Computer system for relieving fatigue

• US 7,224,834 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2001
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Nambu, Masaya
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu; Jingge
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kassa; Yosef
• Application Number:
  US09/789,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20020015527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,287 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/117, 382/118, 382/209, 382/217, 382/218, 382/219, 382/278, 382/190, 382/282, 701/9, 701/45, 340/575, 340/576, 340/5.52, 340/5.53, 348/77, 348/207.1, 348/99, 348/100, 348/108, 348/125, 902/3, 902/5
• US Class Current: 382/181
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/06 indicating a condition of sleep, e.g. anti-dozing alarms

Abstract

A computer system for relieving an operator'"'"'s fatigue includes an input device, an image processing circuit, a fatigue determination circuit, and an information generator circuit. The computer system also includes an output device, a response information storage device, and a fatigue degree criteria storage device. The operator'"'"'s face is captured to create a model image of the face, which is analyzed to determine the fatigue degree of the operator. The response information corresponding to the fatigue degree is output to notify the operator.

Claims

1. A computer system for relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, comprising:

an input device capturing the computer operator'"'"'s face to generate image data representing the face;

an image processing circuit connected to the input device creating a model image of the computer operator'"'"'s face from the image data;

a fatigue determination circuit connected to the image processing circuit analyzing the model image to determine one of a plurality of fatigue degrees of the computer operator;

an information generator circuit connected to the fatigue determination circuit generating response information including a state image of the computer operator in accordance with a result of the determination; and

an output device connected to the information generator circuit outputting the response information including the state image and the model image to the computer operator regardless of fatigue degree of the computer operator.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the image processing circuit creates the model image every predetermined time, and the fatigue determination circuit compares a currently created model image with a previously created model image to determine the degree of fatigue based on a difference between the two model images.

3. The computer system according to claim 1, further comprising a response information storage device, connected to the information generator circuit, storing a response information table representing a correspondence among the plurality of degrees of fatigue, the response information, and the output device to which the response information is output, wherein the information generator circuit supplies the response information to the output device with reference to the response information table.

4. The computer system according to claim 3, wherein the response information storage device further stores a plurality of response information tables corresponding with a plurality of operators.

5. The computer system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a fatigue degree criteria storage device connected to the fatigue determination circuit storing a fatigue determination criterion set in accordance with the fatigue degree of the operator, wherein the fatigue determination circuit determines the degree of fatigue with reference to the result of an analysis on the model image and the fatigue determination criterion.

6. The computer system according to claim 5, wherein the fatigue determination criterion includes information on a fatigue appearance region in the operator'"'"'s face with respect to the fatigue degree of the operator, wherein the fatigue determination circuit compares a state of the fatigue appearance region within the model image with the fatigue determination criterion.

7. The computer system according to claim 5, wherein the fatigue determination criterion is one of a plurality of fatigue determination criteria previously set corresponding to the operator, wherein the fatigue determination circuit compares the result of the analysis with a corresponding one of the fatigue determination criteria to notify a corresponding result of determination to the response information output device when the results of the analysis exceeds the determination criterion.

8. The computer system according to claim 5, wherein the fatigue determination criterion includes information on a size of the fatigue appearance region, and information on a state in the fatigue appearance region.

9. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein when the operator is not tired, the output device outputs a response information representing that the operator is not tired.

10. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the response information includes relaxing information including a favorite music of the computer operator.

11. A computer system for relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, comprising:

an image capture device capturing the computer operator'"'"'s face;

an image processing circuit connected to the image capture device creating a model image of the computer operator'"'"'s face;

a fatigue degree criteria storage device storing fatigue determination criteria set in accordance with each of a plurality of fatigue degrees of the computer operator;

a fatigue determination circuit connected to the fatigue degree criteria storage device and the image processing circuit, respectively, analyzing the model image to determine the fatigue degree of the computer operator with reference to the results of the analysis and the fatigue determination criteria;

an information generator circuit connected to the fatigue determination circuit generating response information including a state image corresponding to a result of determination; and

an output device connected to the information generator circuit outputting the response information and a model image to the computer operator regardless of fatigue degree of the computer operator.

12. The computer system according to claim 11, wherein the response information includes music selected by the computer operator, and the output device comprises a speaker.

13. The computer system according to claim 11, wherein the response information includes a state image for notifying the operator of the degree of fatigue, and the output device includes an image display device.

14. The computer system according to claim 11, wherein when the operator is not tired, the output device outputs a response information representing that the operator is not tired.

15. A method of relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, comprising:

capturing the computer operator'"'"'s face to create a model image of the face;

analyzing the model image to determine one of a plurality of fatigue degrees of the operator; and

outputting response information including a state image corresponding to the degree of fatigue and the model image to the computer operator regardless of fatigue degree of the computer operator.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the outputting response information includes outputting a response information representing that the operator is not tired when the operator is not tired.

17. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, the program comprising:

capturing the computer operator'"'"'s face to create a model image of the computer operator'"'"'s face;

analyzing the model image to determine one of a plurality of fatigue degrees of the computer operator; and

outputting response information including a state image corresponding to the degree of fatigue and the model image to the computer operator regardless of fatigue degree of the computer operator.

18. The medium according to claim 17, wherein the outputting response information includes outputting a response information representing that the operator is not tired when the operator is not tired.

19. A computer system for relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, comprising:

an input device which captures the computer operator'"'"'s face and generates image data representing the face;

an image processing circuit connected to the input device and which creates a model image of the computer operator'"'"'s face from the image data;

a fatigue determination circuit connected to the image processing circuit and which analyzes the model image and determines one of a plurality of fatigue degrees of the computer operator;

an information generator circuit connected to the fatigue determination circuit and which generates response information including a state image of the computer operator in accordance with a result of the determination;

a response information storage device connected to the information generator circuit and which stores a plurality of response information tables corresponding with a plurality of computer operators; and

an output device connected to the information generator circuit and the response information storage and which outputs the response information and the model image regard less of fatigue degree of the computer operator.

20. A computer system for relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, comprising:

an input device which captures the computer operator'"'"'s face and generates image data representing the face;

an image processing circuit connected to the input device and which creates a model image of the computer operator'"'"'s face from the image data;

a fatigue determination circuit connected to the image processing circuit and which analyzes the model image and determines one of a plurality of fatigue degrees of the computer operator;

an information generator circuit connected to the fatigue determination circuit and which generates response information including a state image of the computer operator in accordance with a result of the determination of the fatigue degree;

a response information storage device connected to the information generator circuit for storing a response information table corresponding with the computer operator, wherein the response information table has contents of the response information corresponding to the fatigue degree of the computer; and

an output device connected to the information generator circuit and the response information storage and which outputs the response information and the model image regardless of fatigue degree of the computer operator.

21. A computer system for relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, comprising:

an input device which captures the computer operator'"'"'s face and generates image data representing the computer operator'"'"'s face;

an image processing circuit connected to the input device and which creates a model image of the computer operator'"'"'s face from the image data;

a fatigue determination circuit connected to the image processing circuit and which analyzes the model image and determines one of a plurality of fatigue degrees of the computer operator;

an information generator circuit connected to the fatigue determination circuit and which generates response information including a state image of the computer operator in accordance with a result of the determination of the fatigue degree; and

an output device connected to the information generator circuit and which outputs the response information and the model image regardless of fatigue degree of the computer operator,

wherein the fatigue determination circuit determines the fatigue degree in comparison to an initial operator model corresponding to a known degree of fatigue.

22. A computer system for relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, comprising:

an input device which captures the computer operator'"'"'s face and generates image data representing the computer operator'"'"'s face;

an image processing circuit connected to the input device and which creates a model image of the computer operator'"'"'s face from the image data;

a fatigue determination circuit connected to the image processing circuit and which analyzes the model image and determines one of a plurality of fatigue degrees of the computer operator;

an information generator circuit connected to the fatigue determination circuit and which generates response information including a state image of the computer operator in accordance with a result of the determination of the fatigue degree; and

an output device operatively connected to the information generator circuit, which output device continuously outputs the response information including the state image and the model image to the operator indicating a current fatigue level of the operator regardless of fatigue degree of the computer operator.

23. A method for relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, comprising:

capturing the operator'"'"'s face and generating image data representing the face;

creating a model image of the operator'"'"'s face from the image data;

analyzing the model image regarding the physical condition of the operator and determining a fatigue degree of the computer operator;

generating response information including a state image in accordance with a result of the determination of the fatigue degree; and

continuously outputting the response information to the operator indicating a current fatigue level of the operator and the model image regardless of the fatigue degree of the computer operator.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the captured physical condition is the computer operators body temperature, blood pressure, or pulse rate.

25. A method of relieving a computer operator'"'"'s fatigue, comprising:

capturing image information regarding a physical condition of the computer operator;

analyzing the image information regarding the physical condition to determine one of a plurality of fatigue degrees of the computer operator; and

outputting response information including a model image corresponding to the degree of fatigue of the computer operator regardless of fatigue degree of the computer operator.

26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the captured physical condition is an eye condition of the computer operator and the response information includes adjustment information of a display viewed by the computer operator.

27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the captured physical condition is the computer operators body temperature, blood pressure, or pulse rate.

28. The method according to claim 25, wherein the capturing of physical information is based on variations of keyboard entries by the computer operator.