User gesture driven avatar apparatus and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016247309-A1
Application number	US-201414763792-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 24, 2014
Priority date	Sep 24, 2014
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods and storage medium associated with animating and rendering an avatar are disclosed herein. In embodiments, the apparatus may include a gesture tracker and an animation engine. The gesture tracker may be configured to detect and track a user gesture that corresponds to a canned facial expression, the user gesture including a duration component corresponding to a duration the canned facial expression is to be animated. Further, the gesture tracker may be configured to respond to a detection and tracking of the user gesture, and output one or more animation messages that describe the detected/tracked user gesture or identify the canned facial expression, and the duration. The animation engine may be configured to receive the one or more animation messages, and drive an avatar model, in accordance with the one or more animation messages, to animate the avatar with animation of the canned facial expressions for the duration. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

First claim

1 . An apparatus for rendering an avatar, comprising:
a gesture tracker to detect and track a user gesture that corresponds to a canned facial expression, the user gesture including a duration component corresponding to a duration the canned facial expression is to be animated, and in response to a detection and tracking of the user gesture, output one or more animation messages that describe the detection or the tracking of the user gesture or identify the canned facial expression, and the duration; and an animation engine coupled with the gesture tracker to receive the one or more animation messages, and drive an avatar model, in accordance with the one or more animation messages, to animate the avatar with animation of the canned facial expressions for the duration.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gesture tracker to detect and track a swipe gesture that terminates with continuous touching of a touch screen for a time period, the swipe gesture corresponding to the canned facial expression to be animated, the duration component being the continuous touching of the touch screen, and the duration being the time period.

3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the animation engine is to animate the canned facial expression by blending one or more pre-defined shapes into a neutral face during a start period.

4 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the animation engine is to hold the avatar at the canned facial expression for the duration during a keep period.

5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the animation engine is to terminate animation of the canned facial expression by un-blending the one or more pre-defined shapes to return the avatar to the neutral face during an end period.

6 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gesture tracker is to detect and track a user gesture that further includes a facial movement component corresponding to facial movements of the canned facial expression, and in response to a detection of the user gesture, output one or more animation messages that further identify the facial movements; and the animation engine to further drive the avatar model, in accordance with the one or more animation messages, to animate the avatar with animation of the canned facial expressions that includes the facial movements for the duration.

7 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gesture tracker to detect and track a swipe gesture that terminates with continuous touching of a touch screen, as well as sliding over a touch screen in one direction and in another direction for a time period, the swipe gesture corresponding to the canned facial expression to be animated, the sliding corresponding to the facial movements of the canned facial expression, the duration component being the continuous touching of the touch screen, and the duration being the time period.

8 . The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the animation engine is to animate the canned facial expression by blending first one or more pre-defined shapes into a neutral face during a start period, further blending or un-blending second one or more pre-defined shapes into the canned facial expression to animate the facial movements of the canned facial expression for the duration during a keep period, and un-blending the first or second one or more pre-defined shapes to return the avatar to the neutral face during an end period.

9 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gesture tracker is to further accept definition of the user gesture.

10 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the gesture tracker is to accept finger movement trajectory, hand gestures, or facial gestures in defining the user gesture.

11 . The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the gesture tracker is to accept movement or action definition for the avatar in defining the user gesture.

12 . The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the movement or action is a selected one of
the avatar following a path defined by a trajectory; the avatar moving randomly; the avatar fading away; the avatar bouncing up and down in accordance with a pattern; or the avatar spinning relative to an axis.

13 . A method for rendering an avatar, comprising:
detecting and tracking, by a computing device, a user gesture that corresponds to a canned facial expression, the user gesture including a duration component corresponding to a duration the canned facial expression is to be animated, and in response to a detection and tracking of the user gesture, output one or more animation messages that describe the detection and tracking of the user gesture or identify the canned facial expression, and the duration; and driving an avatar model, by the computing device, in accordance with the one or more animation messages, to animate the avatar with animation of the canned facial expressions for the duration.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein detecting and tracking comprise detecting and tracking a swipe gesture that terminates with continuous touching of a touch screen for a time period, the swipe gesture corresponding to the canned facial expression to be animated, the duration component being the continuous touching of the touch screen, and the duration being the time period.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein driving to animate the canned facial expression comprises blending one or more pre-defined shapes into a neutral face during a start period; holding the avatar at canned facial expression for the duration during a keep period; and terminating animation of the canned facial expression by un-blending the one or more pre-defined shapes to return the avatar to the neutral face during and end period.

16 . (canceled)

17 . (canceled)

18 . (canceled)

19 . The method of claim 13 , wherein detecting and tracking comprises detecting and tracking a swipe gesture that terminates with continuous touching of a touch screen, as well as sliding over a touch screen in one direction and in another direction for a time period, the swipe gesture corresponding to the canned facial expression to be animated, the sliding corresponding to the facial movements of the canned facial expression, the duration component being the continuous touching of the touch screen, and the duration being the time period.

20 . (canceled)

21 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising accepting definition of the user gesture; wherein accepting comprises accepting finger movement trajectory, hand gestures, or facial gestures in defining the user gesture.

22 . (canceled)

23 . (canceled)

24 . (canceled)

25 . (canceled)

26 . One or more computer-readable storage medium comprising a plurality of instructions to cause a computing device, in response to execution of the instructions by the computing device, to cause the computing device to:
detect and track a user gesture that corresponds to a canned facial expression, the user gesture including a duration component corresponding to a duration the canned facial expression is to be animated, and in response to a detection and tracking of the user gesture, output one or more animation messages that describe the detection or the tracking of the user gesture or identify the canned facial expression, and the duration; and drive an avatar model, in accordance with the one or more animation messages, to animate the avatar with animation of the canned facial expressions for the duration.

27 . The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Li Qiang
• Tong Xiaofeng
• Du Yangzhou
• Li Wenlong
• Ozer Caleb J
• Lorenzo Jose Elmer S

Classifications

• A63F2300/6607

  for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics · CPC title

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• G06T15/005

  General purpose rendering architectures · CPC title

• A63F13/428

  involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes · CPC title

• A63F13/2145

  the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens · CPC title