GB2582161A

GB2582161A - Video conferencing device

Info

Publication number: GB2582161A
Application number: GB1903425.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Michael Moore James
Original assignee: Csba Ltd
Current assignee: Csba Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-13
Filing date: 2019-03-13
Publication date: 2020-09-16
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-13
Also published as: GB2582161B; GB201903425D0

Abstract

The device comprises a light proof housing 103, a camera 101 positioned within the housing, and a beam splitting half silvered mirror 104. The camera comprises a lens defining an optical axis extending from the lens in a forward direction. The beam splitter is supported by the housing in a position forwards of the camera along the optical axis and arranged such that a normal axis perpendicular to a plane of the mirror forms an angle of between 30° and 70° to the optical axis. The video conferencing device is positionable adjacent to a display 300 such that the beam splitter reflects an image of the remote user on the display along the optical axis forwards of the beam splitter. The device may be incorporated in an automatic teller machine.

Description

VIDEO CONFERENCING DEVICE

Field of the invention

The invention relates to a video conferencing device, and to an automated teller machine comprising a video conferencing device.

Background

A video conferencing device typically comprises a camera for recording a local user and a screen for displaying a video feed of a remote user to the local user. The camera and screen are separate components, positioned apart. For example, the camera may be positioned at the top of the display; or may be positioned in a different part of a room to the display.

Video conferencing devices may particularly be used in automated banks. Automated banks seek to replace human staff with computers and/or robots. For example, an automated teller machine (ATM) may comprise a computer which allows a bank customer to perform various banking functions. However, even in a fully automated bank with no human staff, it is still desirable to enable customers to interact with a human worker. A video conferencing device may allow the local customer to interact with a remote worker.

Summary of the invention

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a video conferencing device for use with a display configured to display an image of a remote user, the video conferencing device comprising: a housing; a camera positioned within the housing, the camera comprising a lens defining an optical axis extending from the lens in a forwards direction; a beam splitter supported by the housing, the beam splitter positioned forwards of the camera along the optical axis and arranged such that a normal axis perpendicular to a plane of the mirror forms an angle of between 30° and 70° to the optical axis; wherein the video conferencing device is positionable adjacent to the display such that the beam splitter reflects the image of the remote user along the optical axis forwards of the beam splitter.

As noted above, conventional video conferencing devices comprise a camera and a display screen which are not co-located. If a local user looks at the screen, to view the remote user as they would in a 'real life' conversation, the local user will not be looking directly into the camera. As a result, the local user will appear on the remote user's screen to be looking away from the remote user. The remote user will similarly appear to he looking away from the local user on the local user's display screen. This means that eye-to-eye contact between the local user and the remote user is not possible with a conventional video conferencing device.

Eye-to-eye contact is very important for human interaction. A person not making eye-toeye contact may appear to be dishonest. This is particularly problematic for video conferencing applications such as in automated banks. Video conferencing may be required in remote banks to approve, for example, a request for a bank loan. If the customer cannot make eye-to-eye contact via the bank's video conferencing system, the remote worker may consider the customer to be dishonest so and so may refuse the customer a loan.

The video conferencing device according to the present invention enables the local user and the remote user to make eye-to-eye contact, and so avoids such problems. The beam splitter (or semi-transparent mirror) allows the user to look directly at the screen showing the remote user, whilst simultaneously looking directly into the camera.

In some embodiments, the housing may be configured to restrict a field of view of the camera such that only light transmitted through the beam splitter is captured by the camera. Advantageously, this may prevent extra light, such as light entering from behind the beam splitter, from being captured by the camera. Such extra light may otherwise limit the quality of the image of the local user recorded by the camera.

In particular embodiments, the housing may comprise a distal end wall and one or more sidewalls extending from the distal end wall, the one or more sidewalls defining a proximate opening. The beam splitter may be held within the proximate opening such that the camera is enclosed by the distal end wall, the one or more sidewalls, and the beam splitter.

