HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY WITH FACIAL EXPRESSION DETECTING CAPABILITY

• US 20170091535A1
• Filed: 09/26/2016
• Published: 03/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Epic Games, Inc.
• Original Assignee: BinaryVR, Inc.
• Inventors: Yu, Jihun, Park, Jungwoon
• Granted Patent: US 10,089,522 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/171 Local features and components; Facial parts eye characteristics G06V40/18; Occluding parts, e.g. glasses; Geometrical relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/176 Dynamic expression
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/90 Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums

Abstract

Embodiments relate to detecting a user'"'"'s facial expressions in real-time using a head-mounted display unit that includes a 2D camera (e.g., infrared camera) that capture a user'"'"'s eye region, and a depth camera or another 2D camera that captures the user'"'"'s lower facial features including lips, chin and cheek. The images captured by the first and second camera are processed to extract parameters associated with facial expressions. The parameters can be sent or processed so that the user'"'"'s digital representation including the facial expression can be obtained

Claims

1. A method for detecting facial expressions, the method comprising:

capturing, by a first image capturing device on a head-mounted display, first images of an upper portion of a user'"'"'s face including the user'"'"'s eye region;

capturing, by a second image capturing device on the head-mounted display, second images of the user including a lower portion of the user'"'"'s face; and

processing the first images and the second images to extract facial expression parameters representing a facial expression of the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first image capturing device comprises a pair of infrared cameras, and the second image capturing device comprises one of a depth camera, a color camera, an infrared camera or two stereoscopic cameras.

3. The method of claim 1, processing the first images and the second images comprises:

detecting landmark locations associated with the user'"'"'s eye and the user'"'"'s eyebrow from the first images; and

detecting landmark locations associated with a lower portion of the user'"'"'s face from the second images.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the extracted facial expression parameters to a digital representation of the user to generate a graphical representation of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing calibration by capturing and processing calibration images representing a neutral face of the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein performing calibration comprises:

generating a personalized neutral face mesh based on the calibration images, and

building a personalized tracking model by applying a deformation transfer technique to the personalized neutral face mesh, and

wherein the processing of the first images and the second images comprises fitting at least a blendshape model to landmark locations in the first images and the second images based on the personalized tracking model to obtain the facial expression parameters.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the processing of the first images and the second images is performed in real-time.

17. The head-mounted display unit of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a pair of distinct display units and the first capturing device comprises two cameras between the pair of display units.

8. A head-mounted display unit, comprising:

a first capturing device configured to capture an upper portion of a user'"'"'s face including an eye region;

a second capturing device at a location below the first capturing device and configured to capture a lower portion of the user'"'"'s face;

a display device configured to display images to the user; and

a body configured to mount the first and second capturing devices and the display device.

9. The head-mounted display unit of claim 8, wherein the second capturing device is mounted on an extension member extending from the body toward the lower portion of the user'"'"'s face.

10. The head-mounted display unit of claim 8, wherein the first image capturing device comprises a pair of infrared cameras, and the second image capturing device comprises one of a depth camera, a color camera, an infrared camera or two stereoscopic cameras.

11. The head-mounted display unit of claim 8, further comprising a slidable mount on which the second capturing device is mounted.

12. The head-mounted display unit of claim 8, wherein the display device includes a first display and a second display, wherein the first display is configured to display left side images to a left eye of the user and the second display is configured to display right side images to a right eye of the user.

13. The head-mounted display unit of claim 8, wherein the first capturing device comprises a pair of cameras, each of the cameras installed at an opposite side of the body.

14. The head-mounted display unit of claim 8, wherein the first capturing device comprises a camera installed in a middle of the body.

15. The head-mounted display unit of claim 8, wherein the second capturing device is mounted directly onto the body.

16. The head-mounted display unit of claim 8, wherein the body has a bulging upper portion to enclose the eye region.

18. A virtual or augmented reality system comprising:

a head-mounted display unit, comprising;

a first capturing device configured to capture first images of an upper portion of a user'"'"'s face including an eye region,

a second capturing device at a location below the first capturing device and configured to capture second images of a lower portion of the user'"'"'s face,

a display device configured to display images to the user, and

a body configured to mount the first and second capturing devices and the display device; and

a computing device communicatively coupled to the head-mounted display unit and configured to;

receive the first and second images from the head-mounted display unit, and

process the first images and the second images to extract facial expression parameters representing a facial expression of the user.

19. The virtual or augmented reality system of claim 18, wherein the computing device is configured to:

detect landmark locations associated with the user'"'"'s eye and the user'"'"'s eyebrow from the first images; and

detect landmark locations associated with the lower portion of the user'"'"'s face from the second images.

20. The virtual or augmented reality system of claim 18, wherein the computing device is further configured to perform calibration by:

generating a personalized neutral face mesh based on the calibration images;

building a personalized tracking model by applying a deformation transfer technique to the personalized neutral face mesh, and

wherein the computing device is further configured to process the first images and the second images by fitting at least a blendshape model to landmark locations in the first images and the second images based on the personalized tracking model to obtain the facial expression parameters.