Imaging method and system for health monitoring and personal security

• US 7,319,780 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2002
• Issued: 01/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Monument Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Taxier, Karen M., Fedorovskaya, Elena A., Parulski, Kenneth A., Telek, Michael J., Endrikhovski, Serguei, Marino, Frank, Zacks, Carolyn A., Harel, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed; Samir
• Assistant Examiner(s): BHATNAGAR, ANAND P
• Application Number:
  US10/304,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20040101178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,877 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/128, 382130-132, 128/922
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32 Circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device, e.g. between a still-image camera and its memory or between a still-image camera and a printer device H04N1/38, H04N1/387 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/922 including image analysis

Abstract

An image capture method is provided. In accordance with the method, an image of the scene is captured and affective information is collected a capture. The scene image and affective information are transmitted to an image receiver. An imaging system is also provided having an image capture system adapted to capture an image of a scene and a memory which stores the captured image. A set of sensors is adapted to collect affective signals from the user at capture. A processor is adapted to determine affective information based upon the affective signals and to associate affective information with the captured image. A transmitter sends the scene image and the affective information to a receiver.

Claims

1. An image capture method comprising the steps of:

capturing an image of scene confronting a person;

collecting affective information from the person at capture said collecting being separate from the capturing of the image of the scene;

automatically identifying a receiver for the scene image and affective information based upon the affective information; and

automatically transmitting the scene image and affective information to the selected image receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image receiver is selected on the basis of an intensity of the emotional reaction and a class of the emotion, said intensity and class being determined based upon the collected affective information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of collecting scene information at capture and analyzing the scene information wherein the image receiver is selected based at least in part on the analysis of the scene information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of obtaining non-affective information at capture wherein the image receiver is selected based at least in part upon analysis of the non-affective information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a reaction from the image receiver.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the reaction is calculated to elicit a therapeutic response.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the affective information incorporates data that is based upon physiological characteristics.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the affective information incorporates data that is based upon analysis of facial characteristics.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the affective information is determined based upon a combination of physiological characteristics and facial characteristics.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the affective information is associated with the scene image.

11. An image capture method comprising the steps of:

capturing an image of a scene observed by a person;

collecting affective information from the person at the time of the capture of the image said collecting being performed apart from the step of capturing the image of the scene;

automatically analyzing the captured image and the collected affective information to determine whether a transmission criterion is met; and

transmitting the scene image and affective information to an image receiver when the transmission criterion is met, said image receiver being automatically identified from among a plurality of potential image receivers based upon the affective information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the transmission criterion includes a measure of an intensity of an emotional response to the scene, said intensity of the emotional response being determined based upon the collected affective information.

13. The method of claim 11, where the transmission criterion includes a scene subject identification.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the affective information is associated with the scene image.

15. An imaging system comprising:

an image capture system adapted to capture an image of a scene that is observed by a user;

a memory which stores the captured image;

a set of sensors not including the image capture system used to capture the scene image said set of sensor being adapted to collect affective signals from the user at capture;

a processor adapted to determine affective information based upon the affective signals and the associate affective information with the captured image; and

a transmitter for sending affective information to a selected receiver, wherein said processor is further adapted to automatically identify the selected image receiver based upon the associated affective information.

16. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further adapted to select the receiver based upon the affective information.

17. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further adapted to analyze the image and the affective information and to select the receiver based upon the analysis of the image and the analysis of the affective information.

18. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the set of sensors comprises a user camera capturing images of a user'"'"'s facial characteristics and the processor is further adapted to determine affective information based at least in part on the facial characteristics.

19. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the set of sensors comprises sensors adapted to detect physiological characteristics of the user and the processor is adapted to determine affective information based at least in part on the physiological information.

20. The imaging system of claim 19, wherein the feedback comprises therapeutic feedback.

21. The imaging system of claim 20, wherein the imaging system is wearable.

22. The imaging system of claim 19, wherein the feedback comprises therapeutic feedback, intended to elicit a specific emotional response.

23. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the set of sensors comprises a user camera adapted to capture images of a user'"'"'s facial characteristics and sensors adapted to detect physiological characteristics of the user.

24. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the imaging system further comprises a receiver adapted to receive feedback from the recipient and a presentation system to present the feedback to the user.

25. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the set of sensors is further adapted to collect user identification data at capture and to transmit the user identification data with the collected affective information and the captured image.

26. The imaging system of claim 15, wherein the set of sensors is further adapted to provide a signal indicating the geographical location of the imaging system at capture.

27. An imaging system comprising:

an image capture means for capturing an image of a scene being viewed by a user;

affective sensor means separate from the image capture means for collecting affective information from the user at a time of the image capture; and

a transmitting means for transmitting the scene image and affective information to a selected image receiver, said selected receiver being automatically identified by a determining means, said determining means making such identification based upon the collected affective information.

28. The imaging means of claim 27, wherein said affective sensor means detects facial characteristics of the user.

29. The imaging system of claim 27, wherein said affective sensor means detects physiological characteristics of the user.

30. The imaging system of claim 27, further comprising a receiving means for receiving feedback from the receiver and a presentation means for presenting the feedback to the user.

31. The imaging system of claim 27, further comprising a determining means for selecting the image receiver based upon analysis of the affective information.

32. The imaging system of claim 27, wherein the imaging system is incorporated in frame for glasses.

33. An image capture method comprising the steps of:

capturing an image of a scene that a user is viewing at the time of capture and that does not include an image of the user;

collecting affective information from the user at capture; and

transmitting the scene image and affective information to an image receiver;

wherein said collected affective information includes a combination of physiological characteristics, eye movement data and facial characteristics, and wherein said image receiver is identified based at least in part upon an emotional response determined from the collected affective information.