The housing may be substantially light-proof, such that substantially only light transmitted through the beam splitter is received at the lens of the camera. hi particular, the one or more side walls and distal end wall of the housing may transmit less than 5% of normally incident light, or less than 1% of normally incident light. The interior surfaces of the one or more side walls and distal end wall may also reflect less than 10% of normally incident light, or less than 5%, or less than 1%. This may substantially prevent light bouncing within the housing, meaning that only light directly transmitted through the beam splitter may be captured by the camera lens.

In some embodiments the video conferencing device may further comprise a communications system configured to communicate with a remote video conferencing device, and to transmit a video signal recorded by the camera to the remote video conferencing device and receive a video signal recorded by the remote video conferencing device for display on the screen. The remote video conferencing device may be a video conferencing device according to any embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

In some embodiments, the device may further comprise the display configured to display the image of the remote user. The display may he positioned such that the beam splitter reflects the image of the remote user along the optical axis forwards of the beam splitter. The display may be held by the housing forwards of the beam splitter.

In some embodiments, the angle between the normal axis defining the plane of the mirror and the optical axis may he between 40° and 50°, or may he approximately 45°.

Tn some embodiments, the reflectance of the beam splitter at visible wavelengths (c.g. 380nm-740nm) may he between 20% and 40%. Such reflectance is sufficient to provide a clear display of the display screen to the user of the device, whilst still allowing the camera to collect a high quality image of the local user for transmission to a remote device.

In some embodiments a rearward surface of the beam splitter may comprise an anti-reflection coating. This may prevent stray reflections from interfering with the image of the display screen seen by the local user, and ensure a maximal amount of light from the local user is collected by the camera.

In some embodiments, when in use by a user positioned forwards of the device along the optical axis, the user is visible to the camera, and the camera is invisible to the user. In other words, light reflected from the user is received at the lens of the camera, but light transmitted by or reflected from the camera is not visible to the user.

In some embodiments, the display may be configured to display text and the image of the remote user. For example, the text may comprise information relating to the remote user.

In some embodiments, the display may he configured to display a mirror image of the image of the remote user and/or text. For example, a processor associated with the display may be configured to receive an input image (comprising the image of the remote user and/or text) for display, and to rotate the image to generate a mirror image of the input image. The display may then be configured to display the mirror image generated by the processor. Foisting a mirror image in this way ensures that the image of the display seen by the user, after reflection in the beam splitter, appears as the original image. This is particularly important in embodiments in which text is displayed as well as the image of the remote user, as it is more apparent if text is inverted.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a video conferencing system comprising: a first video conferencing device according to any embodiment of the first aspect, the first video conferencing device comprising a first display; and a second video conferencing device according to any embodiment of the first aspect, the second video conferencing device comprising a second display, and wherein the second video conferencing device is remote from, and in communication with, the first video conferencing device; wherein: the first video conferencing device is configured to record and transmit a first video signal for display on the second display; and the second video conferencing device is configured to record and transmit a second video signal for display on the first display.

According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided an automated teller machine comprising a video conferencing device according to any embodiment of the first aspect..

Brief description of the drawings

By way of example only, certain embodiments of the invention shall now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 is a schematic representation of a video conferencing device according to an embodiment of the invention; and figure 2 is a schematic representation of a video conferencing system comprising a plurality of video conferencing devices.

Detailed description

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary video conferencing device 100, as used by a user 200. The video conferencing device 100 comprises a camera 101, which may particularly be a digital video camera. The camera has a lens 101a defining an optical axis 102 extending from the camera 101 in a forwards direction (i.e. the camera 101 is positioned at a rearwards location along the optical axis 102). The camera 101 is housed within a housing 103, defined in the illustrated example by a distal end wall 103a and side walls 103h (for clarity, only one sidewall 103b is visible in figure 1). Side walls 103b extend from the distal end wall in a forwards direction, and define an opening in which a beam splitter 104 is held.

