Apparatus for providing facial image animation

• US 4,104,625 A
• Filed: 01/12/1977
• Issued: 08/01/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Atari Incorporated (Infogrames Entertainment SA)
• Original Assignee: Atari Incorporated (Infogrames Entertainment SA)
• Inventors: Bristow, Stephen D., Bushnell, Nolan K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trafton, David L.
• Application Number:
  US05/758,714
• Time in Patent Office: 566 Days
• Field of Search: 340/324 R, 340/324 A, 340/324 AD, 340/325, 178/15, 352/15, 352/50, 352/54, 352/47, 352/87, 179/1 SP, 353/30, 353/48
• US Class Current: 353/30
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1176 Recognition of faces
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/176 Dynamic expression
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/08 Dolls, faces, or other representations of living forms with moving parts in the nature of toys A63H
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 2019/088 Faces
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/105 Synthesis of the lips movements from speech, e.g. for talking heads

Abstract

An image animation apparatus includes a rotating disk having film negatives mounted around its periphery each film negative having a different facial expression on it. By use of an associated microprocessor which responds to certain control inputs the sequence of facial expressions can be selected by activating a flash tube at the proper time to project the image on the face of a featureless mannequin to cause the sequence of facial expressions to correspond to spoken phonemes which are synchronized with the facial expressions. Alternatively, instead of a rotating disk a matrix of optical cells can be selectively flashed. In addition, the image forming film negative associated with each optical cell can either contain a complete facial expression or a portion such as the eyes, mouth or eyebrows with the simultaneous activation of, for example, three cells producing a complete facial expression.

Claims

1. Apparatus for providing facial image animation comprising:

a plurality of image forming units each with at least a portion of a facial expression corresponding to a spoken phoneme;

means for visually displaying images received from said forming units; and

means for selectively activating different pluralities of said image forming units in any of a plurality of different orders to provide correspondingly different facial expression sequences.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 where said image forming units include a rotary disk having image negatives of various facial expressions around its periphery.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2 where said means for selectively activating said image forming units includes means for sensing the rotational position of said disk.

4. Apparatus as in claim 2 where said facial expressions include permutations of different eyebrow and mouth configurations.

5. Apparatus as in claim 1 where said image forming units include a matrix of optical cells.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5 where each of said optical cells includes an image negative of only a portion of a facial expression a group of said cells when simultaneously activated producing a complete facial expression.

7. Apparatus as in claim 1 including audio transducer means for producing audio sounds corresponding to said sequence of facial expressions.