Head-mounted device for animated character face capture

Abstract

The invention discloses a head-mounted device for character face capture in animation production, which comprises a head sleeve (1), a fixing rod (2) is arranged at the front end of the head sleeve (1), and a shell (3) is arranged at the tail end of the fixing rod (2); a main body bracket (4) is arranged in the shell (3) and is provided with a driving assembly (5); supporting main shafts (6) are symmetrically arranged on the main body support (4), the upper ends of the supporting main shafts (6) are provided with swinging pieces (7) through bearings, the driving end of the driving assembly (5) is connected with one end of each swinging piece (7) through a sliding structure, and the other end of each swinging piece (7) is provided with a horizontal angle swinging assembly (8). Through a multi-dimensional moving structure, flexible movement of the camera is realized, facial expression details of a human body can be dynamically captured, a view blind area is reduced, and relatively good data integrity is ensured.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of animation production equipment, in particular to a head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the field of animation production, in order to improve the realism and delicacy of animation character modeling, high-precision data acquisition of real human faces is required. Head-mounted devices are widely used in facial data acquisition scenarios due to their convenience and ability to follow head movements. For example, the Chinese utility model patent with publication number CN217655549U discloses a head-mounted facial capture device. The head-mounted facial capture device includes a head-mounted frame assembly, which includes an upper frame worn above the head, two connecting pieces connected to the two ends of the upper frame, and a front frame connected to at least one of the connecting pieces and extending to the front of the face. The head-mounted facial capture device also includes at least two cameras and a lighting component arranged on the front frame. The upper frame has a preset pattern on the surface facing the at least two cameras, which is within the shooting range of each camera.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned prior art still has some deficiencies: first, the layout of multiple cameras cannot achieve real-time capture in dynamic scenes, and it is difficult to accurately obtain detailed data for rapidly changing facial expressions; second, the installation position of the cameras is limited, which easily forms a blind area in the local area of the face, affecting the integrity of the data acquisition; third, in order to avoid the blind area and ensure the accuracy of acquisition, the layout distance, angle and other parameters of the cameras are extremely strict, increasing the difficulty of equipment assembly. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to provide a head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production. The present application realizes flexible movement of the camera through a multi-dimensional movement structure, facilitates dynamic capture of human facial expression details, reduces the blind area, and ensures better data integrity.

[0005] The technical solution of the present application: a head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production, comprising a headgear, a fixed rod is provided at the front end of the headgear, and an outer shell is provided at the end of the fixed rod; a main support is provided in the outer shell, and the main support is provided with a driving assembly; a support main shaft is symmetrically provided on the main support, an upper end of the support main shaft is provided with a swing piece through a bearing, a driving end of the driving assembly is connected to one end of the swing piece through a sliding structure, and the other end of the swing piece is provided with a horizontal angle swing assembly; an arc-shaped limiting groove is provided on the upper surface of the outer shell and matches the movable end of the horizontal angle swing assembly, a long strip plate is provided on the movable end of the horizontal angle swing assembly, an end portion of the long strip plate is provided with a longitudinal angle swing assembly, and a camera for human face scanning is provided on the movable end of the longitudinal angle swing assembly.

[0006] The head-mounted device for role facial capture in animation production, the headgear comprises a forehead frame body, and adjustable tight fixing bands are connected to the ends of the forehead frame body.

[0007] The head-mounted device for role facial capture in animation production, the driving assembly comprises a motor support provided on the main body support, a driving motor is arranged on one side of the motor support, a transmission shaft is arranged on the main body support through a bearing seat, and the output end of the driving motor is connected with the transmission shaft; a group of thread segments with opposite screw directions are arranged on the transmission shaft, a moving sleeve is correspondingly and matchingly connected on the thread segments, and the upper end of the moving sleeve is connected with the swing piece through a sliding structure.

[0008] The head-mounted device for role facial capture in animation production, the moving sleeve is provided with a limiting shaft body, and one end of the swing piece is provided with a transverse limiting groove matched with the limiting shaft body.

[0009] The head-mounted device for role facial capture in animation production, the horizontal angle swing assembly comprises a fixed sleeve body arranged at one end of the swing piece, a horizontal swing motor is arranged on the bottom of the fixed sleeve body, a driven shaft is arranged in the fixed sleeve body through a bearing, the output end of the horizontal swing motor is connected with the driven shaft through a gear set, one end of the driven shaft is arranged through an arc-shaped limiting groove, and a long strip plate is arranged at the end of the driven shaft.

[0010] The head-mounted device for role facial capture in animation production, the vertical angle swing assembly comprises a top seat arranged at one end of the long strip plate, a pitching assembly is arranged on the top seat, a camera is arranged at the end of the pitching assembly, a yawing assembly is arranged on the movable end of the pitching assembly, and the movable end of the yawing assembly is connected with the camera.

