Method and apparatus for image interpretation into sound

• US 7,525,034 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2005
• Issued: 04/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joseph L. Nease, Karen Owsley Nease
• Original Assignee: Joseph L. Nease, Karen Owsley Nease
• Inventors: Nease, Joseph L., Owsley Nease, Karen
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): UHLIR, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US11/121,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20060132714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,455 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/190, 382/107, 382/274, 84600-616, 846/22, 846/23, 846/47, 84649-655, 84659-661, 844/85.R
• US Class Current: 84/485.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 17/00 Apparatus for performing colour-music
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/00 Image analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0025 Automatic or semi-automatic music composition, e.g. producing random music, applying rules from music theory or modifying a musical piece automatically producing a series of tones G10H1/26
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/111 Automatic composing, i.e. using predefined musical rules
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/391 Automatic tempo adjustment, correction or control
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/555 Tonality processing, involving the key in which a musical piece or melody is played tonality analysis, detection or identification G10H2210/081
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/455 Camera input, e.g. analyzing pictures from a video camera and using the analysis results as control data

Abstract

A method for interpreting an image into sound is provided and includes scanning an image to provide a plurality of scanned elements which are assigned a value and an associated sound element. The sound elements are arranged to produce a sound track for the scanned image.

Claims

1. A method for interpreting an image into sound comprising:

receiving an image,

selecting a scan order,

selecting a scan resolution,

scanning said image according to said scan order and scan resolution to provide a plurality of scanned elements,

assigning a value to each scanned element,

identifying brush strokes in said scanned image and associating a rhythm to each of said brush strokes,

converting each value assigned to each scanned element to a sound element, and

arranging said sound elements to produce a sound track.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said assigning step includes assigning a color value and/or a grayscale value to each sound element.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising identifying objects in said scanned image and assigning an object value to each identified object.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said object value is an average of the object values of the scanned elements for the identified object.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising identifying fields in said scanned image and assigning a field value to each identified field.

6. The method as set forth in claim 5 wherein said field value is the average of the scanned elements for the identified field.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising identifying transitions in said scanned image and associating a tonal change to each of said transitions.

8. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising identifying texture variations in said scanned image and associating a rhythm or tone to each of said texture variations.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising applying a plurality of filters to each of said scanned elements and combining sound elements for all filters for a scanned element.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising assigning a volume level based on the brightness of a scanned element.

11. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising assigning a related range of sounds to similar textures and/or colors.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising assigning a related range of sounds to similar identified objects.

13. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising assigning a background sound to said scanned image.

14. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising scanning said image to provide a negative image.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14 further comprising identifying objects in said negative image and assigning an object value to each identified object.

16. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising applying color filters to said scanned image and assigning a value for each color filter applied to each scanned element to provide color layers and associated sound elements.

17. The method as set forth in claim 16 further comprising combining said sound elements from each color layer.

18. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said scanned image includes text.

19. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising repeating each of said steps for a plurality of images grouped together in a sequence and producing a sound track for the image group.

20. A method for interpreting a plurality of images into sound comprising:

receiving a plurality of images,

selecting a scan order for each image,

selecting a scan resolution,

scanning each of said image according to said scan order and scan resolution to provide a plurality of scanned elements for each image,

assigning a value to each scanned element,

converting each value assigned to each scanned element to a sound element,

identifying brush strokes in said scanned images and associating a rhythm to each of said brush strokes,

identifying changes from each of said images to the next image, and

arranging said sound elements to produce a sound track.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20 wherein said assigning step includes assigning a color value and/or a grayscale value to each sound element.

22. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising identifying objects in said scanned images and assigning an object value to each identified object.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22 wherein said object value is an average of the object values of the scanned elements for the identified object.

24. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising identifying fields in said scanned images and assigning a field value to each identified field.

25. The method as set forth in claim 24 wherein said field value is the average of the scanned elements for the identified field.

26. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising identifying transitions in said scanned images and associating a tonal change to each of said transitions.

27. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising identifying texture variations in said scanned images and associating a rhythm or tone to each of said texture variations.

28. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising applying a plurality of filters to each of said scanned elements and combining sound elements for all filters for a scanned element.

29. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising assigning a volume level based on the brightness of a scanned element.

30. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising assigning a related range of sounds to similar textures and/or colors.

31. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising assigning a related range of sounds to similar identified objects.

32. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising assigning background sounds to said scanned images.

33. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising scanning said images to provide negative images.

34. The method as set forth in claim 33 further comprising identifying objects in said negative images and assigning an object value to each identified object.

35. The method as set forth in claim 20 further comprising applying color filters to said scanned images and assigning a value for each color filter applied to each scanned element to provide color layers and associated sound elements.

36. The method as set forth in claim 35 further comprising combining said sound elements from each color layer.

37. The method as set forth in claim 20 further wherein said scanned images include text.