EYE GAZE CONTROL DURING AVATAR-BASED COMMUNICATION

• US 20100156781A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: FAHN, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,581,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8146 involving graphical data, e.g. 3D object, 2D graphics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/144 camera and display on the same optical axis, e.g. optically multiplexing the camera and display for eye to eye contact
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

An avatar image on a device display, such as a cell phone or laptop computer, maintains natural and realistic eye contact with a user (a human being) while the user is communicating with the other human being, whose avatar is displayed on the device. Thus, the user and the avatar have natural eye contact during the communication session (e.g., phone call). Modules within the device ensure that the avatar eyes do not maintain a fixed gaze or stare at the user constantly and that the avatar looks away and changes head and eye angles in a natural manner. An imager in the device captures images of the user and tracks the user'"'"'s eyes. This data is inputted to an avatar display control module on the device which processes the data, factors in randomness variables, and creates control signals that are sent to the avatar image display component on the device. The control signals instruct how the avatar eyes should be positioned.

Claims

1. A method of creating natural eye contact between a user of a device and an avatar image displayed on the device, the method comprising:

determining an eye position of the user, thereby creating eye position data;

modifying the eye position data so that the data is relative to the location of the avatar image on the device; and

adjusting the avatar image display using the modified eye position data.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

calculating an avatar head angle value.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

calculating an avatar eye angle value.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

capturing an image of the user using a user-facing camera.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein modifying the eye position data further comprises:

transforming the eye position data.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

adjusting the eye position data to prevent constant eye contact.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 further comprising:

adding a first random factor to a vertical component of the eye position data and a second random factor to a horizontal component of the eye position data.

8. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein the avatar eye angle value is calculated relative to the head.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein if the eye position data does not have a depth value, inserting an implied depth value into the eye position data.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting an avatar image display control signal based on the head angle value and eye angle value.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

translating the eye position data into angular coordinate format.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

translating the eye position data from rectilinear coordinates to angular coordinates.

13. A device capable of avatar-based communication, the device comprising:

a user-facing imager for capturing a plurality of images of the user of the device;

an eye-detection module for detecting the user eye position;

an eye position data translation module;

an avatar image display control module; and

an avatar display component enabling display of the avatar image on the device.

14. A device as recited in claim 13 wherein the avatar image display control module further comprises:

an avatar head angle calculation module.

15. A device as recited in claim 13 wherein the avatar image display control module further comprises:

an avatar eye angle calculation module.

16. A device as recited in claim 13 wherein the avatar image display control module further comprises:

an avatar head and eye angle modification module.

17. A device as recited in claim 13 wherein the avatar image display control module further comprises:

an avatar eye-gaze adjustment module.

18. A device as recited in claim 13 further comprising:

an imager software module.

19. A communication apparatus capable of avatar display, the apparatus comprising:

means for determining an eye position of the user, thereby creating eye position data;

means for modifying the eye position data so that the data is relative to the location of the avatar image on the device; and

means for adjusting the avatar image display using the modified eye position data.

20. A communication apparatus as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

means for calculating an avatar head angle value.

21. A communication apparatus as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

means for calculating an avatar eye angle value.

22. A communication apparatus as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

means for adjusting the eye position data to prevent constant eye contact.

23. A communication apparatus as recited in claim 22 further comprising:

means for adding a first random factor to a vertical component of the eye position data and a second random factor to a horizontal component of the eye position data.

24. A communication apparatus as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

means for inserting an implied depth value into the eye position data.

25. A method of creating natural eye contact between a user of a device and an avatar image displayed on the device, the method comprising:

determining an eye position of the user, thereby creating eye position data;

modifying the eye position data so that the data is relative to the location of the avatar image on the device;

calculating an avatar head angle value;

calculating an avatar eye angle value;

combining the head angle value and the eye angle value; and

adjusting the avatar image display using the combined head angle value and eye angle value.

26. A device capable of avatar-based communication, the device comprising:

a user-facing imager for capturing a plurality of images of the user of the device;

an eye position data translation module;

an avatar image display control module; and

an avatar display component enabling display of the avatar image on the device.