[0011] The head-mounted device for role facial capture in animation production, the pitching assembly comprises a first steering wheel arranged on the top seat, a rotatable main plate is arranged on the top seat through a support seat structure, the camera is movably connected with the end of the main plate, and the output end of the first steering wheel is hingedly connected with the main plate through a connecting rod piece.

[0012] The head-mounted device for role facial capture in animation production, the yawing assembly comprises a second steering wheel arranged on the main plate, a transmission rod is connected with the output end of the second steering wheel, a linkage piece is hingedly connected at one end of the transmission rod, and the end of the linkage piece is movably connected with the camera.

[0013] Compared with the prior art, the head-mounted device for role facial capture in animation production has the following advantages: 1. In this invention, a headgear is placed on the worker's head, and the drive component operates to cause the swing component to deflect. The end of the swing component moves back and forth along the arc-shaped limiting groove. The end of the swing component is equipped with a horizontal angle swing component. When the camera moves along the arc-shaped limiting groove, the horizontal angle swing adjustment is realized. The movable end of the horizontal angle swing component is equipped with a long plate, and the long plate is equipped with a vertical angle swing component. The vertical angle swing component can realize the camera's pitch swing. Through the joint operation of multiple components, the camera can obtain multi-dimensional movement, track facial dynamic changes in real time, accurately capture rapid facial expression details, effectively expand the facial acquisition coverage, reduce blind spots, and ensure better data integrity.

[0014] 2. The headgear adopts a structure of a forehead frame and an adjustable elastic strap. The forehead frame can provide stable support for the device, and the elastic strap can be adjusted to fit users with different head sizes, preventing the device from shifting or shaking when worn.

[0015] 3. The pitch component in the longitudinal angle swing assembly can drive the camera to rotate in the vertical direction. The first servo motor drives the main board to deflect around the support structure through the linkage, thereby realizing the angle adjustment of the camera in the upward or downward direction. This adjustment capability can cover key areas of the face such as forehead wrinkles and chin contours, which are prone to blind spots due to insufficient fixed camera angle, ensuring the integrity of the entire facial data. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the main support structure; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the arc-shaped limiting groove; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the horizontal angle swing component; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the longitudinal angle swing component.

[0017] The markings in the attached diagram are as follows: 1-Headgear, 2-Fixing rod, 3-Outer shell, 4-Main body support, 5-Drive assembly, 6-Support spindle, 7-Swing component, 8-Horizontal angle swing assembly, 9-Arc-shaped limiting groove, 10-Long strip plate, 11-Longitudinal angle swing assembly, 12-Camera, 13-Forehead frame, 14-Fixing strap, 15-Motor bracket, 21-Drive motor, 22-Transmission shaft, 23-Threaded section, 24-Moving sleeve, 25-Limiting shaft, 26-Horizontal limiting groove, 27-Fixing sleeve, 28-Horizontal plate, 29-Horizontal swing motor, 30-Driven shaft, 31-Top seat, 32-Pitch assembly, 33-Yaw assembly, 34-First servo, 35-Main board, 36-Second servo, 37-Transmission rod, 38-Linkage component. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but this should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0019] Example: A head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production, including a headgear 1, as shown in the attached image. Figure 1 As shown, the headgear 1 includes a forehead frame 13, with an adjustable fastening strap 14 connected to the end of the forehead frame 13. The headgear provides stable support for the device through the forehead frame and can be adjusted with the fastening strap to fit users with different head sizes, preventing the device from shifting or shaking during wear. A fixing rod 2 is installed at the front end of the headgear 1, and the fixing rod is fixed to the forehead frame. A housing 3 is installed at the end of the fixing rod 2. A main support 4 is installed inside the housing 3, as shown in the attached diagram. Figure 2 As shown, the main support 4 is equipped with a drive assembly 5; symmetrically arranged support spindles 6 are mounted on the main support 4, and a swing element 7 is mounted on the upper end of the support spindle 6 via a bearing. The drive end of the drive assembly 5 is connected to one end of the swing element 7 via a sliding structure, and a horizontal angle swing assembly 8 is mounted on the other end of the swing element 7; the upper surface of the outer shell 3 has an arc-shaped limiting groove 9 that matches the movable end of the horizontal angle swing assembly 8, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 3 As shown, the inner side of the arc-shaped limiting groove faces the worker's face. The human face is similar to a curved surface, which allows the camera to scan the entire face when collecting facial data, reducing blind spots. A long strip 10 is installed on the movable end of the horizontal angle swing assembly 8, and a vertical angle swing assembly 11 is installed at the end of the long strip 10. A camera 12 for scanning the human face is installed on the movable end of the vertical angle swing assembly 11.