The beam splitter 104 closes off the housing 103, so that only light which is transmitted through the beam splitter 104 can reach the camera 101. The beam splitter 104 comprises a substantially planar front surface 104a. A normal axis 105 perpendicular to this front surface 104a is shown in figure 1. The beam splitter is held within the housing 103 such that the normal axis 105 forms a first angle 0 with the optical axis 102. In the illustrated embodiment, the first angle is 45 °.

The device 100 is positioned adjacent to a display screen 300. The display screen 300 displays a video feed of a remote user at a remote video conferencing device (not shown in figure 1). In the illustrated embodiment, the device 100 is positioned adjacent to the display 300 such that a normal to the plane of the display 300 is perpendicular to the optical axis 102. The position of the beam splitter 104 appears tilted relative to the display 300 such that a portion of the beam splitter (in this case, the lower portion) is positioned rearwards along the optical axis 102; whilst a portion (in this case, the upper portion) of the beam splitter 104 away from the display 300 is positioned forwards along the optical axis 102. The beam splitter 104 extends far enough to receive light from all portions of the display 300 (i.e. a projection of the beam splitter 104 onto the plane of the display 300 covers at least the same area as the display 300).

When in use, light transmitted from the display 300 is incident upon the front surface 104a of the beam splitter 104, and a certain portion (e.g. 20-40%) of the light is reflected from the surface. Because of the relative angles between the incident light, the front plane 104a, and the optical axis 102, the light from the display 300 is reflected forwards along or parallel to the optical axis 102 towards the user 200. As a result, the user 200 sees an image of the display 300 as if it was directly in front of them (as in a standard computer set up -i.e. substantially perpendicular to the actual position of the display 300). Block arrow 106 in figure 1 illustrates the path of light transmitted from a portion of the display 300 and reflected towards the user 200 by the beam splitter 104.

Simultaneously, light reflected from the user is transmitted through the beam splitter and is captured by the camera 101. The camera 101 is thus able to record video of the local user 200, which can he transmitted to a remote video conferencing device. As the camera lens 101a is directly in line with the camera lens 200, and directly behind the apparent image of the display 300 as reflected in the beam splitter 104, the recorded image of the user 200 appears to he looking directly into the camera 101. The user 200 will therefore appear on a remote video conferencing device to be looking directly at the remote user. Block arrow 107 in figure 1 illustrates an example path of light from the user 200 to the camera 101.

The housing 103 is configured to substantially prevent light entering or leaving the housing, other than through the beam splitter 104. To further prevent light leaving, a rearwards surface 104b of the beam splitter 104 comprises an anti-reflection coating. These features ensure that only the image of the user 200 is recorded by the camera 101, providing a high quality video feed of the local user 200 to the remote user; and ensure that images of the user 200 are not reflected hack towards the user 200, which would interfere with the appearance of the image of the display 300 as viewed by the user.

To further ensure that only light directly transmitted through the beam splitter 104 is recorded by the camera 101, the interior walls of the housing may he configured to limit reflection. For example, the reflectance of the inner surfaces may be 10% or less, 5% or less, or 1% or less.

The device 100 therefore allows the user 200 to be recorded by the camera 101, whilst the user looks directly at the image of the display 300, showing a video feed of a remote user. The local user 200 and remote user are thus able to make eye-to-eye contact during their video call. The arrangement of device 100 ensures that, although the camera 101 is able to see and record the user 200, the camera 100 is invisible to the user 200 -the user 200 only sees the image of the display 300.

It is noted that the beam splitter 104 will cause the user 200 to see a minor image of what is displayed on display 300. Although this may not cause problems when only an image of the remote user is displayed -as the local user 200 may not be able to tell they are looking at a mirror image of a person -it will he more apparent if text is displayed on the display 300. To counteract this effect, the display 300 may itself display a mirror image of the image that would he displayed on a standard screen, so that the reflection in the beam splitter 104 flips the image of the display 300 hack to the correct orientation.

