METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ESTIMATING BODY SHAPE

• US 20160203361A1
• Filed: 10/16/2015
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brown University
• Original Assignee: Brown University
• Inventors: Black, Michael J., Balan, Alexandru O., Weiss, Alexander W., Sigal, Leonid, Loper, Matthew M., St. Clair, Timothy S.
• Granted Patent: US 10,002,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/2321 using statistics or function optimisation, e.g. modelling of probability density functions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 involving models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/77 using statistical methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/763 Non-hierarchical techniques, e.g. based on statistics of modelling distributions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition

Abstract

A system and method of estimating the body shape of an individual from input data such as images or range maps. The body may appear in one or more poses captured at different times and a consistent body shape is computed for all poses. The body may appear in minimal tight-fitting clothing or in normal clothing wherein the described method produces an estimate of the body shape under the clothing. Clothed or bare regions of the body are detected via image classification and the fitting method is adapted to treat each region differently. Body shapes are represented parametrically and are matched to other bodies based on shape similarity and other features. Standard measurements are extracted using parametric or non-parametric functions of body shape. The system components support many applications in body scanning, advertising, social networking, collaborative filtering and Internet clothing shopping.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, based on data representing a body of a first individual, a first set of attributes defining a first parametric body model of the first individual;

determining a second set of attributes defining a second parametric body model of a second individual; and

computing, via a processor, a similarity measure between the first set of attributes and the second set of attributes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first set of attributes or the second set of attributes correspond to at least one shape coefficient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model has a plurality of associated vertex locations.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model defines a respective mesh, and wherein each of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model is in alignment with the respective mesh of the first parametric body model.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the computing the similarity measure comprises computing distances between selected ones of the associated vertex locations of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a third set of attributes defining a third individual;

computing a second similarity measure between the first set of attributes and the third set of attributes; and

generating, based on the similarity measure and the second similarity measure, a ranking of similarity between the first set of attributes of the first individual, the second set of attributes of the second individual, and the third set of attributes of the third individual.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising estimating at least one measurement associated with the body of the first individual based on the similarity measure between the first set of attributes and the second set of attributes.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein estimating the at least one measurement associated with the body of the first individual is performed in association with a purchase of clothing associated with the first individual.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a recommendation pertaining to at least one of a clothing attribute, a body measurement attribute, or a body shape attribute based on the at least one value.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising executing an application that uses the at least one value in a decisional process, the application comprising at least one of a clothing software application, a film application, a forensic video application, a fitness application, or a health application.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

obtaining data representing a body of a first individual;

generating, based on the data, a first set of attributes defining a first parametric body model of the first individual;

determining a second set of attributes defining a second parametric body model of a second individual; and

computing a similarity measure between the first set of attributes and the second set of attributes.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first set attributes or the second set of attributes correspond to at least one shape coefficient.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model has a plurality of associated vertex locations.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model defines a respective mesh, and wherein each of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model is in alignment with the respective mesh of the first parametric body model.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing the similarity measure comprises computing distances between selected ones of the associated vertex locations of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining a third set of attributes defining a third individual;

computing a second similarity measure between the first set of attributes and the third set of attributes; and

generating, based on the similarity measure and the second similarity measure, a ranking of similarity between the first set of attributes of the first individual, the second set of attributes of the second individual, and the third set of attributes of the third individual.

17. A computer-readable storage device having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

based on data representing a body of a first individual, generating a first set of attributes defining a first parametric body model of the first individual;

determining a second set of attributes defining a second parametric body model of a second individual; and

computing a similarity measure between the first set of attributes and the second set of attributes.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, storing additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising estimating at least one measurement associated with the body of the first individual based on the similarity measure between the first set of attributes and the second set of attributes, wherein estimating the at least one measurement associated with the body of the first individual is performed in association with a purchase of clothing associated with the first individual.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein each of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model has a plurality of associated vertex locations and defines a respective mesh, wherein each of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model is in alignment with the respective mesh of the first parametric body model, and wherein the computing the similarity measure comprises computing distances between selected ones of the associated vertex locations of the first parametric body model and the second parametric body model.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, storing additional instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations further comprising generating a recommendation pertaining to at least one of a clothing attribute, a body measurement attribute, or a body shape attribute based on the similarity measure.