[0020] The drive assembly 5 includes a motor support 15 mounted on the main support 4. A drive motor 21 is mounted on one side of the motor support 15. A transmission shaft 22 is mounted on the main support 4 via a bearing seat. The output end of the drive motor 21 is connected to the transmission shaft 22. The transmission shaft 22 has a set of threaded segments 23 with opposite thread directions. A movable sleeve 24 is correspondingly connected to the threaded segments 23. The upper end of the movable sleeve 24 is connected to the swing member 7 via a sliding structure. The drive assembly drives the transmission shaft to rotate, and the movable sleeve moves axially along the threaded segments. The movable sleeve 24 has a limiting shaft 25. One end of the swing member 7 has a transverse limiting groove 26 that matches the limiting shaft 25. The limiting shaft on the movable sleeve matches the transverse limiting groove, causing the swing member to deflect. This movable structure avoids interference when the horizontal angle swing assembly moves along the arc-shaped limiting groove. The drive assembly controls the camera to reciprocate along the trajectory of the arc-shaped limiting groove. Because the threads of the two sleeves have different directions of rotation, when the drive shaft rotates, the two sleeves move in opposite directions, gradually moving closer or further apart.

[0021] The horizontal angle swing assembly 8 includes a fixed sleeve 27 disposed at one end of the swing member 7, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 4 As shown, a horizontal plate 28 is installed at the bottom of the fixed sleeve 27, and a horizontal swing motor 29 is installed on the horizontal plate 28. A driven shaft 30 is provided inside the fixed sleeve 27 via a bearing. The output end of the horizontal swing motor 29 is connected to the driven shaft 30 via a gear set. One end of the driven shaft 30 passes through the arc-shaped limiting groove 9, and a long strip 10 is provided at the end of the driven shaft 30. The horizontal swing motor outputs power, which causes the driven shaft to rotate through the gear set. The camera is installed on the long strip. When the camera moves along the trajectory of the arc-shaped limiting groove, it can adjust its angle, greatly improving the camera's adjustment freedom and expanding the scanning range.

[0022] The longitudinal angle swing assembly 11 includes a top seat 31 disposed at one end of the elongated plate 10, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 5As shown, a pitch assembly 32 is provided on the top seat 31, and a camera 12 is disposed at the end of the pitch assembly 32. A yaw assembly 33 is provided on the movable end of the pitch assembly 32, and the movable end of the yaw assembly 33 is connected to the camera 12. The pitch assembly 32 includes a first servo motor 34 disposed on the top seat 31. A rotatable main board 35 is provided on the top seat 31 via a support structure. The camera 12 is movably connected to the end of the main board 35. The output end of the first servo motor 34 is hinged to the main board 35 via a connecting rod. The yaw assembly 33 includes a second servo motor 36 disposed on the main board 35. The output end of the second servo motor 36 is connected to a transmission rod 37. One end of the transmission rod 37 is hinged to a linkage member 38, and the end of the linkage member 38 is movably connected to the camera 12. The pitch component in the vertical angle oscillation assembly drives the camera to rotate vertically. The first servo, via a linkage, causes the main board to deflect around the support structure, thereby adjusting the camera's angle upwards or downwards. This adjustment capability covers key areas of the face, such as forehead wrinkles and chin contours, which are prone to blind spots due to insufficient fixed camera angles, ensuring the integrity of facial data across the entire area. The second servo activates, causing the transmission rod to swing laterally. The transmission rod, in turn, drives the linkage to swing, allowing the camera to make fine adjustments laterally (left-right in the facial direction). The camera can flexibly adjust its left-right shooting angle (e.g., focusing on details like the sides of the nose or the outer corners of the eyes). When the user makes expressions involving lateral facial muscle activity, such as smiling or frowning, the oscillation adjustment can track the trajectory of facial expression changes in real time, accurately capturing subtle dynamics such as the upward movement of the corners of the mouth and wrinkles around the eyes. This component can be used in combination with the horizontal angle oscillation assembly.

