Avatar Face Overlay Sizing for Privacy-Preserving Display

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic devices struggle to provide a method for displaying user-selected avatars on face regions while effectively hiding the user's face, failing to meet user demands for diverse expression and privacy.

Innovation Solution

The electronic device utilizes an object detection unit to identify faces and related objects, extracts feature information, determines a user avatar based on similarity, and renders it to cover the face and related objects, allowing user input for size adjustment and continuous display based on face detection.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If an avatar is displayed on the face region to enable diverse expression, then user expression capability is improved, but the user's face privacy is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser expression capabilityVSAvoidface privacy exposure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an avatar as an intermediary element that replaces the user's actual face in displayed images. The avatar serves as a mediator between the user's identity and the public display, allowing expression of identity and emotion while maintaining physical privacy. The system detects face regions and selectively replaces them with avatar images, creating a buffer that protects the original face data while enabling personalized expression.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the avatar size is fixed to cover the face region, then face hiding effectiveness is improved, but user control over display preferences is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveface hiding effectivenessVSAvoiduser control flexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic avatar sizing that adapts based on user preferences and display conditions. The system allows users to adjust avatar size within a range, and the avatar dimensions are dynamically modified in response to user inputs. This dynamic adjustment mechanism enables the system to maintain effective face coverage while accommodating individual user preferences for different display scenarios.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a composite display structure combining the original image content with the avatar overlay. The final displayed image is a composite of multiple elements: the base image, the detected face region, and the superimposed avatar. This composite approach allows flexible control over the contribution of each element, enabling users to adjust avatar size and opacity while maintaining the integrity of the overall image composition.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Stability of the object's composition

If the avatar is continuously displayed regardless of face detection, then user identity consistency is improved, but resource consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser identity consistencyVSAvoidresource consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic face detection and conditional avatar display rather than continuous display. The system periodically checks for the presence of a detected face in the image stream and only displays the avatar when the face detection condition is met. This periodic action pattern reduces unnecessary processing and resource consumption while maintaining user identity consistency during relevant periods when faces are actually present in the imagery.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP3980976B1Electronic device for providing avatar and operating method thereof
Publication Date: 2026.02.11 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP3980976B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3980976B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3980976B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5A

AI summary

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an avatar and an operating method thereof. The electronic device includes a display, and at least one processor operatively coupled with the display, wherein the at least one processor is configured to detect a face in at least one image, determine a user avatar corresponding to the detected face, determine a region of both the face and at least one object related to the face, determine a size of the user avatar based on the determined region, and control the display to display the user avatar on the display by rendering the user avatar based on the determined size of the user avatar.