Gaze guidance degree calculation system, gaze guidance degree calculation program, storage medium, and gaze guidance degree calculation method

• US 20050234323A1
• Filed: 03/23/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yamada, Satoshi, Kayahara, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,931,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/00 Image analysis

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide a gaze guidance degree calculation system capable of implementing a compact and low-cost apparatus and surely obtaining a proper eye-flow. According to exemplary embodiments, a layout apparatus where a layout image is segmented into a plurality of regions, and positions of representative regions of the specific regions and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the specific regions are calculated. Next, a plurality of the specific regions in the layout image are set by using a starting point as a reference, and gaze guidance strength indicating a degree of gaze-guidance from the starting point to the specific regions is generated based on the gaze-attraction strength of the representative points in the specific regions.

Claims

1. A gaze guidance degree calculation system for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object, comprising:

a device that calculates a gaze guidance degree, indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point, based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

2. A gaze guidance degree calculation system for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on image data, comprising:

a representative-point position acquisition device to acquire a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image;

a gaze attraction strength acquisition device to acquire gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object; and

a gaze guidance degree calculation device to calculate a gaze guidance degree indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point based on the position of the representative point acquired by the representative-point position acquisition device and the gaze attraction strength acquired by the gaze attraction strength acquisition device,

the gaze guidance degree calculation device calculating the gaze guidance degree based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

3. The gaze guidance degree calculation system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a specific region setting device to set the specific region based on a position of the starting point,

the gaze guidance degree calculation device calculating the gaze guidance degree based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in the specific region set by the specific region setting device.

4. The gaze guidance degree calculation system according to claim 3, the specific region setting device setting a region surrounded by straight lines, curved lines, arcs, or other segmented lines or a region surrounded by rectangle, circle, ellipse or a geometrical shape, as the specific region.

5. The gaze guidance degree calculation system according to claim 2,

the gaze guidance degree calculation device further including:

a gaze guidance direction calculation device to calculate gaze guidance direction indicating a direction of gaze-guidance from the starting point to the specific region;

a gaze guidance strength calculation device to calculate gaze guidance strength indicating strength of gaze-guidance from the starting point to the specific region,

the gaze guidance strength calculation device calculating the gaze guidance direction and the gaze guidance strength as the gaze guidance degree.

6. The gaze guidance degree calculation system according to claim 5, the gaze guidance direction calculation device calculating a predetermined direction from the starting point as the gaze guidance direction.

7. The gaze guidance degree calculation system according to claim 5, the gaze guidance direction calculation device calculating the gaze guidance direction based on the position of the starting point and the position of the representative point in the specific region.

8. The gaze guidance degree calculation system according to claim 5,

a plurality of the representative points existing in the specific region, and

the gaze guidance direction calculation device calculating the gaze guidance direction based on a statistical value of gaze attraction strength of the representative points.

9. The gaze guidance degree calculation system according to claim 5, the gaze guidance strength calculation device calculating the gaze guidance strength based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in the specific region.

10. The gaze guidance degree calculation system according to claim 9,

a plurality of the representative points existing in the specific region, and

the gaze guidance strength calculation device calculating the gaze guidance strength based on statistical values of positions and gaze attraction strength of the representative points.

11. The gaze guidance degree calculation system according to claim 5,

the gaze guidance degree calculation device calculating the gaze guidance directions and the gaze guidance strength corresponding to a plurality of the specific regions of the image, and

the gaze guidance degree calculation device calculating the calculated gaze guidance directions and gaze attraction strength of the specific regions as the gaze guidance degrees thereof.

12. A gaze guidance degree calculation system for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on positions of representative points of objects contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the objects, comprising:

a device that groups representative points in a predetermined range of the image, and

a device that calculates a gaze guidance path passing through the objects in units of a group based on the gaze attraction strength of the grouped representative points.

13. A gaze guidance degree calculation system for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on positions of representative points of objects contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the objects, comprising:

a device that groups representative points in a predetermined range of the image, and

a device that calculates a gaze guidance path passing through the objects corresponding to grouped representative points and the objects corresponding to non-grouped representative points based on gaze attraction strength of the grouped representative points and the non-grouped representative points.

