IP Library Granted Patent US 12671890
Granted Patent B2
US 12671890 · App. 18/689,048 · Granted Jun 30, 2026

Active image sensors

Inventors: Rafael Dal Zotto (Porto Alegre, BR); Qian Lin (Palo Alto, CA)
Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
H04N23/611H04N23/64
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12671890
App. No.
18/689,048
Filed
Mar 4, 2024
Granted
Jun 30, 2026
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2637
USPC
348/222.1
Abstract

In some examples, a non-transitory machine-readable medium stores machine-readable instructions which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the processor to detect, by multiple image sensors, a user presence, to determine, responsive to the detection of the user presence, eye gaze angles of a user in relation to optical axes of the multiple image sensors, to identify a smallest eye gaze angle among the eye gaze angles, and to cause an image sensor of the multiple image sensors that has the smallest eye gaze angle to be an active image sensor of the electronic device.

Claims (62)

1 . A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing machine-readable instructions which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the processor to:

detect, by multiple image sensors, a user;

determine, responsive to the detection of the user, eye gaze angles of the user in relation to optical axes of the multiple image sensors by:

comparing an optical axis of each of the multiple image sensors with an eye gaze of the user to determine a respective eye gaze angle of the eye gaze angles,

wherein the eye gaze angles are angles between the eye gaze of the user and the optical axis of each of the multiple image sensors;

identify a smallest eye gaze angle among the eye gaze angles; and

cause an image sensor of the multiple image sensors that has the smallest eye gaze angle to be an active image sensor of the electronic device.

2 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the processor is to cause a display device to display a prompt to change a location of the active image sensor.

3 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 2 , wherein the prompt is a mark that indicates a position at which to locate the active image sensor, an animation that indicates the position at which to locate the active image sensor, text indicating where to locate the active image sensor, or a combination thereof.

4 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein, responsive to a determination that a number of times that the eye gaze angles change exceeds a threshold, the processor is to adjust the active image sensor to a first image sensor of the multiple image sensors.

5 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein the processor is to cause a display device to display a video signal of the active image sensor, a network interface to transmit the video signal of the active image sensor, or a combination thereof.

6 . The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1 , wherein execution of the instructions causes the processor to:

detect a central axis of the user's face for each image sensor of the multiple image sensors;

determine, for each image sensor, a facial position angle of the user as an angle between the central axis for the image sensor the optical axis of the image sensor; and

identify a smallest facial position angle among the facial position angles,

in response to identifying the smallest facial position angle, cause another image sensor of the multiple image sensors to be the active image sensor of the electronic device, wherein the another image sensor corresponds to the smallest facial position angle.

7 . An electronic device, comprising:

a first image sensor;

a second image sensor; and

a processor to:

determine a first eye gaze angle of a user in relation to a first optical axis of the first image sensor by comparing the first optical axis of the first image sensor with a first eye gaze of the user, wherein the first eye gaze angle is a first angle between the first eye gaze of the user and the first optical axis;

determine a second eye gaze angle of the user in relation to a second optical axis of the second image sensor by comparing the second optical axis of the second image sensor with a second eye gaze of the user, wherein the second eye gaze angle is a second angle between the second eye gaze of the user and the second optical axis; and

adjust, responsive to a determination that the first eye gaze angle is less than the second eye gaze angle, an active image sensor to the first image sensor.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein, responsive to a determination that the first eye gaze angle has changed, the processor is to:

determine a third eye gaze angle of the user in relation to the first optical axis of the first image sensor;

determine a fourth eye gaze angle of the user in relation to the second optical axis of the second image sensor; and

adjust, responsive to a determination that the fourth eye gaze angle is less than the third eye gaze angle, the active image sensor to the second image sensor.

9 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is to determine that the first eye gaze angle has changed for a duration of time that exceeds a threshold.

10 . The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is to determine that the first eye gaze angle has changed by an amount that exceeds a threshold.

11 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein, responsive to a determination that a facial position angle of the user exceeds a threshold, the processor is to:

determine a third eye gaze angle of the user in relation to the first optical axis of the first image sensor;

determine a fourth eye gaze angle of the user in relation to the second optical axis of the second image sensor; and

adjust, responsive to a determination that the fourth eye gaze angle is less than the third eye gaze angle, the active image sensor to the second image sensor.

12 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the processor further:

detect a plurality of facial features and a plurality of eye landmarks of the user, wherein the first eye gaze angle and the second eye gaze angle of the user is determined based on the plurality of facial features and a plurality of eye landmarks.

13 . The electronic device of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of eye landmarks comprises at least one of an outer corner, an inner corner, an iris, or a pupil.

14 . An electronic device, comprising:

a first image sensor;

a second image sensor; and

a processor to:

detect a first central axis of a user's face;

determine a first facial position angle of the user in relation to a first optical axis of the first image sensor, wherein the first facial position angle is a first angle between the first central axis and the first optical axis;

detect a second central axis of the user's face;

determine a second facial position angle of the user in relation to a second optical axis of the second image sensor, wherein the second facial position angle is a second angle between the second central axis and the second optical axis; and

adjust, responsive to a determination that the first facial position angle is less than the second facial position angle, an active image sensor to the first image sensor.

15 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the processor is to adjust, responsive to a determination that the second facial position angle is less than the first facial position angle, the active image sensor to the second image sensor.

16 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the processor is to:

determine a first eye gaze angle of the user in relation to the first optical axis of the first image sensor;

determine a second eye gaze angle of the user in relation to the second optical axis of the second image sensor; and

adjust, responsive to a determination that the second eye gaze angle is less than the first eye gaze angle, the active image sensor to the second image sensor.

17 . The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the processor is to:

detect a change in a third facial position angle of the user in relation to a third optical axis of the active image sensor; and

responsive to a determination that the change exceeds a threshold,

determine a fourth facial position angle of the user in relation to the first optical axis of the first image sensor;

determine a fifth facial position angle of the user in relation to the second optical axis of the second image sensor; and

adjust, responsive to a determination that the fifth facial position angle is less than the fourth facial position angle, the active image sensor to the second image sensor.

18 . The electronic device of claim 14 , wherein the processor is to:

detect a change in a third facial position angle of the user in relation to a third optical axis of the active image sensor; and

responsive to a determination that the change exceeds a threshold,

determine a first eye gaze angle of the user in relation to the first optical axis of the first image sensor;

determine a second eye gaze angle of the user in relation to the second optical axis of the second image sensor; and

adjust, responsive to a determination that the second eye gaze angle is less than the first eye gaze angle, the active image sensor to the second image sensor.