EYE/HEAD CONTROLS FOR CAMERA POINTING

• US 20100321482A1
• Filed: 06/17/2010
• Published: 12/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LC Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LC Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Cleveland, Dixon
• Application Number:
  US12/817,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20100321482A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/78
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/66 Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/69 Control of means for changing angle of the field of view, e.g. optical zoom objectives or electronic zooming
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/695 Control of camera direction for changing a field of view, e.g. pan, tilt or based on tracking of objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/57 Control of contrast or brightness
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A setting of a video camera is remotely controlled. Video from a video camera is displayed to a user using a video display. At least one eye of the user is imaged as the user is observing the video display, a change in an image of at least one eye of the user is measured over time, and an eye/head activity variable is calculated from the measured change in the image using an eyetracker. The eye/head activity variable is translated into a camera control setting, and an actuator connected to the video camera is instructed to apply the camera control setting to the video camera using a processor.

Claims

1. A system for remotely controlling a setting of a video camera, comprising:

an actuator that is connected to the video camera and controls at least one setting of the video camera;

a video display that displays video from the video camera to a user;

an eyetracker that images at least one eye of the user as the user is observing the video display, measures a change in an image of the at least one eye of the user over time, and calculates an eye/head activity variable from the measured change in the image; and

a processor that is in communication with the actuator, the video display, the eyetracker, and the video camera, that translates the eye/head activity variable into a camera control setting of the video camera, and that instructs the actuator to apply the camera control setting to the video camera.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises an eye gaze direction.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises an eye gaze convergence/parallax.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises an eye pupil diameter.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises positions of two eyes with respect to the video display and the eye positions are used to calculate the pan, tilt and/or roll angle of the user'"'"'s head.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises the at least one eye'"'"'s horizontal, vertical or longitudinal position with respect to the video display and the at least one eye'"'"'s positions are used to represent the horizontal, vertical or longitudinal position of the user'"'"'s head.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera control setting comprises a pan or tilt angle of the video camera.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera control setting comprises a horizontal, vertical, or longitudinal position of the video camera.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera control setting comprises a zoom of the video camera.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera control setting comprises a focus the video camera.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera control setting comprises an illumination level for a scene being viewed by the video camera.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the camera control setting comprises an iris diameter of the video camera.

13. A method for remotely controlling a setting of a video camera, comprising:

displaying video from a video camera to a user using a video display;

imaging at least one eye of the user as the user is observing the video display, measuring a change in an image of the at least one eye of the user over time, and calculating an eye/head activity variable from the measured change in the image using an eyetracker; and

translating the eye/head activity variable into a camera control setting, and instructing an actuator connected to the video camera to apply the camera control setting to the video camera using a processor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises an eye gaze direction.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises an eye gaze convergence/parallax.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises an eye pupil diameter.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises positions of two eyes with respect to the video display and the eye positions are used to calculate the pan, tilt and/or roll angle of the user'"'"'s head.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the eye/head activity variable comprises the at least one eye'"'"'s horizontal, vertical or longitudinal position with respect to the video display and the at least one eye'"'"'s positions are used to represent the horizontal, vertical or longitudinal position of the user'"'"'s head.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the camera control setting comprises a pan or tilt angle of the video camera.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the camera control setting comprises a horizontal, vertical, or longitudinal position of the video camera.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the camera control setting comprises a zoom of the video camera.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the camera control setting comprises a focus the video camera.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the camera control setting comprises an illumination level for a scene being viewed by the video camera.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the camera control setting comprises an iris diameter of the video camera.

25. A computer program product, comprising a tangible computer-readable storage medium whose contents include a program with instructions being executed on a processor so as to perform a method for remotely controlling a setting of a video camera, the method comprising:

providing a system, wherein the system comprises distinct software modules, and wherein the distinct software modules comprise a video display module, an eye tracking module, and a camera control module;

displaying video from a video camera to a user on a video display using the video display module;

imaging at least one eye of the user with an eyetracker as the user is observing the video display, measuring a change in an image of the at least one eye of the user over time, and calculating an eye/head activity variable from the measured change in the image using the eye tracking module; and

translating the eye/head activity variable into a camera control setting, and instructing an actuator connected to the video camera to apply the camera control setting to the video camera using the camera control module.