[0023] The working principle of this invention: The user wears the headgear 1 on their head, and the front frame 13 provides stable support for the front structure of the device. Simultaneously, the tightness of the fixing strap 14 is adjusted. The camera 12, after being calibrated at a preset angle, is aimed at the center area of ​​the face. The drive motor 21 outputs power to rotate the transmission shaft 22. Since the transmission shaft 22 has a set of threaded segments 23 with opposite directions of rotation, the two movable sleeves 24 that cooperate with the threaded segments 23 will move relative to or away from each other along the axial direction of the transmission shaft. The limiting shaft 25 at the upper end of the movable sleeve 24 is embedded in the transverse limiting groove 26 at one end of the swing member 7. When the movable sleeve 24 moves, the sliding cooperation between the limiting shaft 25 and the transverse limiting groove 26 pushes the swing member 7 to rotate around the bearing of the supporting main shaft 6. At this time, the horizontal angle swing component 8 at the other end of the swing member 7 will reciprocate along the arc-shaped limiting groove 9 on the outer shell 3, causing the camera 12 to form a coverage trajectory along the horizontal direction of the face, initially expanding the facial acquisition range. 2. While moving along the arc-shaped limiting groove 9, the horizontal swing motor 29 starts, and its output end transmits power to the driven shaft 30 through the gear set, causing the driven shaft 30 to rotate around the bearing in the fixed sleeve 27. Since the long plate 10 is fixed to the end of the driven shaft 30, the rotation of the driven shaft 30 will drive the long plate 10 and the camera 12 to make angle fine adjustments in the horizontal plane (i.e., rotation around the axis of the driven shaft 30). This adjustment is coordinated with the arc-shaped trajectory movement, so that the camera 12 can not only cover a large area along the curved surface of the face, but also make real-time fine adjustments to the horizontal shooting angle, accurately tracking the dynamic expression changes of the left and right sides of the face (such as cheeks and nostrils). After that, after the first servo motor 34 starts, it pushes the main board 35 to rotate around the support structure on the top seat 31 through the linkage, thereby causing the camera 12 to deflect in the vertical direction. The second servo motor 36 outputs power to drive the transmission rod 37 to swing. The transmission rod 37 pulls the camera 12 around the movable connection point at the end of the main board 35 through the linkage 38 to make horizontal fine adjustments.

Claims

1. A head-mounted device for capturing facial features in animation production, comprising a headgear (1), a fixing rod (2) at the front end of the headgear (1), and a housing (3) at the end of the fixing rod (2); characterized in that: The outer shell (3) is provided with a main support (4), and the main support (4) is provided with a drive assembly (5); the main support (4) is provided with a symmetrically arranged support spindle (6), and the upper end of the support spindle (6) is provided with a swing member (7) via a bearing. The drive end of the drive assembly (5) is connected to one end of the swing member (7) via a sliding structure, and the other end of the swing member (7) is provided with a horizontal angle swing assembly (8); the upper surface of the outer shell (3) is provided with an arc-shaped limiting groove (9) that matches the movable end of the horizontal angle swing assembly (8), and the movable end of the horizontal angle swing assembly (8) is provided with a long strip plate (10), and the end of the long strip plate (10) is provided with a longitudinal angle swing assembly (11). The movable end of the longitudinal angle swing assembly (11) is provided with a camera (12) for scanning human face.

2. The head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The headgear (1) includes a forehead frame (13), and an adjustable fastening strap (14) is connected to the end of the forehead frame (13).

3. The head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive assembly (5) includes a motor support (15) mounted on the main support (4), a drive motor (21) is provided on one side of the motor support (15), and a transmission shaft (22) is provided on the main support (4) via a bearing seat. The output end of the drive motor (21) is connected to the transmission shaft (22). The transmission shaft (22) is provided with a set of threaded sections (23) with opposite thread directions. A movable sleeve (24) is correspondingly connected to the threaded section (23). The upper end of the movable sleeve (24) is connected to the swing member (7) via a sliding structure.

4. The head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production according to claim 3, characterized in that: The movable sleeve (24) is provided with a limiting shaft (25), and one end of the swing member (7) is provided with a transverse limiting groove (26) that matches the limiting shaft (25).

5. The head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The horizontal angle swing assembly (8) includes a fixed sleeve (27) disposed at one end of the swing member (7). A horizontal plate (28) is provided at the bottom of the fixed sleeve (27). A horizontal swing motor (29) is provided on the horizontal plate (28). A driven shaft (30) is provided inside the fixed sleeve (27) via a bearing. The output end of the horizontal swing motor (29) is connected to the driven shaft (30) via a gear set. One end of the driven shaft (30) passes through an arc-shaped limiting groove (9), and a long strip plate (10) is provided at the end of the driven shaft (30).

6. The head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production according to claim 1, characterized in that: The longitudinal angle swing component (11) includes a top seat (31) disposed at one end of the long strip (10), a pitch component (32) disposed on the top seat (31), a camera (12) disposed at the end of the pitch component (32), a sway component (33) disposed on the movable end of the pitch component (32), and the movable end of the sway component (33) is connected to the camera (12).

7. The head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production according to claim 6, characterized in that: The pitch assembly (32) includes a first servo motor (34) mounted on a top seat (31). A rotatable main board (35) is mounted on the top seat (31) via a support structure. The camera (12) is movably connected to the end of the main board (35). The output end of the first servo motor (34) is hinged to the main board (35) via a connecting rod.

8. The head-mounted device for character facial capture in animation production according to claim 7, characterized in that: The yaw assembly (33) includes a second servo motor (36) mounted on the main board (35). The output end of the second servo motor (36) is connected to a transmission rod (37). One end of the transmission rod (37) is hinged to a linkage member (38). The end of the linkage member (38) is movably connected to the camera (12).

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