Patent · US Expired

Methods and systems for animating facial features, and methods and systems for expression transformation

US6950104B1 · kind B1 · utility

12Cited by
2References
45Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 30, 2000
Grant dateSep 27, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 22, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S345/956
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Methods and systems for animating facial features and transforming facial expressions are described. In one embodiment, a code book contains data that defines a set of facial expressions of a first person. A training set of facial expressions from a second person and corresponding expressions from the code book are used to derive a transformation function that is then applied to all of the expressions of the code book. In this manner, expressions from the first person can be realistically transformed into expressions of a second person and vice versa. Particularly advantageous aspects of the described embodiments provide a single common generic face model that is used as the basis for a fitting operation for many different faces. Use of the single common generic face model and certain user-defined constraints provide a mechanism by which correspondences between the different faces can be established. These correspondences provide a basis for facial animation operations, among which are included expression transformation.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.