14. A gaze guidance degree calculation program for use with a computer for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object, the program comprising:

a program for calculating a gaze guidance degree, indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point, based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

15. A gaze guidance degree calculation program for use with a computer for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on image data, the program comprising:

a program for acquiring a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image;

a program for acquiring gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object; and

a program for calculating a gaze guidance degree indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point based on the position of the representative point acquired by the representative-point position acquisition and the gaze attraction strength acquired by the gaze attraction strength acquisition, and

the gaze guidance degree calculation calculating the gaze guidance degree based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

16. A gaze guidance degree calculation program for use with a computer for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on positions of representative points of objects contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the objects, the program comprising:

a program for grouping the representative points in a predetermined range of the image and calculating a gaze guidance path passing through the objects in units of a group based on the gaze attraction strength of the grouped representative points.

17. A gaze guidance degree calculation program for use with a computer for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on positions of representative points of objects contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the objects, the program comprising:

a program for grouping the representative points in a predetermined range of the image and calculating a gaze guidance path passing through the objects corresponding to grouped representative points and the objects corresponding to non-grouped representative points based on gaze attraction strength of the grouped representative points and the non-grouped representative points.

18. A computer-readable storage medium storing a gaze guidance degree calculation program for use with a computer for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object, the storage medium comprising:

a program for calculating a gaze guidance degree indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

19. A computer-readable storage medium storing a gaze guidance degree calculation program for use with a computer for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on image data, the storage medium comprising:

a program for acquiring a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image;

a program for acquiring gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object; and

a program for calculating a gaze guidance degree indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point based on the position of the representative point acquired by the representative-point position acquisition and the gaze attraction strength acquired by the gaze attraction strength acquisition,

the gaze guidance degree calculation calculates the gaze guidance degree based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a gaze guidance degree calculation program for use with a computer for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on positions of representative points of objects contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the objects, the storage medium comprising:

a program for grouping the representative points in a predetermined range of the image and calculating a gaze guidance path passing through the objects in units of a group based on the gaze attraction strength of the grouped representative points.

21. A computer-readable storage medium storing a gaze guidance degree calculation program for use with a computer for calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on positions of representative points of objects contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the objects, the storage medium comprising:

a program for the procedure grouping the representative points in a predetermined range of the image and calculating a gaze guidance path passing through the objects corresponding to grouped representative points and the objects corresponding to non-grouped representative points based on gaze attraction strength of the grouped representative points and the non-grouped representative points.

22. A gaze guidance degree calculation method, comprising:

calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object, a gaze guidance degree indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point being calculated based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

23. A gaze guidance degree calculation method, comprising:

calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object, an arithmetic device calculating a gaze guidance degree indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

24. A gaze guidance degree calculation method of calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on image data, comprising:

acquiring a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image;

acquiring gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object; and

calculating a gaze guidance degree indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point based on the position of the representative point acquired by the representative-point position acquisition and the gaze attraction strength acquired by the gaze attraction strength acquisition,

the gaze guidance degree calculation calculating the gaze guidance degree based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

25. A gaze guidance degree calculation method of calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on image data, comprising:

acquiring, with an arithmetic device, a position of a representative point of an object contained in the image;

acquiring, with the arithmetic device, gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the object; and

acquiring, with the arithmetic device, a gaze guidance degree indicating a degree of gaze-guidance of the image from a predetermined starting point based on the position of the representative point acquired by the representative-point position acquisition and the gaze attraction strength acquired by the gaze attraction strength acquisition,

the gaze guidance degree calculation calculating the gaze guidance degree based on the gaze attraction strength of the representative point in a specific region of the image.

26. A gaze guidance degree calculation method, comprising:

calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on positions of representative points of objects contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the objects;

grouping the representative points in a predetermined range of the image; and

calculating a gaze guidance path passing through the objects in units of a group based on the gaze attraction strength of the grouped representative points.

27. A gaze guidance degree calculation method, comprising:

calculating a degree of gaze-guidance of an image based on positions of representative points of objects contained in the image and gaze attraction strength indicating strength of gaze-attraction to the objects;

grouping the representative points in a predetermined range of the image; and

calculating a gaze guidance path passing through the objects corresponding to grouped representative points and the objects corresponding to non-grouped representative points based on gaze attraction strength of the grouped representative points and the non-grouped representative points.