Avatar animation, social networking and touch screen applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9460541-B2
Application number	US-201313997259-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2013
Priority date	Mar 29, 2013
Publication date	Oct 4, 2016
Grant date	Oct 4, 2016

Abstract

Systems and methods may provide for detecting a condition with respect to one or more frames of a video signal associated with a set of facial motion data and modifying, in response to the condition, the set of facial motion data to indicate that the one or more frames lack facial motion data. Additionally, an avatar animation may be initiated based on the modified set of facial motion data. In one example, the condition is one or more of a buffer overflow condition and a tracking failure condition.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus to animate avatars, comprising:
a frame monitor, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to detect a condition with respect to one or more frames of a video signal associated with a set of facial motion data related to an image capture of a face of one or more individuals;
a motion module, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to modify, in response to the condition, the set of facial motion data to indicate that the one or more frames of the video signal associated with the captured image of the one or more individuals lack facial motion data; and
an avatar module, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to initiate an avatar animation based on the modified set of facial motion data,
wherein frames located proximate to the frames lacking facial motion data are leveraged to compute replacement facial motion data for the frames lacking facial motion data.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the condition is to be one or more of a buffer overflow condition and a tracking failure condition.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the avatar module further includes:
a smoothing module, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to apply a smoothing process to the one or more frames to obtain the replacement facial motion data for the one or more frames;
a snapshot module, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to identify a plurality of avatar images based on the modified set of facial motion data and the replacement facial motion data; and
an animation module, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to generate the avatar animation based on the plurality of avatar images and an audio signal associated with the video signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the avatar module is to send the modified set of facial motion data and an audio signal associated with the video signal to a remote server.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , further including a tone module, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to identify a voice tone setting based on a user input, wherein the avatar module is to send the voice tone setting to the remote server.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further including:
a snapshot module, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to identify a plurality of avatar images based on the modified set of facial motion data;
an animation module, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to generate the avatar animation based on the plurality of avatar images and an audio signal associated with the video signal; and
a content module, implemented as least partly in one or more of configurable logic or fixed-functionality logic hardware, to combine touch screen content with the avatar animation.

7. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions which, if executed by a client device, cause the client device to:
detect a condition with respect to one or more frames of a video signal associated with a set of facial motion data related to an image capture of a face of one or more individuals;
modify, in response to the condition, the set of facial motion data to indicate that the one or more frames of the video signal associated with the captured image of the one or more individuals lack facial motion data; and
initiate an avatar animation based on the modified set of facial motion data,
wherein frames located proximate to the frames lacking facial motion data are leveraged to compute replacement facial motion data for the frames lacking facial motion data.

8. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the condition is to be one or more of a buffer overflow condition and a tracking failure condition.

9. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions, if executed, cause the client device to:
apply a smoothing process to the one or more frames to obtain the replacement facial motion data for the one or more frames;
identify a plurality of avatar images based on the modified set of facial motion data and the replacement facial motion data; and
generate the avatar animation based on the plurality of avatar images and an audio signal associated with the video signal.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions, if executed, cause the client device to send the modified set of facial motion data and an audio signal associated with the video signal to a remote server.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein the instructions, if executed, cause the client device to:
identify a voice tone setting based on a user input; and
send the voice tone setting to the remote server.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the instructions, if executed, cause the client device to:
identify a plurality of avatar images based on the modified set of facial motion data;
generate the avatar animation based on the plurality of avatar images and an audio signal associated with the video signal; and
combine touch screen content with the avatar animation.

13. A method to animate avatars, comprising:
detecting, by a mobile communication device, a condition with respect to one or more frames of a video signal associated with a set of facial motion data related to an image capture of a face of one or more individuals;
modifying, by the mobile communication device, and in response to the condition, the set of facial motion data to indicate that the one or more frames of the video signal associated with the captured image of the one or more individuals lack facial motion data; and
initiating, by one or more of the mobile communication device and a remote server, an avatar animation based on the modified set of facial motion data,
wherein frames located proximate to the frames lacking facial motion data are leveraged to compute replacement facial motion data for the frames lacking facial motion data.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the condition is one or more of a buffer overflow condition and a tracking failure condition.

15. The method of claim 13 , further including:
applying a smoothing process to the one or more frames to obtain the replacement facial motion data for the one or more frames;
identifying a plurality of avatar images based on the modified set of facial motion data and the replacement facial motion data; and
generating the avatar animation based on the plurality of avatar images and an audio signal associated with the video signal.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein initiating the avatar animation includes sending the modified set of facial motion data and an audio signal associated with the video signal to a remote server.

17. The method of claim 16 , further including:
identifying a voice tone setting based on a user input; and
sending the voice tone setting to the remote server.

18. The method of claim 13 , further including:
identifyi

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Li Wenlong
• Tong Xiaofeng
• Du Yangzhou
• Sachson Thomas
• Wang Yunzhen

Classifications

• H04N2007/145

  Handheld terminals · CPC title

• G06T7/20

  Analysis of motion (motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51) · CPC title

• G06T13/40

  of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings · CPC title

• H04N7/157 Primary

  defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents (computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827) · CPC title

• G09G2370/022

  Centralised management of display operation, e.g. in a server instead of locally · CPC title