Remote microphone teleconferencing configurations
View Patent ↗Electronic teleconferencing configurations use one or more remote microphones for added functionality. A base unit includes an interface to a telecommunications network and at least one remote microphone in wireless communication with the base unit, enabling a carder of the microphone to speak to a listener through the base unit over the telecommunications network. The base unit may form part of a telephone, and would preferably further include a docking station to receive the remote microphone along with electrical contacts causing the telephone to enter into a speakerphone mode when the remote microphone is removed for use. A speaker may either be provided in the base unit, or may be disposed in the housing of the remote microphone, for example, in the form of a headset. With multiple wireless microphones audio processing circuitry may be added for level control or microphone/speaker discrimination.
1. Telecommunications apparatus, comprising:
a base unit including an interface to a telecommunications network;
at least one wireless remote microphone in wireless communication with the base unit, enabling a user of the microphone to speak to a listener through the base unit and telecommunications network,
the base unit forming part of a video teleconferencing system including a video camera for capturing images of the user for transmission to the listener through the telecommunications network;
a wireless locator signal transmitter located at the base unit;
the remote microphone being configured to receive and re-transmit the locator signal to the base unit, enabling the base unit to determine a positional aspect of the user of the microphone; and
a pan or tilt capability associated with the video camera which is controlled as a function of the positional aspect, enabling the video camera to visually track a moving user.
2. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 1 , further including:
an auto-focusing capability for the video camera which is controlled as a function of the positional aspect.
3. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 1 , further including:
a zoom lens associated with the video camera which is controlled as a function of the positional aspect.
4. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 1 , further including:
a plurality of wireless remote microphones, each re-transmitting the locator signal to the base unit; and
circuitry for distinguishing the signals received by each microphone so that the camera tracks a particular user when that user is speaking.
5. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 4 , further including:
a plurality of wireless locator signal transmitters; and
wherein each remote microphone re-transmits one of the locator signals to the base unit, enabling the base unit to determine a positional aspect of each user.
6. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 5 , further including:
a pan, tilt, or zoom capability associated with the video camera which is controlled as function of the positional aspect of each user.
7. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the pan, tilt, or zoom capabilities are effectuated by selecting a subset of pixels from a larger number of pixels in an image gathered by the camera.
8. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 5 , further including:
an auto-focusing capability for the video camera which is controlled as a function of the positional aspect of each user, enabling the camera to control depth-of-field associated with one or more users.
9. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the wireless signal transmitter located at the base unit transmits an inaudible acoustic signal.
10. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the circuitry for distinguishing the signals received by each microphone so that the camera follows a particular user includes a different carrier frequency associated with each microphone.
11. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the circuitry for distinguishing the signals received by each microphone includes microphone identification circuitry located at the base unit.
12. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 1 , further including circuitry for:
evaluating signal quality from the microphone; and
a activating an alarm if the signal quality indicates that the microphone is being carried away by the user.