera device to initiate a video conference
directly without having to make a phone call first. FIG. 14
illustrates another such alternative method to initiate a video
conference. This figure illustrates the UI 1405 at seven different
stages 1410, 1415, 1420, 1425, 1430, 1435, and 1440 that show an
alternative sequence of operations for starting a video
conference.
[0246] In the first stage 1410, a user is looking through a
contacts list on this mobile device for the person with whom he
wants to engage in a video conference, similar to how he would find
a contact to call. In the second stage 1415, the user selects the
person 1455 with whom he would like to have a video conference
(e.g., through a single finger tap 1460 on the person's name 1455).
This selection triggers the UI 1405 to display the contact's
information and various user selectable options. In this example,
Jason's name 1455 is highlighted to indicate that this is the
person with whom the user would like to have a video conference.
Different embodiments may indicate such a selection in different
ways. While the second stage 1415 allows the user of the device
1400 to select a person with whom the user would like to have a
video conference through a contact list, some embodiments allow the
user to select the person through a "Recents" call history that
lists a particular number or name of a person with whom the user of
the device 1400 recently had a video conference or a phone
call.
[0247] In the third stage 1420, the UI 1405 displays the selected
person's information 1462 and various selectable UI items 1468,
1472, and 1470 after the person's name 1455 has been selected. In
this example, one of the various selectable UI items 1472 (which
can be implemented as a selectable icon or button) provides a video
conference tool. The Video Conference option 1472 allows the user
to invite the person identified by the contact 1466 to a video
conference. Different embodiments display the information 1462 and
selectable UI items 1468, 1472, and 1470 differently (e.g., in a
different arrangement).
[0248] The fourth stage 1425 shows the user selecting the Video
Conference option 1472 (e.g., through a single finger tap). In this
example, the Video Conference option 1472 is highlighted to
indicate that the video conference tool 1472 has been activated.
Such selections may be indicated differently in different
embodiments (e.g., by highlighting the text or border of the
selected icon).
[0249] The fifth, sixth and seventh stages 1430, 1435, and 1440 are
similar to the third, fourth and fifth stages 1120, 1125, and 1130
illustrated in FIG. 11 and may be understood by reference to the
discussion of those stages. In brief, the fifth stage 1430
illustrates a transitional holding stage that waits for the remote
user to respond to the invitation to a video conference. The sixth
stage 1435 illustrates that after the remote user has accepted the
video conference request, the display area 1480 (that displays the
video of the local user) gradually decreases in size so the UI 1405
can show a display area 1492 that contains the video from a camera
of the remote user behind the display area 1480. In the seventh
stage 1440, the PIP display 1447 is presented by the UI 1405 during
the video conference. In some embodiments, the layout of display
area 1155 in the sixth stage 1435 and the seventh stage 1440 is
like the layout of the display area 1155 of FIG. 12, described
above.
[0250] FIGS. 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14 show several ways of
establishing a video conference. In some embodiments, during a
telephone call, audio data (e.g., voice) is transmitted through one
communication channel (over a communication network like a
circuit-switched communication network or a packet-switched
communication network) and, during a video conference, audio data
is transmitted through another communication channel. Thus, in such
embodiments, audio data (e.g., voice) is transmitted through a
communication channel before the video conference is established,
and once the video conference is established, audio is transmitted
through a different communication channel (instead of the
communication channel used during the telephone call).
[0251] In order to provide a seamless transition (e.g., handoff) of
audio data from the telephone call to the video conference, some
embodiments do not terminate the telephone call before establishing
the video conference. For instance, some embodiments establish a
peer-to-peer video conference connection (e.g., after completing
the message sequence illustrated in FIG. 10) before terminating the
phone call and starting to transmit audio/video data through the
peer-to-peer communication session. Alternatively, other
embodiments establish a peer-to-peer video conference connection
(e.g., after completing the message sequence illustrated in FIG.
10) and start transmitting audio/video data through the
peer-to-peer communication session, before terminating the phone
call and starting to present the received audio/video data.
[0252] A peer-to-peer video conference connection of some
embodiments allows the mobile devices in the video conference to
directly communicate with each other (instead of communicating
through a central server, for example). Some embodiments of a
peer-to-peer video conference allow the mobile devices in the video
conferences to share resources with each other. For instance,
through a control communication channel of a video conference, one
mobile device can remotely control operations of another mobile
device in the video conference by sending instructions from the one
mobile device to the other mobile device to direct the other mobile
device to process images differently (i.e., share its image
processing resource) such as an exposure adjustment operation, a
focus adjustment operation, and/or a switch camera operation,
described in further detail below.
[0253] 2. Dynamic Bit Rate Setup
[0254] Typically, mobile devices in a video conference communicate
data (e.g., audio and video images) to each other through
communication channels of different types of communication networks
such as different private and public wireless communication
networks (e.g., cellular networks like GSM, UMTS, etc.). Examples
of such wireless communication networks will be explained by
reference to FIGS. 91 and 92, below.
[0255] A communication network's available bandwidth for conducting
a video conference differ at different times due to the varying
number of mobile devices accessing the communication network at a
given time. The available bandwidth can even change during the
video conference. In addition, flooding the communication network
with high bit rates during the video conference or large amounts of
signaling in an attempt to figure out an optimal video conference
bit rate is undesirable.
[0256] Because of these reasons, some embodiments employ a novel
method for specifying the initial optimal bit rate for the video
conference. To identify the initial optimal bit rate for the video
conference, this method starts a video conference at a particular
bit rate and incrementally increases the bit rate at particular
intervals if these embodiments do not detect network conditions
that would degrade the video conference quality.
[0257] One example of such embodiments is illustrated in FIG. 15.
This figure conceptually illustrates a process 1500 of some
embodiments of the invention for setting the bit rate for a video
conference. The process 1500 is performed as part of a video
conference setup (e.g., as part of the video conference
establishment illustrated in FIG. 10) to dynamically determine a
bit rate for transmitting data (e.g., audio and video images) based
on various network conditions. In some embodiments, the process
1500 is performed by the management layer 935 of the video
conference module 925 described above by reference to FIG. 9. A
more detailed version of this video conference module will be
described below by reference to FIG. 16.
[0258] As shown in FIG. 15, the process 1500 starts by setting (at
1505) a bit rate at an initial bit rate. In some embodiments, the
initial bit rate is a default baseline rate for the device. Some
embodiments, though, allow a user to specify the initial bit rate.
At 1505, the process 1500 also starts the video conference
transmitting data (e.g., audio and video images) through one or
more communication channels at the initial bit rate to a remote
device.
[0259] Next, the process 1500 identifies (at 1510) a set of network
condition parameters received from the remote device in the video
conference. In some embodiments, the local device receives the set
of network condition parameters from the remote device through a
real-time transport protocol (RTP) communication session
established at the start of the video conference. For instance,
some embodiments provide the network condition parameters through
the extension feature of RTP. Moreover, the RTP extension feature
of some embodiments can be used to transmit any type of information
(such as the set of network condition parameters) by indicating the
presence of an extension header in an RTP packet header and
defining an extension header for the additional information.
[0260] In different embodiments, devices in the video conference
relay different sets of network condition/congestion parameters. In
the embodiments described below, the set of network condition
parameters include one-way latency and a bandwidth estimation bit
rate. In other embodiments, the set of network condition parameters
includes packet loss data and roundtrip time (RTT) delay data. As
such, different embodiments can include any number of different
network condition parameters in the set of network condition
parameters.
[0261] In some embodiments, the set of network condition parameters
received from the remote device of the video conference is based on
data (e.g., audio and video) transmitted from the local mobile
device (i.e., the mobile device performing the process 1500) to the
remote device during the video conference at the initial bit rate
set at operation 1505. For example, in some embodiments, the remote
device can determine one-way latency by calculating the time it
takes for audio packets to propagate through the network connection
from the local mobile device to the remote device by using
timestamps of the audio packets. Specifically, in some embodiments,
each audio packet is time stamped. In the absence of packet delay,
the remote devices should receive the audio packets at set
intervals that are equal to the difference in the time stamps.
However, when there is one-way latency delay, the remote device
receives the audio packets at intervals greater than the difference
in the time stamps.
[0262] Also, in some embodiments, the remote device determines a
bandwidth estimation bit rate by examining the time a video packet
is received, the time a consecutive video packet is received, and
the size of the consecutive video packet. That is, the difference
in time between the receipt of the two consecutive video packets
and the size of the second video packet is used to estimate the
available bandwidth of the network connection. Some embodiments
determine a bandwidth estimation bit rate by examining multiple
pairs of consecutive video packets. The above examples use specific
types of data (i.e., audio data for determining one-way latency and
video data for determining a bandwidth estimation bit rate).
However, other types of data communicated through the network
connection between the local mobile device and the remote device
can be used as well in some embodiments.
[0263] After identifying (at 1510) the set of network conditions,
the process 1500 then determines (at 1515) whether the one-way
latency has deteriorated past a defined threshold amount. In some
embodiments, the threshold amount is defined as a particular
latency amount and the one-way latency is determined to deteriorate
past the threshold amount when the difference between the current
one-way latency and a previous one-way latency exceeds the
particular latency amount. In other embodiments, the threshold
amount is defined as a particular rate of change of one-way
latencies. As such, the one-way latency is determined to
deteriorate past the threshold amount when the rate of change of a
set of one-way latencies (e.g., the current one-way latency and
previous one-way latencies) exceeds the particular rate of
change.
[0264] When the one-way latency is determined to deteriorate past
the threshold amount, the process 1500 ends. Otherwise, the process
1500 determines (at 1520) whether the current bit rate has reached
the bandwidth estimation bit rate. In some embodiments, the
bandwidth estimation bit rate indicates an amount of available
bandwidth (e.g., 15 kilobits/sec (kbps)) for the network
connection. When the process 1500 determines that the current bit
rate exceeds the bandwidth estimation bit rate, the process 1500
ends. When the process 1500 determines that the current bit rate
does not exceed the bandwidth estimation bit rate, the process 1500
proceeds to operation 1525.
[0265] At 1525, the process 1500 determines whether the current bit
rate has reached a defined maximum bit rate. When the process 1500
determines that the current bit rate exceeds the defined maximum
bit rate, the process 1500 ends. Otherwise, the process 1500
proceeds to operation 1530 to increase the current bit rate by a
defined amount. Different embodiments define the amount to increase
the bit rate differently. Examples of a defined amount to increase
the current bit rate include 32 kbps, 64 kbps, among any number of
other amounts to increase the bit rate.
[0266] Next, the process determines (at 1535) whether a defined
amount of time has elapsed. The defined amount of time can be 1
second, 2 seconds, 5 seconds, or any other possible amounts of time
since different embodiments define the amount of time differently.
The process 1500 waits for the defined amount of time to elapse in
order for the remote device to receive data (e.g., audio and video
images) transmitted from the local mobile device at the newly
increased bit rate (at operation 1530) and determine network
condition parameters based on the newly increased bit rate. If the
process 1500 determines that the defined amount of time has not
elapsed, the process 1500 returns to operation 1535 until the
defined amount of time has elapsed. When the process 1500
determines that the defined amount of time has elapsed, the process
1500 returns to operation 1510. The operation of the process 1500
from 1510 onwards proceeds as described above until the process
1500 ends.
[0267] When the process 1500 ends (i.e., after operation 1515,
1520, or 1525), the setup of a bit rate for the video conference is
complete and an optimal bit rate has been determined. Since the
available bandwidth for the video conference can change during the
video conference, some embodiments continue to adjust the bit rate
based on the set of network condition parameters (i.e., the one-way
latency and the bandwidth estimation bit rate) that are received
from the remote device. The bit rate can be adjusted during the
video conference by increasing the bit rate. For instance, if the
process 1500 ended because the one-way latency deteriorated past
the defined threshold amount and, during the video conference, the
one-way latency improves, some embodiments increase the bit rate.
Similarly, if the process 1500 ended because the bit rate exceeded
the bandwidth estimation bit rate and, during the video conference,
the bandwidth estimation bit rate increases, some embodiments
increase the bit rate.
[0268] In contrast, the bit rate can be adjusted during the video
conference by decreasing the bit rate. For example, if the one-way
latency continues to deteriorate past the defined threshold amount
during the video conference, some embodiments decrease the bit
rate. Also, if the bit rate continues to exceed the bandwidth
estimation bit rate (e.g., the bandwidth estimation bit rate
continues to decrease) during the video conference, some
embodiments decrease the bit rate.
[0269] Moreover, the description of the process 1500 uses one-way
latency and a bandwidth estimation bit rate to determine whether to
increase the bit rate. However, one of ordinary skill will realize
that any number of network condition parameters can be used to
determine whether to increase the bit rate in different
embodiments. For instance, determining whether to increase the bit
rate can be based on solely RTT delay data or packet loss data.
[0270] C. Video Conference Architecture
[0271] As mentioned above, FIG. 16 conceptually illustrates a
software architecture for a video conferencing and processing
module 1600 of a dual camera mobile device of some embodiments. As
shown, the video conferencing and processing module 1600 includes a
client application 1665, a video conference module 1602, a media
exchange module 1620, a buffer 1625, a captured image processing
unit (CIPU) driver 1630, an encoder driver 1635, and a decoder
driver 1640. In some embodiments, the buffer 1625 is a frame buffer
that stores images of a video for display on a display 1645 of the
dual camera mobile device.
[0272] In some embodiments, the client application 1665 is the same
as the video conference client 945 of FIG. 9. As mentioned above,
the client application 1665 may be integrated into another
application or implemented as a stand-alone application. The client
application 1665 may be an application that uses the video
conferencing functions of the video conference module 1602, such as
a video conferencing application, a voice-over-IP (VOIP)
application (e.g., Skype), or an instant messaging application.
[0273] The client application 1665 of some embodiments sends
instructions to the video conference module 1602 such as
instructions to start a conference and end a conference, receives
instructions from the video conference module 1602, routes
instructions from a user of the dual camera mobile device to the
video conference module 1602, and generates user interfaces that
are displayed on the dual camera mobile device and allow a user to
interact with the application.
[0274] D. Video Conference Manager
[0275] As shown in FIG. 16, the video conference module 1602
includes a video conference manager 1604, an image processing
manager 1608, a networking manager 1614, and buffers 1606, 1610,
1612, 1616, and 1618. In some embodiments, the video conference
module 1602 is the same as the video conference module 925
illustrated in FIG. 9 and thus performs some or all of the same
functions described above for the video conference module 925.
[0276] In some embodiments, the video conference manager 1604 is
responsible for initializing some or all of the other modules of
the video conference module 1602 (e.g., the image processing
manager 1608 and the networking manager 1614) when a video
conference is starting, controlling the operation of the video
conference module 1602 during the video conference, and ceasing the
operation of some or all of the other modules of the video
conference module 1602 when the video conference is ending.
[0277] The video conference manager 1604 of some embodiments also
processes images received from one or more devices in the video
conference and images captured by one of both cameras of the dual
camera mobile device for display on the dual camera mobile device.
For instance, the video conference manager 1604 of some embodiments
retrieves decoded images, that were received from another device
participating in the video conference, from the buffer 1618 and
retrieves images processed by CIPU 1650 (i.e., images captured by
the dual camera mobile device) from the buffer 1606. In some
embodiments, the video conference manager 1604 also scales and
composites the images before displaying the images on the dual
camera mobile device. That is, the video conference manager 1604
generates the PIP or other composite views to display on the mobile
device in some embodiments. Some embodiments scale the images
retrieved from the buffers 1606 and 1618 while other embodiments
just scale images retrieved from one of the buffers 1606 and
1618.
[0278] Although FIG. 16 illustrates the video conference manager
1604 as part of the video conference module 1602, some embodiments
of the video conference manager 1604 are implemented as a component
separate from the video conference module 1602. As such, a single
video conference manager 1604 can be used to manage and control
several video conference modules 1602. For instance, some
embodiments will run a separate video conference module on the
local device to interact with each party in a multi-party
conference, and each of these video conference modules on the local
device are managed and controlled by the one video conference
manager.
[0279] The image processing manager 1608 of some embodiments
processes images captured by the cameras of the dual camera mobile
device before the images are encoded by the encoder 1655. For
example, some embodiments of the image processing manager 1608
perform one or more of exposure adjustment, focus adjustment,
perspective correction, dynamic range adjustment, and image
resizing on images processed by the CIPU 1650. In some embodiments,
the image processing manager 1608 controls the frame rate of
encoded images that are transmitted to the other device in the
video conference.
[0280] Some embodiments of the networking manager 1614 manage one
or more connections between the dual camera mobile device and the
other device participating in the video conference. For example,
the networking manager 1614 of some embodiments establishes the
connections between the dual camera mobile device and the other
device of the video conference at the start of the video conference
and tears down these connections at the end of the video
conference.
[0281] During the video conference, the networking manager 1614
transmits images encoded by the encoder 1655 to the other device of
the video conference and routes images received from the other
device of the video conference to decoder 1660 for decoding. In
some embodiments, the networking manager 1614, rather than the
image processing manager 1608, controls the frame rate of the
images that are transmitted to the other device of the video
conference. For example, some such embodiments of the networking
manager 1614 control the frame rate by dropping (i.e., not
transmitting) some of the encoded frames that are supposed to be
transmitted to the other device of the video conference.
[0282] As shown, the media exchange module 1620 of some embodiments
includes a camera source module 1622, a video compressor module
1624, and a video decompressor module 1626. The media exchange
module 1620 is the same as the media exchange module 310 shown in
FIG. 3, with more detail provided. The camera source module 1622
routes messages and media content between the video conference
module 1602 and the CIPU 1650 through the CIPU driver 1630, the
video compressor module 1624 routes message and media content
between the video conference module 1602 and the encoder 1655
through the encoder driver 1635, and the video decompressor module
1626 routes messages and media content between the video conference
module 1602 and the decoder 1660 through the decoder driver 1640.
Some embodiments implement the TNR module 315 included in the media
exchange module 310 (not shown in FIG. 16) as part of the camera
source module 1622 while other embodiments implement the TNR module
315 as part of the video compressor module 1624.
[0283] In some embodiments, the CIPU driver 1630 and the encoder
driver 1635 are the same as the CIPU driver 305 and the encoder
driver 320 illustrated in FIG. 3. The decoder driver 1640 of some
embodiments acts as a communication interface between the video
decompressor module 1626 and decoder 1660. In such embodiments, the
decoder 1660 decodes images received from the other device of the
video conference through the networking manager 1614 and routed
through the video decompressor module 1626. After the images are
decoded, they are sent back to the video conference module 1602
through the decoder driver 1640 and the video decompressor module
1626.
[0284] In addition to performing video processing during a video
conference, the video conferencing and processing module 1600 for
the dual camera mobile device of some embodiments also performs
audio processing operations during the video conference. FIG. 17
illustrates such a software architecture. As shown, the video
conferencing and processing module 1600 includes the video
conference module 1602 (which includes the video conference manager
1604, the image processing manager 1608, and the networking manager
1614), the media exchange module 1620, and the client application
1665. Other components and modules of the video conferencing and
processing module 1600 shown in FIG. 16 are omitted in FIG. 17 to
simplify the description. The video conferencing and processing
module 1600 also includes frame buffers 1705 and 1710, audio
processing manager 1715, and audio driver 1720. In some
embodiments, the audio processing manager 1715 is implemented as a
separate software module while in other embodiments the audio
processing manager 1715 is implemented as part of the media
exchange module 1620.
[0285] The audio processing manager 1715 processes audio data
captured by the dual camera mobile device for transmission to the
other device in the video conference. For example, the audio
processing manager 1715 receives audio data through the audio
driver 1720, which is captured by microphone 1725, and encodes the
audio data before storing the encoded audio data in the buffer 1705
for transmission to the other device. The audio processing manager
1715 also processes audio data captured by and received from the
other device in the video conference. For instance, the audio
processing manager 1715 retrieves audio data from the buffer 1710
and decodes the audio data, which is then output through the audio
driver 1720 to the speaker 1730.
[0286] In some embodiments, the video conference module 1602 along
with the audio processing manager 1715 and its associated buffers
are part of a larger conference module. When a multi-participant
audio conference is conducted between several devices without
exchange of video content, this video conferencing and processing
module 1600 only uses the networking manager 1614 and the audio
processing manager 1715 to facilitate the exchange of audio over an
Internet Protocol (IP) layer.
[0287] The operation of the video conference manager 1604 of some
embodiments will now be described by reference to FIG. 18. FIG. 18
conceptually illustrates a process 1800 performed by a video
conference manager of some embodiments such as video conference
manager 1604 illustrated in FIG. 16. This can be equivalent to
being performed by the management layer 935 of FIG. 9. In some
embodiments, the video conference manager 1604 performs process
1800 when a user of the dual camera mobile device accepts (e.g.,
through a user interface displayed on the dual camera mobile
device) a video conference request or when a user of another device
accepts a request sent by the user of the dual camera mobile
device.
[0288] The process 1800 begins by receiving (at 1805) instructions
to start a video conference. In some embodiments, the instructions
are received from the client application 1665 or are received from
a user through a user interface displayed on the dual camera mobile
device and forwarded to the video conference manager 1604 by the
client application 1665. For example, in some embodiments, when a
user of the dual camera mobile device accepts a video conference
request, the instructions are received through the user interface
and forwarded by the client application. On the other hand, when a
user of the other device accepts a request sent from the local
device, some embodiments receive the instructions from the client
application without user interface interaction (although there may
have been previous user interface interaction to send out the
initial request).
[0289] Next, the process 1800 initializes (at 1810) a first module
that interacts with the video conference manager 1604. The modules
of some embodiments that interact with the video conference manager
1604 include the CIPU 1650, the image processing manager 1608, the
audio processing manager 1715, and the networking manager 1614.
[0290] In some embodiments, initializing the CIPU 1650 includes
instructing the CIPU 1650 to start processing images captured by
one or both cameras of the dual camera mobile device. Some
embodiments initialize the image processing manager 1608 by
instructing the image processing manager 1608 to start retrieving
images from the buffer 1610 and processing and encoding the
retrieved images. To initialize the audio processing manager 1715,
some embodiments instruct the audio processing manager 1715 to
begin encoding audio data captured by the microphone 1725 and
decoding audio data stored in the buffer 1710 (which was received
from the other device) in order to output to the speaker 1730. The
initializing of the networking manager 1614 of some embodiments
includes instructing the networking manager 1614 to establish a
network connection with the other device in the video
conference.
[0291] The process 1800 then determines (at 1815) whether there are
any modules left to initialize. When there are modules left to
initialize, the process 1800 returns to operation 1810 to
initialize another of the modules. When all of the required modules
have been initialized, the process 1800 generates (at 1820)
composite images for displaying on the dual camera mobile device
(i.e., local display). These composite images may include those
shown in FIG. 65, described below (i.e., PIP or other composite
displays), and can include various combinations of images from the
cameras of the local dual camera mobile device and images from
cameras of the other device participating in the video
conference.
[0292] Next, the process 1800 determines (at 1825) whether a change
has been made to the video conference. Some embodiments receive
changes to the video conference through user interactions with a
user interface displayed on the dual camera mobile device while
other embodiments receive changes to the video conference from the
other device through the networking manager 1614 (i.e., remote
control). The changes to video conference settings may also be
received from the client application 1665 or other modules in the
video conference module 1602 in some embodiments. The video
conference settings may also change due to changes in the network
conditions.
[0293] When a change has been made, the process 1800 determines (at
1830) whether the change to the video conference is a change to a
network setting. In some embodiments, the changes are either
network setting changes or image capture setting changes. When the
change to the video conference is a change to a network setting,
the process modifies (at 1840) the network setting and then
proceeds to operation 1845. Network setting changes of some
embodiments include changing the bit rate at which images are
encoded or the frame rate at which the images are transmitted to
the other device.
[0294] When the change to the video conference is not a change to a
network setting, the process 1800 determines that the change is a
change to an image capture setting and then proceeds to operation
1835. The process 1800 then performs (at 1835) the change to the
image capture setting. In some embodiments, change to the image
capture settings may include switching cameras (i.e., switching
which camera on the dual camera mobile device will capture video),
focus adjustment, exposure adjustment, displaying or not displaying
images from one or both cameras of the dual camera mobile device,
and zooming in or out of images displayed on the dual camera mobile
device, among other setting changes.
[0295] At operation 1845, the process 1800 determines whether to
end the video conference. When the process 1800 determines to not
end the video conference, the process 1800 returns to operation
1820. When the process 1800 determines that the video conference
will end, the process 1800 ends. Some embodiments of the process
1800 determine to end the video conference when the process 1800
receives instructions from the client application 1665 to end the
video conference (i.e., due to instructions received through the
user interface of the local dual camera mobile device or received
from the other device participating in the video conference).
[0296] In some embodiments, the video conference manager 1604
performs various operations when the video conference ends that are
not shown in process 1800. Some embodiments instruct the CIPU 1650
to stop producing images, the networking manager 1614 to tear down
the network connection with the other device in the video
conference, and the image processing manager 1608 to stop
processing and encoding images.
[0297] E. Temporal Noise Reduction
[0298] Some embodiments include a specific temporal noise reduction
module for processing video images to reduce noise in the video.
The temporal noise reduction module of some embodiments compares
subsequent images in a video sequence to identify and eliminate
unwanted noise from the video.
[0299] FIG. 19 conceptually illustrates a software architecture for
such a temporal noise reduction (TNR) module 1900 of some
embodiments. Some embodiments implement the TNR module 1900 as part
of an application (e.g., as part of the media exchange module as
shown in FIG. 3) while other embodiments implement the TNR module
1900 as a stand-alone application that is used by other
applications. Yet other embodiments implement the TNR module 1900
as part of an operating system running on the dual camera mobile
device. In some embodiments, the TNR module 1900 is implemented by
a set of APis that provide some or all of the functionalities of
the TNR module 1900 to other applications.
[0300] As shown in FIG. 19, the TNR module 1900 includes a TNR
manager 1905, a difference module 1910, a pixel averaging module
1915, and a motion history module 1920. While FIG. 19 shows the
three modules 1910, 1915, and 1920 as separate modules, some
embodiments implement the functionalities of these modules,
described below, in a single module. The TNR module 1900 of some
embodiments receives as input an input image, a reference image,
and a motion history. In some embodiments, the input image is the
image presently being processed while the reference image is the
previous image in the video sequence to which the input image is
compared. The TNR module 1900 outputs an output image (a version of
the input image with reduced noise) and an output motion
history.
[0301] The TNR manager 1905 of some embodiments directs the flow of
data through the TNR module 1900. As shown, the TNR manager 1905
receives the input image, the reference image, and the motion
history. The TNR manager 1905 also outputs the output image and the
output motion history. The TNR manager 1905 sends the input image
and the reference image to the difference module 1910 and receives
a difference image from the difference module 1910.
[0302] In some embodiments, the difference module 1910 processes
the data received from the TNR manager 1905 and sends the processed
data to the TNR manager 1905. As shown, the difference module 1910
receives the input image and the reference image from the TNR
manager 1905. The difference module 1910 of some embodiments
generates a difference image by subtracting the pixel values of one
image from the pixel values of the other image. The difference
image is sent to the TNR manager 1905. The difference image of some
embodiments indicates the difference between the two images in
order to identify sections of the input image that have changed and
sections of the input image that have stayed the same as compared
to the previous image.
[0303] The TNR manager 1905 also sends the input image and
reference image to the pixel averaging module 1915. As shown, some
embodiments also send the motion history to the pixel averaging
module 1915 as well. Other embodiments, however, might send only
the input image and the reference image without the motion history.
In either embodiments, the TNR manager 1905 receives a processed
image from the pixel averaging module 1915.
[0304] The pixel averaging module 1915 of some embodiments uses the
motion history to determine whether to take an average of the
pixels from the input and reference images for a particular
location in the image. In some embodiments, the motion history
includes a probability value for each pixel in the input image. A
particular probability value represents the probability that the
corresponding pixel in the input image has changed (i.e., a dynamic
pixel) with respect to the corresponding pixel in the reference
image. For instance, if the probability value of a particular pixel
in the input image is 20, that indicates a probability of 20% that
the particular pixel in the input image has changed with respect to
the corresponding pixel in the reference image. As another example,
if the probability value of a particular pixel in the input image
is 0, that indicates that the particular pixel in the input image
has not changed (i.e., a static pixel) with respect to the
corresponding pixel in the reference image.
[0305] Different embodiments store the probability values of the
input image differently. Some embodiments might store the
probability values of each pixel of the input image in one array of
data. Other embodiments might store the probability values in a
matrix (e.g., an array of arrays) with the same dimensions as the
resolution of the images of the video. For example, if the
resolution of the images of the video is 320.times.240, then the
matrix is also 320.times.240.
[0306] When the pixel averaging module 1915 receives the motion
history in addition to the input image and reference image from the
TNR manager 1905, the pixel averaging module 1915 reads the
probability values of each pixel in the input image. If the
probability value for a particular pixel in the input image is
below a defined threshold (e.g., 5%, 20%), the pixel averaging
module 1915 averages the particular pixel value with the
corresponding pixel value in the reference image based on the
premise that there is not likely to be motion at the particular
pixel, and thus differences between the images at that pixel may be
attributable to noise.
[0307] If the probability for the particular pixel in the input
image is not below the defined threshold, the pixel averaging
module 1915 does not modify the particular pixel of the input image
(i.e., the pixel value at that pixel stays the same as in the input
image). This is because motion is more likely at the particular
pixel, so differences between the images are more likely to not be
the result of noise. In some embodiments, when the motion history
is not sent to the pixel averaging module 1915, the pixel averaging
module 1915 averages each pixel in the input image with the
corresponding pixel in the reference image. The processed image
that is output by the pixel averaging module 1915 and sent to the
TNR manager 1905 includes the input image pixel values for any
pixels that were not averaged and the averaged pixel values for any
pixels that were averaged by the pixel averaging module 1915.
[0308] In some embodiments, the motion history module 1920
processes data received from the TNR manager 1905 and sends the
result data back to the TNR manager 1905. The motion history module
1920 of some embodiments receives the input image and the motion
history from the TNR manager 1905. Some embodiments input this data
into a Bayes estimator in order to generate a new motion history
(i.e., a set of probability values) that can be used in the pixel
averaging for the next input image. Other embodiments use other
estimators to generate the new motion history.
[0309] The operation of the TNR module 1900 will now be described
by reference to FIG. 20. This figure conceptually illustrates a
process 2000 of some embodiments for reducing temporal noise of
images of a video. The process 2000 starts by the TNR manager 1905
receiving (at 2005) an input image, a reference image, and a motion
history. The input image is the image presently being processed for
noise reduction. In some embodiments, the reference image is the
previous image of a sequence of images of the video as received
from the CIPU. In other embodiments, however, the reference image
is the output image generated from the processing of the previous
input image (i.e., the output of TNR module 1900). The motion
history is the output motion history generated from the processing
of the previous input image.
[0310] When the input image is a first image of the video, the TNR
module 1900 of some embodiments does not process (i.e., apply TNR
to) the first image. In other words, the TNR manager 1905 receives
the first image and just outputs the first image. In other
embodiments, when the input image is the first image of the video,
the first image is used as the input image and the reference image
and the TNR module 1900 processes the image as described below.
Further, when the input image is the first image of the video, the
motion history is empty (e.g., null, full of zeros, etc.) and the
TNR manager 1905 just outputs an empty motion history as the output
motion history.
[0311] The TNR manager 1905 then determines (at 2010) whether the
input image is static. In order to make this determination, some
embodiments send the input image and the reference image to the
difference module 1910 and receive a difference image from the
difference module 1910. When the difference between the two images
is below a defined threshold (e.g., 5% difference, 10% difference,
etc.), some embodiments classify the input image as static.
[0312] When the input image is a static image, the TNR manager 1905
sends the input image and the reference image to the pixel
averaging module 1915 to average (at 2015) the pixels of the input
image with the pixels of the reference image in order to reduce any
noise from the static image. The process then proceeds to 2040,
which is described below.
[0313] When the input image is not a static image, the TNR manager
sends the input image, reference image, and motion history to the
pixel averaging module 1915 for processing. The pixel averaging
module 1915 selects (at 2020) a pixel in the input image. Using the
motion history, the pixel averaging module 1915 determines (at
2025) whether the pixels' probability of motion is below a
particular threshold, as described above.
[0314] If the selected pixel's probability is below the particular
threshold, the pixel averaging module 1915 averages (at 2030) the
pixel of the input image with the corresponding pixel in the
reference image. Otherwise, the pixel is not averaged and the
output image will be the same as the input image at that particular
pixel. The pixel averaging module 1915 then determines (at 2035)
whether there are any unselected pixels left in the input image. If
any pixels have not yet been processed, the process returns to
operation 2020 to select the next pixel. The pixel averaging module
1915 performs the operations 2020-2030 until all pixels have been
evaluated.
[0315] The process then updates (at 2040) the motion history. As
shown in FIG. 19 and described above, the motion history module
1920 updates the motion history based on the input image. The new
motion history is output by the TNR manager along with the
processed image from the pixel averaging module.
[0316] F. Image Processing Manager & Encoder
[0317] In addition to temporal noise reduction and image processing
operations performed by the CIPU and/or CIPU driver, some
embodiments perform a variety of image processing operations at the
image processing layer 930 of the video conference module 925.
These image processing operations may include exposure adjustment,
focus adjustment, perspective correction, adjustment of dynamic
range, and image resizing, among others.
[0318] FIG. 21 conceptually illustrates a process 2100 for
performing such image processing operations. In some embodiments,
some or all of the operations of the process 2100 are performed by
a combination of the image processing manager 1608 and the encoder
driver 1635 of FIG. 16. In some of such embodiments, the image
processing manager 1608 performs the pixel-based processing (e.g.,
resizing, dynamic range adjustment, perspective correction, etc.).
Some embodiments perform process 2100 during a video conference on
images that are to be transmitted to another device participating
in the video conference.
[0319] The process 2100 will now be described by reference to FIG.
16. The process starts by retrieving (at 2105) an image from the
buffer 1606. In some embodiments, the retrieved image is an image
of a video (i.e., an image in a sequence of images). This video may
have been captured by a camera of a device on which the process
2100 is performed.
[0320] Next, the process 2100 performs (at 2110) exposure
adjustment on the retrieved image. Some embodiments perform
exposure adjustments through a user interface that is displayed on
the dual camera mobile device. FIG. 22 illustrates an example
exposure adjustment operation of such embodiments.
[0321] This figure illustrates the exposure adjustment operation by
reference to three stages 2210, 2215, and 2220 of a UI 2205 of a
device 2200. The first stage 2210 illustrates the UI 2205, which
includes a display area 2225 and a display area 1155. As shown, the
display area 2225 displays an image 2230 of a sun and a man with a
dark face and body. The dark face and body indicates that the man
is not properly exposed. The image 2230 could be a video image
captured by a camera of the device 2200. As shown, the display area
1155 includes a selectable UI item 2250 for ending the video
conference. In some embodiments, the layout of the display area
1155 is the same as the layout of the display area 1155 of FIG. 12,
described above.
[0322] The second stage 2215 illustrates a user of the device 2200
initiating an exposure adjustment operation by selecting an area of
the display area 2225. In this example, a selection is made by
placing a finger 2235 anywhere within the display area 2225. In
some embodiments, a user selects exposure adjustment from a menu of
possible image setting adjustments.
[0323] The third stage 2220 shows an image 2240 of the man after
the exposure adjustment operation is completed. As shown, the image
2240 is similar to the image 2230, but the man in the image 2240 is
properly exposed. In some embodiments, the properly exposed image
is an image that is captured after the improperly exposed image.
The exposure adjustment operation initiated in the second stage
2215 adjusts the exposure of subsequent images captured by the
camera of the device 2200.
[0324] Returning to FIG. 21, the process 2100 next performs (at
2115) focus adjustment on the image. Some embodiments perform focus
adjustment through a user interface that is displayed on the dual
camera mobile device. FIG. 23 conceptually illustrates an example
of such focus adjustment operations.
[0325] FIG. 23 illustrates a focus adjustment operation by
reference to three different stages 2310, 2315, and 2320 of a UI
2305 of a device 2300. The first stage 2310 illustrates the UI 2305
including a display area 2325 and a display area 1155. The display
area 2325 presents a blurry image 2330 of a man captured by a
camera of the device 2300. The blurriness indicates that the image
2330 of the man is out of focus. That is, the lens of the camera
was not focused on the man when the image 2330 of the man was
captured by the camera. Also, the image 2330 could be a video image
captured by a camera of the device 2300. As shown, the display area
1155 includes a selectable UI item 2350 for ending the video
conference. In some embodiments, the layout of the display area
1155 is the same as the layout of the display area 1155 of FIG. 12,
described above.
[0326] The second stage 2315 illustrates a user of the device 2300
initiating a focus adjustment operation by selecting an area of the
display area 2325. In this example, a selection is made by placing
a finger 2335 anywhere within the display area 2325. In some
embodiments, a user selects focus adjustment from a menu of
possible image setting adjustments.
[0327] The third stage 2320 shows an image 2340 of the man after
the focus adjustment operation is completed. As shown, the image
2340 is the same as the image 2330, but the man in the image 2340
appears sharper. This indicates that the lens of the camera is
properly focused on the man. In some embodiments, the properly
focused image is an image that is captured after the improperly
focused image. The focus adjustment operation initiated in the
second stage 2315 adjusts the focus of subsequent images captured
by the camera of the device 2300.
[0328] Back to FIG. 21, the process 2100 performs (at 2120) image
resizing on the image. Some embodiments perform image resizing on
the image to reduce the number of bits used to encode the image
(i.e., lower the bit rate). In some embodiments, the process 2100
performs image resizing as described below by reference to FIG.
26.
[0329] The process 2100 next performs (at 2125) perspective
correction on the image. In some embodiments, the process 2100
performs perspective correction as described in FIG. 24 below. Such
perspective correction involves using data taken by one or more
accelerometer and/or gyroscope sensors that identifies orientation
and movement of the dual camera mobile device. This data is then
used to modify the image to correct for the perspective being
off.
[0330] After perspective correction is performed on the image, the
process 2100 adjusts (at 2130) the dynamic range of the image. In
some embodiments, the dynamic range of an image is the range of
possible values that each pixel in the image can have. For example,
an image with a dynamic range of 0-255 can be adjusted to a range
of 0-128 or any other range of values. Adjusting the dynamic range
of an image can reduce the amount of bits that will be used to
encode the image (i.e., lower the bit rate) and thereby smooth out
the image.
[0331] Adjusting the dynamic range of an image can also be used for
various other purposes. One purpose is to reduce image noise (e.g.,
the image was captured by a noisy camera sensor). To reduce noise,
the dynamic range of the image can be adjusted so that the black
levels are redefined to include lighter blacks (i.e., crush
blacks). In this manner, the noise of the image is reduced. Another
purpose of dynamic range adjustment is to adjust one or more colors
or range of colors in order to enhance the image. For instance,
some embodiments may assume that the image captured by the front
camera is an image of a person's face. Accordingly, the dynamic
range of the image can be adjusted to increase the red and pink
colors to make the person's cheeks appear rosy/rosier. The dynamic
range adjustment operation can be used for other purposes as
well.
[0332] Finally, the process 2100 determines (at 2135) one or more
rate controller parameters that are used to encode the image. Such
rate controller parameters may include a quantization parameter and
a frame type (e.g., predictive, bi-directional, intra-coded) in
some embodiments. The process then ends.
[0333] While the various operations of process 2100 are illustrated
as being performed in a specific order, one of ordinary skill will
recognize that many of these operations (exposure adjustment, focus
adjustment, perspective correction, etc.) can be performed in any
order and are not dependent on one another. That is, the process of
some embodiments could perform focus adjustment before exposure
adjustment, or similar modifications to the process illustrated in
FIG. 21.
[0334] 1. Perspective Correction
[0335] As mentioned above, some embodiments perform perspective
correction on an image before displaying or transmitting the image.
In some cases, one or more of the cameras on a dual camera mobile
device will not be oriented properly with its subject and the
subject will appear distorted in an uncorrected image. Perspective
correction may be used to process the images so that the images
will closely reflect how the objects in the images appear in
person.
[0336] FIG. 24 conceptually illustrates a perspective correction
process 2400 performed by an image processing manager of some
embodiments such as that illustrated in FIG. 16. The process 2400
of some embodiments is performed by the image processing layer 930
shown in FIG. 9 (which may contain an image processing manager
1608). Some embodiments perform the process 2400 at operation 2125
of process 2100, in order to correct the perspective of recently
captured video images before displaying or transmitting the
images.
[0337] The process 2400 starts by receiving (at 2405) data from an
accelerometer sensor, which is a part of the dual camera mobile
device in some embodiments. The accelerometer sensor of some
embodiments measures the rate of change of the velocity of the
device (i.e., the device's acceleration) along one or more axes.
The process also receives (at 2410) data from a gyroscope sensor,
which may also be a part of the dual camera mobile device in some
embodiments. The gyroscope and accelerometer sensors of some
embodiments can be used individually or in combination to identify
the orientation of the dual camera mobile device.
[0338] Next, the process 2400 determines (at 2415) the amount of
perspective correction to perform based on the data obtained from
the accelerometer and gyroscope sensors. Generally, when the
orientation is further off axis, more perspective correction will
be required to produce an optimal image. Some embodiments calculate
a warp parameter to represent the amount of perspective correction
based on the orientation of the device.
[0339] After determining the amount of perspective correction to
perform, the process 2400 receives (at 2420) an image captured by a
camera of the dual camera mobile device. This process may be
performed for each image in the video sequence captured by the
camera Some embodiments may perform separate calculations for
images coming from each of the two cameras on the dual camera
mobile device.
[0340] The process then modifies (at 2425) the image based on the
determined amount of perspective correction. Some embodiments also
use a baseline image or other information (e.g., a user-entered
point about which the correction should be performed) in addition
to the warp parameter or other representation of the amount of
perspective correction. After modifying the image, process 2400
ends.
[0341] FIG. 25 conceptually illustrates example image processing
operations of some embodiments. This figure illustrates a first
image processing operation 2505 performed by a first image
processing module 2520 that does not use perspective correction and
a second image processing operation 2550 performed by a second
image processing module 2565 that uses perspective correction.
[0342] As shown, the first image processing operation 2505 is
performed on a first image 2510 of a block 2515 from an aerial
perspective looking downwards at an angle towards the block. From
that perspective, the top of the block 2515 is closer than the
bottom of the block. As such, the block 2515 appears to be leaning
towards the camera that captured the first image 2510. FIG. 25 also
shows the processed first image 2525 after processing by the first
image processing module 2520. As shown, the block 2515 in the
processed first image 2525 appears the same post-processing, as the
first image processing module 2520 did not perform any perspective
correction.
[0343] The second image processing operation 2550 is performed on a
second image 2555 of a block 2560. The block 2560 is the same as
the block 2515 in the first image 2510. FIG. 25 also shows a
processed second image 2575 after processing of the second image
2555 by the perspective corrector 2570 of the second image
processing module 2565. The perspective corrector 2570 may use
process 2400 in order to correct the perspective of the second
image 2555. Based on data from an accelerometer and gyroscope
indicating that the camera that captured the second image 2555 is
tilting at a downward angle (and possibly based on other data), the
perspective corrector 2570 is able to correct the second image so
that the block appears to be viewed straight-on in the processed
second image 2575.
[0344] 2. Resizing and Bit Stream Manipulation
[0345] Among the functions described above by reference to FIG. 21
that are performed by the image processing layer 930 of some
embodiments are image resizing and bitstream manipulation. Image
resizing (performed at operation 2130) involves scaling up or down
an image in some embodiments (i.e., modifying the number of pixels
used to represent the image). In some embodiments, the bitstream
manipulation involves inserting data into the bitstream that
indicates the size of the image after resizing. This resizing and
bitstream manipulation is performed by an encoder driver (e.g.,
driver 1635) in some embodiments.
[0346] FIG. 26 conceptually illustrates a software architecture for
such an encoder driver 2600 of some embodiments and shows an
example resizing and bitstream manipulation operations performed by
the encoder driver 2600 on an example image 2605. In some
embodiments, the image 2605 is an image of a video captured by a
camera of the dual camera mobile device for transmission to another
device(s) in a video conference. Referring to FIG. 16, in some
embodiments the video image will have traveled from the CIPU 1650
through the CIPU driver 1630 and camera source module 1622 to
buffer 1606, from which it is retrieved by image processing manager
1608. After undergoing image processing (e.g., focus adjustment,
exposure adjustment, perspective correction) in the image
processing manager 1608, the image is sent through buffer 1610 and
video compressor module 1624 to the encoder driver 1635.
[0347] As shown, the encoder driver 2600 includes a processing
layer 2610 and a rate controller 2645. Examples of the rate
controller of some embodiments are illustrated in FIG. 30,
described below. The processing layer 2610 includes an image
resizer 2615 and a bitstream manager 2625. In some embodiments,
these modules perform various operations on images both before and
after the images are encoded. While in this example the image
resizer is shown as part of the processing layer 2610 of the
encoder driver 2600, some embodiments implement the image resizer
as part of the image processing manager 1608 rather than the
encoder driver 2600 (i.e., the image resizing is done before
sending the image and the size data to the encoder driver).
[0348] As shown, the image resizer 2615 resizes the images before
the images are sent to the encoder 2650 through the rate controller
2645. The image 2605 is sent through resizer 2615 and scaled down
into image 2630. In addition to scaling down an image, some
embodiments can also scale up an image.
[0349] As shown in FIG. 26, some embodiments scale down the
incoming image (e.g., image 2605) and then superimpose the scaled
down image (e.g., image 2630) onto a spatially redundant image
(e.g., image 2635) that is the same size (in pixels) as the
incoming image (i.e., the number of rows and columns of pixels of
the image 2605 are the same as the number of rows and columns of
pixels of the spatially redundant image 2635). Some embodiments
superimpose the scaled down image 2630 into the upper left comer of
the spatially redundant image (as shown, to produce composite image
2640), while other embodiments superimpose the scaled down image
into a different section of the spatially redundant image (e.g.,
the center, upper right, upper center, lower center, lower right,
etc.).
[0350] In some embodiments, a spatially redundant image is an image
that is substantially all one color (e.g., black, blue, red, white,
etc.) or has a repetitive pattern (e.g., checkers, stripes, etc.).
For instance, the spatially redundant image 2635 shown in FIG. 26
has a repetitive crisscross pattern. The spatially redundant
portion of the composite image 2640 can be easily compressed by the
encoder into a small amount of data due to the repetitive nature.
Furthermore, if a sequence of images are all scaled down and the
spatially redundant image used is the same for each image in the
sequence, then temporal compression can be used to even further
reduce the amount of data needed to represent the encoded
image.
[0351] Some embodiments of the image resizer 2615 also generate
size data 2620 that indicates the size of the resized image (e.g.,
the size of the scaled down image 2630) and send this generated
size data 2620 to the bitstream manager 2625. The size data 2620 of
some embodiments indicates the size of the resized image 2630 in
terms of the number of rows of pixels and the number of columns of
pixels (i.e., height and width) of the resized image 2630. In some
embodiments, the size data 2620 also indicates the location of the
resized image 2630 in the composite image 2640.
[0352] After the image is resized, the composite image 2640 is sent
through the rate controller 2645 to the encoder 2650. The rate
controller 2645, as described in further detail below, controls the
bit rate (i.e., the data size) of the images output by the encoder
2650 in some embodiments. The encoder 2650 of some embodiments
compresses and encodes the image. The encoder 2650 may use H.264
encoding or another encoding method.
[0353] The bitstream manager 2625 of some embodiments receives a
bitstream of one or more encoded images from the encoder 2650 and
inserts size data into the bitstream. For instance, in some
embodiments, the bitstream manager 2625 receives the size data 2620
from the image resizer 2615 and inserts the size data 2620 into a
bitstream 2655 of the encoded composite image 2640 that is received
from the encoder 2650. The output of the bitstream manager 2625 in
this case is a modified bitstream 2660 that includes the size data
2620. Different embodiments insert the size data 2620 in different
positions of the bitstream 2655. For example, the bitstream 2660
shows the size data 2620 inserted at the beginning of the bitstream
2660. However, other embodiments insert the size data 2620 at the
end of the bitstream 2655, in the middle of the bitstream 2655, or
any other position within the bitstream 2655.
[0354] In some embodiments, the bitstream 2655 is a bitstream of a
sequence of one or more encoded images that includes the composite
image 2640. In some of such embodiments, the images in the sequence
are all resized to the same size and the size data 2620 indicates
the size of those resized images. After the images are transmitted
to a device on the other end of the video conference, the receiving
device can extract the size information from the bitstream and use
the size information to properly decode the received images.
[0355] FIG. 27 conceptually illustrates an image resizing process
2700 performed by an encoder driver of a dual camera mobile device,
such as driver 2600. The process 2700 begins by receiving (at 2705)
an image (e.g., image 2605) captured by a camera of the dual camera
mobile device. When the dual camera device is capturing images with
both cameras, some embodiments perform process 2700 on images from
both cameras.
[0356] Next, the process 2700 resizes (at 2710) the received image.
As noted above, different embodiments resize the image 2605
differently. For instance, the image 2605 in FIG. 26 is scaled down
and superimposed onto the spatially redundant image 2635 to produce
the composite image 2640.
[0357] The process 2700 then sends (at 2715) the resized image
(e.g., the composite image 2640, which includes the resized image
2630) to the encoder 2650 for encoding. Some embodiments of the
process 2700 send the resized image 2630 (included in the composite
image 2640) to the encoder 2650 through a rate controller that
determines a bit rate for the encoder to encode the image. The
encoder 2650 of some embodiments compresses and encodes the image
(e.g., using discrete cosine transform, quantization, entropy
encoding, etc.) and returns a bitstream with the encoded image to
the encoder driver 2600.
[0358] Next, the process 2700 sends (at 2720) the data indicating
the size of the resized image (e.g., the size data 2620) to a
bitstream manager. As shown in FIG. 26, this operation is performed
within the encoder driver 2600 in some embodiments (i.e., one
module in the encoder driver 2600 sends the size data to another
module in the encoder driver 2600).
[0359] After the resized image is encoded by the encoder 2650, the
process 2700 receives (at 2725) the bitstream from the encoder. As
shown, some embodiments receive the bitstream at the bitstream
manager, which also has received size data. The received bitstream
includes the encoded composite image and may also include one or
more additional images in a video sequence.
[0360] The process 2700 then inserts (at 2730) the data indicating
the size of the resized image (e.g., the size data 2620) into the
bitstream, and ends. As shown in FIG. 26, this operation is also
performed by the bitstream manager in some embodiments. As
mentioned above, different embodiments insert the size data into
different parts of the bitstream. In the illustrated example, the
size data 2620 is inserted at the beginning of the bitstream 2655
as shown in the resulting bitstream 2660. This bitstream can now be
transmitted to another device that is participating in the video
conference, where it can be decoded and viewed.
[0361] In some embodiments, the decoder driver (e.g., driver 1640)
performs the opposite functions of the encoder driver. That is, the
decoder driver extracts size data from a received bitstream, passes
the bitstream to a decoder, and resizes a decoded image using the
size data. FIG. 28 conceptually illustrates a software architecture
for such a decoder driver 2800 of some embodiments and shows
example bitstream manipulation and resizing operations performed by
the decoder driver 2800 on an example bitstream 2825.
[0362] In some embodiments, the bitstream 2825 is a bitstream that
includes an encoded image of a video captured by a camera of a
device in a video conference (e.g., a bitstream from an encoder
driver such as driver 2600) and transmitted to the device on which
the decoder driver 2800 operates. Referring to FIG. 16, in some
embodiments the bitstream will have been received by the networking
manager 1614 and sent to buffer 1616, from which it is retrieved by
the video decompressor module 1626 and sent to the decoder driver
1640.
[0363] As shown, the decoder driver 2800 includes a processing
layer 2805. The processing layer 2805 includes an image resizer
2810 and a bitstream manager 2820. In some embodiments, these
modules 2810 and 2820 perform various operations on received images
both before and after the images are decoded. While in this example
the image resizer 2810 is shown as part of the processing layer
2805 of the decoder driver 2800, some embodiments implement the
image resizer as part of the image processing manager 1608 rather
than the decoder driver (i.e., the image resizing is done after
sending the image from the decoder driver 2800).
[0364] As shown, the bitstream manager 2820 of some embodiments
receives a bitstream of one or more encoded images (i.e., images in
a video sequence) and extracts size data from the bitstream before
sending the bitstream to the decoder 2835 for decoding. For
example, as illustrated in FIG. 28, the bitstream manager 2820
receives a bitstream 2825 of an encoded image, extracts a size data
2815 from the bitstream 2825, and sends the resulting bitstream
2830 (without the size data 2815) to the decoder 2835 for decoding.
As shown, the bitstream manager 2820 sends the extracted size data
2815 to the image resizer 2810 in some embodiments.
[0365] The size data 2815 of some embodiments is the same as the
size data 2620 inserted into the bitstream by the encoder driver
2600. As described above in the description of FIG. 26, the size
data 2815 of some embodiments indicates the size of a sub-image
2845 in terms of the number of rows of pixels and the number of
columns of pixels of the sub-image 2845. The size data 2815 may
also indicate the location of the sub-image 2845 within the larger
spatially redundant image 2840. In this example, the bitstream 2825
shows the size data 2815 inserted at the beginning of the bitstream
2825. However, as noted above, different embodiments insert the
size data 2815 in different positions of the bitstream 2825.
[0366] The image resizer 2810 of some embodiments extracts
sub-images from images using size data received from the bitstream
manager 2820. For instance, FIG. 28 illustrates the image resizer
2810 receiving an image 2840 that includes a sub-image 2845 from
the decoder 2835. As shown, the image resizer 2810 of some
embodiments extracts the sub-image 2845 from the image 2840. This
extracted image can then be displayed on the dual camera mobile
device.
[0367] FIG. 29 conceptually illustrates an image extraction process
2900 of some embodiments performed by a decoder driver of a device
participating in a video conference, such as driver 2800. The
process begins by receiving (at 2905) a bitstream (e.g., bitstream
2825) of an encoded image. The bitstream may be sent from a device
participating in a video conference with the device on which the
decoder driver is operating or may be stored in a storage of the
device. When the device is receiving images from multiple sources,
some embodiments perform process 2900 on images from each
source.
[0368] Next, the process 2900 extracts (at 2910) size data from the
bitstream. As noted above, this size data may be found in different
locations in the bitstream. Some embodiments know where to look for
the size data, while other embodiments look for a particular
signature that indicates where in the received bitstream the size
data is located. In some embodiments, the size data indicates the
size (e.g., the number of pixels in each row and number of pixels
in each column) and the location of a sub-image in the encoded
image.
[0369] The process 2900 then sends (at 2915) the extracted size
data to an image resizer. As shown in FIG. 28, this operation is
performed within the decoder driver in some embodiments (i.e., one
module in the decoder driver sends the size data to another module
in the decoder driver).
[0370] The process 2900 also sends (at 2920) the bitstream to the
decoder for decoding. The decoder, in some embodiments decompresses
and decodes the bitstream (e.g., using inverse discrete cosine
transform, inverse quantization, etc.) and returns a reconstructed
image to the decoder driver.
[0371] After the bitstream is decoded by the decoder, the process
2900 receives (at 2925) the decoded image from the decoder. As
shown, some embodiments receive the image at the image resizer,
which also has received size data from the bitstream manager. The
process then extracts (at 2930) a sub-image from the decoded image
using the received size data. As shown, the sub-image 2845 is
extracted from the upper left of decoded image 2840, as indicated
in size data 2815. This extracted sub-image can now be displayed on
a display device (e.g., a screen of the dual camera mobile
device).
[0372] 3. RateControllers
[0373] In some embodiments, the two cameras of the device have
different sets of characteristics. For example, in some
embodiments, the front camera is a lower resolution camera
optimized for the capture of motion video images while the back
camera is a higher resolution camera optimized for the capture of
still images. For reasons such as cost, functionality, and/or
geometry of the device, other embodiments may use different
combinations of cameras of different characteristics.
[0374] Cameras with different characteristics can introduce
different artifacts. For example, higher resolution cameras may
reveal more noise than lower resolution cameras. Images captured by
higher resolution cameras may exhibit higher levels of spatial or
temporal complexities than images captured by lower resolution
cameras. Also, different cameras with different optical properties
may introduce different gamma values to the captured images.
Different light sensing mechanisms used by different cameras to
capture images may also introduce different artifacts.
[0375] Some of these camera-specific artifacts conceal artifacts
generated from other sources. For example, in an image captured by
a high resolution camera with a high level of noise, artifacts that
are the byproduct of the video encoding process become less
visible. When encoding noise (such as quantization distortion) to
hide behind camera-specific artifacts, the video encoding process
can use larger quantization step sizes to achieve lower bit rates.
On the other hand, when a camera introduces less artifacts (such as
in the case of a lower resolution camera), the video encoding
process can use finer quantization step sizes in order to avoid
unacceptable levels of visual distortion due to quantization. Thus,
a video encoding process that is optimized to take advantage of or
to compensate for these camera-specific characteristics can
accomplish better rate-distortion trade-off than the video encoding
process that is oblivious to these camera-specific
characteristics.
[0376] In order to utilize these camera-specific characteristics
for performing rate-distortion trade-offs, some embodiments
implement two video encoding processes, each process optimized to
each of the two cameras. FIG. 30 illustrates an example of a system
with two video encoding processes for two cameras 3060 and 3070. As
shown in FIG. 30, the system 3000 includes encoder driver 3010,
rate controllers 3020 and 3040, and a video encoder 3030. The
encoder 3030 encodes video images captured from video cameras 3060
and 3070 into bitstreams 3080 and 3090.
[0377] In some embodiments, the video encoder driver 3010 is a
software module running on one or more processing units. It
provides an interface between the video encoder 3030 and other
components of the system, such as video cameras, image processing
modules, network management modules and storage buffers. The
encoder driver 3010 controls the flow of captured video image from
the cameras and the image processing modules to the video encoder
3030, and it also provides the conduit for the encoded bitstreams
3080 and 3090 to storage buffers and network management
modules.
[0378] As shown in FIG. 30, the encoder driver 3010 includes two
different instances 3020 and 3040 of rate controllers. These
multiple instances can be two different rate controllers for the
two different cameras, or one rate controller that is configured in
two different manners for two different cameras. Specifically, in
some embodiments, the two rate controllers 3020 and 3040 represent
two separate rate controllers. Alternatively, in other embodiments,
the two rate controllers 3020 and 3040 are two different
configurations of a single rate controller.
[0379] FIG. 30 also shows the encoder driver 3010 to include a
state buffer 3015 that stores encoding state information for the
rate controlling operations to use during a video conference.
Specifically, in some embodiments, the two different rate
controllers, or the two different configurations of the same rate
controller, share during a video conference the same encoding state
information that is stored in the state buffer 3015. Such sharing
of state information allows uniform rate controller operations in
dual video capture video conferences. This sharing also allows
optimal video encoding during a switch camera operation in a single
video capture video conference (i.e., allows the rate controlling
operation for the encoding of video captured by the current camera
to use encoding state information that was maintained by the rate
controlling operation for the encoding of the video captured by the
previous camera). FIG. 30 shows the state buffer 3015 as being part
of the encoder driver 3010, but other embodiments implement the
state buffer 3015 outside the encoder driver 3010.
[0380] In the state buffer 3015, different embodiments store
different types of data (e.g., different types of encoding
parameters) to represent the encoding state information. One
example of such encoding state information is the current target
bit rate for the video conference. One manner for identifying the
target bit rate is described above in Section III.B. Other examples
of such encoding state information include buffer fullness, maximum
buffer fullness, bit rates of one or more recently encoded frames,
among other encoding state information.
[0381] A rate controller can then use the target bit rate (or
another encoding state parameter stored in the state buffer) to
calculate one or more parameters used in its rate controlling
operation. For instance, as further described below, a rate
controller of some embodiments uses the current target bit to
calculate a quantization parameter QP for a macroblock or a frame.
By way of example, some embodiments use the current target bit rate
to compute a quantization adjustment parameter from which they
derive the quantization parameter QP for the macroblock and/or the
frame. Accordingly, during a camera switch operation in a video
conference, sharing the target bit rate between the two rate
controlling operations (of two rate controllers or of two different
configurations of one rate controller) allows the rate controlling
operation for encoding the video captured by the current camera to
get the benefit of the encoding state data from the previous rate
controlling operation for encoding the video captured by the
previous camera.
[0382] FIG. 30 illustrates the encoder driver 3010 to include the
two different rate-controller instances 3020 and 3040. However, in
other embodiments, these rate controller instances 3020 and 3040
are built into video encoder 3030. The video encoder 3030 encodes
video images captured by the cameras 3060 and 3070 into digital
bitstreams 3080 and 3090. In some embodiments, the video encoder
produces bitstreams that are compliant with conventional video
coding standards (e.g., H.264 MPEG-4). In some of these
embodiments, the video encoder performs encoding operations that
include motion estimation, discrete cosine transform ("DCT"),
quantization, and entropy encoding. The video encoder also performs
decoding operations that are the inverse functions of the encoding
operations.
[0383] In some embodiments, the encoder 3030 includes a quantizer
module 3032 for performing quantization. The quantizer module is
controlled by a quantization parameter 3022 or 3042 from a rate
controller 3020 or 3040. In some embodiments, each quantization
parameter is set by a corresponding rate controller and is a
function of one or more attributes of the camera associated with
the rate controller, as further described below. The rate
controller can reduce the number of bits used for encoding by
setting coarser quantization step sizes or increase the number of
bits used by setting finer quantization step sizes. By controlling
the quantization step size, the rate controller also determines how
much distortion is introduced into the encoded video image. Thus
the rate controller can perform trade-offs between bit rate and
image quality. In performing the rate-distortion trade off, the
rate controller monitors bit rate in order not to overflow memory
buffers, underflow memory buffers, or exceed the transmission
channel capacity. The rate controller must also control bit rate in
order to provide the best possible image quality and to avoid
unacceptable distortion of image quality due to quantization. In
some embodiments, each rate controller stores the monitored data in
terms of a set of state data values in the state buffer 3015. In
some embodiments, the rate controllers 3020 and 3040 uses
camera-specific attributes to optimize rate-distortion trade
off.
[0384] In some embodiments, each rate controller optimizes
rate-distortion trade off by directly applying a modification
factor to its quantization parameter. In some of these embodiments,
the modification factors are pre-determined and built into the
device along with the camera, the device does not need to
dynamically compute these modification factors. In other
embodiments, the system uses the incoming image captured by the
camera to dynamically determine the appropriate modification factor
specific to the camera. In some of these embodiments, the system
analyzes a sequence of incoming video images captured by the camera
in multiple encoding passes in order to collect certain statistics
about the camera. The system then uses these statistics to derive
modification factors to the quantization parameter that is
optimized for the camera.
[0385] In some embodiments, these camera-specific modification
factors are applied to the quantization parameter via visual
masking attributes of the video images. Visual masking attribute of
an image or a portion of the image is an indication of how much
coding artifacts can be tolerated in the image or image portion.
Some embodiments compute a visual masking attribute that quantifies
the brightness energy of the image or the image portion while other
embodiments compute a visual masking attribute that quantifies the
activity energy or complexity of the image or the image portion.
Regardless of how a visual masking attribute is calculated, some
embodiments use visual masking attributes to calculate a modified
or masked quantization parameter for a video frame. Some of these
embodiments calculate the masked quantization parameter as a
function of a frame level visual masking attribute cpframe and a
reference visual masking attribute cpR. In some embodiments, the
quantization parameter modified by visual masking attributes
cpframe and cpR is expressed as:
MQPframe=QPnom+frame*(cpframe-cpR)/cPR (1)
where MQPframe is masked or modified quantization parameter for the
frame, QPnom is an initial or nominal quantization value, and frame
is a constant adapted to local statistics. In some embodiments, the
reference visual masking attribute cpR and nominal quantization
parameter QPnom are pre-determined from an initial or periodic
assessment of network conditions.
[0386] In some embodiments, the visual masking attribute cpframe in
equation (1) is calculated as
cpframe=C(EavgFrameLuma)(DavgFrameSADt (2)
where avgFrameLuma is the average luminance value of the frame and
avgFrameSAD is the average sum of absolute difference of the frame.
Constants a, `C, D, and E are adapted to local statistics. These
constants are adapted to camera specific characteristics in some
embodiments.
[0387] Some embodiments also calculate a masked quantization
parameter for a portion of a video image such as a macroblock. In
those instances, the masked quantization parameter is calculated as
a function of the macroblock visual masking attribute cpMB:
MQPMB=MQframe+MB*(cpMB-cpframe)/cpframe (3)
where MB is a constant adapted to local statistics, and MQPframe is
calculated using equations (1) and (2) in some embodiments. In some
embodiments, the visual masking attribute cpMB in equation (3) is
calculated as
cpMB=A(CavgMBLuma)(BMBSADt (4)
where avgMBLuma is the average luminance value of the macroblock
and avgMBSAD is the average sum of absolute difference of the
macroblock. Constants a, `A, B and C are adapted to local
statistics. These constants are adapted to camera specific
characteristics in some embodiments.
[0388] Rather than using multiple camera-specific constants to
compute the modified quantization parameters as discussed above,
some embodiments perform camera-specific rate control by computing
quantization parameters using only a single camera-specific
coefficient. For example, given visual masking attributes cpframe
and cpMB and quantization parameter QPframe, some embodiments use a
single camera-specific coefficient s to calculate the quantization
parameter of a macroblock as:
QP.sub.MB=.mu.(.phi..sub.frame-.phi..sub.MB)+QP.sub.frame (5)
To compute equation (5), some embodiments use complexity measures
of the frame and of the macroblock as visual masking attributes
cpframe and cpMB, respectively.
[0389] Some embodiments apply a different camera specific
coefficient in the calculation of QPMB. For example, in some
embodiments, QPMB is calculated as
QPMB=P(1-cpMB/cpframe)QPframe+QPframe (6)
where p is a coefficient tuned to camera-specific
characteristics.
[0390] As mentioned above, the state buffer 3015 stores encoding
state information that the two different rate controller instances
3020 and 3040 can share during a video conference in order to
obtain better encoding results from their rate controlling
operations. Target bit rate RT is one example of such shared state
information in some embodiments. This rate is a desired bit rate
for encoding a sequence of frames. Typically, this bit rate is
expressed in units of bits/second, and is determined based on
processes like those described above in Section III.B.
[0391] As described above, a rate controller of some embodiments
uses the target bit rate to calculate the frame and/or macroblock
quantization parameter(s) QP that it outputs to the video encoder
3030. For example, some embodiments use the current target bit rate
to compute a quantization adjustment parameter from which they
derive the quantization parameter QP for the macroblock and/or the
frame. In some embodiments, the quantization adjustment parameter
is expressed in terms of a fraction that is computed by dividing
either the previous frame's bit rate or a running average of the
previous frames' bit rate, with the current target bit rate. In
other embodiments, this adjustment parameter is not exactly
computed in this manner, but rather is more generally (1)
proportional to either the previous frame's bit rate or a running
average of the previous frames' bit rate, and (2) inversely
proportional to the current target bit rate.
[0392] After computing such a quantization adjustment parameter,
the rate controller of some embodiments uses this parameter to
adjust the macroblock and/or frame quantization parameter(s) that
it computes. One manner of making such an adjustment is to multiply
the computed macroblock and/or frame quantization parameter(s) by
the quantization adjustment parameter. Another manner of making
this adjustment is to compute an offset quantization parameter
value from the quantization adjustment parameter and then apply
(e.g., subtract) this offset parameter to the computed macroblock
and/or frame quantization parameter(s). The rate controller of
these embodiments then outputs the adjusted macroblock and/or frame
quantization parameter(s) to the video encoder 3030.
[0393] In other embodiments, the rate controller uses the target
bit rate to calculate other parameters that are used in its rate
controlling operation. For instance, in some embodiments, the rate
controller uses this bit rate to modify the visual masking strength
for a macroblock or a frame.
[0394] G. Networking Manager
[0395] FIG. 31 conceptually illustrates the software architecture
of a networking manager 3100 of some embodiments such as the
networking manager 1614 illustrated in FIG. 16. As described above,
the networking manager 3100 manages network connections (e.g.,
connection establishment, connection monitoring, connection
adjustments, connection tear down, etc.) between a dual camera
mobile device on which it operates and a remote device in a video
conference. During the video conference, the networking manager
3100 of some embodiments also processes data for transmission to
the remote device and processes data received from the remote
device.
[0396] As shown in FIG. 31, the networking manager 3100 includes a
session negotiating manager 3105, a transmitter module 3115, a
universal transmission buffer 3120, a universal transmission buffer
manager 3122, a virtual transport protocol (VTP) manager 3125, a
receiver module 3130, and a media transport manager 3135.
[0397] The session negotiating manager 3105 includes a protocol
manager 3110. The protocol manager 3110 ensures that the
transmitter module 3115 uses a correct communication protocol to
transmit data to a remote device during the video conference and
enforces rules of the communication protocol that is used. Some
embodiments of the protocol manager 3110 support a number of
communication protocols, such as a real-time transport protocol
(RTP), a transmission control protocol (TCP), a user datagram
protocol (UDP), and a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), among
others.
[0398] The session negotiating manager 3105 is responsible for
establishing connections between the dual camera mobile device and
one or more remote devices participating in the video conference,
as well as tearing down these connections after the conference. In
some embodiments, the session negotiating manager 3105 is also
responsible for establishing multimedia communication sessions
(e.g., to transmit and receive video and/or audio streams) between
the dual camera mobile device and the remote devices in the video
conference (e.g., using a session initiation protocol (SIP)).
[0399] The session negotiating manager 3105 also receives feedback
data from the media transport manager 3135 and, based on the
feedback data, determines the operation of the universal
transmission buffer 3120 (e.g., whether to transmit or drop
packets/frames) through the universal transmission buffer manager
3122. This feedback, in some embodiments, may include one-way
latency and a bandwidth estimation bit rate. In other embodiments,
the feedback includes packet loss information and roundtrip delay
time (e.g., determined based on packets sent to the remote device
in the video conference and the receipt of acknowledgements from
that device). Based on the information from the media transport
manager 3135, the session negotiating manager 3105 can determine
whether too many packets are being sent and instruct the universal
transmission buffer manager 3122 to have the universal transmission
buffer 3120 transmit fewer packets (i.e., to adjust the bit rate as
described in FIG. 15).
[0400] The transmitter module 3115 retrieves encoded images (e.g.,
as a bitstream) from a video buffer (e.g., the buffer 1612 of FIG.
16) and packetizes the images for transmission to a remote device
in the video conference through the universal transmission buffer
3120 and the virtual transport protocol manager 3125. The manner in
which the encoded images are created and sent to the transmitter
module 3115 can be based on instructions or data received from the
media transport manager 3135 and/or the session negotiating manager
3105. In some embodiments, packetizing the images involves breaking
the received bitstream into a group of packets each having a
particular size (i.e., a size specified by the session negotiating
manager 3105 according to a particular protocol), and adding any
required headers (e.g., address headers, protocol specification
headers, etc.).
[0401] The universal transmission buffer manager 3122 controls the
operation of the universal transmission buffer 3120 based on data
and/or instructions received from the session negotiating manager
3105. For example, the universal transmission buffer manager 3122
may be instructed to direct the universal transmission buffer 3120
to transmit data, stop transmitting data, drop data, etc. As
described above, in some embodiments when a remote device
participating in the conference appears to be dropping packets,
this will be recognized based on acknowledgements received from the
remote device. To reduce the packet dropping, the universal
transmission buffer manager 3122 may be instructed to transmit
packets at a slower rate to the remote device.
[0402] The universal transmission buffer 3120 stores data received
from the transmitter module 3115 and transmits the data to the
remote device through the VTP manager 3125. As noted above, the
universal transmission buffer 3120 may drop data (e.g., images of
the video) based on instructions received from the universal
transmission buffer manager 3122.
[0403] In some embodiments, RTP is used to communicate data packets
(e.g., audio packets and video packets) over UDP during a video
conference. Other embodiments use RTP to communicate data packets
over TCP during the video conference. Other transport layer
protocols can be used as well in different embodiments.
[0404] Some embodiments define a particular communication channel
between two mobile devices by a pair of port numbers (i.e., source
port number and destination port number). For instance, one
communication channel between the mobile devices can be defined by
one pair of port numbers (e.g., source port 50 and destination port
100) and another different communication channel between the mobile
devices can be defined by another different pair of port numbers
(e.g., source port 75 and destination port 150). Some embodiments
also use a pair of Internet protocol (IP) addresses in defining
communication channels. Different communication channels are used
to transmit different types of data packets in some embodiments.
For example, video data packets, audio data packets, and control
signaling data packets can be transmitted in separate communication
channels. As such, a video communication channel transports video
data packets and an audio communication channel transports audio
data packets.
[0405] In some embodiments, a control communication channel is for
messaging between the local mobile device and a remote device
during a video conference. Examples of such messaging include
sending and receiving requests, notifications, and acknowledgements
to such requests and notifications. Another example of messaging
includes sending remote control instruction messages from one
device to another. For instance, the remote control operations
described below (e.g., instructing a device to only send images
from one particular camera or to only capture images with a
particular camera) can be performed by sending instructions from a
local device to a remote device through the control communication
channel for the local device to remotely control operations of the
remote device. Different embodiments implement the control
communication using different protocols like a real-time transport
control protocol (RTCP), an RTP extension, SIP, etc. For instance,
some embodiments use RTP extension to relay one set of control
messages between two mobile devices in a video conference and use
SIP packets to relay another set of control messages between the
mobile devices during the video conference.
[0406] The VTP manager 3125 of some embodiments allows different
types of data packets that are specified to be transmitted through
different communication channels (e.g., using different pairs of
port numbers) to be transmitted through a single communication
channel (e.g., using the same pair of port numbers). One technique
for doing this involves identifying the data packet types,
identifying the communication channel through which data packets
are specified to be transmitted by extracting the specified pair of
port numbers of the data packets, and specifying the data packets
to be transmitted through the single communication channel by
modifying the pair of port numbers of the data packets to be the
pair of port numbers of the single communication channel (i.e., all
the data packets are transmitted through the same pair of port
numbers).
[0407] To keep track of the original pair of port numbers for each
type of data packet, some embodiments store a mapping of the
original pair of port numbers for the data packet type. Some of
these embodiments than use the packet type field of the protocol to
differentiate the different packets that are being multiplexed into
one communication channel. For instance, some embodiments that have
the VTP manager multiplex audio, video and control packets into one
RTP stream, use the RTP packet type field to differentiate between
the audio, video and control packets that are transmitted in the
one RTP channel to the other device in the video conference. In
some of these embodiments, the VTP manger also routes control
messaging in SIP packets to the other device.
[0408] Some embodiments identify examine the data packet signatures
(i.e., packet header formats) to distinguish between different
packets that are communicated using different protocols (e.g., to
differentiate between packets transported using RTP and packets
transported using SIP). In such embodiments, after the data packets
of the different protocols are determined, the fields of the data
packets that use the same protocol (e.g., audio data and video data
using RTP) are examined as described above to identify the
different data types. In this manner, the VTP manager 3125
transmits different data packets, which are intended to be
transmitted through different communication channels, through a
single communication channel.
[0409] Although one way of combining different types of data
through a single communication channel is described above, other
embodiments utilize other techniques to multiplex different packet
types into one communication stream. For example, one technique of
some embodiments involves keeping track of the original pair of
port numbers of the data packets and storing the original pair of
port numbers in the data packet itself to be later extracted. Still
other ways exist for combining different types of data between two
video conference participants into one port pair channel.
[0410] When the VTP manager 3125 receives data packets from the
remote device through a virtualized communication channel, the VTP
manager 3125 examines the signatures of the data packets to
identify the different packets that are sent using the different
protocols. Such signatures can be used to differentiate SIP packets
from RTP packets. The VTP manager of some embodiments also uses the
packet type field of some or all of the packets to demultiplex the
various different types of packets (e.g., audio, video and control
packets) that were multiplexed into a single virtualized channel.
After identifying these different types of packets, the VTP manager
associates each different type of packet with its corresponding
port pair numbers based on a mapping of port pair numbers and
packet types that it keeps. The VTP manager 3125 then modifies the
pair of port numbers of the data packets with the identified pair
of port numbers and forwards the data packets to be depacketized.
In other embodiments that use different techniques for multiplexing
different packet types into the single channel, the VTP manager
uses different techniques for parsing out the packets.
[0411] By using such techniques for multiplexing and
de-multiplexing the different packets, the VTP manager 3125 creates
a single virtualized communication channel (e.g., a single pair of
port numbers), transmits the video data, audio data, and control
signaling data through the single virtualized communication
channel, and receives audio, video, and control packets from the
remote device through the single virtualized communication channel.
Thus, from the perspective of the network, data is transmitted
through this single virtualized communication channel, while, from
the perspective of the session negotiating manager 3105 and the
protocol manager 3110, the video data, audio data, and control
signaling data are transmitted through different communication
channels.
[0412] Similar to the images that are transmitted to the remote
device in the video conference, images transmitted from the remote
device in the video conference are received in packet format. The
receiver module 3130 receives the packets and depacketizes them in
order to reconstruct the images before storing the images in a
video buffer (e.g., the buffer 1616 of FIG. 16) to be decoded. In
some embodiments, depacketizing the images involves removing any
headers and reconstructing a bitstream that only has image data
(and potentially size data) from the packets.
[0413] The media transport manager 3135 processes feedback data
(e.g., one-way latency, bandwidth estimation bit rate, packet loss
data, roundtrip delay time data, etc.) received from the network to
dynamically and adaptively adjust the rate of data transmission
(i.e., bit rate). The media transport manager 3135 also controls
error resilience based on the processed feedback data in some other
embodiments, and may also send the feedback data to the video
conference manager 1604 in order to adjust other operations of the
video conference module 1602 such as scaling, resizing, and
encoding. In addition to having the universal transmission buffer
drop packets when a remote device in the conference is not able to
process all of the packets, the video conference module and encoder
can use a lower bit rate for encoding the images so that fewer
packets will be sent for each image.
[0414] In some embodiments, the media transport manager 3135 may
also monitor other variables of the device such as power
consumption and thermal levels that may affect how the operational
power modes of the cameras are configured, as discussed above. This
data may also be used as additional inputs into the feedback data
(e.g., if the device is getting too hot, the media transport
manager 3135 may try to have the processing slowed down).
[0415] Several example operations of the networking manager 3100
will now be described by reference to FIG. 16. The transmission of
images captured by a camera of the dual camera mobile device to a
remote device in the video conference will be described first,
followed by the description of receiving images from the remote
device. The transmitter module 3115 retrieves encoded images from
the buffer 1612, which are to be transmitted to the remote device
in the video conference.
[0416] The protocol manager 3110 determines the appropriate
protocol to use (e.g., RTP to transmit audio and video) and the
session negotiating manager 3105 informs the transmitter module
3115 of such protocol. Next, the transmitter module 3115 packetizes
the images and sends the packetized images to the universal
transmission buffer 3120. The universal transmission buffer manager
3122 receives instructions from the session negotiating manager
3105 to direct the universal transmission buffer 3120 to transmit
or drop the images. The VTP manager 3125 receives the packets from
the universal transmission buffer 3120 and processes the packets in
order to transmit the packets through a single communication
channel to the remote device.
[0417] When receiving images from the remote device, the VTP
manager 3125 receives packetized images from the remote device
through the virtualized single communication channel and processes
the packets in order to direct the images to the receiver module
3130 through a communication channel that is assigned to receive
the images (e.g., a video communication channel).
[0418] The receiver module 3130 depacketizes the packets to
reconstruct the images and sends the images to the buffer 1616 for
decoding by the decoder 1660. The receiver module 3130 also
forwards control signaling messages to the media transport manager
3135 (e.g., acknowledgements of received packets from the remote
device in the video conference).
[0419] Several example operations of the networking manager 3100
were described above. These are only illustrative examples, as
various other embodiments will perform these or different
operations using different modules or with functionalities spread
differently between the modules. Furthermore, additional operations
such as dynamic bit rate adjustment may be performed by the modules
of networking manager 3100 or other modules.
IV. In-Conference Adjustment and Control Operations
[0420] A. Picture-in-Picture Modifications
[0421] 1. Snap-to-Corner
[0422] Some embodiments of the invention allow a user of a dual
camera mobile device to modify a composite display displayed on the
device by moving around one or more display areas that form the
composite display. One such example is moving around an inset
display area of a PIP display. FIG. 32 illustrates such an example
that is performed during a video conference. In a video conference,
the user may want to move a foreground inset display area for a
variety of reasons, such as when this area is blocking an area of
interest of the background display area.
[0423] FIG. 32 illustrates the moving of an inset display area 3240
in a UI 3205 of a device, by reference to five different stages
3210, 3215, 3220, 3225, and 3230 of this UI. The first stage 3210
illustrates the UI 3205 during a video conference between the local
user of the device and a remote user of a remote device. The UI
3205 in FIG. 32 shows a PIP display that is the same PIP display
shown in the fifth stage of FIG. 11 after the video conference has
started. In this example, the video captured by the local user's
device is displayed in the inset display area 3240 and the video
captured by the remote user's device is displayed in the background
display area 3235. As shown, the display area 1155 includes a
selectable UI item 3245 for ending the video conference. In some
embodiments, the layout of the display area 1155 is the same as the
layout of the display area 1155 of FIG. 12, described above.
[0424] The second stage 3215 illustrates the user starting a
snap-to-comer operation by selecting the inset display area 3240.
In this example, a selection is made by placing a finger 3255
anywhere within the inset display area 3240. As shown, this
selection is displayed in terms of a thick border 3260 for the
inset display area 3240. Different embodiments may indicate such a
selection in different ways, such as by highlighting the display
area 3240, by causing the display area 3240 to vibrate, etc.
[0425] The third stage 3220 illustrates the UI 3205 after the user
begins to move the inset display area 3240 of the PIP display 3250
from one area in the PIP display 3250 to another area in this
display. In this example, the inset display area 3240 has started
to move from the lower left comer of the PIP display 3250 to the
lower right comer of this display, as indicated by the arrow 3265.
In this example, the inset display area 3240 is moved by the user
dragging his finger 3255 towards the lower right comer of the PIP
display 3250 after selecting the inset display in the second stage
3215. Some embodiments provide other techniques for moving the
inset display area 3240 around in the PIP display 3250.
[0426] The fourth stage 3225 illustrates the UI 3205 in a state
after the user has removed his finger 3255 from the screen of the
device 3200. In this state, the inset display area 3240 is still
moving towards the lower right comer of the PIP display 3250 that
was identified based on the user's finger movement in the third
stage 3220. In other words, after the finger 3255 starts the
movement of the inset display area 3240 towards the lower right
comer of the PIP display 3250, the UI 3205 maintains this movement
even after the finger 3255 is removed. To maintain this movement,
the UI 3205 of some embodiments requires the user's drag operation
to be larger than a particular threshold amount (e.g., longer than
a particular distance or longer than a particular length of time)
before the user removes his finger 3255; otherwise, these
embodiments keep the inset display area 3240 in its original left
comer position after moving this display area 3240 slightly or not
moving it at all.
[0427] However, while some embodiments allow the inset display area
to move even after the user stops his drag operation before the
inset display area has reached its new location, other embodiments
require the user to maintain his drag operation until the inset
display area reaches its new location. Some embodiments provide
still other techniques for moving the inset display area. For
example, some embodiments may require the user to specify where to
direct the inset display area 3240 before the inset display area
3240 actually starts to move, etc. Some embodiments may also allow
display areas to slide and snap-to-comers by simply tilting the
mobile device at different angles.
[0428] The fifth stage 3230 illustrates the UI 3205 after the inset
display area 3240 has reached its new location at the bottom right
comer of the PIP display 3250. The removal of the thick border 3260
in the fifth stage 3230 indicates that the snap-to-comer operation
is completed.
[0429] To facilitate the movement illustrated in the
above-described third, fourth and fifth stages 3220, 3225 and 3230,
the UI 3205 of some embodiments employ snapping rules that allow
the inset display area to quickly snap to a comer of the PIP
display 3250 once the user causes the inset display area to move
towards that comer. For instance, when the user drags the inset
display area 3240 by more than a threshold amount towards a
particular comer, the UI 3205 of some embodiments identifies the
direction of motion of the inset display area 3240, determines that
the motion has exceeded a threshold amount, and then subsequently
moves the inset display area 3240 automatically without further
user input to the next grid point in the UI 3205 to which the inset
display area 3240 can be snapped. In some embodiments, the only
grid points that are provided for snapping the inset display area
3240 are grid points at the four comers of the PIP display 3250.
Other embodiments provide other grid points in the UI 3205 (e.g.,
in the PIP display 3250) to which the inset display area 3240 can
snap (i.e., to which the sides or vertices of the area 3240 can be
placed on or aligned with).
[0430] Still other embodiments may not employ grid points so that
the inset display area can be positioned at any point in the PIP
display 3250. Yet other embodiments provide a feature that allows
the user to turn on or off the snap to grid point feature of the
UI. Moreover, in addition to the video captured from the devices,
different embodiments may allow the user to perform the
snap-to-comer operation with various items, such as icons, etc.
[0431] FIG. 33 illustrates two other examples 3330 and 3335 of a
snap-to-comer operation in the UI 3205. These other snap-to-comer
operations show the inset display area 3240 being moved vertically
or diagonally in the PIP display 3250, based on vertical or
diagonal dragging operations of the user.
[0432] Even though FIGS. 32 and 33 illustrate the movement of the
inset display area within a PIP display, one of ordinary skill will
realize that other embodiments utilize similar techniques to move
display areas in other types of PIP displays or other types of
composite displays. For instance, as further described below, the
PIP display of some embodiments has two or more foreground inset
displays and these inset displays can be moved in the PIP display
using techniques similar to those described above by reference to
FIGS. 32 and 33. Also, some embodiments use similar techniques to
move around display areas in composite displays (e.g., to move one
display area from a left side of the screen to the right side of
the screen through a user drag movement). Furthermore, the moving
of a display area(s) of a composite display can cause changes to
the image processing operations of the dual camera mobile device
such as causing the video conference manager 1604 to re-composite
the display area in the composite display in response to the user's
input. As further described below, some embodiments employ snap and
push techniques that push a first display area from a first
location when a second display area is moved to the first location
from a third location.
[0433] 2. Rotate
[0434] Some embodiments rotate the PIP display that is presented
during a video conference when a user of the mobile device used for
the video conference rotates the device during the conference. FIG.
34 illustrates the rotation of a UI 1105 of a device 3400 when the
device is rotated from a vertical position to a horizontal
position. The device 3400 is held vertically when the long side of
the screen is vertical whereas the device 3400 is held horizontally
when the long side of the screen is horizontal. In the example
illustrated in FIG. 34, the UI 1105 rotates from a portrait view
that is optimized for a vertical holding of the device to a
landscape view that is optimized for horizontal holding of the
device 3400. This rotation functionality allows the user to view
the UI 1105 displayed in an upright position when the mobile device
3400 is held either vertically or horizontally.
[0435] FIG. 34 illustrates the rotation of the UI 1105 in terms of
six different operational stages 3410, 3415, 3420, 3425, 3430 and
3435. The first stage 3410 illustrates the UI 1105 during a video
conference between the local user of the device and a remote user
of a remote device. The UI 1105 in FIG. 34 shows a PIP display 1180
that is the same PIP display shown in the fifth stage of FIG. 11
after the video conference has been established. In this example,
the video captured by the local user's device is displayed in the
inset display area 1160 and the video captured by the remote user's
device is displayed in the background display area 1170. In the
display area 1155 below the PIP display 1180 includes a selectable
UI item 3485 (e.g., an End Conference button 3485), which the user
may select to end the video conference (e.g., through a single
finger tap).
[0436] The second stage 3415 illustrates the UI 1105 after the user
begins to tilt the device 3400 sideways. In this example, the user
has started to tilt the device 3400 from being held vertically to
being held horizontally, as indicated by the arrow 3460. The
appearance of the UI 1105 has not changed. In other situations, the
user may want to tilt the device 3400 from being held horizontally
to being held vertically instead, and, in these situations, the UI
1105 switches from a horizontally optimized view to a vertically
optimized view.
[0437] The third stage 3420 illustrates the UI 1105 in a state
after the device 3400 has been tilted from being held vertically to
being held horizontally. In this state, the appearance of the UI
1105 still has not changed. In some embodiments, the rotation
operation is triggered after the device 3400 is tilted past a
threshold amount and is kept past this point for a duration of
time. In the example illustrated in FIG. 34, it is assumed that the
threshold amount and the speed of the rotation do not cause the UI
1105 to rotate until a short time interval after the device has
been placed in the horizontal position. Different embodiments have
different threshold amounts and waiting periods for triggering the
rotation operation. For example, some embodiments may have such a
low threshold to triggering the rotation operation as to make the
UI 1105 appear as if it were always displayed in an upright
position, notwithstanding the orientation of the device 3400. In
other embodiments, the user of the device 3400 may specify when the
rotation operation may be triggered (e.g., through a menu
preference setting). Also, some embodiments may not delay the
rotation after the device is tilted past the threshold amount.
Moreover, different embodiments may allow the rotation operation to
be triggered in different ways, such as by toggling a switch on the
mobile device, by giving voice commands, upon selection through a
menu, etc.
[0438] The fourth stage 3425 illustrates the UI 1105 after the
rotation operation has started. Some embodiments animate the
rotation display areas to provide feedback to the user regarding
the rotation operation. FIG. 34 illustrates an example of one such
animation. Specifically, it shows in its fourth stage 3425 the
start of the rotation of the display areas 1180 and 1155 together.
The display areas 1180 and 1155 rotate around an axis 3465 going
through the center of the UI 1105 (i.e., the z-axis). The display
areas 1180 and 1155 are rotated the same amount but in the opposite
direction of the rotation of the device 3400 (e.g., through the
tilting of the device 3400). In this example, since the device 3400
has rotated ninety degrees in a clockwise direction (by going from
being held vertically to being held horizontally) the rotation
operation would cause the display areas 1180 and 1155 to rotate
ninety degrees in a counter clockwise direction. As the display
areas 1180 and 1155 rotate, the display areas 1180 and 1155 shrink
proportionally to fit the UI 1105 so that the display areas 1180
and 1155 may still appear entirely on the UI 1105. Some embodiments
may provide a message to indicate the state of this device 3400
(e.g., by displaying the word "Rotating").
[0439] The fifth stage 3430 illustrates the UI 1105 after the
display areas 1180 and 1155 have rotated ninety degrees counter
clockwise from portrait view to landscape view. In this stage, the
display areas 1180 and 1155 have been rotated but have not yet
expanded across the full width of the UI 1105. The arrows 3475
indicate that at the end of the fifth stage, the display areas 1180
and 1155 will start to laterally expand to fit the full width of
the UI 1105. Different embodiments may not include this stage since
the expansion could be performed simultaneously with the rotation
in the fourth stage 3425.
[0440] The sixth stage 3435 illustrates the UI 1105 after the
display areas 1180 and 1155 have been expanded to occupy the full
display of the UI 1105. As mentioned above, other embodiments may
implement this rotation differently. For some embodiments, simply
rotating the screen of a device past a threshold amount may trigger
the rotation operation, notwithstanding the orientation of the
device 3400.
[0441] Also, other embodiments might provide a different animation
for indicating the rotation operation. The rotation operation
performed in FIG. 34 involves the display areas 1180 and 1155
rotating about the center of the UI 1105. Alternatively, the
display areas may be individually rotated about the center axis of
their individual display areas. One such approach is shown in FIG.
35. FIG. 35 shows an alternative method to animating the rotation
of the display areas 1170 and 1160 of PIP display 1180 of a UI
1105. The PIP display 1180 illustrated in FIG. 35 is the same PIP
display 1180 illustrated in FIG. 11.
[0442] FIG. 35 illustrates the rotation of the PIP display 1180 in
terms of six different operational stages 3410, 3415, 3420, 3525,
3530, and 3535. The first three stages of operation of the UI 1105
are identical to the first three stages of operation as described
in the UI 1105 in FIG. 34. At the third stage for both FIGS. 34 and
35, the device 3500 has gone from being held vertically to being
held horizontally and the rotation of the UI 1105 has not yet
begun.
[0443] The fourth stage 3525 illustrates the alternative method to
animating the rotation. In this stage, the rotation operation has
started. Specifically, the fourth stage shows 3525 the start of the
rotation of the display areas 1170 and 1160. The display areas 1170
and 1160 each rotate around axes 3567 and 3565, respectively, going
through the center of each of the display areas (i.e., the z-axis).
The display areas 1170 and 1160 are rotated the same amount but in
the opposite direction of the rotation of the device 3500 (e.g.,
through the tilting of the device 3500). Similar to that
illustrated in the fourth stage 3425 of FIG. 34 above, since the
device 3500 has rotated ninety degrees in a clockwise direction (by
going from being held vertically to being held horizontally) the
rotation operation would cause the display areas 1170 and 1160 to
rotate ninety degrees in a counter clockwise direction. As the
display areas 1170 and 1160 rotate, the display areas 1170 and 1160
shrink proportionally to fit the UI 1105 so that the display areas
1170 and 1160 may still appear entirely on the UI 1105.
[0444] The fifth stage 3530 illustrates the UI 1105 after each of
the display areas 1170 and 1160 have rotated ninety degrees counter
clockwise from portrait view to landscape view. In this stage, the
display areas 1170 and 1160 have been rotated but have not yet
expanded across the full width of the UI 1105. Moreover, the
display area 1160 has not moved into its final position. The final
position of the inset display area 1160 in the PIP display 1180 is
determined by the position of the inset display area 1160 in the
PIP display 1180 as shown in the first stage 3410 (e.g., the inset
display area 1160 in the lower left comer of the PIP display 1180).
In this stage, the inset display area 1160 is still in the upper
left comer of the UI 1105.
[0445] The arrows 3580 indicate that at the end of the fifth stage
3530, the display areas 1170 and 1160 will start to laterally
expand until the main display area 1170 fits the full width of the
UI 1105 for a device that is held horizontally. Moreover, the arrow
3575 indicates that the inset display area 1160 will slide to the
lower left comer of the PIP display 1180.
[0446] Different embodiments may implement this differently. In
some embodiments, the moving of the inset display area 160 may
occur simultaneously as the expansion of the main display area 1170
or sequentially. Moreover, some embodiments may resize the inset
display areas 1160 before, during or after the expansion of the
main display area 1170 to create the new PIP display 1180. In this
example, the display area 1155 disappears while the display areas
1160 and 1170 are rotating. However, the display area 1155 may
remain on the U 1105 during the rotation and rotate along with the
display areas 1160 and 1170 in some embodiments.
[0447] The sixth stage 3535 illustrates the UI 1105 after the inset
display area 1160 has reached its new location and the display
areas 1160 and 1170 have been properly expanded to fit the full
width of the UI 1105. In this example, the inset display area 1160
is now in the lower left comer of the PIP display 1180, overlapping
the main display area 1170. The PIP display 1180 now has the same
display arrangement as the PIP display 1180 from the first stage
3410. The appearance of the display area 1155 below the PIP display
1180 in the sixth stage indicates that the rotation operation is
completed. As noted above, simply rotating the screen of a device
past a threshold amount may trigger the rotation operation,
notwithstanding the orientation of the device 3500.
[0448] In the examples described above by reference to FIGS. 34 and
35, the orientation of the display area 1170 also changes (i.e.,
from portrait to landscape). That is, after the display area 1170
is rotated in the third stage 3420, the orientation of the display
area 1170 changes from portrait to landscape by horizontally
expanding the PIP display 1180 so that it fills the entire UI 1105.
In some embodiments, when the device 3500 is rotated, video
captured by the remote device rotates but the orientation of the
display area that displays the video captured by the remote device
remains unchanged. One such example is illustrated in FIG. 36. This
figure is similar to FIG. 35 except that video displayed in the
display area 1170 rotates but the display area 1170 remains
displayed in portrait orientation.
[0449] FIG. 36 also illustrates an example of a rotation operation
in which the display area 1155 remains in the same position
(instead of rotating and expanding horizontally to fill the PIP
display 1180 as shown in FIG. 35). Moreover, this figure includes a
layout of the display area 1155 that is the same as the layout of
the display area 1155, described above in FIG. 12. As shown, the
display area 1155 remains in the same position as the device 3500
rotates in the stages 3640, 3645, 3650, 3655, 3685, and 3690.
[0450] Some embodiments provide a rotation operation in which the
orientation of the display area that displays video captured by the
local device changes (instead of remaining in the same orientation
as shown in FIG. 35) to reflect the orientation of the local device
after the rotation operation is performed on the local device. FIG.
36 illustrates an example of such a rotation operation of a UI 1105
by reference to six different stages 3640, 3645, 3650, 3655, 3685,
and 3690. In this figure, the first stage 3640 shows the inset
display area 1160, which displays video captured by a camera of the
device 3500, in a portrait orientation. The second and third stages
3645 and 3650 are similar to the second and third stages 3415 and
3420 of FIG. 35 as they show the tilting of the device 3500 at
various stages of the rotation operation. At this point, the camera
of the device 3500 is capturing images in a landscape orientation.
To indicate this transition, some embodiments provide an animation
as shown in fourth and fifth stages 3655 and 3685 while other
embodiments do not provide any animation at all.
[0451] In the fourth stage 3655, the image displayed in the inset
display area 1160 is rotated, but not the inset display area 1160
itself since the tilting of the device 3500 in the second and third
stages 3445 and 3650 has rotated the inset display area 1160 to a
landscape orientation. In the fifth stage 3685, the rotated image
in the inset display area 1160 is horizontally expanded to fill the
inset display area 1160 and the inset display area 1160 starts to
move towards the lower left area of the PIP display 1180 to
position the inset display area 1160 in the same relative position
as the inset display area 1160 in the PIP display of the first
stage 3640.
[0452] In some embodiments, the orientation of the display area
that displays the video captured by the remote device also changes
to reflect the orientation of the remote device after a rotation
operation is performed on the remote device. FIG. 37 illustrates
four different stages of a UI 1105 of the device 3500 in which (1)
the orientation of the display area that displays the video
captured by the local device (display area 1160 in this example)
changes to reflect the orientation of the local device after a
rotation operation is performed on the local device and (2) the
orientation of the display area that displays video captured by the
remote device (display area 1170 in this example) changes to
reflect the orientation of the remote device after a rotation
operation is performed on the remote device.
[0453] In the first stage 3705, the UI 1105 is the same as the UI
1105 in FIG. 36. Specifically, the first stage 3705 shows the
display areas 1160 and 1170 in a portrait orientation because the
device 3500 is shown in a portrait orientation and the remote
device is in a portrait orientation (not shown). From the first
stage 3705 to the second stage 3710, a rotation operation is
performed on the local device by rotating the device 3500 ninety
degrees from an upright position to a sideways position. The second
stage 3710 shows the UI 1105 after the rotation operation of the
device 3500 is completed. In this stage, the videos displayed in
the display areas 1170 and 1160 have rotated to an upright
position. However, only the display area 1160 of the locally
captured video has rotated from a portrait orientation to a
landscape orientation since the rotation operation is only
performed on the local device (i.e., the device 3500). The display
area 1170 remains in the portrait orientation.
[0454] From the second stage 3710 to the third stage 3715, a
rotation operation is performed on the remote device by rotating
the remote device from an upright position to a sideways position
(not shown). The third stage 3715 shows the UI 1105 after the
rotation operation of the remote device is completed. In this
stage, the video displayed in the display area 1170 and the display
area 1170 of the remotely captured video have rotated from a
portrait orientation to a landscape orientation since the rotation
operation is only performed on the remote device. Thus, this stage
of the UI 1105 displays the display areas 1170 and 1160 of the
locally and remotely captured videos both in landscape
orientation.
[0455] From the third stage 3715 to the fourth stage 3720, a
rotation operation is performed on the local device by rotating the
device 3500 ninety degrees from a sideways position to an upright
position. The fourth stage 3720 shows the UI 1105 after the
completion of this rotation operation. In this fourth stage 3720,
the videos displayed in the display areas 1160 and 1170 have
rotated to an upright position. However, only the display area 1160
of the locally captured video has rotated from a landscape
orientation to a portrait orientation since the rotation operation
is only performed on the local device (i.e., the device 3500). The
display area 1170 remains in the landscape orientation.
[0456] From the fourth stage 3720 to the first stage 3705, a
rotation operation is performed on the remote device by rotating
the remote device ninety degrees from a sideways position to an
upright position (not shown). In this case, the first stage 3705
shows the display area 1170 after the completion of this rotation
operation. Therefore, the UI 1105 of this stage shows the display
areas 1160 and 1170 in a portrait orientation. Although FIG. 37
illustrates a sequence of different rotation operations, other
embodiments can perform any number of rotation operations in any
number of different sequences.
[0457] FIGS. 34, 35, 36, and 37 describe rotate operations
performed on local and remote devices during a video conference.
When a rotate operation is performed on the local mobile device,
some embodiments notify the remote device of the rotate operation
in order for the remote device to perform any modifications to the
local device's video (such as rotating the display area that is
displaying the local device's video). Similarly, when a rotate
operation is performed on the remote device, the remote device
notifies the local device of this operation to allow the local
device to perform any modifications the remote device's video. Some
embodiments provide a control communication channel for
communicating the notification of rotate operations between the
local and remote devices during the video conference.
[0458] Even though FIGS. 34, 35, 36, and 37 illustrate different
manners in which the animation of a rotation can be performed, one
of ordinary skill will realize that other embodiments may display
the animation of the rotation in other different ways. In addition,
the animation of the rotation operation can cause changes to the
image processing operations of the local mobile device such as
causing the video conference manager 1604 to re-composite the
display area(s) at different angles in the UI 1105 and scale the
images displayed in the display area(s).
[0459] 3. Window Size Adjustment
[0460] Some embodiments allow a user of a mobile device to adjust
the size of an inset display area of a PIP display presented during
a video conference. Different embodiments provide different
techniques for resizing an inset display area. FIG. 38 illustrates
one approach for resizing the inset display area. In this approach,
the user of the mobile device adjusts the size of the inset display
area by selecting a comer of the inset display area and then
expanding or shrinking the inset display area.
[0461] In FIG. 38, a UI 3800 of a mobile device 3825 presents a PIP
display 3865 during a video conference with a remote user of
another mobile device. This PIP display 3865 includes two video
displays: a background main display area 3830 and a foreground
inset display area 3835. The background main display area 3830
takes up a majority of the PIP display 3865 while the foreground
inset display area 3835 is smaller and overlaps the background main
display area 3830. In this example, the background main display
area 3830 presents a video of a person holding a guitar, which is
assumed to be a person whose video is being captured by the remote
device's front camera or a person whose video is being captured by
the remote device's back camera. The foreground inset display area
3835 presents a video of a person with a hat, which, in this
example, is assumed to be a person whose video is being captured by
the local device's front camera or a person whose video is being
captured by the local device's back camera. Below the PIP display
3865 is a display area 1155 that includes a selectable UI item 3860
labeled "End Conference" (e.g. a button 3860) that allows the user
to end the video conference by selecting the item.
[0462] This PIP display 3865 is only one manner of presenting a
composite view of the videos being captured by the remote and local
devices. Some embodiments may provide other composite views. For
instance, instead of having a larger background display for the
video from the remote device, the larger background display can be
of the video from the local device and the smaller foreground inset
display can be of the video from the remote device. Also, some
embodiments allow the local and remote videos to appear in the UI
3800 in two side-by-side display areas (e.g. left and right display
windows, or top and bottom display windows) or two diagonally
aligned display areas. The manner of the PIP display or a default
display mode may be specified by the user in some embodiments. In
other embodiments, the PIP display may also contain a larger
background display and two smaller foreground inset displays.
