US5455601A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Method of and apparatus for displaying image
Assignee: Fujitsu Ltd
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Filing: 1994-02-28
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Granted: 1995-10-03
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Expires: 2014-02-28
Abstract
Abstract A display section displays an image to be displayed on a screen. An image processing section detects an opening/closing of an operator's eyelids on the basis of an image of the operator's face. A display controlling section changes the video data displayed on the display screen through a display section on the basis of the eyelid opening/closing state detected by the image processing section in accordance with a timing at which the operator does not look at the display screen.
Inventors
- 👤 Tohru Ozaki
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-29 04:30
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/011; G06F3/013; G09; G09G; G09G5/00; G09G5/22; G09G5/30; G09G5/36; G09G5/39; G09G5/399; G09G2320/00; G09G2320/02; G09G2320/0261
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 33
Claim 1
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of displaying an image formed by video data on a screen and viewed by an operator, said method comprising: a displaying step of sequentially displaying the video data on the screen; an image inputting step of inputting facial image information indicative of information of a face of the operator; an image processing step of detecting opening and closing of eyelids of the operator based on the image information of the face; a signal generating step of generating a rewrite signal indicative of rewriting the video data displayed on the screen; and a display controlling step of performing a principal change of the video data displayed on the screen when the rewrite signal is generated in said signal generating step and when the operator fails to look at the screen on the basis of the eyelid opening/closing state obtained by said image processing step.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
145 words
A method of displaying an image formed by video data on a screen and viewed by an operator, said method comprising: a displaying step of sequentially displaying the video data on the screen; an image inputting step of inputting facial image information indicative of information of a face of the operator; an image processing step of detecting opening and closing of eyelids of the operator based on the image information of the face; a signal generating step of generating a rewrite signal indicative of rewriting the video data displayed on the screen; and a display controlling step of performing a principal change of the video data displayed on the screen when the rewrite signal is generated in said signal generating step and when the operator fails to look at the screen on the basis of the eyelid opening/closing state obtained by said image processing step.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
66 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein: said image inputting step comprises a step of inputting the facial image information in a period at least as short as a period for which the eyelids are closed by blinking; and said image processing step comprises a step of detecting the opening and closing of the eyelids in a period at least as short as the eyelid-closed period.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein said display controlling step comprises a step of rewriting the displayed video data in a substantially-closed state of the eyelids of the operator.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
91 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein said display controlling step comprises a step of rewriting the displayed video data at a proper timing by alternately writing change video data, which is the video data to replace the video data displayed on the screen, in two video memories and reading to-be-displayed video data, which is the change video data already written in the two video memories, from one of the two video memories different from the other one of the two video memories into which the change video data is written.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method according to claim 4, wherein said display controlling step further comprises a step of reading the to-be-displayed video data from the one of the two video memories to the screen for display during an eyelid-closed state only when rewriting the whole screen.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
54 words
The method according to claim 4, wherein said display controlling step further comprises a step of reading the to be displayed video data from the one of the two video memories to the screen for display at any time irrespective of the opening/closing of the eyelids when rewriting only a part of the screen.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
44 words
The method according to claim 6, wherein said display controlling step further comprises a step of reading the to-be-displayed video data from the one of the two video memories to the screen for display during the eyelid-closed state only when rewriting the whole screen.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein said image processing step comprises an edge extracting step of generating a facial edge image by extracting edges of the facial image information.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 8, wherein said edge extracting step comprises a step of performing a spatial differential process on the facial image information to obtain the facial edge image.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
47 words
The method according to claim 9, wherein said image processing step further comprises a step of determining the eyelid opening/closing state by detecting at least one of a shape and a size of an iris part of an eye of the face from the facial edge image.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method according to claim 8, wherein said image processing step further comprises an image cutout step of cutting out an edge image of an eye-part segmented area from the facial edge image.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 8, wherein said image processing step further comprises a blink detecting step of detecting an eyelid opening/closing state from the facial edge image.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
The method according to claim 12, wherein said blink detecting step comprises a step of detecting a blink at a proper timing by writing and reading the facial image information to be processed through an alternate use of two image memories.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method according to claim 1, wherein said image processing step comprises a step of detecting the opening/closing state of the eyelids by intermittently processing the facial image information in a period shorter than an eyelid-closed period due to blinking.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
140 words
An apparatus, run by an operator, for displaying an image formed by video data, said apparatus comprising: displaying means, including a screen, for sequentially displaying video data on the screen; imaging means for imaging at least a face of the operator to generate facial image information; image processing means for detecting opening and closing of eyelids of the operator based on the facial image information; signal generating means for generating a rewrite signal which indicates rewriting of the video data displayed on the screen; and display controlling means for performing a principal change of the video data displayed on the screen by said displaying means when the rewrite signal is generated by said signal generating means and when the operator fails to look at the screen on the basis of the eyelid opening/closing state obtained by said image processing means.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
140 words
