Body-Worn Camera Gaze Tracking Frame Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face difficulties in managing image pickup operations while also engaging in other activities due to the need to continuously focus on the camera, leading to a cumbersome and distracting experience, especially with existing solutions that require attaching devices to the head or using complex image processing.

Innovation Solution

An image pickup apparatus worn on the body, equipped with an observation direction detection unit and an image pickup unit, which automatically detects the user's observation direction and adjusts the image recording frame to exclude the user's body, allowing for hands-free operation and improved focus on experiences.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a camera is fixed to the head using a fixing-to-head accessory, then the user can perform image pickup without being occupied with the operation, but the user feels uneasy about the accessory and camera due to their weights and appearance is bad

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehands-free image pickup operationVSAvoiduser discomfort from weight and appearance

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses infrared light to create a virtual copy of the user's line of sight. The infrared camera captures the user's gaze direction, and this information is used to control the main camera's imaging direction, eliminating the need for physical head-mounted accessories while achieving hands-free operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the mechanical head-mounted camera system with an optical-infrared based system. Instead of physically attaching a camera to the user's head, the system uses infrared cameras and image processing to detect gaze direction and automatically control the camera, substituting mechanical attachment with optical sensing and computational control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Manufacturing precision

If the user focuses attention on the image pickup operation, then the image pickup quality is maintained, but the user cannot focus attention on their immediate surroundings or other activities

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage pickup qualityVSAvoiduser ability to engage in other activities

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs self-service by automatically detecting the user's gaze direction through infrared cameras and autonomously adjusting the camera's imaging direction. This eliminates the need for manual camera operation, allowing the user to simply observe and engage in activities while the system handles the image pickup automatically.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring the user's gaze direction using infrared cameras and using this information to automatically adjust the main camera's imaging angle. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures the camera captures what the user is looking at without requiring user intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Ease of operation

If an entire-celestial-sphere camera is used to pick up images in a wide area, then the user can focus attention on their experience, but complex operations such as image conversion and extraction position designation are required

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser ability to focus on experienceVSAvoidimage processing operations required

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary portion of the wide-area captured image based on the user's gaze direction. Instead of requiring the user to manually extract and process images from an entire-celestial-sphere camera, the system automatically extracts the relevant field of view that the user is currently observing, eliminating complex post-processing operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Measurement precision

If the image recording frame includes the user's body, then the detection accuracy is improved, but the captured images show unwanted body parts

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveobservation direction detection accuracyVSAvoidimage quality with unwanted body parts

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the captured image by separating the user's body from the observed scene. The system identifies and excludes the user's body parts from the final captured image while maintaining the accurate gaze direction detection, ensuring that only the relevant observed content is recorded without unwanted body portions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS11843862B2Image pickup apparatus used as action camera, control method therefor, and storage medium storing control program therefor

Publication Date: 2023.12.12 CANON KK

AI summary

An image pickup apparatus that eliminates manual change of an image pickup direction during an image picking up operation and can easily obtain an image that records experience while focusing attention on the experience. A detection unit is worn on a body part other than a head of a user. An image pickup unit is worn on a body of the user. A memory device stores instructions. A processor executes the instructions to: detect an observation direction of the user by the detection unit, pick up an image by the image pickup unit, output an image in an image recording frame corresponding to the observation direction, determine the image recording frame so that a part of the body of the user will not appear in an output image.