Gaze Map Driven Image Processing for User Focus Emphasis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current image processing technologies do not effectively reproduce scenes as seen by a user during image capturing over time, nor do they emphasize objects that the user has focused on during image capture.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and method that captures images and eye positions of a user, generates a gaze map to track the user's gaze zone over time, and uses this information to create a motion picture by cropping and enlarging relevant areas of the captured images, providing an animation effect that emphasizes the user's focus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional image processing methods are used, then image quality can be improved, but the ability to reproduce scenes as seen by the user over time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gaze map as an intermediary data structure that captures user attention information separately from the image processing pipeline. This gaze map serves as a mediator between the user's visual attention and the final image output, allowing the system to preserve and utilize gaze information without interfering with conventional image quality enhancement processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the image processing system into multiple independent modules: conventional image processing for quality enhancement, gaze tracking for attention capture, and a composite generation module that integrates both. This segmentation allows each module to optimize its function independently while preserving both image quality and gaze information.
2Loss of information
If the entire captured image is processed and displayed, then complete scene information is provided, but emphasis on user-focused objects is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality enhancement by creating a composite image where regions corresponding to user gaze areas are emphasized with higher quality, larger size, or different visual properties compared to non-gazed regions. This allows the system to provide complete scene information while simultaneously emphasizing important areas through differential processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to the image display by showing a sequence of images or a video that reflects the user's gaze movement over time. This temporal dimension allows the system to emphasize different regions at different times, providing both complete information and focused emphasis without compromising either.
3Loss of information
If gaze tracking is continuously performed during image capture, then user focus information is captured, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the display device perform multiple functions: it serves as both the display for the captured image and the interface for gaze tracking. The same display screen that shows the captured content also detects user gaze through touch, proximity, or optical methods, eliminating the need for separate gaze tracking hardware and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the user's natural interaction with the display (touching, looking at, or moving near the screen) to capture gaze information without requiring additional sensors or complex tracking equipment. The display device itself provides the gaze tracking capability through its inherent interaction modes.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing device includes a first imaging unit configured to capture an image including an object; a display configured to display the image captured by the first imaging unit; a second imaging unit configured to capture a position of eyes of a user; a gaze map generator configured to generate a gaze map including information about a gaze zone on the display according to passage of time based on the position of the eyes; and an image processor configured to generate a motion picture based on the generated gaze map and the captured image.