The camera 101 may comprise a guidance light (not shown in the figures) to assist the user 200 in aligning themselves with the camera 101. The guidance light may for example he positioned adjacent to the camera lens 101a, or may extend at least partially around the camera lens 101a. to highlight the position of the camera lens 101a. As a source of light within the enclosed housing 103, a portion of the light from the guidance light will he transmitted through the beamsplitter 104, and will be visible to the user 200. The guidance light may be illuminated for only a short period, for example at the start of a video conference call. Additionally or alternatively, the camera 101 or device 100 may comprise a user position sensor configured to determine if the user 200 is in an optimal position. If the user 200 is not in an optical position, the guidance light may be illuminated to assist the user 200 in re-positioning themselves.

Although the first angle e between the normal 105 to the beam splitter 104 and the optical axis 102 is shown as 45° in the illustrated embodiment, other angles may be used. For example, e may be in the range 300-70°. It will be appreciated that the size of the beam splitter 104, and the size of the housing 103, will be determined by the angle 6 and the size of the display 300 to ensure that a full image of the display 300 is visible to the user 200.

The beam splitter 104 may be formed of glass, and may in one example comprise a high quality, permanent, semi-reflective titanium layer. The beam splitter 104 may be formed by coating titanium onto the glass in a vacuum chamber, and heating the glass to 400°C to oxidise the titanium metal and produce a lough, transparent, semi-reflective layer. As will he appreciated, the amount of light reflected from the finished beam splitter 104 varies with the angle of reflection. Reflection level increases the greater the angle. The density and therefore the strength of reflection can be varied within a certain range during coating. Clear un-coated glass will usually reflect about 15% of light at 45°. A thinly coated beam-splitter will reflect about 20% -25%. The strongest reflection available with this type of coating is approximately 40%. As noted above, values of 20-30% are typically used in the device 100. Secondary reflections may he limited by the titanium coating and the glass itself; however in some embodiments, as noted above, an additional anti-reflection coating may be used.

In the illustrated embodiment, display screen 300 is shown as a separate component to the video conferencing device 100. However, in alternative embodiments the display 300 may be incorporated into the device 100. For example, a display screen 300 may be held the housing 103 in substantially the same position as illustrated in figure 1. The housing sidewalls 103b may extend down beyond the beam splitter 104, to hold the display 300. Alternative positions of the display 300 arc possible, for example the display 300 may be held above the beam splitter 104 relative to the user 200, with the tilt of the beam splitter 104 adjusted accordingly to ensure that light from the display 300 is reflected towards the user 200.

Advantageously, the display screen 300 may he configured display text as well as an image of a remote user. Thus the local user 200 may be able to perform computer-based tasks whilst still viewing a remote user, and whilst still appearing to he looking at the remote user through the camera 101. This may be particularly useful when the video conferencing device is used in banking contexts, allowing an operator to both view with a remote customer with eye-to-eye contact, and access information relating to that customer on a computer.

Figure 2 illustrates a video conferencing system 400 comprising a first video conferencing device 401 and a second, remotely located, video conferencing device 402. The first and second video conferencing devices are both similar to device 100. The first and second video conferencing devices 401, 402 are connected via a network 403. Each device 401, 402 comprises a communications system configured to transmit and receive data over the network 403. The network 403 may be for example be the internet, and the communications systems of each device may comprise wired or wireless connections to the internet. For security, communications between the first and second devices 401, 402 may he encrypted.

The first video conferencing device 401 records video of a first user 404, using a camera as described above in relation to device 100. The video of the first user 404 is transmitted to the second video conferencing device 402 for display to a second user 405. Simultaneously, video of the second user 405 is recorded by a camera of the second device 402, and is transmitted to the first device 401 for display to the first user 404. Due to the set-up of each device 401, 402, each user 404, 405 looks directly into their respective camera whilst also looking directly at an image of the screen showing the other user. As a result, the users 404, 405 are able to maintain eye-to-eye contact during their video call.