[0463] FIG. 38 illustrates the resize operation in terms of four
operational stages of the UI 3800. In the first stage 3805, the
foreground inset display 3835 is substantially smaller than the
background main display area 3830. Also in this example, the
foreground inset display area 3835 is located at the lower right
comer of the PIP display 3865. In other examples, the foreground
inset display area 3835 may be a different size or located in a
different area in the PIP display 3865.
[0464] In the second stage 3810, the resizing operation is
initiated. In this example, the operation is initiated by selecting
a comer of the inset display area 3835 that the user wants to
resize (e.g., by holding a finger 3840 down on the upper left comer
of the inset display area 3835). The second stage 3810 of the UI
3800 indicates this selection in terms of a thick border 3845 for
the inset display area 3835. At this stage, the user can expand or
shrink the inset display area 3835 (e.g., by dragging his finger
3840 on the PIP display 3865 away from the inset display area 3835
or toward the inset display area 3835).
[0465] The third stage 3815 illustrates the UI 3800 after the user
has started to expand the inset display area 3835 by moving his
finger 3840 away from the inset display area 3835 (i.e., by moving
his finger diagonally towards the upper left comer of the UI 3800
in this example), as indicated by an arrow 3850. Also as indicated
by arrow 3855, the movement of the finger 3840 has expanded the
inset display area 3835 proportionally in both height and width. In
other examples, the user can shrink the inset display area 3835
using the same technique (i.e., by dragging the finger toward the
inset display area 3835).
[0466] The fourth stage 3820 displays the UI 3800 after the
resizing of the inset display area 3835 has been completed. In this
example, the user completes the resize of the inset display area
3835 by stopping the dragging of his finger 3840 and removing his
finger from the PIP display 3865 once the inset display area 3835
has reached the desired size. As a result of this procedure, the
resized inset display area 3835 is larger than its original size in
the first stage 3805. The removal of the thick border 3845
indicates that the inset display area resize operation is now
completed.
[0467] Some embodiments provide other techniques for allowing a
user to resize an inset display area 3835 in a PIP display 3865
during a video conference. FIG. 39 illustrates one such other
technique. This figure illustrates a technique for resizing the
inset display area 3835 by selecting an edge of the inset display
area 3835 (i.e., on one of the sides of this display area 3835) and
then expanding or shrinking inset display area 3835.
[0468] FIG. 39 illustrates this resizing operation in terms of four
operational stages of the UI 3800 of FIG. 38. The first stage 3805
in FIG. 39 is the same as the first stage 3805 in FIG. 38.
Specifically, in this stage, the UI 3800 of device 3925 illustrates
the PIP display 3865 with a larger background main display area
3830 and a smaller foreground inset display area 3835 at the bottom
right comer of the PIP display 3865. Even though FIGS. 38 and 39
illustrate two different techniques for resizing an inset display
area 3835 in the same UI 3800, one of ordinary skill will realize
that some embodiments will not offer both these techniques in the
same UI.
[0469] The second stage 3910 illustrates the start of a resizing
operation. In this example, the user initiates the operation by
selecting a side of the inset display area 3835 that the user wants
to resize (e.g., by placing a finger 3840 down on the top edge or
the side edge of the inset display area 3835). In this example, a
user places his finger 3840 on the top edge of the inset display
area 3835 in order to make this selection. The second stage 3910
indicates this selection in terms of a thick border 3845 for the
inset display area 3835.
[0470] The third stage 3915 illustrates the UI 3800 after the user
has started to expand the inset display area 3835 by moving his
finger 3840 away from the inset display area 3835 (i.e., vertically
toward the top of the PIP display 3865), as indicated by an arrow
3950. Also as indicated by arrow 3955, the movement of the finger
3840 has expanded the inset display area 3835 proportionally in
both height and width. In other examples, the user can shrink the
display area 3835 using the same technique (e.g., by dragging the
finger 3840 toward the inset display area 3835).
[0471] The fourth stage 3920 displays the UI 3800 after the
resizing of the inset display area 3835 has been completed. In this
example, the user completes the resize of the inset display area
3835 by stopping the dragging of his finger 3840 and removing his
finger 3840 from the device's display screen once the inset display
area 3835 has reached the desired size. As a result of this
procedure, the resized inset display area 3835 is larger than its
original size in the first stage 3805. The removal of the thick
border 3845 indicates that the inset display area resize operation
is now completed.
[0472] In response to a drag operation, some embodiments adjust the
size of the inset display area 3835 proportionally in height and
width, as illustrated by FIGS. 38 and 39. Other embodiments may
allow the user to adjust the height and/or width of an inset
display area 3835 without affecting the other attribute. FIG. 40
illustrates an example of one such resizing approach.
[0473] Specifically, FIG. 40 illustrates a UI 3800 of a mobile
device 4025 that is similar to the UI 3800 of FIG. 38 except the UI
3800 of FIG. 40 allows the inset display area 3835 to be expanded
in the horizontal direction and/or vertical direction when one of
the edges of the inset display area 3835 is selected and moved
horizontally or vertically. To simplify the description of the UI
3800, FIG. 40 illustrates a PIP display 3865 in the UI 3800 that is
similar to the PIP display 3865 of FIG. 38 except now the inset
display area 3835 is in the upper right comer of the PIP display
3865. The PIP display 3865 includes two video displays: a
background main display area 3830 and a foreground inset display
area 3835. In this example, the background main display area 3830
presents a video that is being captured by the remote device's
front camera or back camera. The foreground inset display area 3835
presents a video that is being captured by the local device's front
camera or back camera.
[0474] Like FIG. 38, FIG. 40 illustrates the resizing operation in
terms of four operational stages of the UI 3800. The first stage
4005 is similar to the first stage 3805 of FIG. 38 except now the
inset display area 3835 is in the upper right comer. The other
three stages 4010, 4015 and 4020 are similar to the three stages
3910, 3915 and 3920 except that the selection and movement of the
bottom edge of the inset display area 3835 has caused the inset
display area 3835 to only expand in the vertical direction without
affecting the width of the inset display area 3835.
[0475] FIGS. 38, 39, and 40 provide examples embodiments that allow
the user to resize an inset display area 3835 of a PIP display 3865
by selecting a comer or a side of the inset display area 3835. Some
embodiments provide other techniques for resizing an inset window
3835. For instance, FIG. 41 illustrates that some embodiments allow
the inset display area 3835 to be resized by selecting the interior
of the inset display area 3835. In this approach, the user adjusts
the size of the inset display area 3835 by placing two fingers 4155
and 4156 on the screen and dragging the fingers either away from or
toward each other.
[0476] In FIG. 41, a UI 3800 of a mobile device 4140 provides a PIP
display 3865 during a video conference with a remote user of
another mobile device. To simplify the description of the UI 3800,
FIG. 41 illustrates a PIP display 3865 in this UI 3800 that is
similar to the PIP display 3865 of FIG. 38.
[0477] FIG. 41 illustrates the resizing operation in terms of seven
operational stages of the UI 3800. The first four stages 3805,
4110, 4115, and 4120 show the expansion of an inset display area
3835 while the last three stages show the shrinking of the inset
display area 3835. The first stage 3805 in FIG. 41 is the same as
the first stage 3805 in FIG. 38. Specifically, in this stage, the
UI 3800 illustrates the PIP display 3865 with a larger background
main display area 3830 and a smaller foreground inset display area
3835. In this example, the background main display area 3830
presents a video that is being captured by the remote device's
front camera or back camera. The foreground inset display area 3835
presents a video that is being captured by the local device's front
camera or back camera.
[0478] The second stage 4110 illustrates the UI 3800 after the
resizing operation is initiated. In this example, the user
initiates the operation by selecting the inset display area 3835
that the user wants to resize (e.g., by placing two fingers 4155
and 4156 down within the inset display area 3835). The second stage
4110 of the UI 3800 indicates this selection in terms of a thick
border 4190 for the inset display area 3835.
[0479] The third stage 4115 illustrates the UI 3800 after the user
has started to expand the inset display area 3835 by moving his
fingers 4155 and 4156 away from each other (i.e., moving finger
4155 toward the upper left comer of the PIP display 3865 and moving
finger 4156 toward the lower right comer of the PIP display 3865),
as indicated by arrows 4160. As indicated by an arrow 4165, the
movement of the fingers 4155 and 4156 has expanded the inset
display area 3835 proportionally in both height and width.
[0480] The fourth stage 4120 displays the UI 3800 after the
resizing of the inset display area 3835 has been completed. In this
example, the user completes the resize of the inset display area
3835 by stopping the dragging of his fingers 4155 and 4156 and
removing his fingers 4155 and 4156 from the device's display
screen. As a result of this procedure, the resized inset display
area 3835 is larger than its original size in the first stage 3805.
The removal of the thick border 4190 indicates that the inset
display area resize operation is now completed.
[0481] In the fifth stage 4125, the user re-selects the inset
display area 3835 by placing down two fingers 4155 and 4156 on the
inset display area 3835. The sixth stage 4130 illustrates the UI
3800 after the user has started to shrink the inset display area
3835 by moving his fingers 4155 and 4156 closer together, as
indicated by arrows 4170. As indicated by an arrow 4175, the
movement of the fingers 4155 and 4156 has shrunk the inset display
3835 proportionally in both height and width.
[0482] The seventh stage 4135 is similar to the fourth stage 4120
in FIG. 41, except that the inset display area 3835 has shrunk in
size as a result of the operation. The removal of the thick border
4190 indicates that the inset display area resize operation is now
completed.
[0483] The above description of FIGS. 38-41 illustrates several
example user interfaces that allow a user to resize an inset
display area of a PIP display. In some embodiments, the resizing of
an inset display area causes changes to the image processing
operations of the dual camera mobile device such causing the video
conference manager 1604 to change the scaling and compositing of
the inset display area in the PIP display in response to the user's
input. In addition, in some embodiments the layout of the display
area 1155 in FIGS. 38-41 is the same as the layout of the display
area 1155 of FIG. 12, described above.
[0484] 4. Identifying Regions of Interest
[0485] Some embodiments allow a user to identify a region of
interest (ROI) in a displayed video during a video conference in
order to modify the image processing (e.g., the image processing
manager 1608 in FIG. 16), the encoding (e.g., the encoder 1655 in
FIG. 16), the behavior of the mobile devices and their cameras
during the video conference, or a combination thereof. Different
embodiments provide different techniques for identifying such a
region of interest in a video. FIG. 42 illustrates a user interface
of some embodiments for identifying a region of interest in a video
in order to improve the image quality of the video.
[0486] In FIG. 42, a UI 4200 of a mobile device 4225 presents a PIP
display 4265 during a video conference with a remote user of
another mobile device. The PIP display in FIG. 42 is substantially
similar to the one in FIG. 41. Specifically, the PIP display in
FIG. 42 includes two video displays: a background main display 4230
and a foreground inset display 4235. In this example, the
background main display 4230 presents a video of a tree and a
person with a hat, which are assumed to be a tree and a person
whose video is being captured by the remote device's front camera
or a tree and a person whose video is being captured by the remote
device's back camera. The foreground inset display 4235 presents a
video of a man, which in this example is assumed to be a man whose
video is being captured by the local device's front camera or a
person whose video is being captured by the local device's back
camera. Below the PIP display is a display area 1155 that includes
a selectable UI item 4260 labeled "End Conference" (e.g. a button
4260) that allows the user to end the video conference by selecting
the item.
[0487] This PIP display is only one manner of presenting a
composite view of the videos being captured by the remote and local
devices. Some embodiments may provide other composite views. For
instance, instead of having a larger background display for the
video from the remote device, the larger background display can be
of the video from the local device and the smaller foreground inset
display can be of the video from the remote device. Also, some
embodiments allow the local and remote videos to appear in the UI
in two side-by-side display areas (e.g. left and right display
windows, or top and bottom display windows) or two diagonally
aligned display areas. In other embodiments, the PIP display may
also contain a larger background display and two smaller foreground
inset displays. The manner of the PIP display or a default display
mode may be specified by the user in some embodiments.
[0488] FIG. 42 illustrates the ROI identification operation in
terms of four operational stages of the UI 4200. As shown in the
first stage 4205, the video presented in the background display
4230 has very low quality (i.e., the video images are fuzzy). In
this example, a user of a mobile device 4225 would like to identify
the area in the background display 4230 where the person's face
4270 appears as the region of interest.
[0489] In the second stage 4210, the operation of identifying a
region of interest is initiated. In this example, the operation is
initiated by selecting an area in the video presented in the
background display 4230 that the user wants to identify as the
region of interest (e.g., by tapping a finger 4250 on the device's
screen at a location about the displayed person's face 4270 in the
background display 4230).
[0490] As shown in the third stage 4215, the user's selection of
the area causes the UI 4200 to draw an enclosure 4275 (e.g., a
dotted square 4275) surrounding the area of the user's selection.
The fourth stage 4220 displays the UI 4200 after the identification
of the region of interest has been completed. As a result of this
process, the quality of the video within the region of interest has
been substantially improved from that in the first stage 4205. The
removal of the enclosure 4275 indicates that the ROI selection
operation is now completed. In some embodiments, the ROT
identification process also causes the same changes to the same
video displayed on the remote device as it does to the local device
4225. In this example for instance, the picture quality within the
region of interest of the same video displayed on the remote device
is also substantially improved.
[0491] In some embodiments, the user may enlarge or shrink the
enclosure 4275 in the third stage 4215 (e.g., by holding the finger
4250 down on the display and moving the finger 4250 toward the
upper right comer of the screen to enlarge the enclosure 4275 or
moving the finger 4250 toward the lower left comer of the screen to
shrink the enclosure 4275). Some embodiments also allow the user to
relocate the enclosure 4275 in the third stage 4215 (e.g., by
holding the finger 4250 down on the display and moving the finger
4250 horizontally or vertically on the display). In some other
embodiments, the selection of the area may not cause the UI 4200 to
draw the enclosure 4275 at all in the third stage 4215.
[0492] Other embodiments provide different techniques for allowing
a user to identify a region of interest in a video. FIG. 43
illustrates one such other technique. In FIG. 43, the user
identifies a region of interest by drawing a shape that bounds the
region. The shape in this example is a rectangle, but it can be
other shapes (e.g., any other polygon, a circle, an ellipse, etc.).
Some embodiments provide this alternative technique of FIG. 43 in a
device UI that also provides the technique illustrated in FIG. 42.
Other embodiments, however, do not provide both these techniques in
the same UI.
[0493] FIG. 43 illustrates this ROI identification operation in
terms of five operational stages of a UI 4200. The first stage 4205
in FIG. 43 is identical to the first stage 4205 in FIG. 42.
Specifically, in this first stage 4205, the UI 4200 illustrates a
PIP display 4265 with a larger background main display 4230 and a
smaller foreground inset display 4235 at the bottom left comer of
the PIP display 4265.
[0494] In the second stage 4310, the operation of identifying a
region of interest is initiated. In this example, the operation is
initiated by selecting for a duration of time a first position for
defining the region of interest in a video presented in the
background display area 4230 (e.g., by holding a finger 4350 down
on the device's screen at a location about the displayed person's
face 4270 in the background display 4230 for a duration of time).
In the third stage 4315, the UI 4200 indicates that the first
position 4370 has been selected in terms of a dot 4355 next to the
selected first position on the background display area 4230.
[0495] The fourth stage 4320 illustrates the UI 4200 after the user
has selected a second position 4375 for defining the region of
interest. In this example, the user selects this second position
4375 by dragging the finger 4350 across the device's screen from
the first location after the dot 4355 appears and stopping at a
location between the displayed hat and the displayed tree in the
background display area 4230, as indicated by an arrow 4360. As
shown in the fourth stage, this dragging caused the UI 4200 to draw
a rectangular border 4365 for the region of interest area that has
the first and second positions 4370 and 4375 at its opposing
vertices.
[0496] The fifth stage 4325 illustrates the UI 4200 after
identification of the region of interest has been completed. In
this example, the user completes identification of the region of
interest by stopping the dragging of the finger 4350 and removing
the finger 4350 from the device's display screen once the desired
region of interest area has been identified. The fifth stage 4325
illustrates that as a result of the drawing process, the quality of
the video within the region of interest has been substantially
improved from that in the first stage 4205. In some embodiments,
the drawing process also causes the same changes to the display on
the remote device as it does to the local device 4225. In this
example for instance, the picture quality within the region of
interest of the same video displayed on the remote device will be
substantially improved.
[0497] The description of FIGS. 42 and 43, above, illustrates
different manners of identifying a region of interest in a video in
order to improve the picture quality of the identified region. In
some embodiments, improving the picture quality of the identified
region of interest causes changes to the encoding operations of the
dual camera mobile device such as allocating more bits to the
identified region when encoding the video.
[0498] Some embodiments allow the user to identify a region of
interest in a video to make different changes to the mobile devices
or their cameras. For instance, FIG. 44 illustrates an example of
identifying a region of interest in a video to expand or shrink the
region of interest area on the display. In this approach, the user
identifies a region of interest in a video by selecting an area on
the display as the center of the region of interest and then
expanding or shrinking the region of interest area.
[0499] In FIG. 44, a UI 4400 of a mobile device 4425 presents a PIP
display 4265 during a video conference with a remote user of
another mobile device. The PIP display 4265 in FIG. 44 is
substantially similar to the PIP display 4265 of FIG. 42, but the
foreground inset display 4235 of FIG. 44 is located in the lower
left comer of the PIP display 4265.
[0500] FIG. 44 illustrates the ROI selection operation in terms of
four operational stages of the UI 4400. As shown in the first stage
4405, the background display 4430 presents a video with a man on
the left and a tree 4440 on the right of the display 4430.
Moreover, the tree 4440 is relatively small and occupies only the
right side of the background display area 4430. In this example, a
user of a mobile device 4425 would like to identify the area where
the tree 4440 appears on the display 4430 as the region of
interest.
[0501] In the second stage 4410, the operation of identifying a
region of interest is initiated. In this example, the operation is
initiated by selecting an area 4440 in the video presented in the
background display 4430 that the user wants to identify as the
region of interest (e.g., by holding two fingers 4445 and 4446 down
on the background display area 4430 where the tree 4440 is
displayed). At this stage 4410, the user can make the region of
interest area 4440 expand and take a larger portion of the
background display area 4430 by dragging his fingers 4445 and 4446
farther away from each other. The user can also make the region of
interest 4440 shrink to take a smaller portion of the background
display area 4430 by dragging his fingers 4445 and 4446 closer
together.
[0502] The third stage 4415 illustrates the UI 4400 after the user
has started to make the region of interest 4440 expand to take up a
larger portion of the background display area 4430 by moving his
fingers 4445 and 4446 farther away from each other (i.e., the
finger 4445 moves toward the upper left comer of the background
display area 4430 and the finger 4446 moves toward the lower right
comer of the display 4430), as indicated by arrows 4450. In some
embodiments, the finger movement also causes the same changes to
the display of the remote device as it does to the local device. In
this example for instance, the region of interest of the same video
will expand and take up a larger portion of the background display
area 4430 of the remote device. In some embodiments, the expansion
of the region of interest in the local display and/or remote
display causes one or both of the mobile devices or their cameras
to modify one or more of their other operations, as further
described below.
[0503] The fourth stage 4420 displays the UI 4400 after the
identification of the region of interest has been completed. In
this example, the user completes the identification of the region
of interest by stopping the dragging of his fingers 4445 and 4446
and removing the fingers 4445 and 4446 from the device's display
screen once the region of interest has reached the desired
proportion in the background display area 4430. As a result of this
process, the region of interest has taken up a majority of the
background display 4430. The identification of the region of
interest operation is now completed.
[0504] Some of the examples above illustrate how a user may
identify a region of interest in a video for improving the image
quality within the selected region of interest in the video (e.g.,
by increasing the bit rate for encoding the region of interest
portion of the video). In some embodiments, identifying a region of
interest in the video causes changes to the image processing
operations of the mobile device such as exposure, scaling, focus,
etc. For example, identifying a region of interest in the video can
cause the video conferencing manager 1604 to scale and composite
the images of the video differently (e.g., identifying a region of
interest to which to zoom).
[0505] In other embodiments, identifying a region of interest in
the video causes changes to the operation of the mobile device's
camera(s) (e.g., frame rate, zoom, exposure, scaling, focus, etc.).
In yet other embodiments, identifying a region of interest in the
video causes changes to the encoding operations of the mobile
device like allocating more bits to the identified region, scaling,
etc. In addition, while the example ROI identification operations
described above may cause only one of the above-described
modifications to the mobile device or its cameras, in some other
embodiments the ROI identification operation may cause more than
one of the modifications to the operation of the mobile device or
its cameras. In addition, in some embodiments, the layout of the
display area 1155 in FIGS. 42-44 is the same as the layout of the
display area 1155 of FIG. 12, described above.
[0506] B. Switch Camera
[0507] Some embodiments provide procedures to switch cameras (i.e.,
change the camera by which images are captured) during a video
conference. Different embodiments provide different procedures for
performing the switch camera operation. Some embodiments provide
procedures performed by a dual camera mobile device for switching
cameras of the device (i.e., local switch) while other embodiments
provide procedures for the dual camera mobile device to instruct
another dual camera mobile device in the video conference to switch
cameras of the other device (i.e., remote switch). Yet other
embodiments provide procedures for both. Section IV.B.1 will
describe a process for performing a local switch camera operation
on a dual camera mobile device. Section IV.B.2 will describe a
process for performing a remote switch camera operation on the dual
camera mobile device.
[0508] 1. Local Switch Camera
[0509] FIG. 45 illustrates a process 4500 that some embodiments
perform on a local dual camera mobile device to switch between the
two cameras of the device during a video conference with a remote
mobile device that includes at least one camera. In some
embodiments, the process 4500 is performed by the video conference
manager 1604 shown in FIG. 16. For purposes of explanation, the
discussion will refer to one camera of the local dual camera mobile
device as camera 1 and the other camera of the local dual camera
mobile device as camera 2.
[0510] The process 4500 begins by starting (at 4505) a video
conference between the local dual camera mobile device and the
remote mobile device. Next, the process 4500 sends (at 4510) a
video image from the currently selected camera (e.g., the camera 1)
of the local dual camera mobile device to the remote mobile device
for display on the remote mobile device. At 4510, the process also
generates and displays a composite display based on this video
image and the video image that it receives from the remote mobile
device.
[0511] The process 4500 then determines (at 4515) whether a request
to end the video conference is received. As described above, a
video conference can end in some embodiments at the request of a
user of the local dual camera mobile device (e.g., through a user
interface of the local dual camera mobile device) or a user of the
remote mobile device (e.g., through a user interface of the remote
mobile device). When the process 4500 receives a request to end the
video conference, the process 4500 ends.
[0512] When the process 4500 does not receive a request to end the
video conference, the process 4500 then determines (at 4520)
whether the user of the local dual camera mobile device has
directed the device to switch cameras for the video conference. The
process 4500 returns to operation 4510 when the process 4500
determines (at 4520) that it has not been directed to switch
cameras. However, when the process 4500 determines (at 4520) that
it has been so directed, the process 4500 transitions to 4525.
[0513] At 4525, the process 4500 sends a notification to the remote
mobile device to indicate that the local dual camera mobile device
is switching cameras. In some embodiments, the process 4500 sends
the notification through the video conference control channel that
is multiplexed with the audio and video channels by the VTP Manager
3125 as described above.
[0514] After sending its notification, the process 4500 performs
(at 4530) a switch camera operation. In some embodiments,
performing (at 4530) the switch camera operation includes
instructing the CIPU to stop capturing video images with the camera
1 and to start capturing video images with the camera 2. These
instructions can simply direct the CIPU to switch capturing images
from the pixel array associated with the camera 2 and to start
processing these images. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the
instructions to the CIPU are accompanied by a set of initialization
parameters that direct the CIPU (1) to operate the camera 2 based
on a particular set of settings, (2) to capture video generated by
the camera 2 at a particular frame rate, and/or (3) to process
video images from the camera 2 based on a particular set of
settings (e.g., resolution, etc.).
[0515] In some embodiments, the switch camera instruction (at 4530)
also includes instructions for switching the unused camera to the
fourth operational power mode as described above. In this example,
the switch camera instructions include instructions for the camera
2 to switch to its fourth operational power mode. In addition, the
switch camera instructions also include instructions for the camera
1 to switch from its fourth operational power mode to another
operational power mode such as the first operational power mode to
conserve power or to the third operational power mode so it can
quickly switch to the fourth operational power mode and start
capturing images when requested to do so. The switch camera
operation 4530 also involves compositing images captured by the
camera 2 of the local dual camera mobile device (instead of images
captured by the camera 1) with images received from the remote
mobile device for display on the local dual camera mobile
device.
[0516] After directing the switch camera at 4530, the process 4500
performs (at 4535) a switch camera animation on the local dual
camera mobile device to display a transition between the display of
images from the camera 1 and the display of images from the camera
2. Following the switch camera animation on the local dual camera
mobile device, the process 4500 loops back through operations
4510-4520 until an end video conference request or a new switch
camera request is received.
[0517] FIG. 46 illustrates one example of how some embodiments
allow a switch camera operation to be requested through a UI 1105
of a dual camera device and how these embodiments animate the
switch camera operation. This figure illustrates the switch camera
operation in terms of eight different operational stages 4610,
4615, 4620, 4625, 4630, 4635, 4640, and 4645 of the UI 1105 of the
device. The first four stages 4610, 4615, 4620, and 4625 of the UI
1105 illustrate an example of receiving a user's request to switch
cameras. The user of the device has other mechanisms to make such a
request in some embodiments of the invention.
[0518] The first stage 4610 is the same as the fifth stage 1130 of
the UI 1105 of FIG. 11, which shows the UI 1105 after a video
conference is set up. At this stage, the UI 1105 displays a PIP
display that includes two video displays: a larger background
display from the remote camera and a smaller foreground inset
display from the local camera. In this example, the background main
display area 1170 presents a video of a lady, which in this example
is assumed to be a lady whose video is being captured by the remote
device, while the foreground inset display area 1160 presents a
video of a man, which in this example is assumed to be a man whose
video is being captured by the local device's front camera.
[0519] The second stage 4615 then shows the initiation of the
switch camera operation through the selection of the PIP display
area 1180 of the UI 1105. As shown, a selection is made by placing
the user's finger 4670 on the PIP display 1180. The third stage
4620 shows the UI 1105 that includes a selectable UI item 4675
(e.g., switch camera button 4675) for requesting a switch between
the cameras of the local device 4600 during the video conference.
The fourth stage 4625 illustrates the UI 1105 after the user of the
local device 4600 selects (e.g., through a single finger tap) the
selectable UI item 4675, and after this selection is indicated
through the highlighting of the selectable UI item 4675. By
selecting this selectable UI item 4675, the user is directing the
device 4600 to switch from the front camera of the device 4600 to
the back camera of the device 4600 during the video conference. In
other examples where the back camera of the device 4600 is
capturing video, the user's selection of the selectable UI item
4675 directs the device 4600 to switch from the back camera of the
device 4600 to the front camera of the device 4600. After the
fourth stage, the video conference manager sends instructions to
the CIPU and the remote device to start the switch camera
operation.
[0520] The last four stages 4630, 4635, 4640, and 4645 of the UI
1105 illustrate an example of a switch camera animation on the
local device. This animation is intended to provide an impression
that the video captured from the front and the back cameras of the
local device are being concurrently displayed on two opposing sides
of a viewing pane that can have only one of its sides viewed by the
user at any given time. When a switch camera is requested in the
middle of a video conference, this viewing pane is made to appear
to rotate around the vertical axis such that the presentation of
one camera's video on one side of the viewing pane that was
previously showing one camera's video to the user rotates away from
the user until it is replaced by the other side of the viewing
pane, which shows the video of the other camera. This animation and
appearance of the perceived viewing pane's rotation is achieved by
(1) gradually shrinking and applying perspective correction
operations on the video image from one camera in the display area
for that camera, followed by (2) a gradual expansion and reduction
in perspective correction operation to the video image from the
other camera in the display area.
[0521] Accordingly, the fifth stage 4630 illustrates the start of
the "rotation of the viewing pane" about the vertical axis 4682. To
give an appearance of the rotation of the viewing pane, the UI 1105
has reduced the size of the front camera's video image in the video
display area 1160, and has applied perspective operations to make
it appear that the right side of the video image is farther from
the user than the left side of the video image.
[0522] The sixth stage 4635 illustrates that the viewing pane has
rotated by 90 degrees such that the user can only view the edge of
this pane, as represented by the thin line 4686 displayed in the
middle of the display area 1160. The seventh stage 4640 illustrates
that the viewing pane has continued to rotate such that the
backside of the viewing pane 4688 is now gradually appearing to the
user in order to show the video captured from the user's back
camera. Again, this representation of the rotation animation is
achieved in some embodiments by reducing the size of the back
camera's video image in the video display area 4688, and applying
perspective operations to make it appear that the left side of the
video image is farther from the user than the right side of the
video image.
[0523] The eighth stage 4645 illustrates the completion of the
animation that shows the switch camera operation. Specifically,
this stage displays in the display area 1160 the video image of a
car that is being captured by the back camera of the device
4600.
[0524] The example described above by reference to FIG. 46 invokes
a switch camera operation through a switch camera user interface.
Other embodiments invoke a switch camera operation differently. For
example, some embodiments invoke the switch camera operation by
having a switch camera selectable UI item permanently displayed on
a UI during a video conference such the UI 1105 of FIG. 47. In FIG.
47, a switch camera button 1289 is shown in a display area 1155
along with a mute button 1285 and an end conference button 1287.
The layout of the display area 1155 is the same layout of the
display area 1155, described above by reference to FIG. 12.
[0525] FIG. 47 illustrates the switch camera operation of a UI 1105
in terms of six stages: 4610, 4790, 4630, 4635, 4640, and 4645. The
first stage 4610 of FIG. 47 is similar to the first stage 4610 of
FIG. 46 except that the layout of the display area 1155 shows a
mute button 1285, an end conference button 1287, and a switch
camera button 1289 instead of a single end conference button. The
second stage 4790 illustrates the UI 1105 after the user of the
local device 4600 selects (e.g., through a single finger tap using
a finger 4670) the switch camera selectable UI item 1289. In this
example, by selecting this selectable UI item 1289, the user
directs the device 4600 to switch from the front camera of the
device 4600 to the back camera of the device 4600 during the video
conference. The last four stages of FIG. 47 are similar to the last
four stages of FIG. 46 except the layout of the display area 1155
is the same as the layout described above in the first stage 4610
and therefore will not be further described in order to not obscure
the description of the invention with unnecessary detail.
[0526] In some embodiments, when the remote mobile device receives
images from a different camera of the local dual camera mobile
device (i.e., the local dual camera mobile device switched
cameras), the remote mobile device also performs a switch camera
animation to display a transition between the display of image from
one camera of the local dual camera mobile device and the display
of images from the other camera of the local dual camera mobile
device. FIG. 48 illustrates an example of one of such switch camera
animation in terms of five operational stages 4810, 4815, 4820,
4825, and 4830 of a UI 4805. This figure shows an example switch
camera animation on the remote mobile device 4800. The operational
stages are the same as the example animation of FIG. 46 except the
animation is performed on images displayed in the display area
4835, which is where images from the local dual camera mobile
device are displayed on the remote mobile device 4800. As such, the
image of the man displayed in the display area 4835 is animated to
appear to rotate 180 degrees on a vertical axis 4855 located in the
middle of the display area 4850 to show the transition between the
display of the image of the man in the display area 4835 and the
display of the image of a car 4870. The implementation of the
switch camera animation of some embodiments is the same as the
implementation of the animation described above.
[0527] The above example illustrates a switch camera animation on a
remote device with a particular user interface layout. Other
embodiments might perform this switch camera animation on a remote
device with a different user interface layout. For instance, FIG.
49 illustrates one such example of a remote device 4800 that has a
different user interface layout 4805. In particular, UI 4805 of
FIG. 49 has a mute button 1285, an end conference button 1287, and
a switch camera button 1289 included in a display area 1155, which
is permanently displayed on one side of the composite display 4850
during a video conference. The layout of the three buttons is
described above by reference to FIG. 48. Other than the different
user interface layout, the five stages 4810, 4815, 4820, 4825, and
4830 of FIG. 49 are identical to the five stages 4810, 4815, 4820,
4825, and 4830 of FIG. 48.
[0528] 2. Remote Switch Camera
[0529] FIG. 50 illustrates a process 5000 for switching between two
cameras of a remote dual camera device during a video conference.
This process 5000 is performed by a video conference manager of a
device that includes at least one camera. In the following
discussion, the device through which a user directs a remote switch
camera is referred to as the local device while the device that
switches between its two cameras is referred to as the remote
device. Also, in the discussion below, the remote device is said to
switch between its front camera (or camera 1) and its back camera
(or camera 2).
[0530] The process 5000 of FIG. 50 will be described by reference
to FIGS. 51, 52, 53, and 54. FIG. 51 illustrates a UI 5105 of a
local device 5100 through which a user requests that a remote
device switch between its two cameras during a video conference.
This figure illustrates eight different operational stages 5110,
5115, 5120, 5125, 5130, 5135, 5140, and 5145 of this UI 5105. FIG.
54 illustrates a UI 5405 of a remote device 5400 that receives the
switch camera request from the local device 5100. FIG. 54
illustrates six different operational stages 5410, 5415, 5420,
5425, 5430, and 5435 of the UI 5405.
[0531] As shown in FIG. 50, the process 5000 begins by starting (at
5005) a video conference between the local and remote devices. The
process 5000 then (at 5010) receives images from one camera of each
device (e.g., from the front camera of each device) and generates a
composite view for the video conference based on these images. At
5010, the process 5000 also sends a video image from the local
device to the remote device.
[0532] Next, the process 5000 determines (at 5015) whether a
request to end the video conference has been received. As described
above, a video conference can end in some embodiments at the
request of a user of the local or remote device. When the process
5000 receives a request to end the video conference, the process
5000 ends.
[0533] When the process 5000 does not receive a request to end the
video conference, the process 5000 then determines (at 5020)
whether the user of the device on which the process 5000 is
executing (i.e., the user of the local device) has directed the
device to request that the remote device switch between its cameras
for the video conference. The process 5000 returns to operation
5010 when the process 5000 determines (at 5020) that it has not
been directed to initiate a remote switch camera. When the process
5000 determines (at 5020) that it has been so directed, the process
5000 transitions to 5025, which will be described further
below.
[0534] The first four stages 5110, 5115, 5120, and 5125 of the UI
5105 of FIG. 51 illustrate an example of receiving a user's request
to switch cameras of the remote device. The first and second stages
5110 and 5115 are the same as the first and second stages 4610 and
4615 of FIG. 46. The third stage 5120 is the same as the third
stage 4620 except the third stage 5120 includes a selectable UI
item 5180 for a request to the remote device 5100 to switch cameras
in addition to the selectable UI item 5175 for requesting the local
device 5100 to switch cameras. The fourth stage 5125 illustrates
the user of the local device 5100 selecting the UI item 5180 (e.g.,
through a single finger tap 5170 of the selectable UI item 5180)
for requesting the remote device to switch cameras. The selection
is indicated by the highlighting of the selectable UI item 5180.
FIG. 51 shows one example of performing this operation, but other
embodiments may differently perform the operation for requesting
the remote device to switch cameras.
[0535] The example described above by reference to FIG. 51 invokes
a remote switch camera operation through a remote switch camera
user interface. Other embodiments invoke a remote switch camera
operation differently. For instance, some embodiments invoke the
switch camera operation by having a switch camera selectable UI
item permanently displayed on a UI during a video conference such
as the UI 5105 of FIG. 52. In FIG. 52, a remote switch camera
button 5288 is shown in a display area 1155 along with a mute
button 5282, an end conference button 5284, and a local switch
camera button 5286.
[0536] FIG. 52 illustrates the remote switch camera operation of
the UI 5105 of the device 5100 in terms of six different stages
5110, 5290, 5130, 5135, 5140, and 5145. The first stage 5110 of
FIG. 52 is similar to the first stage 5110 of FIG. 51 except that
the layout of the display area 1155 shows a mute button 5282, a
local switch camera button 5286, a remote switch camera button
5288, and an end conference button 5284. The second stage 5290
illustrates the UI 1105 after the user of the local device 5100
selects (e.g., through a single finger tap 5170) the remote switch
camera selectable UI item 5288. The last four stages of FIG. 52 are
similar to the last four stages of FIG. 51 except the layout of the
display area 1155 is the same as the layout described above in the
first stage 5110 and therefore will not be further described in
order to not obscure the description of the invention with
unnecessary detail.
[0537] Some embodiments provide a similar layout as the one
illustrated in FIG. 52 except the remote switch camera selectable
UI item is displayed in PIP display 5165 instead of the display
area 1155. FIG. 53 illustrates such a layout 5105. In particular,
the figure shows the PIP display with the remote switch camera
selectable UI item 5180 and the display area 1155 with only a mute
button 5282, a local switch camera button 5286, and an end
conference button 5284.
[0538] As mentioned above, the process 5000 transitions to 5025
when the user requests a remote switch camera. At 5025, the process
5000 sends the request to switch cameras to the remote device. In
some embodiments, this request is sent through the video conference
control channel that is multiplexed with the audio and video
channels by the VTP Manager 3125 as described above.
[0539] After the request to switch cameras is received, the process
5000 determines (at 5030) whether the remote device has responded
to the request to switch cameras. In some embodiments, the remote
device automatically sends an accept response (i.e., sends an
acknowledgement) to the local device through the video-conference
control channel. In other embodiments, however, the user of the
remote device has to accept this request through the user interface
of the remote device.
[0540] The first two stages 5410 and 5415 of the UI 5405 of FIG. 54
illustrate an example of the remote user accepting a request to
switch cameras of the remote device 5400. The first stage 5410
shows (1) a display area 5440 for displaying text that notifies the
remote user of the request, (2) a selectable UI item 5465 (e.g.,
allow button 5465) for accepting the request to switch cameras of
the remote device, and (3) a selectable UI item 5470 (e.g., reject
button 5470) for rejecting the request to switch cameras of the
remote device. The second stage 5415 then illustrates the UI 5405
after the user of the remote device has selected (e.g., through a
single finger tap 5480) the UI item 5465 for accepting the request
to switch cameras, as indicated by the highlighting of the
selectable UI item 5465.
[0541] When the process 5000 determines (at 5030) that it has not
yet received a response from the remote device, the process 5000
determines (at 5035) whether a request to end the video conference
has been received. If so, the process 5000 ends. Otherwise, the
process receives (at 5040) images from the currently used cameras
of the remote and local devices, generates a composite view for the
video conference based on these images, transmit the local device's
video image to the remote device, and then transitions back to
5030.
[0542] When the process 5000 determines (at 5030) that it has
received a response from the remote device, it determines (at 5045)
whether the remote device accepted the request to switch cameras.
If not, the process 5000 returns to operation 5010 to continue to
receive images from the camera of the other device. Otherwise, the
process receives (at 5050) images from the other camera of the
remote device and then performs (at 5055) a switch camera animation
on the local device to display a transition between the video of
the previously utilized remote camera and the video of the
currently utilized remote camera (i.e., the received images at
operation 5050). After 5055, the process transitions back to 5010,
which was described above.
[0543] The last four operational stages 5130, 5135, 5140, and 5145
that are illustrated for the UI 5105 in FIG. 51 illustrate one
example of such a remote switch camera animation on the local
device 5100. The example animation is similar to the example
animation illustrated in the stages 4815, 4820, 4825, and 4830 of
FIG. 48 except FIG. 51 shows in the display area 5150 an animation
that replaces the video of a woman that is captured by the front
camera of the remote device with the video of a tree that is
captured by the back camera of the remote device. The last four
stages of FIG. 52 and FIG. 53 illustrate the same animation as the
one in FIG. 51 except the display area 1155 of FIGS. 52 and 53
contains different selectable UI items than the display area 1155
in FIG. 51.
[0544] In some embodiments, when the remote device switches
cameras, the UI of the remote device also performs a switch camera
animation to display a transition between the two cameras. The last
four operational stages 5420, 5425, 5430, and 5435 that are
illustrated for the UI 5405 in FIG. 54 illustrate an example of a
switch camera animation that is displayed on the remote device 5400
when the remote device 5400 switches between cameras. This
animation is similar to the animation illustrated in the stages
4630, 4635, 4640, and 4645 of FIG. 46 except that the animation in
the display area 5445 replaces the video of a woman that is
captured by the front camera of the remote device 5400 with the
video of a tree that is captured by the back camera of the remote
device 5400.
[0545] As noted above, FIGS. 46, 47, 48, 49, 51, 52, 53, and 54
show various examples of switch camera animations performed on a
user interface. In some embodiments, the switch camera animation
causes changes to the image processing operations of the respective
dual camera mobile device such as scaling, compositing, and
perspective distortion, which can be performed by the video
conference manager 1604 and the image processing manager 1608, for
example.
[0546] C. Exposure Adjustment
[0547] During a video conference between a dual camera mobile
device and another mobile device, different embodiments provide
different techniques for adjusting the exposure of images captured
by cameras of either mobile device. Some embodiments provide
techniques for a user of the dual camera mobile device to adjust
the exposure of images captured by a camera of the other device
while other embodiments provide techniques for the user to adjust
the exposure of images captured by a camera of the dual camera
mobile device. Several example techniques will be described in
detail below.
[0548] FIG. 55 illustrates a process 5500 for performing a remote
exposure adjustment operation on a dual camera mobile device of
some embodiments during a video conference. In the following
discussion, the device through which a user directs a remote device
to adjust its exposure level is referred to as the local device. In
some embodiments, the process 5500 is performed by the video
conference manager of the local device. In addition, the process
5500 will be described by reference to FIGS. 56, 57, and 58, which
illustrate various ways for the user of the local device to request
the remote device to perform an exposure adjustment operation.
[0549] As shown in FIG. 55, the process 5500 begins by starting (at
5505) a video conference between the local and remote devices. The
process 5500 then receives (at 5510) a video from the remote device
for display on the display screen of the local device. Next, the
process 5500 determines (at 5515) whether a request to end the
video conference has been received. As described above, some
embodiments can receive a request to end the video conference from
a user of the local or remote device. When the process 5500
receives a request to end the video conference, the process 5500
ends.
[0550] However, when the process 5500 does not receive a request to
end the video conference, the process 5500 then determines (at
5520) whether a request for adjusting the exposure of the remote
device's camera has been received. When the process 5500 determines
that a request for adjusting the exposure of the remote device's
camera has not been received, the process 5500 returns back to
operation 5510 to receive additional video captured from the remote
device. FIGS. 56, 57, and 58 illustrate three different examples of
providing a way for a user to make such a request. In FIGS. 56, 57,
and 58, the first stages 5610, 5710, and 5810 all show PIP displays
5625, 5750, and 5835 of the local devices 5600, 5700, and 5800 that
display two videos: one captured by a camera of the local device
and the other captured by a camera of the remote device. In first
stages 5610, 5710, and 5810 the man in the background display 5635,
5760, and 5845 is dark, indicating that the man is not properly
exposed.
[0551] The second stage 5615 of FIG. 56 illustrates one way for the
user of the local device 5600 to request the remote device to
perform an exposure adjustment by selecting the remote device's
video (e.g., through a single tap on the background display 5635).
In this way, the UI 5605 automatically associates the user's
selection of a region of interest defined by a box 5645 with the
user's desire to direct the remote device to perform an exposure
adjustment on the region of interest and thus directs the video
conference manager of the local device to contact the remote device
to perform an exposure adjustment operation. The defined region of
interest is used by the remote device in the calculation of the
exposure adjustment.
[0552] Like the second stage 5615 of FIG. 56, the second stage 5715
of FIG. 57 shows the local user's selection of the remote device's
video except this selection directs the UI 5705 to display a
selectable UI item 5770 as shown in the third stage 5720. The
fourth stage 5725 illustrates the user of the local device
selecting the selectable UI item 5770 to direct the remote device
to perform an exposure adjustment operation as described above.
[0553] The second stage 5815 of FIG. 58 is similar to the second
stage 5715 of FIG. 57, but instead of the user's selection of the
remote device's video directing the UI to display a single
selectable UI item, the user's selection directs the UI 5805 to
display a menu of selectable UI items 5855, 5860, 5865, and 5870,
as shown in the third stage 5820. The selectable UI items include
an Auto Focus item 5855, an Auto Exposure item 5860, a Switch
Camera item 5865, and a Cancel item 5870. In some embodiments, the
Switch Camera selectable UI item 5865 is used to request a local
switch camera operation while in other embodiments the Switch
Camera selectable UI item 5865 is used to request a remote switch
camera operation. The fourth stage 5825 illustrates the user
selecting the Auto Exposure item 5860 to direct the remote device
to perform an exposure adjustment operation as described above.
[0554] When the process 5500 determines (at 5520) that the local
user directed the local device to request an exposure adjustment
operation, the process 5500 sends (at 5525) a command to the remote
device through the video conference control channel to adjust the
exposure of the video captured by the camera that is currently
capturing and transmitting video to the local device. After
operation 5525, the process 5500 transitions back to operation
5510, which is described above.
[0555] In some embodiments, the user of the remote device is
required to provide permission before the remote device performs an
exposure adjustment operation, while in other embodiments the
remote device performs the exposure adjustment operation
automatically upon receiving the request from the local device.
Moreover, in some embodiments, some of the video conference
functionalities are implemented by the video conference manager
1604. In some of these embodiments, the video conference manager
1604 performs the exposure adjustment operation by instructing the
CIPU 1650 to adjust the exposure setting of the sensor of the
remote device camera being used.
[0556] The last stages 5620, 5730, and 5830 of FIGS. 56, 57, and 58
show the remote device's video lighter, which indicates that the
man is properly exposed. Although FIGS. 56, 57, and 58 provide
examples of receiving an exposure adjustment request to correct the
exposure of a remote device, some embodiments provide ways for user
of the local device to request that the local device adjust the
exposure of a camera of the local device. Such a request can be
made similar to the ways illustrated in FIGS. 56, 57, and 58 for
requesting a remote device to adjust its camera's exposure.
[0557] FIGS. 56-58 described above show several user interfaces for
performing exposure adjustment operations. In some embodiments, the
exposure adjustment operation can cause changes to the image
processing operations of the dual camera mobile device such as
invoking the exposure adjustment process 5900, which is described
in further detail below. The exposure adjustment operation can also
cause changes to the operation of the camera of the dual camera
mobile device that is capturing the video like changing the
exposure level setting of the camera, for example.
[0558] 1. Exposure Adjustment Methodology
[0559] FIG. 59 conceptually illustrates an exposure adjustment
process 5900 performed by an image processing manager of some
embodiments such as that illustrated in FIG. 16. In some
embodiments, the process 5900 is part of the exposure adjustment
operations described above by reference to FIGS. 55, 56, 57, and
58. In some of such embodiments, the image processing manager 1608
performs the process 5900 and adjusts a camera's exposure setting
by sending instructions to the video conference manager 1604, which
instructs the CIPU 1650 to adjust the camera sensor 405a or 405b,
as mentioned above.
[0560] In some embodiments, the process 5900 is performed by the
image processing layer 930 shown in FIG. 9 while in other
embodiments the process 5900 is performed by the statistics engine
465 shown in FIG. 4. Some embodiments perform the process 5900 on
images captured by cameras of (local or remote) devices in a video
conference while other embodiments perform the process 5900 as part
of the process 2100 (e.g., operation 2110) illustrated in FIG. 21.
Some embodiments perform an exposure adjustment operation to expose
images captured by the cameras of the dual camera mobile device
that are not too light and not too dark. In other words, the
process 5900 is performed to capture images in a manner that
maximizes the amount of detail as possible.
[0561] The process 5900 begins by receiving (at 5905) an image
captured by a camera of the dual camera mobile device. In some
embodiments, when the received image is a first image captured by a
camera of a device in a video conference, the process 5900 is not
performed on the first image (i.e., there was no image before the
first image from which to determine an exposure value). The process
5900 then reads (at 5910) pixel values of a defined region in the
received image. Different embodiments define regions differently.
Some of such embodiments define differently shaped regions such as
a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a circle, etc. while other of
such embodiments define regions in different locations in the image
such as center, upper center, lower center, etc.
[0562] Next, the process 5900 calculates (at 5915) an average of
the pixel values in the defined region of the image. The process
5900 determines (at 5920) whether the calculated average of the
pixel values is equal to a particular defined value. Different
embodiments define different particular values. For example, some
embodiments define the particular value as the median pixel value
of the image's dynamic range. In some embodiments, a range of
values is defined instead of a single value. In such embodiments,
the process 5900 determines (at 5920) whether the calculated
average of the pixel values is within the define range of
values.
[0563] When the calculated average of the pixel values is not equal
to the particular defined value, the process 5900 adjusts (at 5925)
the exposure value based on the calculated average. When the
calculated average of the pixel values is equal to the particular
defined value, the process 5900 ends. In some embodiments, an
exposure value represents an amount of time that a camera sensor is
exposed to light. In some embodiments, the adjusted exposure value
is used to expose the next image to be captured by the camera that
captured the received image. After the exposure value is adjusted
based on the calculated average, the process 5900 ends.
[0564] In some embodiments, the process 5900 is repeatedly
performed until the calculated average of pixel values is equal to
the particular defined value (or falls within the defined range of
values). Some embodiments constantly perform the process 5900
during a video conference while other embodiments perform the
process 5900 at defined intervals (e.g., 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 30
seconds, etc.) during the video conference. Furthermore, during the
video conference, the process 5900 of some embodiments dynamically
re-defines the particular pixel value before performing the process
5900.
[0565] FIG. 60 conceptually illustrates examples of exposure
adjustment operations of some embodiments. Each of the examples
6000, 6010, and 6015 shows an image 6020 captured by a camera of
the dual camera mobile device on the left side. Specifically, the
image 6020 shows a dark person in front of a sun. The dark person
indicates that the exposure level of the image is not high enough
to expose the person's face or body. The right side of each example
6000, 6010, and 6015 shows an image 6025, 6030, and 6035,
respectively, captured after the image 6020. In some embodiments,
the image 6020 and the images on the right side are images of a
video captured by the camera of the dual camera mobile device. In
other embodiments, the image 6020 and the image on the right side
are still images captured by the camera of the dual camera mobile
device at different instances in time.
[0566] The first example 6000 illustrates an operation with no
exposure adjustment. As such, the image 6025 appears the same as
the image 6020. Since no exposure adjustment was performed, the
person in the image 6025 remains dark like the person in the image
6020.
[0567] In the second example 6010, an exposure adjustment operation
is performed on the image 6020. In some embodiments, the exposure
adjustment operation is performed by the process 5900 using the
defined region 6040. Based on the exposure adjustment operation,
the exposure level of the camera is adjusted and the camera
captures the image 6030 using the adjusted exposure level. As shown
in FIG. 60, the person in the image 6030 is not as dark as the in
the image 6025. However, the person's face and body in the image
6030 is still not clear.
[0568] The third example 6015 shows an exposure adjustment
operation performed on the image 6020. Similar to the second
example 6010, the exposure adjustment operation of the example 6015
of some embodiments is performed by the process 5900 using the
defined region 6045. Based on the exposure adjustment operation,
the exposure level of the camera is adjusted and the camera
captures the image 6035 using the adjusted exposure level. As seen
in FIG. 60, the person in the image 6035 is perfectly exposed since
the person's face and body is visible.
[0569] In some embodiments, the selection of the defined region may
be made by the user of the dual camera mobile device. The device
itself may also automatically adjust its defined region for the
exposure adjustment operation through the feedback loop for
exposure adjustment mentioned above in the CIPU 400. The statistics
engine 465 in FIG. 4 may collect data to determine whether the
exposure level is appropriate for the images captured and adjust
the camera sensors (e.g., though a direct connection to the sensor
module 415) accordingly.
[0570] D. Focus Adjustment
[0571] FIG. 61 illustrates a process 6100 for adjusting the focus
of a dual camera mobile device during a video conference. In the
following discussion, the device through which a user directs a
remote device to adjust its camera focus is referred to as the
local device. The process 6100 of FIG. 61 is in some embodiments
performed by the video conference manager 1604 of the local device.
Also, this process will be described below by reference to FIGS. 62
and 63, which provide two exemplary manners for the user of the
local device to request a focus adjustment operation to be
performed by the remote device.
[0572] As shown in FIG. 61, the process 6100 begins by starting (at
6105) a video conference between the local and remote devices. The
process 6100 then receives (at 6110) a video from the remote device
for display on the display screen of the local device. Next, at
6115, the process 6100 determines whether a request to end the
video conference has been received. As described above, a video
conference can end in some embodiments at the request of a user of
the local or remote device. When the process 6100 receives a
request to end the video conference, the process 6100 ends.
[0573] Otherwise, the process determines (at 6120) whether it has
received a request for adjusting the focus of the remote camera of
the remote device. When the process 6100 determines that it has not
received a request for adjusting the focus of the remote camera of
the remote device, the process 6100 returns to operation 6110 to
receive additional video from the remote device. FIGS. 62, 63, and
64 illustrate three different ways that different embodiments
provide to a user to make such a request. In FIGS. 62, 63, and 64,
the first stages 6210, 6310, and 6472 all show a PIP display 6225,
6335, and 6482 of the local device 6200, 6300, and 6471 that
displays two videos, one captured by the local device, and the
other captured by the remote device. The display areas 1155 and
1155 in FIGS. 62 and 63 show an end conference button. However, in
FIG. 64, the layout of the display area 1155 is the same as the
layout of the display area 1155 of FIG. 12, described above.
Moreover, the switch camera button 6488 shown in the display area
1155 can be selected to invoke a local switch camera operation in
some embodiments or a remote switch camera operation in other
embodiments. As shown in the first stages 6210, 6310, and 6472, the
video of the remote device that is displayed in the background
display 6235, 6345, and 6480 is blurry.
[0574] The second stage 6215 of FIG. 62 illustrates an approach
whereby the user of the local device requests a focus adjustment
from the remote device by simply selecting the remote device's
video (e.g., through a single tap 6240 on the remote device's
video). Under this approach, the UI 6205 automatically associates
the user's selection of a region of interest defined by a box 6245
with the user's desire to direct the remote device to perform an
operation (such as focus) on the region of interest and therefore
directs the video conference manager 1604 of the local device 6200
to contact the remote device to perform an adjustment operation
(such as an focus adjustment operation). The defined region of
interest is used by the remote device in the calculation of the
focus adjustment.
[0575] The second stage 6315 of FIG. 63 similarly shows the local
user's selection of the remote video (e.g., through the user's
tapping of the remote device's video). However, unlike the example
illustrated in FIG. 62, this selection in FIG. 63 directs the UI
6305 to display a menu of selectable UI items 6355, 6360, 6365 and
6370 (which can be implemented as selectable buttons), as shown in
the third stage 6320. These selectable UI items include an Auto
Focus item 6360, an Auto Exposure item 6365, a Switch Camera item
6370 and a Cancel item 6355. In some embodiments, the Switch Camera
selectable UI item 6370 is used to request a local switch camera
operation while in other embodiments the Switch Camera selectable
UI item 6370 is used to request a remote switch camera operation.
The fourth stage 6325 then illustrates the local user selecting the
auto-focus item 6360.
[0576] The second stage 6474 of FIG. 64 again similarly shows the
local user's selection of the remote video (e.g., through the
user's tapping of the remote device's video). However, unlike the
example illustrated in FIG. 63, this selection in FIG. 64 directs
the UI 6478 to request a focus adjustment operation (i.e., in
second stage 6474). After the focus adjustment operation is
completed, the UI 6478 displays a menu of selectable UI items 6484
and 6486 (i.e., in third stage 6476), which can be implemented as
selectable buttons. These selectable UI items include an Auto
Exposure item 6486 and a Cancel item 6484.
[0577] When the process determines (at 6120) that the local user
directed the local device to request a focus adjustment operation,
the process 6100 sends (at 6140) a command to the remote device
through the video conference control channel to adjust the focus of
the camera whose video the remote device is currently capturing and
transmitting. After 6140, the process transitions back to 6110,
which was described above.
[0578] In some embodiments, the user of the remote device has to
provide permission before the remote device performs this
operation, while in other embodiments the remote device performs
this operation automatically upon receiving the request for the
local device. Also, in some embodiments, the focus adjustment
operation adjusts the focus settings of the remote device's camera
that is being used during the video conference. In some of such
embodiments, some of the video conference functionalities are
implemented by the video conference module 1602 as discussed above.
In these embodiments, the video conference manager 1604 instructs
the CIPU 1650 to adjust the sensor of the remote device camera
being used.
[0579] The last stages 6220, 6330, and 6476 of FIGS. 62, 63, and 64
show the remote device's video properly focused. Although FIGS. 62,
63, and 64 provide examples of receiving a focus adjustment request
to correct the focus of a remote device, some embodiments allow the
local device's user to request that the local device adjust the
focus of a camera of the local device. Such a request can be made
similar to the approaches shown in FIGS. 62, 63, and 64 to
requesting a remote device to adjust its camera's focus.
[0580] FIGS. 62, 63, and 64 illustrate three example user
interfaces that allow a user to perform a focus adjustment
operation. In some embodiments, the focus adjustment operation
causes changes to the operation of the camera of the dual camera
mobile device that is capturing the video displayed in the UIs such
as changing the focus of the camera.
[0581] As discussed above in FIGS. 56 and 62, the defined region of
interest was used by the remote mobile device in the computation
for exposure adjustment and focus adjustment of the videos,
respectively. However, in some other embodiments, the user's
selection of a region of interest may be used to direct the remote
device to perform one or more operations. For example, in some
embodiments, both exposure adjustment and focus adjustment may be
performed based on the defined region of interest, thereby
directing the remote device to perform both operations.
[0582] E. Frame Rate Control
[0583] During a video conference, some embodiments may wish to
adjust or maintain the rate at which images of a video captured by
a camera of the dual camera mobile device are transmitted (i.e.,
frame rate) to the other device in the video conference. For
example, assuming a fixed bandwidth, some of such embodiments
reduce the frame rate of the video to increase the picture quality
of the images of the video while other of such embodiments increase
the frame rate of the video to smooth out the video (i.e., reduce
jitter).
[0584] Different embodiments provide different techniques for
controlling the frame rate of images of a video during the video
conference. One example previously described above adjusts the VBI
of the sensor module 415 for a camera in order to control the rate
at which images captured by the camera are processed. As another
example, some embodiments of the management layer 935 of the video
conference module 925 shown in FIG. 9 control the frame rate by
dropping images. Similarly, some embodiments of the image
processing layer 930 control the frame rate by dropping images.
Some embodiments provide yet other techniques for controlling frame
rates such as dropping frames in the universal transmission buffer
3120.
V. Dual Camera
[0585] A. Combined Views
[0586] 1. Picture-in-Picture: Display of Two Remote Cameras
[0587] Some embodiments allow a dual camera mobile device to
display videos captured from the mobile device and videos captured
from another dual camera mobile device during a video conference in
any of several display arrangements. FIG. 65 illustrates examples
of different display arrangements for videos captured from one or
more dual camera mobile devices. In FIG. 65, a user of a dual
camera mobile device 6500 (Device A) and a second user of a second
dual camera mobile device 6505 (Device B) are having a video
conference with each other.
[0588] FIG. 65 shows four examples of display arrangements for
Device A on the left. The four display arrangements for Device A
are the First View 6510, the Second View 6515, the Third View 6520,
and the Fourth View 6525. In addition, FIG. 65 also shows four
examples of display arrangements for Device B on the right. The
four display arrangements for Device B are the First View 6565, the
Second View 6570, the Third View 6575, and the Fourth View 6580. In
this example, Device A only displays the two videos captured from
the cameras of Device A while Device B displays the two videos
captured from the cameras of Device A as well as one or both of the
videos captured from the cameras of Device B.
[0589] In the first view 6510, a UI 6585 of Device A provides a
composite display 6512. The composite display 6512 includes two
display areas: a display area 6530 for displaying video captured
from Device A's back camera and a display area 6535 for displaying
video captured from Device A's front camera. In this example, The
display area 6530 is located in the upper half of the composite
display 6512 while the display area 6535 is located in the lower
half of the composite display 6512. The two display areas are of
equal size in the first view 6510. The upper display area 6530 is
displaying a video of a mountain, which is assumed to be a mountain
that is being captured by Device A's back camera. The display area
6535 is displaying a tree and a man with a hat, which are assumed
to be a tree and a man that are being captured by Device A's front
camera.
[0590] The UI 6585 in the second view 6515 provides a composite
display 6517 that includes the same two display areas from the
first view 6510, except that the display area 6535 (displaying
video captured from Device A's front camera) is now located in the
upper half of the composite display 6517 and the display area 6530
(displaying video captured from Device A's back camera) is located
in the lower half of the composite display 6517.
[0591] In the third view 6520, the UI 6585 provides a PIP display
6595. The PIP display 6595 includes two display areas: the display
area 6535 displaying video captured from Device A's front camera as
a background display area and the display area 6530 displaying
video captured from Device A's back camera as a foreground inset
display area. In this view, the background display area 6535 takes
up a majority of the PIP display 6595 while the inset display area
6530 is smaller and overlaps a portion of the background display
area 6535.
[0592] The UI 6585 in the fourth view 6525 also presents a PIP
display 6598 that includes the display areas 6530 and 6535 as shown
in the third view 6520. Unlike the PIP display 6595, the PIP
display 6598 includes the display area 6530 (captured from Device
A's back camera) as the background main display and the display
area 6535 (captured from Device A's front camera) as the foreground
inset display. In addition, the PIP display 6598 is presented in
landscape view (i.e., the width of the PIP display 6598 is longer
than the height).
[0593] The above examples illustrate four possible composite views
for the Device A's UI--two in which the two display areas 6530 and
6535 for displaying the two cameras of the first device are tiered
vertically and two PIP views. Other views are also possible for
Device A's UI. For example, the two display areas could be tiered
horizontally or diagonally, or different PIP views could be
used.
[0594] The various views illustrated for Device B show that
different views for the UI of device B are possible. These views
include video captured from both cameras of Device A as well as one
or more cameras of Device B. In the first view 6565 of Device B, a
UI 6590 of Device B provides a PIP display 6568. The PIP display
6568 includes a composite display area 6569 that is identical to
the composite display 6512 displayed on Device A, as well as an
inset display area 6550 that displays video captured by one of
Device B's cameras (e.g., the front camera). The composite display
area 6569 includes a display area 6531 for displaying video
captured from Device A's back camera and a display area 6536 for
displaying video captured from Device B's front camera. The
composite display 6569 displaying video from Device A takes up the
majority of the PIP display 6568 while the inset display area 6550
is smaller and overlaps the composite display 6569. The display
area 6550 is displaying a video of a smiley face, which is assumed
to be a smiley face whose video is being captured by Device B's
front camera.
[0595] The UI 6590 of Device B in the second view 6570 provides a
PIP display 6572. The PIP display 6572 includes the display area
6550 (displaying video captured from Device B's front camera) and a
composite display 6573 with the display areas 6531 and 6536
displaying video captured from the cameras of Device A. The
composite display 6573 is identical to the composite display 6517
in the second view 6515 for Device A and takes up a majority of the
PIP display 6572. Like in the PIP display 6568 in the first view
6565, the display area 6550 is smaller and overlaps the composite
display 6573. Specifically, in both views the display area overlaps
a portion of the display area 6531 that displays video captured
from Device A's back camera.
[0596] In the third view 6575, the UI 6590 provides a PIP display
6577 that is similar to the PIP display 6595 in the third view 6520
for Device A. The PIP display 6577 also includes the additional
display area 6550 as a second inset display area that overlaps the
background display area 6536. The two inset display areas 6531 and
6550 are tiled horizontally at the bottom of the background primary
display area 6536.
[0597] The UI 6590 in the fourth view 6580 provides a composite
display 6582. The composite display 6582 includes three displays: a
PIP display 6583, the display area 6550, and a display area 6540
(e.g., for displaying video captured by Device B's back camera).
The PIP display 6583 is identical to the PIP display 6598 in the
fourth view 6525 for Device A and takes up a majority of the
composite display area 6582. The displays 6540 and 6550 are smaller
and tiled horizontally below the PIP display area 6583.
[0598] While FIG. 65 illustrates four possible views for Device B,
many other views are possible. The background composite display of
video from Device A could be tiled horizontally rather than
vertically, the inset could overlap the front camera display area
of Device A rather than the back camera display area, the larger
display areas could be displaying the Device B camera(s) rather
than those of Device A, the insets could be located differently,
etc.
[0599] Each set of arrows 6560 stemming from each view of Device A
demonstrates that there is no requirement of a correlation between
the display shown on Device A and the display shown on Device B.
For instance, even if Device A is displaying its video in the
arrangement of view 6510 (e.g., according to a selection of that
arrangement by the user of Device A), Device B could be displaying
video in any of the four illustrated arrangements or in any of a
number of other arrangements not shown in FIG. 65 (e.g., according
to a selection of that arrangement by the user of Device B). Put
another way, the display arrangement for Device A is independent of
the display arrangement of Device B. Some embodiments do not
transmit display areas from one device to another but rather just
transmit the video (e.g., in encoded form), which is displayed in
its corresponding display area by the device.
[0600] 2. Specialized PIPs
[0601] Some embodiments allow a user of a dual camera mobile device
to supenmpose a foreground of a video onto another video in a PIP
display during a video conference. In some embodiments, the
foreground of a video blends into the other video in such a way
that they appear as a display of a single video captured by a
single camera. FIG. 66 illustrates an example of such superimposing
of a foreground of an inset video onto a background video in a PIP
display.
[0602] FIG. 66 illustrates this video superimposition operation in
terms of seven operational stages 6620, 6625, 6630, 6635, 6640,
6660, and 6665 of a UI 6670. The first stage 6620 illustrates the
UI 6670 of a dual camera mobile device 6600 with a PIP display 6682
during a video conference with a remote device. As shown in the
first stage 6620, the PIP display 6682 includes two video displays;
a background main display 6610 and a foreground inset display 6605.
The background main display 6610 takes up a majority of the UI
6670, while the foreground inset display 6605 is smaller and
overlaps the background main display 6610.
[0603] In this example, the background display area 6610 is
displaying a video of a mountain, which is assumed to be a mountain
that is being captured by one of the remote device's cameras. The
foreground inset display area 6605 is displaying a video of a
person with a hat, which in this example is assumed to be a person
whose video is being captured by one of the local device's cameras.
Below the PIP display 6682 is a selectable UI item 6685 labeled
"End Conference" (e.g. a button 6685) that allows the user to end
the video conference with a selection of the item (e.g., by single-
or double-tapping the button).
[0604] The second stage 6625 illustrates the invocation of a
selectable menu 6675. In some embodiments, the menu of selectable
UI items 6675 may be invoked by selecting (e.g., by touching) the
PIP display area 6682. Instead of, or in conjunction with, such an
invocation operation, some embodiments also allow the user to
invoke the menu of selectable UI items 6675 through other
operations, such as through different touchscreen operations or
using one or more other physical inputs of the device.
[0605] The third stage 6630 displays the UI 6670 with the invoked
set of selectable UI items for selecting the video superimposition
operation. In this example, a pop-up menu 6675 with several
selectable UI items is displayed over the PIP display 6682. The
menu of selectable UI items 6675 includes a "Flip PIP" selectable
UI item 6640 (e.g. button 6640), a "Specialized PIP" selectable UI
item 6645 (e.g. button 6645), and a "Cancel" selectable UI item
6690 (e.g. button 6690). In this example, selecting the "Flip PIP"
button 6640 would cause the UI 6670 to swap the background display
6610 with the inset display 6605 (as will be discussed in detail in
the next section), selecting the "Specialized PIP" button 6645
would cause the UI 6670 to begin the operation of video
superimposition, and selecting the "Cancel" button 6690 would
remove the pop-up menu 6675 from the PIP display 6682. Other
embodiments include different or more items in the PIP pop-up menu
6675.
[0606] The fourth stage 6635 illustrates the UI 6670 after the user
has selected the "Specialized PIP" button 6645 (e.g., by tapping on
the button 6645 with his finger 6695). This selection is indicated
by the highlighting of the button 6645 on the UI display 6670. Some
embodiments use different indication displays (e.g., highlighting
the border of the selected item or the text in the selected
item).
[0607] The fifth stage 6640 shows the UI 6670 after the video
superimposition operation has begun. In this stage, the UI 6670
allows the user to choose from which video he wants to extract as a
foreground and which video he wants to use as a background in the
superimposed video. The UI 6670 provides the options through a
pop-up menu 6680 with several selectable UI items displayed over
the PIP display 6682. The pop-up menu 6680 of selectable UI items
includes a "Select Inset" selectable UI item 6655 (e.g. button
6655), a "Select Main" selectable UI item 6650 (e.g. button 6650),
and a "Cancel" selectable UI item 6692 (e.g. button 6692).
[0608] Selection of the "Select Inset" button 6655 would cause the
UI 6670 to superimpose the foreground of the inset video 6605 from
the local device's camera (i.e., the man with a hat) onto the
background main video 6610 from the remote device's camera. On the
other hand, selection of the "Select Main" button 6650 would cause
the UI 6670 superimpose the foreground of the background main video
6610 from the remote device's camera (i.e., the mountain) onto the
inset video 6605 from the local device's camera. In some
embodiments, this causes a switch of the two video feeds such that
the video currently in the inset display area 6605 will occupy most
of the UI 6670 and the video currently in the primary display area
6610 will be superimposed on the now-primary video. Selection of
the "Cancel" button 6692 would abort the video superimposition
operation and remove the pop-up menu 6680 from the PIP display area
6682.
