ELECTRONIC DEVICE OPERATION ADJUSTMENT BASED ON FACE DETECTION

• US 20120081392A1
• Filed: 09/30/2010
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Arthur, John E.
• Application Number:
  US12/894,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20120081392A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

An electronic device and methods of use thereof are described. The electronic device having at least a front facing image capture device and a front facing display device arranged to display visual content is described. In one embodiment, the front facing camera can capture an image that can include at least image content. The image content can process in such a way that an operational state of the electronic device is modified in accordance with processed image content. In a particular embodiment, the modification of the current operating state can include aligning an orientation of visual content presented by the front facing display with a current facial orientation of a user.

Claims

1. A method for displaying visual content by an electronic device having a plurality of operational components at least one of which is a front facing image capture device and at least another is a front facing display device arranged to display visual content, the method comprising:

capturing an image by the front facing image capture device, the image including image content;

determining an orientation of a human face associated with at least some of the captured image content; and

aligning the orientation of at least some of the visual content presented at the display in real time in accordance with the orientation of the human face.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device further includes a rear facing camera arranged to capture a rear facing image, the method further comprising:

presenting the rear facing image as at least some of the visual content presented at the display in real time in accordance with the orientation of the human face.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

presenting at least some of the visual content presented at the display in real time in accordance with the direction of gravity.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least some of the visual content presented at the display aligned in real time with the orientation of the human face is a graphical user interface.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a processing orientation; and

processing at least some the rear facing captured image in accordance with the processing orientation.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the electronic device is a personal media device.

7. A personal media device, comprising:

a front facing display configured to present visual content;

a front facing camera, the front facing camera configured to capture image data;

a facial orientation module, the facial orientation module arranged to generate a facial orientation vector based in part upon the captured image data, the facial orientation vector corresponding to a facial orientation of a current user viewing the front facing display;

a rear facing image capture device arranged to capture a rear facing image; and

a processor coupled to the front facing display, the front facing camera, and the rear facing camera, the processor configured to display in real time at least some of the visual content presented by the display in accordance with the orientation of the human face.

8. The personal media device as recited in claim 7, wherein the processor causes the display to present at least some of the rear facing image as at least some of the video content with the orientation of the human face.

9. The personal media device as recited in claim 7, wherein at least some of the visual content is presented by the display in an orientation aligned with the direction of gravity.

10. The personal media device as recited in claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a preferred orientation; and

processing the rear image content in accordance with the preferred orientation.

11. The personal media device as recited in claim 7, wherein the facial orientation module generates the facial orientation vector by,

receiving at least some of the captured image data,

determining if at least some of the captured image data corresponds to a human face,

determining if the human face is a user of the personal media device,

identifying facial landmarks of the human face of the user;

and

using the identified facial landmarks to generate the facial orientation vector.

12. Non-transitory computer readable medium for storing computer code executed by a processor in a personal media device having at least a front facing image capture device and a front facing display device arranged to display visual content for modifying a current operational state of the personal media player, comprising:

computer code for capturing an image by the image capture device, the image including image content; and

computer code for modifying the current operational state of the electronic device in accordance with captured image content.

13. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

computer code for determining if the captured image content includes a human face.

14. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein when the captured image includes the human face, the computer code for modifying the current operational state comprises:

computer code for determining an orientation of the human face; and

computer code for automatically aligning the orientation of the visual content presented at the display in real time in accordance with the determined orientation of the human face.

15. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 14, wherein the image capturing is periodically performed in the background.

16. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 15 further comprising:

computer code for repeating the image capturing for at least a preset duration of time when the captured image does not include the human face;

computer code for de-activating most of the electronic device after the duration of time has elapsed, otherwise;

computer code for determining an identity of the human face; and

modifying the operational state when the human face is recognized.

17. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 16, wherein when the human face is not recognized, the computer readable medium further comprising:

computer code for providing an identification request to identify the unrecognized human face.

18. A method, comprising:

capturing image data by a front facing image capture device associated with a personal media device, the personal media device having a front facing display configured for displaying visual content at an orientation;

presenting the visual content at the display device at the orientation;

determining if a human face is included in the captured image data;

determining a facial orientation vector associated with the human face; and

using the facial orientation vector to modify the presenting of the visual content by the display.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

using the facial orientation vector to modify the presenting of the visual content by the display by aligning the orientation of the presented visual content to the facial orientation vector.

20. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

determining if the human face is a recognized human face; and

executing a pre-arranged set of commands corresponding to the recognized human face.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the pre-arranged set of commands includes awakening the personal media device when the personal media device is in a sleep mode.