Such an arrangement may be particularly useful for remotely connecting a human operator to a customer in an automated hank. At least one of the devices 401, 402 may he incorporated into an automated teller machine (ATM), or other automated banking machine. If a human operator is required to complete a banking function, the device 401. 402 associated with that banking machine may initiate a video call with the other device 402, 401. Data relating to the local user/customer and/or to the banking function they are attempting perform may be transmitted to the remote device 402, 401 as well as the video feed of the local user. In this way, a remote operator is able to have an eye-to-eye video conversation with a user in an automated hank, and to complete banking functions that require intervention of a human operator.

Although system 200 is shown with only two devices 401, 402, it will be appreciated that any number of video conferencing devices may be connected via network 403. A video conferencing call may take place between only two of the available devices 401, 402. Alternatively, more than two devices 401, 402 may be connected into a single video conferencing call.

Although the invention has been described above with reference to one or more preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that various changes or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A video conferencing device for use with a display configured to display an image of a remote user, the video conferencing device comprising: a housing; a camera positioned within the housing, the camera comprising a lens defining an optical axis extending from the lens in a forwards direction; a beam splitter supported by the housing, the beam splitter positioned forwards of the camera along the optical axis and arranged such that a normal axis perpendicular to a plane of the mirror forms an angle of between 30° and 70° to the optical axis; wherein the video conferencing device is positionable adjacent to the display such that the beam splitter reflects the image of the remote user along the optical axis forwards of the beam splitter.
2. The video conferencing device of claim 1, wherein the housing is configured to restrict a field of view of the camera such that only light transmitted throuth the beam splitter is captured by the camera.
3. The video conferencing device of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises a distal end wall and one or more sidewalls extending from the distal end wall, the one or more sidewalls defining a proximate opening; wherein the beam splitter is held within the proximate opening such that the camera is enclosed by the distal end wall, the one or more sidewalls, and the beam splitter.
4. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the housing is substantially lightproof, such that substantially only light transmitted through the beam splitter is received at the lens of the camera.
5. The video conferencing device of any preceding claim, further comprising a communications system configured to communicate with a remote video conferencing device, and to transmit a video signal recorded by the camera to the remote video conferencing device and receive a video signal recorded by the remote video conferencing device for display on the display.
6. The video conferencing device of any preceding claim, wherein the device further comprises the display configured to display the image of the remote user; and wherein the display is positioned such that the beam splitter reflects the image of the remote user along the optical axis forwards of the beam splitter.
7. The video conferencing device of claim 6, wherein the display is held by the housing forwards of the beam splitter.
8. The video conferencing device of any preceding claim, wherein the angle between the normal axis defining the plane of the mirror and the optical axis is between 40° and 50°.
9. The video conferencing device of claim 8, wherein the angle between the normal axis defining the plane of the mirror and the optical axis is approximately 45°.
10. The video conferencing device of any preceding claim, wherein the reflectance of the beam splitter at visible wavelengths is between 20% and 40%.
11. The video conferencing device of any preceding claim, wherein a rearward surface of the beam splitter comprises an anti-reflection coating.
12. The video conferencing device of any preceding claim, wherein, when in use by a user positioned forwards of the device along the optical axis, the user is visible to the camera, and the camera is invisible to the user.
13. A video conferencing system comprising: a first video conferencing device according to any preceding claim, the first video conferencing device comprising a first display; and a second video conferencing device according to any preceding claim, the second video conferencing device comprising a second display, and wherein the second video conferencing device is remote from, and in communication with, the first video conferencing device; wherein: the first video conferencing device is configured to record and transmit a first video signal for display on the second display; and the second video conferencing device is configured to record and transmit a second video signal for display on the first display.
14. An automated teller machine comprising a video conferencing device according to any of claims 1-12.