[0609] The sixth stage 6660 illustrates the UI 6670 after the user
has selected the "Select Inset" button 6655 (e.g., by tapping on
the button 6655 with his finger 6695). This selection is indicated
by the highlighting of the button 6655 on the UI display 6670. Some
embodiments use different indication displays (e.g., highlighting
the border of the selected item or the text in the selected
item).
[0610] The seventh stage 6665 illustrates the UI 6670 after the
video superimposition operation is complete. As shown in the UI
6670, the foreground of the inset display area 6605 (i.e., the man
with a hat) is extracted from the display area 6605. The window
frame and the background (i.e., everything else other than the
foreground) of the inset display 6605 are also removed from the
screen. Finally, the foreground (i.e., the man with a hat) is
blended into the background video 6610 in such a way that it
appears as a single video. Various different techniques may be used
to remove the background of the inset video. Some embodiments
identify pixels that are not moving relative to other pixels, look
for patterns or colors that are constant, use a baseline image
compared to the image that includes the foreground and subtract out
the difference, or use a different technique.
[0611] While the example of FIG. 66 illustrates the foreground of
the inset display area 6605 staying in the same place in the UI
6670 when superimposed onto the background display area 6610, this
is only one example of how the superimposition can work. Some
embodiments move the foreground video to a particular location in
the UI 6670 (e.g., the center, one of the comers, etc.). Similar to
the features shown in Sections IV.A.I and IV.A.3, some embodiments
allow the user of the local device to drag the superimposed
foreground video around in the UI or change the size of the
superimposed foreground video.
[0612] Different techniques may be used to determine which
portion(s) of video images is the "foreground" for the video
superimposition operation described above. One such method of some
embodiments determines which portion(s), if any, of the video
images is dynamic. The dynamic portion is considered the
"foreground" because the background of video images is generally
static (i.e., no motion). In such embodiments, video images are
analyzed over a particular period of time. If the difference among
a particular pixel's values over the particular period is not
greater than a defined threshold value (e.g., 5%, 10%, 15%), the
particular pixel is considered a static pixel. After each pixel in
the video images is analyzed, the dynamic pixels (i.e., not static)
of the video images are considered the "foreground" of the video
images.
[0613] FIG. 67 illustrates an example of such technique for
determining the foreground of video images that can be performed by
the video conference manager 1604 or the image processing manager
1608, for example. Specifically, FIG. 67 illustrates a sequence of
six images 6705-6730 of a video that shows a person with a hat and
a tree. In this example, it is assumed that the person is not
standing entirely still and may be talking. As described above,
each pixel in the video images is analyzed to determine whether the
pixel is dynamic or static. For instance, the difference among
pixel 6735's value in images 6705-6730 is determined whether it is
greater than a defined threshold. Here, since the pixel 6735
represents part of the ground rather than the person, the pixel
6735 is considered static. After all of the pixels in the images
6705-6730 are analyzed, it is determined that the person in the
images is dynamic and the remaining portion of the images is
static. As such, the person is the "foreground" that will be
extracted by the operation described by reference to FIG. 66,
above.
[0614] 3. Swap Videos in a Picture-in-Picture Display
[0615] Some embodiments allow the user of a dual camera mobile
device to swap the two display areas in a PIP display (i.e., the
inset display area becomes the background display area, and the
background display area becomes the inset display area in the PIP
display) during a video conference. FIG. 68 illustrates an example
of swapping an inset display area 6605 with a background display
area 6610 in a PIP display 6682 during a video conference.
[0616] FIG. 68 illustrates the swap PIP operation in terms of eight
operational stages of a UI 6670 of the device 6800 in FIG. 66. The
first three stages in FIG. 68 are identical to the first three
stages in FIG. 66. In these stages, the user has brought up the
menu 6675 within the UI 6670 through a selection using the
touchscreen of the local device.
[0617] The fourth stage 6840 in FIG. 68 illustrates the UI 6670
after the user has selected the "Flip PIP" button 6640 (e.g., by
tapping on the button 6640 with his finger 6695). This selection is
indicated by the highlighting of the button 6640 on the UI display
6670. Some embodiments use different indication displays (e.g.,
highlighting the border of the selected item or the text in the
selected item).
[0618] The fifth stage 6845 illustrates the UI 6670 after the swap
PIP operation has started. Some embodiments animate the swapping of
the inset and background display 6605 and 6610 through a flipping
motion. FIG. 68 illustrates an example of one such animation. In
this example, the animation can be described through the flipping
of a viewing pane of which the PIP display 6682 (before the swap
operation is performed) is on one side and the new PIP display 6684
(after the swap operation is performed) is on the other side. The
viewing pane rotates 180 degrees around a vertical axis 6686
located in the center of the PIP display 6682. At this fifth stage
6845, the viewing pane begins to rotate about the vertical axis
6686.
[0619] In the sixth stage 6850, the viewing pane is shown to have
rotated approximately 90 degrees. This is indicated by the thin
line 6688 (i.e. the edge of the viewing pane) displayed in the
center of the screen. The seventh stage 6855 illustrates the
rotation of the viewing pane close to completion. A new PIP display
6684 starts to appear from the other side of the viewing pane and
expands horizontally to fill the device's screen. The PIP display
6684 includes the two display areas 6605 and 6610 after the swap
operation is performed. The display area 6605 presenting the video
of a man with a hat (from the local device's camera) is now in the
background of the PIP display 6684 and the display 6610 presenting
the video of a mountain (from the remote device's camera) in now
the foreground of the PIP display 6684 overlapping the display
6605. The eighth stage 6860 shows the completion of the swap
displays animation.
[0620] One of ordinary skill will recognize that the animation
shown in FIG. 68 is only one of many possible animations of the PIP
inset/background swap operation. For instance, different
embodiments might rotate the viewing panes along a horizontal axis,
instantaneously swap the two display areas, expand one display area
while shrinking the other, etc. Some embodiments provide one
animation that is always used for the swap operations, while other
embodiments allow a user to choose from several animations or use
different animations (e.g., through random selection). Furthermore,
the swap operation can cause changes to the image processing
operations of the dual camera mobile device such as causing the
video conference manager 1604 to change the scaling and compositing
of the videos in response to the user's input.
[0621] 4. Snap-to-Corner
[0622] Some embodiments of the invention allow a user of a dual
camera mobile device to modify the composite display by moving
around one or more display areas that form the composite display.
One example of such movement is described above in Section V.A.1.
Such movement of inset displays is also possible when a PIP display
includes more than one inset display area.
[0623] FIG. 69 illustrates such an example that is performed during
a video conference. This example illustrated in FIG. 69 is similar
to the example illustrated in FIG. 3, except FIG. 69 illustrates
moving around an inset display area 6910 of a PIP display 6965 that
includes two inset display areas 6905 and 6910 rather than only one
such inset display area.
[0624] In FIG. 69, a UI 6960 of a mobile device 6900 presents a PIP
display 6965 during a video conference with a remote user of
another device. The PIP display 6965 in FIG. 69 includes three
video displays: a background main display 6915 and two foreground
inset displays 6905 and 6910. In this example, the background main
display 6915 presents a video of a person singing and playing a
guitar, which is assumed to be video captured by the remote
device's back camera. The foreground inset display 6905 presents a
video of a person holding a racket, which in this example is
assumed to be video captured by the local device's back camera. The
other foreground inset display 6910 presents a video of a person
with a hat, which in this example is assumed to be a person whose
video is being captured by the local device's front camera. Below
the PIP display 6965 is a selectable UI item 6970 labeled "End
Conference" (e.g., a button 6970) that allows the user to end the
video conference by selecting the item.
[0625] This PIP display 6965 is only one manner of presenting a
composite view of the videos being captured by the remote and local
devices. Some embodiments may provide other composite views. For
instance, instead of having a larger background display 6915 for
the video from the remote device, the larger background display
6915 can be of the video from the local device and the smaller
foreground inset displays 6905 and 6910 can be of the videos from
the remote device. Also, some embodiments allow the local and
remote videos to appear in the UI 6960 with the inset displays 6905
and 6910 on one side and the background display 6915 on another
side or all three side-by-side. In other embodiments, the PIP
display 6965 may contain a larger background display 6915 and/or a
smaller foreground inset display. The manner of the PIP display
6965 or a default display mode may be specified by the user in some
embodiments.
[0626] FIG. 69 illustrates the movement of one of the two inset
display areas in a UI 6960 of a device 6900, by reference to five
different operational stages 6920, 6925, 6930, 6935, and 6940. The
first stage 6920 illustrates the UI 6960 during a video conference
between the local user of the device 6900 and the remote user of
the remote device.
[0627] The second stage 6925 illustrates the user starting a
snap-to-comer operation by selecting an inset display area 6910. In
this example, a selection is made by placing a finger 6950 anywhere
within the inset display area 6910. As shown, this selection is
displayed in terms of a thick border 6962 for the inset display
6910. Different embodiments may indicate such a selection in
different ways, such as by highlighting the inset display 6910, by
causing the inset display 6910 to vibrate, etc.
[0628] The third stage 6930 illustrates the UI 6960 after the user
begins to move the inset display area 6910 of the PIP display 6965
from one area in the PIP display 6965 to another area in this PIP
display 6965. In this example, the inset display area 6910 has
started to move from the lower right comer of the PIP display 6965
to the upper right comer of this display, as indicated by the arrow
6955. The inset display 6910 is moved by the user dragging his
finger 6950 towards the upper right comer of the PIP display 6965
after selecting the inset display 6910. Some embodiments provide
other techniques for moving the inset display 6910 around in the
PIP display 6965.
[0629] The fourth stage 6935 illustrates the UI 6960 in a state
after the user has removed his finger 6950 from the screen of the
device 6900. In this state, the inset display area 6910 is still
moving towards the upper right comer of the PIP display 6965 that
was identified based on the user's finger movement in the third
stage. In other words, after the finger 6950 starts the movement of
the inset display 6910 towards the upper right comer of the PIP
display 6965, the UI 6960 maintains this movement even after the
finger 6950 is removed. To maintain this movement, the UI 6960 of
some embodiments require the user's drag operation to be larger
than a particular threshold amount (e.g., longer than a particular
distance or longer than a particular length of time) before the
user removes his finger, otherwise, these embodiments keep the
inset display area in its original bottom right comer position
after moving this display area slightly or not moving it at
all.
[0630] However, while some embodiments allow the inset display area
to move even after the user stops his drag operation before the
inset display area has reached its new location, other embodiments
require the user to maintain his drag operation until the inset
display area reaches its new location. Some embodiments provide
still other techniques for moving the inset display area. For
example, some embodiments may require the user to specify where to
direct the display area 6910 before the display area 6910 actually
starts to move, etc. Some embodiments may also allow display areas
to slide and snap-to-comers by simply tilting the mobile device in
different angles.
[0631] The fifth stage 6940 illustrates the UI 6960 after the inset
display area 6910 has reached its new location at the upper right
comer of the PIP display area 6965. The removal of the thick border
6962 in the fifth stage indicates that the snap-to-comer operation
is completed.
[0632] To facilitate the movement illustrated in the
above-described third, fourth and fifth stages 6930, 6935, and
6940, the UI 6960 of some embodiments employs snapping rules that
allow the inset display area 6910 to quickly snap to a comer of the
PIP display 6965 once the user causes the inset display area 6910
to move towards that comer. For instance, when the user drags the
inset display area 6910 by more than a threshold amount towards a
particular comer, the UI 6960 of some embodiments identifies the
direction of motion of the inset display 6910, determines that the
motion has exceeded a threshold amount, and then subsequently moves
the inset display area 6910 automatically without further user
input to the next grid point in the UI 6960 to which the inset
display 6910 can be snapped. In some embodiments, the only grid
points that are provided for snapping the inset display 6910 are
grid points at the four comers of the PIP display 6965. Other
embodiments provide other grid points in the UI 6960 (e.g., in the
PIP display 6965) to which the inset display 6910 can snap.
[0633] Still other embodiments may not employ grid points so that
the inset display area 6910 can be positioned at any point in the
PIP display. Yet other embodiments provide a feature that allows
the user to turn on or off the snap to grid point feature of the
UI. Moreover, in addition to the video captured from the devices,
different embodiments may allow the user to perform the
snap-to-comer operations to various items, such as icons, etc. As
noted above, the moving of a display area(s) of a composite display
can cause changes to the image processing operations of the dual
camera mobile device such as causing the video conference manager
1604 to re-composite the display area in the composite display in
response to the user's input.
[0634] 5. Push and Snap
[0635] The example in FIG. 69 illustrates a snap-to-comer operation
that allows a user of a dual camera mobile device to move one of
two inset display areas from one comer of the PIP display to
another comer that is not occupied by an inset display. Some
embodiments enable a push feature that moves a first inset to a
location of a second inset and also pushes the second inset to a
new location. FIG. 70 illustrates one such example that is
performed during a video conference.
[0636] FIG. 70 illustrates the movement of an inset display from
one comer of the PIP display to another comer of the PIP display
that is occupied by another inset display, by reference to six
different stages 7020, 7025, 7030, 7035, 7040 and 7045 of this UI
6960. The first stage 7020 illustrates the UI 6960 during a video
conference between a local user of the device and a remote user of
a remote device. The UI 6960 in FIG. 70 shows a PIP display 6965
that is the same PIP display shown in the first stage of FIG. 69
after the video conference has started. In this example, the video
captured by the local user's device is displayed in the inset
display areas 6905 and 6910 and the video captured by the remote
user's device is displayed in the background display area 6915.
[0637] The second stage 7025 illustrates the user starting the
snap-to-comer operation by selecting inset display area 6905. In
this example, a selection is made by placing a finger 7055 anywhere
within the inset display area 6905. As shown, this selection is
displayed in terms of a thick border 7065 for the inset display
6905. Different embodiments may indicate such a selection in
different ways, such as by highlighting the display area 6905, by
causing the display area 6905 to vibrate, etc.
[0638] The third stage 7030 illustrates the UI 6960 after the user
begins to move the inset display area 6905 from the lower left
comer of the PIP display 6965 to the lower right comer of the PIP
display 6965 (by dragging his finger 7055 towards the lower right
comer of the PIP display 6965 after selecting the inset display
6905 in the third stage), as indicated by the arrow 7050. Some
embodiments provide other techniques for moving the inset display
area 6905 around in the PIP display 6965.
[0639] The fourth stage 7035 illustrates the UI 6960 after the
inset display area 6905 has come in contact with the inset display
area 6910. Upon contact, the inset display area 6910 moves towards
the next nearest comer. In this example, the inset display area
6910 starts to move in the direction (as indicated by arrow 7075)
of the upper right comer of the PIP display 6965. The activation of
this push operation is displayed in terms of a thick border 7070
for the inset display 6910. Different embodiments may indicate such
an activation in different ways, such as by highlighting the
display 6910, etc.
[0640] The fifth stage 7040 illustrates the UI n in a state after
the inset display area 6905 has snapped to the lower right comer
that was previously occupied by the inset display area 6910. In
this state, the inset display area is still moving towards the
upper right comer of the PIP display 6965. Also, the thick border
7065 is no longer displayed. So long as the user's drag operation
from the third stage 7030 is larger than a threshold that causes
the inset display area 6905 to snap to the right comer, the inset
display area 6910 is removed from its comer and snaps all the way
to the next nearest comer.
[0641] Some embodiments include a set of rules for determining
which way to push the second inset display area 6910. In the case
illustrated in FIG. 70, some embodiments attempt to continue the
rotation of the inset display areas. That is, because display area
6905 is moved in a counterclockwise direction, the display area
6910 is also moved counterclockwise. Some embodiments provide a
hierarchy of possible locations to which the pushed inset display
area 6910 can move and select the first unoccupied location on the
list. For example, the top right comer might be the first location
in such a list when an inset display area in the bottom right is
pushed by an inset display area coming from the bottom left. If,
however, a third inset display area was already present in the
upper right comer, some embodiments would move to the next option
on the list (e.g., the upper left comer, the center, or the lower
left comer). Other embodiments would push the third inset display
area with the second inset display area such that the device would
need to determine a new location for the third inset display
area.
[0642] The sixth stage 7045 illustrates the UI 6960 after the inset
display area 6910 has reached its new location at the upper right
comer of the PIP display area 6965. The removal of the thick border
7070 in this stage indicates that the snap-to-comer-push operation
is completed. Similar to the push-to-comer operation described by
reference to FIG. 68, the moving of a display area(s) of a
composite display can cause changes to the image processing
operations of the dual camera mobile device such as causing the
video conference manager 1604 to re-composite the display area in
the composite display in response to the user's input.
[0643] 6. Rotate
[0644] Some embodiments rotate a PIP display that is presented
during a video conference when a user of a mobile device used for
the video conference rotates the device during the conference. FIG.
71 illustrates the rotation of a UI display 7175 of a device 7100
when the device is rotated from a vertical position to a horizontal
position. The device 7100 is held vertically when the long side of
the screen is vertical, whereas the device 7100 is held
horizontally when the long side of the screen is horizontal. In the
example illustrated in FIG. 71, the UI display 7175 rotates from a
portrait view that is optimized for a vertical holding of the
device to a landscape view that is optimized for horizontal holding
of the device 7100. This rotation functionality allows the user to
view the UI 7175 displayed in an upright position when the mobile
device 7100 is held either vertically or horizontally. This example
illustrated in FIG. 71 is similar to the example illustrated in
FIG. 34, except that FIG. 71 illustrates rotating a PIP display
that includes two inset display areas rather than only one.
[0645] In FIG. 71, the UI 7175 of the mobile device 7100 presents
the PIP display 7180 during a video conference with a remote user
of another mobile device. The PIP display 7180 in FIG. 71 includes
three video displays: a background main display 7115 and two
foreground inset displays 7110 and 7160. In this example, the
background main display 7115 presents a video of a mountain, which
is assumed to be video captured by the remote device's front camera
or back camera. The foreground inset display 7110 presents a video
of a smiley face in a room, which is assumed to be captured by the
local device's front camera or back camera. The other foreground
inset display 7160 presents a video of a guitarist singing, which
is assumed to be a guitarist whose video is being captured by the
other camera of the local device. Below the PIP display 7180 is an
End Conference button 7155, which the user may select to end the
video conference (e.g., through a single finger tap). This PIP
display is only one manner of presenting a composite view of the
videos being captured by the remote and local devices. Some
embodiments may provide other composite views, such as tiled views
or different PIP displays.
[0646] FIG. 71 illustrates the rotation of the UI 7175 in terms of
six different operational stages 7120, 7125, 7130, 7135, 7140 and
7145. The first stage 7120 illustrates the UI 7175 during a video
conference between the local user of the device and the remote user
of the remote device.
[0647] The second stage 7125 illustrates the UI 7175 after the user
begins to tilt the device 7100 sideways. In this example, the
device 7100 has started to tilt the device 7100 from being held
vertically to being held horizontally, as indicated by the arrow
7185. The appearance of the UI 7175 has not changed. In other
situations, the user may want to tilt the device 7100 from being
held horizontally to being held vertically instead, and in these
situations the UI display 7175 switches from a horizontally
optimized view to a vertically optimized view.
[0648] The third stage 7130 illustrates the UI 7175 in a state
after the device 7100 has been tilted from being held vertically to
being held horizontally. In this state, the appearance of the UI
display 7175 still has not changed. In some embodiments, the
rotation operation is triggered after the device 7100 is tilted
past a threshold amount and is kept past this point for a duration
of time. In the example illustrated in FIG. 71, it is assumed that
the threshold amount and the speed of the rotation do not cause the
UI display 7175 to rotate until a short time interval after the
device has been placed in the horizontal position. Different
embodiments have different threshold amounts and waiting periods
for triggering the rotation operation. For example, some
embodiments may have such a low threshold to triggering the
rotation operation as to make the UI 7175 appear as if it were
always displayed in an upright position, notwithstanding the
orientation of the device 7100. In other embodiments, the user of
the device 7100 may specify when the rotation operation may be
triggered (e.g., through a menu preference setting). Also, some
embodiments may not delay the rotation after the device is tilted
past the threshold amount. Moreover, different embodiments may
allow the rotation operation to be triggered in different ways,
such as by toggling a switch on the mobile device, by giving voice
commands, upon selection through a menu, etc.
[0649] The fourth stage 7135 illustrates the UI 7175 after the
rotation operation has started. Some embodiments animate the
rotation display areas to provide feedback to the user regarding
the rotation operation. FIG. 71 illustrates an example of one such
animation. Specifically, it shows in its fourth stage 7135 the
start of the rotation of the display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160
together. The display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 rotate around an
axis 7165 going through the center of the UI display 7175 (i.e.,
the z-axis). The display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 are rotated the
same amount but in the opposite direction of the rotation of the
device 7100 (e.g., through the tilting of the device 7100). In this
example, since the device 7100 has rotated ninety degrees in a
clockwise direction (by going from being held vertically to being
held horizontally) the rotation operation would cause the display
areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 to rotate ninety degrees in a counter
clockwise direction. As the display areas 7110, 7115 and 7160
rotate, the display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 shrink
proportionally to fit the UI display 7175 so that the display areas
7110, 7115, and 7160 may still appear entirely within the UI 7175.
Some embodiments may provide a message to indicate the state of
this device 7100 (e.g., by displaying the words "Rotating").
[0650] The fifth stage 7140 illustrates the UI 7175 after the
display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 have rotated ninety degrees
counter clockwise from portrait view to landscape view. In this
stage, the display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 have been rotated but
have not yet expanded across the full width of the UI 7175. The
arrows 7170 indicate that at the end of the fifth stage, the
display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 will start to laterally expand
to fit the full width of the UI 7175. Different embodiments may not
include this stage since the expansion could be performed
simultaneously with the rotation in the fourth stage 7135.
[0651] The sixth stage 7145 illustrates the UI 7175 after the
display areas 7110, 7115 and 7160 have been expanded to occupy the
full display of the UI 7175. As mentioned above, other embodiments
may implement this rotation differently. For some embodiments,
simply rotating the screen of a device past a threshold amount may
trigger the rotation operation, notwithstanding the orientation of
the device 7100.
[0652] Also, other embodiments might provide a different animation
for indicating the rotation operation. The rotation operation
performed in FIG. 71 involves the UI display 7175 rotating about
the center of the UI display 7175. Alternatively, the display areas
may be individually rotated about the center axis of their
individual display areas. One such approach is shown in FIG. 72,
which shows an alternative method to animating the rotation of the
PIP display area 7180 of the UI 7175. The PIP display illustrated
in FIG. 72 is the same PIP display 7180 illustrated in FIG. 71.
[0653] FIG. 72 illustrates the rotation of the PIP display 7180 in
terms of six different operational stages 7120, 7125, 7130, 7220,
7225, and 7230. The first three stages of operation of the UI 7175
are identical to the first three stages of operation as described
in the UI 7175 in FIG. 71. At the third stage for both FIGS. 71 and
72, the device has gone from being held vertically to being held
horizontally and the rotation of the UI 7175 has not yet begun.
[0654] The fourth stage 7220 illustrates an alternative method to
animating the rotation. In this stage, the rotation operation has
started. Specifically, the fourth stage 7220 shows the start of the
rotation of the display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160. The display
areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 each rotate around axes 7250 going
through the center of each of the display areas (i.e., the z-axis).
The display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 are rotated the same amount
but in the opposite direction of the rotation of the device 7100
(e.g., through the tilting of the device 7100). In this example,
since the device 7100 has rotated ninety degrees in a clockwise
direction (by going from being held vertically to being held
horizontally) the rotation operation would cause the display areas
7115, 7110 and 7160 to rotate ninety degrees in a counter clockwise
direction. As the display areas 7115, 7110 and 7160 rotate, they
also shrink proportionally to fit the UI display 7175 so that the
display areas 7115, 7110 and 7160 may still appear entirely on the
UI 7175.
[0655] The fifth stage 7225 illustrates the UI 7175 after the
display areas 7115, 7110 and 7160 have rotated ninety degrees
counter clockwise from portrait view to landscape view. In this
stage, the display areas 7115, 7110 and 7160 have been rotated but
have not yet expanded across the full width of the UI 7175 or
reached their final positions. The final positions of the display
areas in the PIP display 7115 are determined by the positions of
the display areas in the PIP display as shown in the first stage
7120 (e.g., the inset display 7110 in the lower left comer and the
inset display 7160 in the lower right comer of the PIP display
7180).
[0656] The arrows 7170 indicate that at the end of the fifth stage,
the display areas 7115, 7110 and 7160 will start to laterally
expand until main display area 7115 fits the full width of the UI
7175. Moreover, the arrow 7255 indicates that the inset display
areas 7110 and 7160 will move to reach their final positions in the
PIP display 7180. In other words, the inset display area 7110 will
move down towards the lower left comer of the PIP display 7180
while the other inset display area 7160 moves to the lower right
comer of the PIP display 7180. Different embodiments may perform
this animation differently, e.g. by using the snap and push
operation illustrated in FIG. 71. The sixth stage 7230 illustrates
the UI 7175 after the display areas 7110, 7115, and 7160 have been
expanded to occupy the full display of the UI 7175 and have moved
to their final positions.
[0657] As mentioned above, other embodiments may implement this
rotation differently. For instance, as similarly illustrated in
FIGS. 36 and 37, some embodiments provide a rotation operation in
which the orientation of the display area that displays the video
captured by the local device changes to reflect the orientation of
the local device after a rotation operation is performed on the
local device, some embodiments provide a rotation operation in
which the orientation of the display area that displays video
captured by the remote device changes to reflect the orientation of
the remote device after a rotation operation is performed on the
remote device, some embodiments provide a rotation operation in
which the display area 1155 remains in the same position, some
embodiments provide a different layout in the display area (e.g.,
the layout of the display area 1155 of FIG. 12), or a combination
thereof.
[0658] For some embodiments, simply rotating the screen of a device
past a threshold amount may trigger the rotation operation,
notwithstanding the orientation of the device 7100. As also
mentioned above, the local and remote devices notify each other of
rotate operations performed on one of the devices through a control
communication channel in order to allow the other device to perform
any corresponding modifications to the one device's video. Also,
the animation of the rotation operation can cause changes to the
operation of the cameras or the image processing operations of the
dual camera mobile device such as causing the video conference
manager 1604 to re-composite the display area(s) at different
angles in the UI 1105 and to scale the images displayed in the
display area(s).
[0659] 7. Select Remote View to View
[0660] As mentioned above, some embodiments allow a user of a dual
camera mobile device to select which camera to use for a video
conference before the start of the video conference or at the start
of the video conference. Instead of, or in conjunction with this
capability, some embodiments allow the user of the device to select
between two videos that are being displayed in the video conference
and that either are from two video cameras of a remote device or
are from two video cameras of the user's local device. FIG. 73
illustrates an in-conference selection of one video from two remote
videos, while FIG. 74 illustrates an in-conference selection of one
video from two local videos.
[0661] FIG. 73 illustrates the selection of the remote video in
terms of six operational stages 7335, 7340, 7345, 7350, 7355, and
7360 of a UI 7375 displayed on a local device 7300. The first stage
7335 illustrates the UI 7375 with an initial PIP display 7390 that
is being presented during a video conference with a remote user of
a mobile device that has two cameras.
[0662] As shown in the first stage 7335, the initial PIP display
7390 includes three displays: a background main display 7315 and
two foreground inset displays 7305 and 7310. The background display
7315 takes a majority of the PIP display area 7390, while the
foreground inset displays 7305 and 7310 overlap portions of the
background display 7315 on the UI 7375. In this example, the
background display 7315 presents a video of a person in front of a
microphone, which is assumed to be video captured by the remote
device's back camera. The first foreground inset display 7305
presents a video of a man's face, which in this example is assumed
to be video captured by one of the cameras of the local device
7300. The second foreground inset display 7310 presents a video of
a person with a hat, which in this example is assumed to be video
captured by the remote device's front camera.
[0663] The initial PIP display 7390 is only one manner of
presenting a composite view of the videos being captured by the
cameras of the local device and remote device. Some embodiments may
provide other composite views. For instance, the background display
may present the video from one of the local device's cameras, and
the smaller foreground inset displays may present the videos from
the remote device's front and back camera. Also, in some cases, the
PIP display only includes one background video display and one
foreground video display, both of which come from the remote
device. The manner of the PIP display or a default display mode may
be specified by the user in some embodiments.
[0664] The second stage 7340 illustrates the start of the video
selection operation. In this example, this operation is initiated
by invoking a set of selectable UI items to be displayed on the PIP
display 7390. The set of selectable UI items present options for
selecting the remote video for display. In some embodiments, the
set of selectable UI items may be invoked by selecting (e.g., by
touching) any display area that is playing a remote video on the UI
7375. In other embodiments, the items may be invoked by selecting
(e.g., by touching) anywhere on UI 7375. Instead of or in
conjunction with such invocation operations, some embodiments also
allow the user to invoke the set of selectable UI items through
other operations, such as through different touchscreen operations
or using one or more other physical inputs of the device.
[0665] The third stage 7345 displays the UI 7375 with the invoked
set of selectable UI items 7380 for selecting the remote videos. In
this example, the set of selectable UI items 7380 in the form of a
pop-up menu is displayed in the PIP display area 7390 and it
overlaps the PIP display. The set of selectable UI items 7380
(which can be implemented as selectable buttons) includes a "Select
RI" selectable UI item 7320 (e.g. button 7320), a "Select R2"
selectable UI item 7325 (e.g. button 7325), a "Select Both"
selectable UI item 7330 (e.g. button 7330), and a "Cancel"
selectable UI item 7385 (e.g. button 7385). In this example,
selection of the "Select RI" button 7320 would cause the UI 7375 to
display only the video captured by the remote device's back camera
(being presented in the background display 7315). Selection of the
"Select R2" button 7325 would cause the UI 7375 to display only the
video captured by the remote device's front camera (being presented
in the foreground inset display 7310). Selection of the "Select
Both" button 7330 would cause the UI 7375 to continue displaying
both videos captured by the remote device's front and back cameras.
Selection of the "Cancel" button 7385 would cancel the operation.
In some embodiments, the video captured by the local device is not
affected by the selection made on this menu.
[0666] The fourth stage 7350 illustrates the UI 7375 after the user
has selected the "Select RI" button 7320 (e.g., by tapping on the
button 7320 with his finger 7365). This selection is indicated by
the highlighting of the button 7320 on the UI 7375. Some
embodiments use different indication displays (e.g., highlighting
the border of the selected item or the text in the selected
item).
[0667] The fifth stage 7355 illustrates the animation of the UI
7375 after the user has selected the video from RI for display. In
this example, the UI 7375 removes the unwanted foreground inset
display area 73I0 by sliding it off the right edge of the PIP
display 7390 as indicated by arrows 7370. Other embodiments utilize
different animations to remove the unwanted inset display area,
such as fading out or dissolving the inset, moving it in a
different direction, or simply removing it instantaneously.
[0668] The sixth stage 7360 displays the UI 7375 during the video
conference after the video selection operation has been completed.
The video display area 7310 is no longer displayed on the UI 7375.
In this stage, the UI 7375 presents a new PIP display 7395 that
includes the video display area 7315 as the background main display
and the video display area 7305 as the inset display.
[0669] In some embodiments, this video selection operation will
also cause the remote device to only display the selected video,
though in other embodiments the operation has no effect on the
remote device. In some embodiments, this video selection operation
will cause the remote device to stop transmitting the unwanted
video to the local device. In fact, this video selection operation
will cause the camera of the remote device to stop capturing the
unwanted video in some embodiments. In some embodiments, these
effects on the remote device can be overruled by the user of the
remote device.
[0670] The above example illustrates the case where the remote view
selected is that which is already displayed in the background main
display. In some embodiments, when the user selects the remote view
that is displayed in one of the inset displays, the selected remote
view is displayed in the background main display. Some such
embodiments use an animation like that displayed in FIG. 68 in this
case. Moreover, the selection of the remote video(s) can cause
changes to the image processing operations of the local dual camera
mobile device such as causing the video conference manager 1604 to
composite only the selected remote video(s) in the composite
display in response to the user's input.
[0671] 8. Select Local View to View
[0672] FIG. 74 illustrates the selection of the local video in
terms of six operational stages 7435, 7440, 7445, 7450, 7455, and
7460 of a UI 7475 displayed on a local device 7400. The first stage
7435 illustrates the UI 7475 with an initial PIP display 7490 that
is being presented during a video conference with a remote user of
a mobile device having at least one camera. The PIP display 7490 is
similar to the one in the first stage 7335 in FIG. 73, except that
unlike FIG. 73, the background display 7415 presents a video of a
man that is captured by a remote device's camera, the left
foreground inset display 7410 presents a video of a person with a
guitar that is captured by the back camera of local mobile device,
and the right foreground inset display 7405 presents a video of a
man with a hat that is captured by the front camera of local mobile
device 7400. Thus, only one remote video is displayed, while two
local videos are displayed.
[0673] The second stage 7440 illustrates the start of the video
selection operation. In this example, this operation is initiated
by invoking a set of selectable UI items to be displayed on the PIP
display 7490 for selecting the remote video for display. In some
embodiments, the set of selectable UI items may be invoked by
selecting (e.g., by touching) any display area that is playing a
local video on the UI display 7475. In other embodiments, the items
may be invoked by selecting (e.g., by touching) anywhere on UI
display 7475. Instead of, or in conjunction with such invocation
operations, some embodiments also allow the user to invoke the set
of selectable UI items through other operations, such as through
different touchscreen operations or using one or more other
physical inputs of the device.
[0674] The third stage 7445 displays the UI 7475 with the invoked
set of selectable UI items 7480 for selecting the local videos. In
this example, the set of selectable UI items 7480 in the form of a
pop-up menu is displayed in the PIP display area 7490 overlapping
the PIP display. The set of selectable UI items 7480 includes a
"Select LI" selectable UI item 7420 (e.g. button 7420), a "Select
L2" selectable UI item 7425 (e.g. button 7425), a "Select Both"
selectable UI item 7430 (e.g. button 7430), and a "Cancel"
selectable UI item 7485 (e.g. button 7485) for canceling the
operation. In this example, selection of the "Select LI" button
7420 would cause the UI 7475 to display only the video captured by
the local device's back camera (being presented in the foreground
inset display 7410). Selection of the "Select L2" button 7425 would
cause the UI 7475 to display only the video captured by the local
device's front camera (being presented in the foreground inset
display 7405). Selection of the "Select Both" button 7430 would
cause the UI 7475 to continue displaying both videos captured by
both cameras on the local device, and selecting the "Cancel" button
7485 would cancel the operation. In some embodiments, the video
captured by the remote device is not affected by the selection made
through this menu.
