Image Processing Apparatus Attention Determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image processing apparatuses face challenges in determining attention states reliably, as the line of sight direction and face direction rarely coincide, and require prior knowledge of objects of interest, limiting their applicability to unknown or complex environments.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that stabilizes attention state determination by correlating head and eye direction movements, allowing for more reliable attention level assessment without prior knowledge of the object or environment, using displacement ratios and attention determination conditions stored in a database.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If line of sight direction is detected from eye area only, then detection process is simple, but reliability of attention determination is low because line of sight direction and face direction rarely coincide
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines line of sight direction detection (from eye area) and face direction detection into a unified attention determination process. By merging these two detection results and analyzing their correlation, the system achieves reliable attention determination while maintaining relatively simple detection procedures.
2Reliability
If object of interest is tracked to determine attention, then attention level can be determined, but application is limited to known objects and cannot be applied to unknown or complex environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal attention determination method that does not require prior knowledge of specific objects of interest. By analyzing the correlation between line of sight direction and face direction, the system can determine attention levels for any object in the field of view, making it applicable to unknown or complex environments without requiring object-specific tracking algorithms.
3Measurement precision
If line-of-sight dwell time is used to determine area attention level, then attention can be measured, but it is difficult to decide upon a generally applicable threshold value due to great variation according to object complexity and surrounding conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the measurement parameter from absolute line-of-sight dwell time to the correlation relationship between line of sight direction and face direction. This parameter transformation allows for more consistent and generally applicable attention determination thresholds, as the correlation metric is less sensitive to variations in object complexity and surrounding conditions compared to raw dwell time measurements.
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided an image processing apparatus for performing a stable attention condition determination, regardless of the shape and surrounding environment of an object of interest and regardless that the object is unknown or known. The image processing apparatus comprises a direction detector, a displacement detector, and an attention condition determiner. The direction detector detects, from a certain image including a person image, the direction information in two body regions of a person represented by the person image. The displacement detector calculates, from the two direction information, a displacement ratio that is the ratio between the two direction displacements. The attention condition determiner determines, according to a first and a second displacement ratio, how much the person pays attention to a certain object. The first displacement ratio is calculated in the displacement detector by using first direction information detected by the direction detector from a first certain image including a first person image, and the second displacement ratio is calculated in the displacement detector by using second direction information detected by the direction detector from a second certain image including the first person image.