Do-it-yourself photo realistic talking head creation system and method

• US 7,027,054 B1
• Filed: 08/14/2002
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaworks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaworks Incorporated
• Inventors: Cheiky, Michael, Gately, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan, Ulka J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PAPPAS, PETER
• Application Number:
  US10/219,689
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

A do-it-yourself photo realistic talking head creation system and method comprising: a template; a video camera having an image output signal of a subject; a computer having a mixer program for mixing the template and image output signal of the subject into a composite image, and an output signal representational of the composite image; a computer adapted to communicate the composite image signal thereto the monitor for display thereto the subject as a composite image; the monitor and the video camera adapted to allow the video camera to collect the image of the subject therethrough and the subject to view the composite image and the subject to align the image of the subject therewith the template; storage means having an input for receiving the output signal of the video camera representational of the collected image of the subject, and storing the image of the subject substantially aligned therewith the template.

Claims

1. A device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head, comprising:

a library of alignment templates,

each said alignment template being different one from the other and representational of an alignment template frame of a photo realistic human talking head having an alignment template head angular position, comprising a template head tilt, a template head nod, and a template head swivel component,

each said alignment template frame different one from the other,

each said alignment template head angular position different one from the other;

a controller,

said controller selecting a said alignment template from said library of alignment templates corresponding to a specified alignment template head angular position and having an image output signal representational of said alignment template;

a video camera

said video camera collecting an image of a human subject having a head having a human subject head angular position, comprising a human subject head tilt, a human subject head nod, and a human subject head swivel component,

said video camera having an output signal representational of said collected image of said human subject;

a computer,

said computer having an input receiving said output signal of said video camera representational of said collected image of said human subject,

said computer having a mixer,

said computer receiving said selected alignment template image output signal from said controller, and communicating said selected alignment template image output signal and said received collected image signal of said human subject to said mixer,

said mixer receiving said selected alignment template image output signal and said communicated collected image signal of said human subject, and mixing one with the other into an output signal representational of a composite image of said collected image of said human subject and said selected alignment template, and communicating said composite image signal of said collected image of said human subject and said selected alignment template to said computer,

said computer having an output signal representational of said composite image signal of said collected image of said human subject and said selected alignment template received from said mixer;

a display,

said display having an input receiving said computer output signal representational of said composite image signal of said collected image of said human subject and said selected alignment template,

said display and said video camera adapted to allow said video camera to collect said image of said human subject and said human subject to view said composite image and said human subject to align said image of said head of said human subject with said alignment template head at substantially the same angular position as said specified alignment template head angular position;

storage means storing a library of collected images of said human subject with said head of said subject at different human subject head angular positions,

said computer communicating said received collected image signal of said human subject to said storage means,

said storage means receiving and storing said received collected image signal of said human subject as a stored image of said human subject, when said human subject has said head of said human subject substantially aligned with said alignment template head,

said stored image of said human subject having said human subject head angular position substantially the same as said specified alignment template head angular position,

each said stored image in said library of collected images being different one from the other,

each said stored image human subject head angular position different one from the other;

each said stored image human subject head angular position of said library of collected images corresponding to and substantially the same as and aligned with a selected said alignment template head angular position of said library of alignment templates;

each said stored image representing a different frame of a photo realistic human talking head.

2. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said computer comprises said library of alignment templates.

3. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 2, wherein said library of alignmnent templates comprises at least two libraries of alignment templates.

4. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 3, wherein each said library of alignment templates is representational of a human talking head having different facial features.

5. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said computer comprises said controller.

6. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said computer comprises at least one program, said at least one program comprising said mixer.

7. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said computer comprises said storage means.

8. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said collected image of said human subject further comprises additional collected images of at least one facial characteristic of said head of said human subject corresponding to said specified alignment template head annular position, said library of collected images further comprises different stored images of said at least one facial characteristic at each said different human subject head angular position;

each said stored facial characteristic image representing an additional frame of said photo realistic human talking head.

9. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 8, wherein said at least one facial characteristic comprises different mouth forms.

10. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 9, wherein said at least one facial characteristic comprises different eye forms.

11. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 8, wherein said at least one facial characteristic comprises different eye forms.

12. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said computer comprises at least one program comprising said controller, which comprises a control program.

13. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 12, wherein said alignment template has at least one characteristic, said control program is adapted to control said at least one characteristic of said selected alignment template.

14. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 13, wherein said collected image of said human subject has at least one characteristic, said control program is adapted to control said at least one characteristic of said collected image of said human subject.

15. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 12, wherein said collected image of said human subject has at least one characteristic, said control program is adapted to control said at least one characteristic of said collected image of said human subject.

16. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said mixer comprises a software mixer.

17. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said display is from the group consisting of a monitor, a display, and a television.

18. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said video camera is mounted to said display, said display comprising a monitor.

19. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said video camera is mounted atop said display said display comprising a monitor.

20. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head has an adjustable cantilevered support arm adapted to support said video camera.

21. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 20, wherein said adjustable cantilevered support arm is mounted to said display said display comprising a monitor.

22. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said computer is adapted to translate said received collected image signal to computer readable format.

23. The device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 1, wherein said device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head is a do-it-yourself device for constructing a photo realistic human talking head.

24. A method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head, comprising at least the following steps:

selecting an alignment template from a library of alignment templates,

each said alignment template being different one from the other and representational of an alignment template frame of a photo realistic human talking head having an alignment template head angular position, comprising a template head tilt, a template head nod, and a template head swivel component,

each said alignment template frame different one from the other, each said alignment template head angular position different one from the other;

collecting an image of a human subject with a video camera;

communicating said collected image of said human subject to a computer, comprising a mixer;

mixing said collected image of said human subject with an image of said selected alignment template in said mixer, thus, creating a composite image of said human subject and said selected alignment template;

communicating said composite image to a display for display to said human subject, said display adapted to facilitate said human subject aligning an image of a head of said human subject with said image of said selected alignment template;

substantially aligning said head of said human subject, having a human subject head angular position, comprising a human subject head tilt, a human subject head nod, and a human subject head swivel component, with said image of said selected alignment template head at substantially the same angular position as said selected alignment template head angular position;

collecting and storing an image of said substantially aligned human subject in a library of collected images,

each said collected image having a different human subject angular position, which is substantially the same as a said selected alignment template head angular position,

each said stored image representing a different frame of a photo realistic human talking head.

25. The method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 24, wherein said computer comprises at least one program, said at least one program comprising said mixer having a mixer program, said mixer program adapted to create said composite image from said collected image of said human subject and said image of said selected alignment template.

26. The method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 24, further comprising:

capturing different facial characteristics of said substantially aligned human subject head at substantially the same angular position as said selected alignment template head angular position

storing images of said different facial characteristics in said library of collected images,

each said stored facial characteristic image representing an additional frame of said photo realistic human talking head.

27. The method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 24, further comprising:

capturing mouth forms.

28. The method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 24, further comprising:

capturing eye forms.

29. The method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 24, further comprising:

capturing mouth forms and eye forms.

30. The method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 29, further comprising:

capturing additional facial characteristics.

31. The method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head according to claim 24, wherein said method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head is a do-it-yourself method of constructing a photo realistic human talking head.