[0675] The fourth stage 7450 illustrates the UI 7475 after the user
has selected the "Select L2" button 7425 (e.g., by tapping on the
button 7425 with his finger 7465). This selection is indicated by
the highlighting of the button 7425 on the UI display 7475. Some
embodiments use different indication displays (e.g., highlighting
the border of the selected item or the text in the selected
item).
[0676] The fifth stage 7455 displays the animation of the UI 7475
after the user has selected the video from L2 for display. In this
example, the UI 7475 removes the unwanted foreground inset display
7410 by sliding it off the left edge of the PIP display 7490 as
indicated by arrows 7470. Other embodiments utilize different
animations to remove the unwanted inset display area, such as
fading out or dissolving the inset, moving it in a different
direction, or simply removing it instantaneously.
[0677] The sixth stage displays the UI 7475 during a video
conference after the video selection operation has been completed.
The video display area 7410 is no longer on the UI 7425. In this
stage, the UI 7475 presents a new PIP display 7495 that includes
the remote video display 7415 as the background main display and
the local video display 7405 as an inset display. In some
embodiments, this video selection operation only affects the local
display, as both video captures are still transmitted to the remote
device. Other embodiments stop capturing from the removed
camera.
[0678] The above example illustrates the case where the local view
selected is that which is already displayed in the background main
display. In some embodiments, when the user selects the local view
that is displayed in one of the inset displays, the selected local
view is displayed in the main background display. Some such
embodiments use an animation like that displayed in FIG. 68 in this
case. Other embodiments will use an inset remote view when the
local view in the background main display is removed.
[0679] Similar to the remote view selection operation described
above by reference to FIG. 73, the selection of the local video(s)
can cause changes to the image processing operations of the local
dual camera mobile device such as causing the video conference
manager 1604 to the composite only the selected remote video(s) in
the composite display in response to the user's input. The
selection of the local video(s) can also cause changes in the
operation of a camera(s) of the local device. For example, some
embodiments cause the camera of an unselected video to stop
transmitting the unwanted video to the remote device while other
embodiments cause the camera to stop capturing the unwanted
video.
[0680] 9. Select Local View to Transmit
[0681] The above sub-sections illustrate in-conference
modifications to the video displays. Some embodiments also allow a
user of a dual camera mobile device to select which camera to use
for a video conference before the start of the video conference.
FIG. 75 illustrates a pre-conference selection of one video from
two videos captured by the user's dual camera mobile device to use
for the video conference.
[0682] FIG. 75 illustrates the selection of the local video to use
for the video conference in terms of eight operational stages of a
UI 7500. The first stage 7502 illustrates the UI 7500 of a dual
camera mobile device 7518 with an initial PIP display 7542 that is
being presented after a user has requested to start a video
conference with a remote user of a mobile device.
[0683] As shown in the first stage 7502, the initial PIP display
7542 includes two video displays: a background main display 7520
and a foreground inset display 7522. The background main display
7520 takes up a majority of the display screen of the device, while
the foreground inset display 7522 is smaller and overlaps the
background main display. In this example, the background display
7520 presents a video of a person holding a guitar, which is
assumed to be video being captured by the device's back camera. The
foreground inset display 7522 presents a video of a person with a
hat, which in this example is assumed to be video being captured by
the device's front camera.
[0684] This initial PIP display 7542 is only one manner of
presenting a composite view of the videos being captured by the
cameras of the local device. Some embodiments may provide other
composite views. For instance, the background display may present
the video from the device's front camera, and the smaller
foreground inset display may present the video from the device's
back camera. Also, some embodiments allow the two videos to appear
in the UI 7500 in two side-by-side display areas (e.g. left and
right display windows, or top and bottom display windows) or two
diagonally aligned display areas. The manner of the PIP display or
a default display mode may be specified by the user in some
embodiments. Below the PIP display is a selectable UI item 7540
labeled "End Conference" (e.g. a button 7540) that allows the user
to end the video conference by selecting the item.
[0685] In the first stage 7502, the user of the mobile device 7518
has requested to have a video conference with a remote user and is
waiting for the remote user to respond. This waiting period is
illustrated by the "Preview, Waiting for response . . . " notation
at the bottom of the display.
[0686] The second stage 7504 illustrates the start of the video
selection operation. In this example, the operation is initiated by
invoking a set of selectable UI items to be displayed on the PIP
display 7542. The set of selectable UI items present options for
selecting the local video to transmit to the remote device for the
video conference. In some embodiments, the set of selectable UI
items may be invoked by selecting (e.g., touching) anywhere on the
UI display 7500 during the pre-conference time while waiting for
the remote user to respond. Instead of, or in conjunction with such
invocation operations, some embodiments also allow the user to
invoke the set of selectable UI items through other operations,
such as through different touchscreen operations or using one or
more other physical inputs of the device.
[0687] The third stage 7506 illustrates the UI 7500 with the
invoked set of selectable UI items 7526 for the user to select the
videos. In this example, the set of selectable UI items 7526 in the
form of a pop-up menu is displayed in the PIP display area 7542 and
it overlaps the PIP display. In this example, the set of selectable
UI items includes: a "Transmit L1" item 7528 (e.g. button 7528); a
"Transmit L2" item 7530 (e.g. button 7530); a "Transmit Both" item
7532 (e.g. button 7532); and a "Cancel" item 7534 (e.g. button
7534). In this example, selection of the "Transmit LI" button 7528
would cause the UI 7500 to transmit only the video captured by the
device's back camera to the remote device during the video
conference. Selection of the "Transmit L2" button 7530 would cause
the UI 7500 to transmit only the video captured by the device's
front camera to the remote device during the video conference.
Selection of the "Transmit Both" button 7532 would cause the UI
7500 to transmit both videos captured by the device's front and
back camera to the remote user for the video conference, and
selecting the "Cancel" button 7534 would cancel the operation.
[0688] The fourth stage 7508 illustrates the UI 7500 after the user
has selected the "Transmit LI" button 7528 (e.g., by tapping on the
button 7528 with his finger 7524). This selection is indicated by
the highlighting of the button 7528 on the PIP display area 7542.
Some embodiments use different indication displays (e.g.,
highlighting the border of the selected item or the text in the
selected item).
[0689] The fifth stage 7510 illustrates the animation of the UI
7500 after the user has selected the video from the device's back
camera to transmit to the remote device. In this example, the UI
7500 removes the unwanted foreground inset display 7522 by sliding
it off the right edge of the PIP display 7542 as indicated by
arrows 7536. In the sixth stage 7512, the inset display 7522 has
been completely removed from the PIP display area 7542. Different
embodiments use different animations to remove the unwanted display
area, such as fading out or dissolving the display area, moving it
in a different direction, or simply removing it
instantaneously.
[0690] The seventh stage 7514 illustrates the animation of the UI
7500 after the remote user has accepted the video conference
request. The acceptance of the video conference request is
highlighted by the removal of the "Preview, Waiting for response .
. . " notation on the display. In this stage, the background
display area 7520, which is a video from the device's back camera,
gradually decreases in size to the lower left comer of the PIP
display area 7542, as indicated by arrows 7538. The background
display 7520 shrinks so that the UI 7500 can show behind the
display area 7520 a display area 7544 that contains the video from
a camera of the remote user. Some embodiments shrink the local
camera to a different location, use a tiled composite display of
the two displayed videos, or make the remote view the inset display
area of a PIP display.
[0691] The eighth stage 7516 shows the UI 7500 after the video
selection operation has been completed. The UI 7500 presents a new
PIP display 7546 that includes an inset display 7520 of the video
captured from the local device and a background display 7544 of the
video transmitted from the remote device.
[0692] B. Bandwidth & Frame Rate
[0693] In some embodiments, adjustments to the size of the display
areas of a remote mobile device during a video conference may cause
a local mobile device to reallocate the bandwidth allotted to each
video captured by the two cameras (i.e., a front camera and a back
camera) of the local mobile device. FIG. 76 illustrates two
examples of such bandwidth reallocation between the two cameras of
the local device.
[0694] Each of the examples in FIG. 76 involves a back camera
sensor 7605 of a local device, a front camera sensor 7610 of the
local device, a video conference module 7615 of the local device,
and a UI 7635 of a remote mobile device 7620. The back camera
sensor 7605 and the front camera sensor 7610 capture videos from
the respective back and front cameras of the local device. The
captured videos are sent to the video conference module 7615, which
processes them and transmits them to the remote device for display
in the UI 7635.
[0695] In FIG. 76, the UI 7635 of the remote device presents a
composite display. The composite display shows videos that are
captured by the local device's front and back camera. The video
from the front camera captures a tree and a man with a hat while
the video from the back camera captures a mountain landscape. As
illustrated in FIG. 76, the two videos may be displayed in the UI
7635 in many different manners based on the arrangement of display
areas for displaying the videos and also the size of the display
areas. In each example, the video conference module 7615 initially
allocates the total output bandwidth between each of the videos
according to the relative sizes of the display areas in the remote
device. Specifically, the video that is displayed in a larger
display area in the UI 7635 is allocated a larger portion of the
total bandwidth, and the video that is displayed in a smaller
display area in the UI 7635 is allocated a smaller portion of the
bandwidth. In some embodiments, when the videos are displayed in
the same size display area, the total output bandwidth is allocated
equally between the two videos.
[0696] The amount of bandwidth allocated to each of the two videos
may impact the manner in which each video is processed. For
example, a video may require a higher bandwidth than what is
allocated to the video. In such case, the video's frame rate is
adjusted or the size of the video's images is scaled down in order
to accommodate the lower bandwidth. Reducing the frame rate of a
video causes the video to appear "choppy" whereas scaling down the
size of the video's images reduces the area in which the video is
displayed. Therefore, when a video is allocated an amount of
bandwidth, some embodiments adjust the video's frame rate, scale
down the size of the video's images, or perform a combination of
both in order to ensure that the video can be transmitted within
the allotted bandwidth. One of ordinary skill in the art will
realize that the adjustment of frame rate and average frame size
may vary to obtain an optimal overall video quality while still
ensure that the video can be transmitted within the allotted
bandwidth.
[0697] Example (1) of FIG. 76 illustrates one scenario of bandwidth
reallocation in two operational stages of UI 7635. The UI 7635 of
the remote device 7620 in first stage 7670 presents a composite
display that contains two displays--one on the top and the other on
the bottom of the UI 7635. In this example, the top display area
7625 shows a video that is being captured by the local device's
front camera, and the bottom display area 7630 shows a video that
is being captured by the local device's back camera. As illustrated
in the first stage 7670, the top display area 7625 is larger than
the bottom display area 7630. Thus, the video from the local
device's front camera is allocated 80% of the bandwidth, and the
video from the local device's back camera is allocated 20% of the
bandwidth. In order to ensure that the video from the local
device's back camera can be transmitted from the local device to
the remote device within the allotted bandwidth, the video's frame
rate or scaling size, or both, are adjusted.
[0698] The second stage 7675 illustrates the UI 7635 after the user
of the remote device has increased the size of the bottom display
area such that the sizes of the top display area 7625 and the
bottom display area 7630 are approximately the same. As a result,
each of the videos is reallocated 50% of the total bandwidth by the
video conference module 7615.
[0699] Example (2) of FIG. 76 illustrates another scenario for
bandwidth reallocation in two operational stages of UI 7635. In the
first stage 7680 of Example (2), the UI 7635 presents a PIP
display. The PIP display contains two displays: a background main
display area 7650 and a foreground inset display area 7655. The
background display area 7650 takes up a majority of the PIP
display, while the foreground inset display area 7655 is smaller
and overlaps the background main display area 7650. In this
example, the background display area 7650 presents a video that is
being captured by the device's front camera. The inset display area
7655 presents a video that is being captured by the device's back
camera. As illustrated in this stage, the background display area
7650 is larger than the inset display area 7655. Thus, the video
from the device's front camera is allocated 80% of the bandwidth,
and the video from the device's back camera is allocated 20% of the
bandwidth. In order to ensure that the video from the local
device's back camera can be transmitted from the local device to
the remote device within the allotted bandwidth, the video's frame
rate or scaling size, or both, are adjusted.
[0700] The second stage 7685 illustrates the UI 7635 after the user
of the remote device has swapped the displays of the two videos.
Specifically, the background display area 7660 now presents a video
that is being captured by the device's back camera, and the inset
display area 7665 now presents a video that is being captured by
the device's front camera. Since the sizes of the display areas for
the two videos have changed, the video from the device's back
camera is allocated 80% of the bandwidth, and the video from the
device's front camera is allocated 20% of the bandwidth. As such,
the frame rate or scaling size, or both, of the video from the
local device's front camera will be reduced. One of ordinary skill
in the art will realize that the bandwidth distributions described
in FIG. 76 are only examples and other techniques for allocating
bandwidth between two cameras during a video conference are
possible.
[0701] 1. Frame Rate Control
[0702] Like the in-conference frame rate control operations
described above, some embodiments may wish to separately adjust or
maintain the rate at which images of a video captured by each
camera of the dual camera mobile device are transmitted to the
other device in the video conference. Some of these embodiments
provide similar techniques described above. For example, some
embodiments control the frame rate of each camera by adjusting the
VBI of the sensor module 415 of each camera. Other embodiments
provide additional techniques as well such as frame dropping, which
can be performed by the sensor module 415 of each camera and/or the
universal transmission buffer 3120, for example.
[0703] 2. Bandwidth Control Through Scaling
[0704] As discussed above, during a video conference between a dual
camera mobile device and another device, an amount of image data
that can be transmitted over one or more network connections in a
particular amount of time (i.e., network connection bandwidth) may
be limited. To maximize and maintain throughput of the network
connection, different embodiments of the dual camera mobile device
provide different ways to control the amount of image data
transmitted over the network connection in the particular amount of
time. In some embodiments, throughput is the average rate of
successful message delivery over a communication channel (e.g., a
network connection).
[0705] When transmitting images captured by both cameras of the
dual camera mobile device, one such way resizes images from one or
both cameras of the dual camera mobile device to control the amount
of image data transmitted over the network connection. Some
embodiments scale down the size of the images captured by the dual
camera mobile device to reduce the amount of image data transmitted
over the network connection while other embodiments scale up the
size of the images to increase the amount of image data transmitted
over the network connection.
[0706] Some embodiments maintain the height-to-width ratio of the
images when scaling (i.e., uniform scaling). Other embodiments
scale the images such that the height-to-width ratio of the scaled
images are different that the original images (i.e., anamorphic
scaling).
[0707] Furthermore, scaling can be performed at different stages of
the image processing process. The scaling of some embodiments can
be performed by the camera sensor. In such embodiments, the camera
sensor may drop rows or columns of data of an image (i.e., pixel
values). In some of such embodiments, the remaining image data is
interpolated to smooth the appearance of the image.
[0708] The scaling of other embodiments is performed by the scaler
module 455 of the CIPU 400. In some embodiments, scaling is
performed by the video conference manager 1604, as described above,
and in other embodiments, scaler is performed by the encoder. As
such, different embodiments of the dual camera mobile device
perform scaling differently.
[0709] 3. Bit Rate Control
[0710] Some embodiments provide different mechanism for managing
the bit rate at which videos captured by the cameras of a dual
camera mobile device are encoded. In some embodiments, the dual
camera mobile device includes a rate controller for each camera.
Some embodiments provide a fixed bit rate management scheme. Under
this scheme, each of the rate controllers is set at a fixed bit
rate so that the total bit rate of the videos from both cameras on
the mobile device is constant. Other embodiments provide a priority
scheme in which one of the two videos from the device's cameras
will always get priority over the other when the total bit rate is
required to be reduced.
[0711] In some embodiments, an arbitrator module manages the two
rate controllers of the two cameras. FIG. 77 illustrates an example
of such arbitrator module. As shown in FIG. 77, a rate controller
7700 sets the bit rate for the front camera and a rate controller
7705 sets the bit rate of the back camera. The rate controllers
send the images from the camera sensors to the encoder 7715. An
arbitrator module 7710 is connected to both rate controllers and
controls the setting of the bit rate for each rate controller 7700
and 7705 any number of ways based on information such as the
available bandwidth, video size for each of the two videos, etc.,
to ensure that both videos can be transmitted to a remote device
under the available bandwidth. In addition, the arbitrator 7710 can
be configured to implement the fixed rate scheme or the priority
scheme mentioned above.
[0712] In some other embodiments, the two rate controllers for the
two cameras can communicate with each other. Under this scheme, the
rate controllers can exchange information of their respective
videos and set the bit rates of the videos accordingly. Several
examples of rate controller rate management mechanisms are
provided. Many other different mechanisms, however, are
possible.
[0713] 4. Video Processing
[0714] Some embodiments of the dual camera mobile device process
images captured by both cameras of the dual camera mobile device
differently in different situations. For example, when processing a
PIP composite image that includes images captured by both cameras
of the dual camera mobile device, some embodiments selectively
perform the TNR process 2000 on the PIP composite image. Some of
these embodiments perform the TNR process 2000 on only the main
image in the PIP composite image while other of these embodiments
perform the TNR process 2000 on only the inset image in the PIP
composite image.
[0715] As another example of processing images captured by both
cameras of the mobile device, some embodiments scale images
captured by both cameras of the dual camera mobile device based on
various changes to the video conference such as user adjustments to
the display areas (e.g., enlarging inset of a PIP display, defining
a region of interest in a displayed video, swapping main/inset of a
PIP display, etc.) that display videos, changes to total available
bandwidth, etc. Some of these embodiments scale the images in the
manners described above. That is, the images can be scaled by the
encoder 1655, the video conference manager 1604, the scaler module
455, and the camera sensors (i.e., 405a or 405b) by which the
images were captured, for example.
[0716] 5. Encoding
[0717] As mentioned above, some embodiments transmit video from
both cameras of a dual camera mobile device. As such, these
embodiments may encode the videos captured by both cameras for
transmission to a remote device during a video conference.
Different embodiments provide different ways to encode the videos
for transmission. FIG. 78 illustrates an approach that uses a
multiplexer (MUX) 7815, an encoder module 7825, a buffer 7830 and a
combining module 7835 to process the videos for transmission.
[0718] Based on the select signal, the MUX 7815 takes one input
signal and outputs the selected input signal to the encoder 7825.
For instance, if the select signal indicates the MUX 7815 to take
the input signal from C1, the MUX 7815 selects that input signal
and outputs it. The select signal can be provided in many ways such
as through instructions from the video conference manager 1604.
Through the MUX 7815, the encoder 7825 alternately encodes images
received from the MUX 7815 into a bit stream format and stores the
encoded images in buffer 7830. The combining module 7835 combines
(i.e. multiplexes) one or more bit streams stored in the buffer
7830 and outputs a single bit stream.
[0719] The operation of this encoding approach will now be
described in terms of three stages 7860, 7865, and 7870. In the
first stage 7860, the MUX 7815 is configured to receive and output
the images 7805 captured by camera C1 to the encoder 7825 for
encoding. The encoder 7825 encodes the received images and
generates a bit stream 7850, which is then stored in the buffer
7830. The second stage 7865 is similar to the first stage 7860
except the MUX 7815 is configured to receive and output the images
7810 captured by camera C2 to the encoder 7825 for encoding. Again,
the encoder encodes the received images and generates a bit stream
7855, which is stored in the buffer 7830. In the third stage 7870,
the combining module 7835 retrieves the bit streams 7850 and 7855
from the buffer 7830 and combines them into one bit stream for
transmission to the remote device.
[0720] FIG. 79 illustrates another approach for encoding two videos
from a dual camera mobile device for transmission to a remote
device during a video conference. In this approach, a video frame
(i.e. an image) from a first camera of the mobile device and
another video frame from a second camera of the mobile device are
composited into one video frame before the composited video frame
is encoded into a bit stream to be sent to the remote device. As
shown in FIG. 79, this approach includes a compositor 7915, a
buffer 7920, and an encoder 7925.
[0721] As shown, the compositor 7915 composites an image 7905 from
the first camera and an image 7910 from the second camera to form a
composite image 7955. Different embodiments composite the images
7905 and 7910 differently. For instance, the compositor 7915 of
some embodiments may composite the images by aligning the two
images adjacent to one another as shown in FIG. 80. Composite
images 8030 and 8035 illustrate two example composite images using
this technique. In the composite image 8030, the image 7905 from
the first camera is aligned on top of the image 7910 from the
second camera. Whereas, the composite image 8035 shows the image
7905 aligned to the left of the image 7910.
[0722] In some other embodiments, the compositor 7915 may composite
the two images 7905 and 7910 by superimposing the two images 7905
and 7910 on top of a larger background image. A composite image
8040 of FIG. 80 illustrates an example composite image using this
technique. In the composite image 8040, the images 7905 and 7910
are aligned diagonally and superimposed onto the blank image (i.e.,
the image 7905 is located on the top left comer and the image 7910
is located on the bottom right comer of the background image). In
some embodiments, the camera sensors may be different sizes and
thus capture images with different pixel resolutions. In such
embodiments, the compositor 7915 may composite the images 7905 and
7910 in a similar manner as illustrated by composite image 8045 of
FIG. 80. After compositing the two images, the compositor 7915
store the composite images in the buffer 7920. The encoder 7925
retrieves the composite images from the buffer 7920, encodes the
composited images into a bit stream, and sends it to the remote
device of the video conference.
[0723] The operations will now be described by reference to the
compositor 7915, the buffer 7920, and the encoder 7925 illustrated
in FIG. 79. First, a first camera sends an image 7905 as part of a
sequence of images in a video to the compositor 7915. At the same
time, a second camera sends another image 7910 as part of a
sequence of images in a video to the compositor 7915. The
compositor 7915 then composites the images 7905 and 7910 to form a
composite image 7955 in ways that were described above. Next, the
compositor 7915 sends the composite image 7955 to the buffer 7920.
The buffer 7920 then stores the composite images before sending
them to the encoder 7925. Finally, the encoder 7925 encodes the
composite images into a bit stream and sends it to the remote
device of the video conference.
[0724] FIG. 81 illustrates yet another approach for encoding two
videos from a dual camera mobile device for transmission to a
remote device during a video conference. In this approach, the two
videos from the device are displayed in a composite display, a
screen shot of the composite display is taken and encoded into a
bit stream to send to the remote device. As shown in FIG. 81, this
approach includes an encoder 8115. In some embodiments, the encoder
8115 encodes composite images and sends to the remote device.
[0725] The operations will now be described by reference to the
encoder 8115 illustrated in FIG. 81. First, videos from the two
cameras of a dual camera mobile device are displayed on the
device's screen in a composite display. The composite display can
present the videos in any manner. For example, the composite
display in some embodiments can present the two videos in a PIP
display such as a PIP display 8105 illustrated in FIG. 81. In other
embodiments, the composite display may present the two videos in
two side-by-side display areas or two diagonally aligned display
areas. Screenshots of the PIP display 8105, such as an image 8110,
are taken and sent to the encoder 8115. The encoder then encodes
the sequence of screenshots into a bit stream 8120 before sending
it to the remote device of the video conference. While several
different approaches for encoding two videos are described above,
other approaches are still possible.
[0726] 6. Decoding
[0727] Some embodiments of the dual camera mobile device may
receive bit streams encoded by the approaches described above by
reference to FIGS. 78-81. In such embodiments, the dual camera
mobile device may receive (e.g., through the video conference
control channel) information indicating the approached used to
encode the videos. FIG. 82 illustrates one approach of decoding bit
streams of two videos received from another device through a
communications network for display on the dual camera mobile device
during a video conference. Specifically, this approach is used to
decode bit streams encoded by the encoding approach described by
reference to FIG. 78, above.
[0728] As shown in FIG. 82, this approach uses a separating module
8235, buffers 8230 and 8290, and a decoder module 8225. The
separating module 8235 breaks (i.e., demultiplexes) the bit streams
into one or more bit streams and stores the bit streams in the
buffer 8230. The decoder 8225 retrieves encoded bit streams,
decodes them to generate videos, and then stores the videos in the
buffer 8290.
[0729] The operation of this approach will now be described by
reference to the separating module 8235, the buffers 8230 and 8290,
and the decoder module 8225 illustrated in FIG. 82. First, the dual
camera mobile device receives the bit stream 7845 (e.g., at the
networking manager 1614) through the communications network from
the other device in the video conference. The separating module
8235 breaks the received bit stream into two bit streams 8255 and
8260 since the received bit stream is a multiplexed bit stream of
two bit streams. Each encoded bit stream represents the video data
captured from one out of the two cameras of the device. Then, the
separating module 8235 stores the bit streams 8255 and 8260 in the
buffer 8230.
[0730] After, the decoder 8225 retrieves a bit stream 8250, which
is one of the two bit streams 8255 and 8260, from the buffer 8230,
the decoder 8225 decodes the bit stream 8250 to generate video
8280, and stores the video 8280 in the buffer 8290. The decoder
8225 also decodes the other of the bit streams 8255 and 8260 and
stores the generated video in the buffer 8290. Now, both videos can
be retrieved from the buffer 8290 and stored or displayed on the
dual camera mobile device.
[0731] FIG. 83 illustrates an approach to decoding bit streams that
are encoded by the approach described by reference to FIG. 79. As
shown in FIG. 83, this approach includes a decoder 8325, a buffer
8320, and a decompositor 8315.
[0732] In some embodiments, the decoder 8325 receives a bit stream
encoded by the approach illustrated in FIG. 79 and decodes a bit
stream into one or more composite images, which are then stored in
the buffer 8320. The decompositor 8315 extracts the two images from
each composite image. In order to extract the two images from the
composite images, the decompositor 8315 also receives information
indicating the location of each image within the composite image
(e.g., information received through the video conference
communication control channel from the device in the video
conference that composited and encoded the images).
[0733] The operation of this approach will now be described by
reference to the decoder 8325, the buffer 8320, and the
decompositor 8315 illustrated in FIG. 83. First, the decoder 8325
receives a bit stream of video, such as the one created by the
approach described by reference to FIG. 79, from another mobile
device of a video conference. The decoder 8325 decodes the bit
stream into one or more composite images, which includes the
composite image 7955 and stores them to the buffer 8320. The buffer
8320 then stores the composite images before sending them to the
decompositor 8315. When the decompositor receives the composite
image 7955 from the buffer 8320, it breaks down the composite image
7955 into the two images 7905 and 7910, which are identical to the
images 7905 and 7910 in FIG. 79.
[0734] When a bit stream is received from a system such as the one
described in FIG. 81, a decoder such as the decoder 8325 in FIG. 83
decodes the bit stream into a sequence of screenshots. The sequence
of screenshots is displayed on the device's screen as a video
without further processing.
VI. Multiple Sources
[0735] As described above, videos can be captured by both cameras
of the dual camera mobile device and transmitted to another device
in a video conference. Rather than transmitting video captured from
both cameras of the dual camera mobile device, some embodiments may
transmit different media content or any content displayed on the
dual camera mobile device along with videos captured from a camera
of the dual camera mobile device. In other words, these embodiments
can transmit content from a number of sources along with video
captured by cameras of the dual camera mobile device.
[0736] FIG. 84 conceptually illustrates another software
architecture for a video conferencing and processing module of a
dual camera mobile device of some embodiments. The video
conferencing and processing module of FIG. 84 is the similar to the
video conferencing and processing module 1600 of FIG. 16 except the
video conferencing and processing module includes a display driver
8485 and a storage 8475, and the media exchange module 1620
includes a media source module 8470 and a screen capture module
8480.
[0737] The media source module 8470 of some embodiments routes
media content between the video conference module 8402 and the
storage 8475. Examples of media content include videos, images,
documents, and music. Other embodiments store other types of media
content in the storage 8475. The storage 8475 of some embodiments
is internal storage (e.g., RAM) while the storage 8475 of other
embodiments is external storage (e.g., a compact flash (CF) card, a
secure digital (SD) card, etc.).
[0738] In some embodiments, the screen capture module 8480 routes
images of content displayed on the display of the dual camera
mobile device through the display driver 8485. In some embodiments,
the display driver 8485 is responsible for capturing content on the
display and converting the content into an image. Different
embodiments capture different content displayed on the display. For
example, some embodiments capture all the content displayed on the
display. Other embodiments capture a particular display area of the
display (e.g., a display area of a current active window, a display
area of a PIP display, etc.).
[0739] Some example operations of the video conferencing and
processing module will now be described by reference to FIG. 84. To
transmit media content along with video captured from a camera of
the dual camera mobile device, the video conference module 8402 of
some embodiments performs the same operations as the video
conference module 1602 described above in FIG. 16 to except instead
of retrieving images from the CIPU 1650, the video conference
manager 1604 retrieves media content from the storage 8475 through
the media source module 8470. To transmit images of content
displayed on the display of the dual camera mobile device, some
embodiments of the video conference manager 1604 retrieve images of
content displayed on the display of the dual camera mobile device
through the display driver 8485. Some embodiments perform similar
processing to the media content or images of content displayed on
the display (e.g., perspective correction, resizing, etc.) as
performed on images retrieved from the CIPU 1650 while other
embodiments do not perform any processing at all.
[0740] The discussion above describes several of examples of
transmitting content from various sources along with video captured
by a camera of the dual camera mobile device. However, other
embodiments can transmit other different types of content. For
example, in a video conference involving multiple participants,
some embodiments transmit video received from one device on the
video conference and video captured by a camera of the dual camera
mobile device to another device. As such, any number of different
types of content from any number of sources can be transmitted
along with video captured by a camera of the dual camera mobile
device.
VII. Multi-Participant Video Conference
[0741] The above sections that are related to video conferencing
describe video conferences with two participants. However,
multi-participant video conferencing (i.e., three or more
participants) with the mobile devices of some embodiments is also
possible. In some embodiments, all the participants in a
multi-participant video conference can view and hear one another.
Other embodiments provide a multi-participant broadcast video
conference in which one participant (e.g., the broadcaster) can
view and hear all the other participants and all the other
participants can view and hear the broadcaster, but the other
participants cannot view or hear each other (unless authorized by
the broadcaster, for example).
[0742] A. User Interface for Multi-Participant Video Conference
[0743] During a multi-participant video conference, some
embodiments provide a variety of different Uis for displaying the
participants of the video conference and selecting particular
participant(s) to view. For example, some embodiments of the mobile
device provide a UI that simultaneously displays all the
participants of a multi-participant video conference and allows a
user of the mobile device to select one of the participants to view
(e.g., by enlarging the selected participant's image). FIG. 85
illustrates an example of such UI.
[0744] This figure illustrates a sequence of operations for
simultaneous displaying of all the participants of the
multi-participant video conference and selecting of one of the
participants to view in a UI 8530 of a mobile device 8500 by
reference to five different stages 8505, 8510, 8515, 8520, and 8525
of the UI 8530. The first stage 8505 illustrates the UI 8530 after
a multi-participant video conference among three other users of
other devices has been established. As shown, the UI 8530 includes
a composite display 8535 and a display area 1155. The composite
display 8535 includes four display areas 8565, 8570, 8575, and 8580
that display images captured by cameras of the participants of the
multi-participant video conference. In this example, the display
area 8565 shows a user of the mobile device 8500 (i.e., the display
area 8565 displays images captured by the front camera of the
mobile device 8500). The display area 1155 is the same as the
display area 1155 previously described above in FIG. 12.
[0745] The second stage 8510 shows the user of the mobile device
8500 starting a participant selection operation by selecting one of
the display areas of the composite display area 8530. In
particular, the second stage 8510 shows the user selecting the
display area 8570 (e.g., by tapping a finger 8550 on the display
area 8570).
[0746] The third stage 8515 of the UI 8530 illustrates a composite
display 8555 after the participant selection operation is
completed. Some embodiments provide an animation (not shown) to
display a transition between the second stage 8510 and the third
stage 8515. The composite display 8555 includes a PIP display 8560
that shows the display area of the participant selected in the
second stage 8510 (i.e., display area 8570) as the background
display area and the display area 8565 of the user as the inset
display area of the PIP display 8560. In this example, the PIP
display 8560 shows the image of the selected display area 8570
horizontally stretched to fit a landscape orientation. In some
embodiments, the image is not stretched and the image of the
selected display area maintains its portrait orientation (i.e., the
extra space on each side of the background display area is filled
with black bars as shown in FIG. 36). Furthermore, the composite
display 8555 also includes a composite display 8585 that shows
scaled down images of the two unselected display areas 8575 and
8580.
[0747] The fourth stage 8520 shows the user of the mobile device
8500 starting a participant de-selection operation by selecting the
PIP display 8560 (e.g., by tapping a finger 8550 on the PIP display
8560). The fifth stage 8525 illustrates the composite display 8535
after the completion of the participant de-selection operation.
[0748] FIG. 85 shows an example sequence of operations for
simultaneously displaying all the participants of a
multi-participant video conference, performing a participant
selection operation, and performing a participant de-selection
operation. Other sequences of operations are possible. For
instance, after the third stage 8515, instead of starting the
participant de-selection operation, the user can select one of the
unselected display areas displayed in the composite display 8585 to
swap the newly selected display area in the display area 8585 with
the background display area (i.e., the previously selected display
area) of the PIP display 8560. As such, the user can swap display
areas in the display area 8585 with the background display area of
the PIP display 8560 at any time and any number of times during the
multi-participant video conference. Also at any time during the
multi-participant video conference, the user can perform the
participant de-selection operation to return to the composite
display 8535. Moreover, different embodiments allow the user to
select a particular participant in different ways such as by
toggling a switch on the mobile device 8500, by giving voice
commands. etc.
[0749] Some embodiments provide techniques for automatically
selecting participants based on speech detection, for example. In
such embodiments, when one of the participants speaks, the display
area of that participant is automatically selected as the
background display area of the PIP display 8560. When a different
participant speaks, the display area of that participant is
automatically selected as the background display area of the PIP
display 8560. In some embodiments, when none of the participants of
the multi-participant video conference is speaking, the display
displays the composite display 8535 after a defined amount of
silence (e.g., 3 seconds). In some embodiments, when the user of
the mobile device 8500 speaks, nothing happens on the UI 8530 of
the mobile device 8500.
[0750] FIG. 86 illustrates another example sequence of operations
for simultaneous displaying of all the participants of the
multi-participant video conference and selecting one of the
participants to view. FIG. 86 illustrates this operation in a UI
8645 of the mobile device 8500 by reference to seven different
stages 8505, 8605, 8610, 8615, 8620, 8625 and 8630 of the UI 8645.
The first stage 8505 is the same as the first stage 8505
illustrated in FIG. 85 as it shows the UI 8645 after a
multi-participant video conference among three other users of other
devices has been established.
[0751] The second stage 8605 illustrates the user of the mobile
device 8500 starting a participant selection operation by selecting
the display area 8570 (e.g., by placing two fingers on the display
area 8570). The third stage 8610 shows a transitional stage of the
participant selection operation. In this stage, the user is
dragging the two fingers away from each other while causing the
display area 8570 to become larger and fill up the display area of
what used to be the composite display 8535. This example shows the
display area 8570 being selected, but any of the other display
areas 8565, 8575, and 8580 can be selected. In some embodiments,
the user of the mobile device 8500 is not allowed to select the
display area of the user (i.e., display area 8565 in this
example).
[0752] The fourth stage 8615 of the UI 8645 shows a PIP display
8635 of the UI 8645 after the participant selection operation is
completed. Some embodiments require the user to continue dragging
the fingers away from each other until the display area 8570 fills
the background display area 8640 of the PIP display 8635 while
other embodiments only require the user's drag operation to be
larger than a particular threshold amount (e.g., longer than a
particular distance or longer than a particular amount of time)
before the user removes the fingers. When the user's drag operation
meets or exceeds the particular threshold amount, the UI 8645
continues the enlarging of the display area 8570 until it fills the
background display area 8640 of the PIP display 8635. Otherwise,
the participant selection operation is not complete and the UI 8645
reverts back to the composite display 8535. As shown, the selected
display area (i.e., display area 8570) is the background display
area 8640 of the PIP display 8635 and the display area 8565 of the
user is the inset display area of the PIP display 8635. Some
embodiments provide an animation (not shown) to display a
transition between the third stage 8610 and the fourth stage
8615.
[0753] The fifth stage 8620 illustrates the user of the mobile
device 8500 starting a participant de-selection operation by
selecting the background display area 8640 of the PIP display 8635
(e.g., by placing two fingers on the background display area 8640).
The sixth stage 8625 shows a transitional stage of the participant
de-selection operation. The stage illustrates the user dragging the
fingers toward each other to shrink the display area of what used
to be the background display area 8640 of the PIP display 8635.
Similar to the operation described in the third stage 8610, some
embodiments require the user's drag operation to be larger than a
particular threshold amount (e.g., longer than a particular
distance or longer than a particular amount of time) before the
user removes the fingers. Else, the participant de-selection
operation is not complete and the UI 8645 reverts back to the PIP
display 8635. The seventh stage 8630 of the UI 8645 shows the
composite display 8535 after the completion of the participant
de-selection operation.
[0754] FIG. 86 illustrates another example sequence of operations
for simultaneously displaying all the participants of a
multi-participant video conference, performing a participant
selection operation, and performing a participant de-selection
operation. However, some embodiments allow the user of the mobile
device 8500 to repeatedly perform a participant selection operation
and participant de-selection operation. FIG. 87 illustrates one
such embodiment.
[0755] Specifically, FIG. 87 illustrates an example sequence of
performing a participant selection operation and participant
de-selection operation multiple times in a UI 8730 by reference to
seven different stage 8505, 8705, 8615, 8710, 8715, 8720, and 8725
of the UI 8730. The first stage 8505 is the same as the first stage
8505 of FIGS. 85 and 86, mentioned above. The second stage 8705 is
similar to the second stage 8605 of FIG. 86 except the user selects
the display area 8570 by tapping the display area 8570 once
(instead of placing two fingers on the display area 8570). The
third stage 8615 is the same as the fourth stage 8615 of FIG. 86 as
it shows the PIP display 8635 after the completion of the
participant selection operation. The fourth stage 8710 is similar
to the fifth stage 8620 of FIG. 86 except the user selects the
background display area 8640 of the PIP display 8645 by tapping the
background display area 8640 once (instead of placing two fingers
on the background display area 8640).
[0756] The fifth stage 8715 is the same as the seventh stage 8630
of FIG. 86 since it shows the composite display 8535 after the
participant de-selection operation is completed. The sixth stage
8720 shows similar to the second stage 8510 except the participant
selection operation is performed on the display area 8575.
Similarly, the seventh stage 8725 is similar to the third stage
8705 as it shows the selected display area (i.e., display area
8575) as the background display area 8640 of the PIP display 8635.
Although FIG. 87 only shows a few participant selection and
participant de-selection operations, any number of such operations
can be performed during the multi-participant video conference.
[0757] Moreover, some embodiments provide Uis that can display
differently numbers of participants during the video conference.
For instance, the UI of some embodiments displays only some of the
participants of the multi-participant video conference when the
mobile device is held in an upright position (i.e., a portrait
orientation) and displays additional participants when the mobile
device is held in a sideways position (i.e., a landscape
orientation). Other embodiments display all the participants when
the mobile device is held in the sideways position. In addition,
some embodiments provide an animation to indicate the transition
between different positions and/or orientations of the mobile
device that are similar to those illustrated in FIGS. 34, 35, 36
and 37. Other different animations are also possible.
[0758] As another example of a UI that displays different numbers
of participants during the video conference, some embodiments allow
the user of the mobile device to select multiple participants to
simultaneously view during the video conference. Referring to the
first stage 8505 of FIG. 85 for purposes of explanation, some of
these embodiments allow the user of the mobile device 8500 to
select two or more of the display areas 8565, 8570, 8575, and 8580
(e.g., by tapping the corresponding display areas in the composite
display 8535). The selected display areas can then be displayed in
various manners such as a composite display, a PIP display, any of
the display arrangements illustrated in FIG. 65, among other types
of multi-participants displays arrangements. Furthermore, although
an example of some embodiments is described, one of ordinary skill
will realize that different embodiments can select and display
multiple participants of a multi-participant video conference any
number of different ways.
[0759] B. User Interface for Multi-Participant Broadcast Video
Conference As noted above, a multi-participant broadcast video
conference only allows one participant to hear and view all of the
other participants while the other participants cannot hear or view
each other. To facilitate multi-participant broadcast video
conferences, some embodiments provide numerous different Uis for
displaying the broadcaster and the other participants of a
multi-participant broadcast video conference. For example, some
embodiments provide a student-teacher-like UI layout similar to the
layout of the third stage 8515 illustrated in FIG. 85. As such, the
student-teacher UI layout of some embodiments will now be described
by reference to this stage.
[0760] In these embodiments, only the broadcaster is displayed in
the entire display area of the PIP display 8560 (i.e., an inset
display area is not displayed). The other participants of the
multi-participant broadcast video conference are displayed below
the PIP display 8560 similar to the display areas displayed in
composite display 8585. In some embodiments, a defined number of
the other participants are displayed in the composite display 8585
when the mobile device is in a portrait mode while additional or
all participants can be displayed in the composite display 8585
when the mobile device is in a landscape mode as similarly
described above. In addition, other embodiments provide different
Uis for displaying the broadcaster and the other participants of a
multi-participant broadcast video conference.
[0761] C. Controlling Audio for Multi-Participant Video
Conference
[0762] Further, the mobile device of some embodiments provides
different techniques for controlling audio of participants of a
multi-participant video conference. For example, some embodiments
of the mobile device allow the user of the mobile device to control
the audio of each participant in the multi-participant video
conference through a single set of volume controls (e.g., a volume
slider) displayed on the UI of such embodiments. In other
embodiments, the mobile device allows a user of the mobile device
to separately control the volume of the audio of each participant
in the multi-participant video conference through a set of volume
controls such as a volume slider that is displayed in the display
area of each participant. Some embodiments only provide a mute
button instead of a set of volume controls. As such, in some such
embodiments, the user of the mobile device can only mute or un-mute
all the participants of the multi-participant video conference
while in other such embodiments the user of the mobile device can
separately mute or un-mute each participant of the
multi-participant video conference. In addition, other techniques
for controlling the audio of participants of the multi-participant
video conference are possible such as by toggling a switch on the
mobile device, by giving voice commands, etc.
VIII. Electronic System
[0763] Many of the above-described features and applications are
implemented as software processes that are specified as a set of
instructions recorded on a computer readable storage medium (also
referred to as computer readable medium). When these instructions
are executed by one or more processing unit(s) (e.g., one or more
processors, cores of processors, or other processing units), they
cause the processing unit(s) to perform the actions indicated in
the instructions. Examples of computer readable media include, but
are not limited to, CD-ROMs, flash drives, RAM chips, hard drives,
EPROMs, etc. The computer readable media does not include carrier
waves and electronic signals passing wirelessly or over wired
connections.
[0764] In this specification, the term "software" is meant to
include firmware residing in read-only memory or applications
stored in magnetic storage, which can be read into memory for
processing by a processor. Also, in some embodiments, multiple
software inventions can be implemented as sub-parts of a larger
program while remaining distinct software inventions. In some
embodiments, multiple software inventions can also be implemented
as separate programs. Finally, any combination of separate programs
that together implement a software invention described here is
within the scope of the invention. In some embodiments, the
software programs, when installed to operate on one or more
electronic systems, define one or more specific machine
implementations that execute and perform the operations of the
software programs.
[0765] Some embodiments are implemented as software processes that
include one or more application programming interfaces (APis) in an
environment with calling program code interacting with other
program code being called through the one or more interfaces.
Various function calls, messages or other types of invocations,
which further may include various kinds of parameters, can be
transferred via the APis between the calling program and the code
being called. In addition, an API may provide the calling program
code the ability to use data types or classes defined in the API
and implemented in the called program code.
[0766] At least certain embodiments include an environment with a
calling software component interacting with a called software
component through an APL A method for operating through an API in
this environment includes transferring one or more function calls,
messages, other types of invocations or parameters via the APL
[0767] One or more Application Programming Interfaces (APis) may be
used in some embodiments. For example, some embodiments of the
media exchange module 310 (or 910) provide a set of APis to other
software components for accessing various video processing and
encoding functionalities described in FIGS. 3 and 9 such as the
functionalities of the TNR module 1900 described in FIG. 19.
[0768] An API is an interface implemented by a program code
component or hardware component (hereinafter "API-implementing
component") that allows a different program code component or
hardware component (hereinafter "API-calling component") to access
and use one or more functions, methods, procedures, data
structures, classes, and/or other services provided by the
API-implementing component. An API can define one or more
parameters that are passed between the API-calling component and
the API-implementing component.
[0769] An API allows a developer of an API-calling component (which
may be a third party developer) to leverage specified features
provided by an API-implementing component. There may be one
API-calling component or there may be more than one such component.
An API can be a source code interface that a computer system or
program library provides in order to support requests for services
from an application. An operating system (OS) can have multiple
APis to allow applications running on the OS to call one or more of
those APis, and a service (such as a program library) can have
multiple APis to allow an application that uses the service to call
one or more of those APIs. An API can be specified in terms of a
programming language that can be interpreted or compiled when an
application is built.
[0770] In some embodiments the API-implementing component may
provide more than one API, each providing a different view of or
with different aspects that access different aspects of the
functionality implemented by the API-implementing component. For
example, one API of an API-implementing component can provide a
first set of functions and can be exposed to third party
developers, and another API of the API-implementing component can
be hidden (not exposed) and provide a subset of the first set of
functions and also provide another set of functions, such as
testing or debugging functions which are not in the first set of
functions. In other embodiments the API-implementing component may
itself call one or more other components via an underlying API and
thus be both an API-calling component and an API-implementing
component.
[0771] An API defines the language and parameters that API-calling
components use when accessing and using specified features of the
API-implementing component. For example, an API-calling component
accesses the specified features of the API-implementing component
through one or more API calls or invocations (embodied for example
by function or method calls) exposed by the API and passes data and
control information using parameters via the API calls or
invocations. The API-implementing component may return a value
through the API in response to an API call from an API-calling
component. While the API defines the syntax and result of an API
call (e.g., how to invoke the API call and what the API call does),
the API may not reveal how the API call accomplishes the function
specified by the API call. Various API calls are transferred via
the one or more application programming interfaces between the
calling (API-calling component) and an API-implementing component.
Transferring the API calls may include issuing, initiating,
invoking, calling, receiving, returning, or responding to the
function calls or messages; in other words, transferring can
describe actions by either of the API-calling component or the
API-implementing component. The function calls or other invocations
of the API may send or receive one or more parameters through a
parameter list or other structure. A parameter can be a constant,
key, data structure, object, object class, variable, data type,
pointer, array, list or a pointer to a function or method or
another way to reference a data or other item to be passed via the
APL
[0772] Furthermore, data types or classes may be provided by the
API and implemented by the API-implementing component. Thus, the
API-calling component may declare variables, use pointers to, use
or instantiate constant values of such types or classes by using
definitions provided in the APL
[0773] Generally, an API can be used to access a service or data
provided by the API-implementing component or to initiate
performance of an operation or computation provided by the
API-implementing component. By way of example, the API-implementing
component and the API-calling component may each be any one of an
operating system, a library, a device driver, an API, an
application program, or other module (it should be understood that
the API-implementing component and the API-calling component may be
the same or different type of module from each other).
API-implementing components may in some cases be embodied at least
in part in firmware, microcode, or other hardware logic. In some
embodiments, an APT may allow a client program to use the services
provided by a Software Development Kit (SDK) library. In other
embodiments an application or other client program may use an APT
provided by an Application Framework. In these embodiments the
application or client program may incorporate calls to functions or
methods provided by the SDK and provided by the API or use data
types or objects defined in the SDK and provided by the APL An
Application Framework may in these embodiments provide a main event
loop for a program that responds to various events defined by the
Framework. The API allows the application to specify the events and
the responses to the events using the Application Framework. In
some implementations, an API call can report to an application the
capabilities or state of a hardware device, including those related
to aspects such as input capabilities and state, output
capabilities and state, processing capability, power state, storage
capacity and state, communications capability, etc., and the API
may be implemented in part by firmware, microcode, or other low
level logic that executes in part on the hardware component.
[0774] The API-calling component may be a local component (i.e., on
the same data processing system as the API-implementing component)
or a remote component (i.e., on a different data processing system
from the APT-implementing component) that communicates with the
APT-implementing component through the API over a network. It
should be understood that an API-implementing component may also
act as an API-calling component (i.e., it may make API calls to an
API exposed by a different API-implementing component) and an
API-calling component may also act as an API-implementing component
by implementing an API that is exposed to a different API-calling
component.
[0775] The API may allow multiple API-calling components written in
different programming languages to communicate with the
API-implementing component (thus the APT may include features for
translating calls and returns between the API-implementing
component and the API-calling component); however the APT may be
implemented in terms of a specific programming language. An
API-calling component can, in one embodiment, call APis from
different providers such as a set of APis from an OS provider and
another set of APis from a plug-in provider and another set of APis
from another provider (e.g. the provider of a software library) or
creator of the another set of APis.
[0776] FIG. 88 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary API
architecture, which may be used in some embodiments of the
invention. As shown in FIG. 88, the API architecture 8800 includes
the API-implementing component 8810 (e.g., an operating system, a
library, a device driver, an API, an application program, software
or other module) that implements the API 8820. The API 8820
specifies one or more functions, methods, classes, objects,
protocols, data structures, formats and/or other features of the
API-implementing component that may be used by the API-calling
component 8830. The API 8820 can specify at least one calling
convention that specifies how a function in the API-implementing
component 8810 receives parameters from the API-calling component
8830 and how the function returns a result to the API-calling
component. The API-calling component 8830 (e.g., an operating
system, a library, a device driver, an API, an application program,
software or other module), makes API calls through the API 8820 to
access and use the features of the API-implementing component 8810
that are specified by the API 8820. The API-implementing component
8810 may return a value through the API 8820 to the API-calling
component 8830 in response to an API call.
[0777] It will be appreciated that the API-implementing component
8810 may include additional functions, methods, classes, data
structures, and/or other features that are not specified through
the API 8820 and are not available to the API-calling component
8830. It should be understood that the API-calling component 8830
may be on the same system as the API-implementing component 8810 or
may be located remotely and accesses the API-implementing component
8810 using the API 8820 over a network. While FIG. 88 illustrates a
single API-calling component 8830 interacting with the API 8820, it
should be understood that other API-calling components, which may
be written in different languages (or the same language) than the
API-calling component 8830, may use the API 8820.
[0778] The API-implementing component 8810, the API 8820, and the
API-calling component 8830 may be stored in a machine-readable
medium, which includes any mechanism for storing information in a
form readable by a machine (e.g., a computer or other data
processing system). For example, a machine-readable medium includes
magnetic disks, optical disks, random access memory; read only
memory, flash memory devices, etc.
[0779] FIG. 89 is an example of a dual camera mobile computing
device architecture 8900. The implementation of a mobile computing
device can include one or more processing units 8905, memory
interface 8910 and a peripherals interface 8915. Each of these
components that make up the computing device architecture can be
separate components or integrated in one or more integrated
circuits. These various components can also be coupled together by
one or more communication buses or signal lines.
[0780] The peripherals interface 8915 can be coupled to vanous
sensors and subsystems, including a camera subsystem 8920, a
wireless communication subsystem(s) 8925, audio subsystem 8930, I/O
subsystem 8935, etc. The peripherals interface 8915 enables
communication between processors and peripherals. Peripherals such
as an orientation sensor 8945 or an acceleration sensor 8950 can be
coupled to the peripherals interface 8915 to facilitate the
orientation and acceleration functions.
[0781] The camera subsystem 8920 can be coupled to one or more
optical sensors 8940, e.g., a charged coupled device (CCD) optical
sensor, a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) optical
sensor. The camera subsystem 8920 coupled with the sensors may
facilitate camera functions, such as image and/or video data
capturing. Wireless communication subsystems 8925 may serve to
facilitate communication functions. Wireless communication
subsystems 8925 may include radio frequency receivers and
transmitters, and optical receivers and transmitters. They may be
implemented to operate over one or more communication networks such
as a GSM network, a Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth network, etc. The
audio subsystems 8930 is coupled to a speaker and a microphone to
facilitate voice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition,
digital recording, etc.
[0782] I/O subsystem 8935 involves the transfer between
input/output peripheral devices, such as a display, a touch screen,
etc., and the data bus of the CPU through the Peripherals
Interface. I/O subsystem 8935 can include a touch-screen controller
8955 and other input controllers 8960 to facilitate these
functions. Touch-screen controller 8955 can be coupled to the touch
screen 8965 and detect contact and movement on the screen using any
of multiple touch sensitivity technologies. Other input controllers
8960 can be coupled to other input/control devices, such as one or
more buttons.
[0783] Memory interface 8910 can be coupled to memory 8970, which
can include high-speed random access memory and/or non-volatile
memory such as flash memory. Memory can store an operating system
(OS) 8972. The OS 8972 can include instructions for handling basic
system services and for performing hardware dependent tasks.
[0784] Memory can also include communication instructions 8974 to
facilitate communicating with one or more additional devices;
graphical user interface instructions 8976 to facilitate graphic
user interface processing; image/video processing instructions 8978
to facilitate image/video-related processing and functions; phone
instructions 8980 to facilitate phone-related processes and
functions; media exchange and processing instructions 8982 to
facilitate media communication and processing-related processes and
functions; camera instructions 8984 to facilitate camera-related
processes and functions; and video conferencing instructions 8986
to facilitate video conferencing processes and functions. The above
identified instructions need not be implemented as separate
software programs or modules. Various functions of mobile computing
device can be implemented in hardware and/or in software, including
in one or more signal processing and/or application specific
integrated circuits.
[0785] The above-described embodiments may include touch I/O device
9001 that can receive touch input for interacting with computing
system 9003, as shown in FIG. 90, via wired or wireless
communication channel 9002. Touch I/O device 9001 may be used to
provide user input to computing system 9003 in lieu of or in
combination with other input devices such as a keyboard, mouse,
etc. One or more touch I/O devices 9001 may be used for providing
user input to computing system 9003. Touch I/O device 9001 may be
an integral part of computing system 9003 (e.g., touch screen on a
laptop) or may be separate from computing system 9003.
[0786] Touch I/O device 9001 may include a touch sensitive panel
which is wholly or partially transparent, semitransparent,
non-transparent, opaque or any combination thereof. Touch I/O
device 9001 may be embodied as a touch screen, touch pad, a touch
screen functioning as a touch pad (e.g., a touch screen replacing
the touchpad of a laptop), a touch screen or touchpad combined or
incorporated with any other input device (e.g., a touch screen or
touchpad disposed on a keyboard) or any multi-dimensional object
having a touch sensitive surface for receiving touch input.
[0787] In one example, touch I/O device 9001 embodied as a touch
screen may include a transparent and/or semitransparent touch
sensitive panel partially or wholly positioned over at least a
portion of a display. According to this embodiment, touch I/O
device 9001 functions to display graphical data transmitted from
computing system 9003 (and/or another source) and also functions to
receive user input. In other embodiments, touch I/O device 9001 may
be embodied as an integrated touch screen where touch sensitive
components/devices are integral with display components/devices. In
still other embodiments a touch screen may be used as a
supplemental or additional display screen for displaying
supplemental or the same graphical data as a primary display and
receiving touch input.
[0788] Touch I/O device 9001 may be configured to detect the
location of one or more touches or near touches on device 9001
based on capacitive, resistive, optical, acoustic, inductive,
mechanical, chemical measurements, or any phenomena that can be
measured with respect to the occurrences of the one or more touches
or near touches in proximity to device 9001. Software, hardware,
firmware or any combination thereof may be used to process the
measurements of the detected touches to identify and track one or
more gestures. A gesture may correspond to stationary or
non-stationary, single or multiple, touches or near touches on
touch I/O device 9001. A gesture may be performed by moving one or
more fingers or other objects in a particular manner on touch I/O
device 9001 such as tapping, pressing, rocking, scrubbing,
twisting, changing orientation, pressing with varying pressure and
the like at essentially the same time, contiguously, or
consecutively. A gesture may be characterized by, but is not
limited to a pinching, sliding, swiping, rotating, flexing,
dragging, or tapping motion between or with any other finger or
fingers. A single gesture may be performed with one or more hands,
by one or more users, or any combination thereof.
[0789] Computing system 9003 may drive a display with graphical
data to display a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI may be
configured to receive touch input via touch I/O device 9001.
Embodied as a touch screen, touch I/O device 9001 may display the
GUI. Alternatively, the GUI may be displayed on a display separate
from touch I/O device 9001. The GUI may include graphical elements
displayed at particular locations within the interface. Graphical
elements may include but are not limited to a variety of displayed
virtual input devices including virtual scroll wheels, a virtual
keyboard, virtual knobs, virtual buttons, any virtual UI, and the
like. A user may perform gestures at one or more particular
locations on touch I/O device 9001 which may be associated with the
graphical elements of the GUI. In other embodiments, the user may
perform gestures at one or more locations that are independent of
the locations of graphical elements of the GUI. Gestures performed
on touch I/O device 9001 may directly or indirectly manipulate,
control, modify, move, actuate, initiate or generally affect
graphical elements such as cursors, icons, media files, lists,
text, all or portions of images, or the like within the GUI. For
instance, in the case of a touch screen, a user may directly
interact with a graphical element by performing a gesture over the
graphical element on the touch screen. Alternatively, a touch pad
generally provides indirect interaction. Gestures may also affect
non-displayed GUI elements (e.g., causing user interfaces to
appear) or may affect other actions within computing system 9003
(e.g., affect a state or mode of a GUI, application, or operating
system). Gestures may or may not be performed on touch I/O device
9001 in conjunction with a displayed cursor. For instance, in the
case in which gestures are performed on a touchpad, a cursor (or
pointer) may be displayed on a display screen or touch screen and
the cursor may be controlled via touch input on the touchpad to
interact with graphical objects on the display screen. In other
embodiments in which gestures are performed directly on a touch
screen, a user may interact directly with objects on the touch
screen, with or without a cursor or pointer being displayed on the
touch screen.
[0790] Feedback may be provided to the user via communication
channel 9002 in response to or based on the touch or near touches
on touch I/O device 9001. Feedback may be transmitted optically,
mechanically, electrically, olfactory, acoustically, or the like or
any combination thereof and in a variable or non-variable
manner.
[0791] These functions described above can be implemented in
digital electronic circuitry, in computer software, firmware or
hardware. The techniques can be implemented using one or more
computer program products. Programmable processors and computers
can be included in or packaged as mobile devices. The processes and
logic flows may be performed by one or more programmable processors
and by one or more programmable logic circuitry. General and
special purpose computing devices and storage devices can be
interconnected through communication networks.
[0792] Some embodiments include electronic components, such as
microprocessors, storage and memory that store computer program
instructions in a machine-readable or computer-readable medium
(alternatively referred to as computer-readable storage media,
machine-readable media, or machine-readable storage media). Some
examples of such computer-readable media include RAM, ROM,
read-only compact discs (CD-ROM), recordable compact discs (CD-R),
rewritable compact discs (CD-RW), read-only digital versatile discs
(e.g., DVD-ROM, dual-layer DVD-ROM), a variety of
recordable/rewritable DVDs (e.g., DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, etc.),
flash memory (e.g., SD cards, mini-SD cards, micro-SD cards, etc.),
magnetic and/or solid state hard drives, read-only and recordable
Blu-Ray.RTM. discs, ultra density optical discs, any other optical
or magnetic media, and floppy disks. The computer-readable media
may store a computer program that is executable by at least one
processing unit and includes sets of instructions for performing
various operations. Examples of computer programs or computer code
include machine code, such as is produced by a compiler, and files
including higher-level code that are executed by a computer, an
electronic component, or a microprocessor using an interpreter.
[0793] While the above discussion primarily refers to
microprocessor or multi-core processors that execute software, some
embodiments are performed by one or more integrated circuits, such
as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or field
programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). In some embodiments, such
integrated circuits execute instructions that are stored on the
circuit itself.
[0794] As used in this specification and any claims of this
application, the terms "computer", "server", "processor", and
"memory" all refer to electronic or other technological devices.
These terms exclude people or groups of people. For the purposes of
the specification, the terms display or displaying means displaying
on an electronic device. As used in this specification and any
claims of this application, the terms "computer readable medium"
and "computer readable media" are entirely restricted to tangible,
physical objects that store information in a form that is readable
by a computer. These terms exclude any wireless signals, wired
download signals, and any other ephemeral signals.
[0795] FIG. 91 conceptually illustrates an example communication
system 9100 used for connecting some participants of a video
conference according to some embodiments. As shown, the
communication system 9100 includes several mobile devices 9115,
several cellular base stations (or Node Bs) 9110, several radio
network controllers (RNCs) 9105, and a core network 9125.
[0796] Cellular base stations and RNCs are collectively referred to
as a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial
Radio Access Network (UTRAN) 9130. Each RNC 9105 is connected to
one or more cellular base stations 9110 that, together, are
referred to as a radio access network (RAN).
[0797] Each cellular base station 9110 covers a service region
9120. As shown, the mobile devices 9115 in each service region are
wirelessly connected to the serving cellular base station 9110 of
the service region 9120 through a Uu interface. The Uu interface
uses a protocol stack that has two planes: a control plane and a
user plane. The user plane supports circuit-switched,
packet-switched and broadcast data streams. The control plane
carries the network's signaling messages.
[0798] Each cellular base station is connected to an RNC through an
Iub interface. Each RNC 9105 is connected to the core network 9125
by Iu-cs and an Iu-ps interfaces. The Iu-cs interface is used for
circuit switched services (e.g., voice) while the Iu-ps interface
is used for packet switched services (e.g., data). The Iur
interface is used for connecting two RNCs together.
[0799] Accordingly, the communication system 9100 supports both
circuit-switched services and packet-switched services. For
example, circuit-switched services allow a telephone call to be
conducted by transmitting the telephone call data (e.g., voice)
through circuit-switched equipment of the communication system
9100. Packet-switched services allow a video conference to be
conducted by using a transport protocol layer such as UDP or TCP
over an internet layer protocol like IP to transmit video
conference data through packet-switched equipment of the
communication system 9100. In some embodiments, the telephone call
to video conference transition (e.g., handoff) previously described
in the Video Conference Setup section uses the circuit-switched and
packet-switched services supported by a communication system like
the communication system 9100. That is, in such embodiments, the
telephone call is conducted through the circuit-switched equipment
of the communication system 9IOO and the video conference it
conducted through the packet-switched equipment of the
communication system 9I00.
[0800] Although the example communication system in FIG. 91
illustrates a third generation (3G) technology UTRAN wireless
mobile communication system, it should be noted that second
generation (2G) communication systems, other 3G communication
systems such as 3GPP2 Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data
only (EV-DO) and 3rd generation partnership project 2 (3GPP2) Code
Division Multiple Access IX (CDMA IX), fourth generation (4G)
communication systems, wireless local area network (WLAN), and
Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)
communication systems can be used for connecting some of the
participants of a conference in some embodiments. Examples of 2G
systems include Global System for Mobile communications (GSM),
General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and Enhanced Data Rates for
GSM Evolution (EDGE). A 2G communication system architecture is
similar to the architecture shown in FIG. 91 except the 2G
communication system architecture uses base transceiver stations
(BTSs) instead of Node Bs 9I 10 and base station controllers (BSC)
instead of RNC 9105. In a 2G communication system, an A interface
between the BSC and the core network is used for circuit switched
services and a Gb interface between the BSC and the core network is
used for packet switched services.
[0801] In some embodiments, the communication system 9100 is
operated by a service carrier who initially provisions a mobile
device 9115 to allow the mobile device 9115 to use the
communication system 9100. Some embodiments provision a mobile
device 9115 by configuring and registering a subscriber identity
module (SIM) card in the mobile device 9115. In other embodiments,
the mobile device 9115 is instead configured and registered using
the mobile device 9115's memory. Moreover, additional services can
be provisioned (after a customer purchases the mobile device 9115)
such as data services like GPRS, multimedia messaging service
(MMS), and instant messaging. Once provisioned, the mobile device
9115 is activated and is thereby allowed to use the communication
system 9100 by the service carrier.
[0802] The communication system 9100 is a private communication
network m some embodiments. In such embodiments, the mobile devices
9115 can communicate (e.g., conduct voice calls, exchange data)
among each other (e.g., mobile devices 9115 that are provisioned
for the communication system 9100). In other embodiments, the
communication system 9100 is a public communication network. Thus,
the mobile devices 9115 can communicate with other devices outside
of the communication system 9100 in addition to the mobile devices
9115 provisioned for the communication system 9100. Some of the
other devices outside of the communication system 9100 include
phones, computers, and other devices that connect to the
communication system 9100 through other networks such as a public
switched telephone network or another wireless communication
network.
[0803] The Long-Term Evolution (LTE) specification is used to
define 4G communication systems. FIG. 92 conceptually illustrates
an example of a 4G communication system 9200 that is used for
connecting some participants of a video conference in some
embodiments. As shown, the communication system 9200 includes
several mobile devices 9115, several Evolved Node Bs (eNBs) 9205, a
Mobility Management Entity (MME) 9215, a Serving Gateway (S-GW)
9220, a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 9225, and a Home
Subscriber Server (HSS) 9235. In some embodiments, the
communication system 9200 includes one or more MMEs 9215, one or
more S-GWs 9220, one or more PDN Gateways 9225, and one or more
HSSs 9235.
[0804] The eNBs 9205 provide an air interface for the mobile
devices 9115. As shown, each eNB 9205 covers a service region 9210.
The mobile devices 9115 in each service region 9210 are wirelessly
connected to the eNB 9205 of the service region 9210 through a
LTE-Uu interface. FIG. 92 also shows the eNBs 9205 connected to
each other through an X2 interface. In addition, the eNBs 9205 are
connected to the MME 9215 through an SI-MME interface and to the
S-GW 9220 through an SI-U interface. The eNBs 9205 are collectively
referred to as an Evolved UTRAN (E-TRAN) 9230.
[0805] The eNBs 9205 provide functions such as radio resource
management (e.g., radio bearer control, connection mobility
control, etc.), routing of user plane data towards the S-GW 9220,
signal measurement and measurement reporting, MME selection at the
time of mobile device attachment, etc. The MME 92I5 functions
include idle mode mobile device tracking and paging, activation and
deactivation of radio bearers, selection of the S-GW 9220 at the
time of mobile device attachment, Non-Access Stratum (NAS)
signaling termination, user authentication by interacting with the
HSS 9235, etc.
[0806] The S-GW 9220 functions includes (1) routing and forwarding
user data packets and (2) managing and storing mobile device
contexts such as parameters of the IP bearer service and network
internal routing information. The PDN Gateway 9225 functions
include providing connectivity from the mobile devices to external
packet data networks (not shown) by being the point of exit and
entry of traffic for the mobile devices. A mobile station may have
simultaneous connectivity with more than one PDN Gateway for
accessing multiple packet data networks. The PDN Gateway 9225 also
acts as the anchor for mobility between 3GPP and non-3GPP
technologies such as WiMAX and 3GPP2 (e.g., CDMA IX and EV-DO).
[0807] As shown, MME 9215 is connected to S-GW 9220 through an SII
interface and to the HSS 9235 through an S6a interface. The S-GW
9220 and the PDN Gateway 9220 are connected through an S8
interface. The MME 9215, S-GW 9220, and PDN Gateway 9225 are
collectively referred to as an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPC
is the main component of a System Architecture Evolution (SAE)
architecture, which is the core network architecture of 3GPP LTE
wireless communication standard. The EPC is a pure packet system.
For example, the EPC does not have a voice media gateway. Services,
like voice and SMS, are packet-switched routed and are provided by
application functions that make use of the EPC service. So using
the telephone call to video conference transition previously
described above as an example, both the telephone call and the
video conference are conducted through packet-switched equipment of
the communication system 9200 in some embodiments. In some such
embodiments, the packet-switched channel used for the telephone
call is continued to be used for the audio data of the video
conference after the telephone call terminates. However, in other
such embodiments, a different packet-switched channel is created
(e.g., when the video conference is established) and audio data is
transmitted through the newly created packet-switched channel
instead of the packet-switched channel of the telephone call when
the telephone call terminates.
[0808] Moreover, the amount of bandwidth provided by these
different technologies ranges from 44 kilobits per second (kbps)
for GPRS to over 10 megabits per second (Mbps) for LTE. Download
rates of 100 Mbps and upload rates of 50 Mbps are predicted in the
future for LTE.
[0809] While the invention has been described with reference to
numerous specific details, one of ordinary skill in the art will
recognize that the invention can be embodied in other specific
forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. In
addition, a number of the figures conceptually illustrate
processes. The specific operations of these processes may not be
performed in the exact order shown and described. The specific
operations may not be performed in one continuous series of
operations, and different specific operations may be performed in
different embodiments. Furthermore, the process could be
implemented using several sub-processes, or as part of a larger
macro process.
[0810] Also, many embodiments were described above by reference to
a video conference between two dual camera mobile devices. However,
one of ordinary skill in the art will realize that many of these
embodiments are used in cases involving a video conference between
a dual camera mobile device and another device, such as a single
camera mobile device, a computer, a phone with video conference
capability, etc. Moreover, many of the embodiments described above
can be used in single camera mobile devices and other computing
devices with video conference capabilities. Thus, one of ordinary
skill in the art would understand that the invention is not limited
by the foregoing illustrative details, but rather is to be defined
by the appended claims.
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