An apparatus, run by an operator, for displaying an image formed by video data, said apparatus comprising: displaying means, including a screen, for sequentially displaying video data on the screen; imaging means for imaging at least a face of the operator to generate facial image information; image processing means for detecting opening and closing of eyelids of the operator based on the facial image information; signal generating means for generating a rewrite signal which indicates rewriting of the video data displayed on the screen; and display controlling means for performing a principal change of the video data displayed on the screen by said displaying means when the rewrite signal is generated by said signal generating means and when the operator fails to look at the screen on the basis of the eyelid opening/closing state obtained by said image processing means.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
64 words
The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein: said imaging means further comprises means for generating the facial image information in a period at least as short as a period for which the eyelids are closed by blinking; and said image processing means comprises means for detecting the opening and closing of the eyelids in a period at least as short as the eyelid-closed period.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said display controlling means comprises means for rewriting the displayed video data in a substantially-closed state of the eyelids of the operator.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
91 words
The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said display controlling means comprises: two video memories for alternately storing change video data, which is the video data to replace the video data displayed on the screen; and means for rewriting the displayed video data at a proper timing by writing the change video data to one of the two video memories and reading to-be-displayed video data, which is the change video data already written into the two video memories, from the other one of the two video memories to the displaying means.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
45 words
The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said display controlling means further comprises means for reading the to-be-displayed video data from the one of the two video memories to the screen for display during an eyelid-closed state only in case of rewriting the whole screen.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
48 words
The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein said display controlling means further comprises means for reading the to-be-displayed video data from the one of the two video memories at any time irrespective of the opening/closing of the eyelids in case of rewriting only a part of the screen.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
45 words
The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said display controlling step further comprises means for reading the to-be-displayed video data from the one of the two video memories to the screen for display during the eyelid-closed state only in case of rewriting the whole screen.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
29 words
The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said image processing means comprises edge extracting means for generating a facial edge image by extracting edges of the facial image information.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said edge extracting means comprises means for obtaining the facial edge image by performing a spatial differential process on the facial image information.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
47 words
The apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said image processing step further comprises means for determining opening/closing state of the eyelids by detecting at least one of a shape and a size of an iris part of an eye of the face from the facial edge image.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
32 words
The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said image processing means further comprises image cutout means for cutting out an edge image of an eye-part segmented area from the facial edge image.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
27 words
The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said image processing means further comprises blink detecting means for detecting an eyelid opening/closing state from the facial edge image.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
53 words
The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said blink detecting means comprises: two video memories for storing the facial edge image to be processed; and means for detecting a blink at a proper timing by writing and reading the facial edge image to be processed through an alternate use of two video memories.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
39 words
The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said image processing means comprises means for detecting the opening/closing state of the eyelids by intermittently processing the facial image information in a period shorter than an eyelid-closed period due to blinking.
Claim 31
Independent Claim
154 words
A method of displaying an image formed by video data on a screen and viewed by an operator, said method comprising: a displaying step of sequentially displaying the video data on the screen; an image inputting step of inputting facial image information of a face of the operator; an image processing step of detecting opening and closing of eyelids of the operator based on the image information of the face, said image processing step having, an edge extracting step of generating a facial edge image by extracting edges of the facial image information, said edge extracting step obtaining the facial edge image by effecting a spatial differential process on the facial image information; and a display controlling step of performing a principal change of the video data displayed on the screen when the operator fails to look at the screen on the basis of the eyelid opening/closing state obtained by said image processing step.
Claim 32
Independent Claim
154 words
A method of displaying an image formed by video data on a screen and viewed by an operator, said method comprising: a displaying step of sequentially displaying the video data on the screen; an image inputting step of inputting facial image information of a face of the operator; an image processing step of detecting opening and closing of eyelids of the operator based on the image information of the face, said image processing step having, an edge extracting step of generating a facial edge image by extracting edges of the facial image information, said edge extracting step obtaining the facial edge image by effecting a spatial differential process on the facial image information; and a display controlling step of performing a principal change of the video data displayed on the screen when the operator fails to look at the screen on the basis of the eyelid opening/closing state obtained by said image processing step.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
46 words
The method according to claim 29, wherein said image processing step further comprises a step of determining the eyelid opening/closing state by detecting at least one of a shape and size of an iris part of an eye of the face from the facial edge image.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4109145A
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JPS60218168A
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US4891630A
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JPH03256112A
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1998-10-02 | 1999-04-03 | 1999-10-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2002-10-02 | 2003-04-03 | 2003-10-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2006-10-02 | 2007-04-03 | 2007-10-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |