IP Library Granted Patent US 7,274,741
Granted Patent B2
US 7,274,741 · App. 10/286,053 · Granted Sep 25, 2007

Systems and methods for generating a comprehensive user attention model

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,274,741
App. No.
10/286,053
Granted
Sep 25, 2007
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods to generate an attention model for computational analysis of video data are described. In one aspect, feature components from a video data sequence are extracted. Attention data is generated by applying multiple attention models to the extracted feature components. The generated attention data is integrated into a comprehensive user attention model for the computational analysis of the video data sequence.

Claims (306)

1. A computer-implemented method for generating a comprehensive user attention model, the method comprising

extracting feature components from a video data sequence:

generating attention data based on application of multiple attention models to the feature components;

integrating the attention data to create the comprehensive user attention model; and

wherein the comprehensive user attention model is represented as:

A=w v · M v + w a · M a + w l · M l ,

w v , w a , w l representing weights for linear combination, and M v , M a , and M l indicating normalized visual, audio, and linguistic attention models.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the feature components comprise image sequence, audio, and textual components.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple attention models comprise a combination of visual, audio, and/or linguistic attention models.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple attention models comprise a combination of static and dynamic attention models.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple attention models comprise motion, static, face, and/or camera attention models.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple attention models comprise saliency, speech, and/or music attention models.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multiple attention models comprise closed caption, and/or automated speech recognition attention models.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein integrating the attention data ifirther comprises integrating the attention data via linear combination.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein M l , M a , and M l are defined as follows:

M

v

=

(

i

=

1

p

w

i

·

M

i

_

)

×

(

M

_

c

m

)

S

c

m

;

M

a

=

(

j

=

1

q

w

j

·

M

j

_

)

×

(

M

_

as

)

S

as

;

M

l

=

k

=

1

r

w

k

·

M

k

_

;

and

wherein w i , w j , w k are weights in visual, audio, and linguistic attention models respectively, wherein M cm comprises a normalized camera attention used as a visual attention model magnifier, and wherein S cm comprises a magnifier switch that is based on multiple criteria.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the multiple criteria comprise:

if S cm >=1, the magnifier is turned on;

if S cm =0, the magnifier is turned off; and

wherein a large S cm value indicates a more powerful magnifier than a low S cm value.

11. A computer-implemented method for generating a comprehensive user attention model, the method comprising

extracting feature components from a video data sequence;

generating attention data based on application of multiple attention models to the feature components;

integrating the attention data to create the comprehensive user attention model; and

wherein the multiple attention models comprise a camera attention model and one or more other visual attention models, and wherein generating the attention data further comprises multiplying a sum of the one or more other visual attention models by quantized factors to determine emphasis of the camera attention model with respect to the other visual attention model(s), the quantized factors being camera attention factors.

12. The method of claim claim 11 , wherein quantized factor values range from zero (0) to two (2).

13. A tangible computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions executable by a processor to generate an attention model, the computer-executable instructions comprising instructions for:

extracting feature components from a video data sequence;

generating attention data based on application of at least visual and audio attention models to the feature components;

linearly combining the attention data to generate a generic user attention model that integrates results of the multiple visual, audio, and linguistic attention models; and

wherein the generic user attention model is represented as:

A=w v · M v + w a · M a + w l · M l ,

w v , w a , w l representing weights for linear combination, and wherein M v , M a , and M l represent normalized visual, audio, and linguistic attention models.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein generating attention data is further based on application of a linguistic attention model to one or more portions of the feature components.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the feature components comprise image sequence, audio, and textual components.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the audio attention models comprise saliency, speech, and/or music attention models.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the linguistic attention models comprise closed caption, and/or automated speech recognition attention models.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein M v , M a , and M l are defined as follows:

M

v

=

(

i

=

1

p

w

i

·

M

i

_

)

×

(

M

_

c

m

)

S

c

m

,

M

a

=

(

j

=

1

q

w

j

·

M

j

_

)

×

(

M

_

as

)

S

as

,

M

l

=

k

=

1

r

w

k

·

M

k

_

,

w i , w j , w k being weighted values of visual, audio, and linguistic attention models respectively, M cm representing a normalized camera attention used as a visual attention model magnifier, and S cm identifying a magnifier switch tat is based on multiple criteria.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the multiple criteria comprise:

if S cm >=1, the magnifier is turned on;

if S cm =0, the magnifier is turned off; and

wherein a large S cm value indicates a more powerful magnifier than a low S cm value.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the visual attention models comprise motion, static, face, and/or camera attention models.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 , wherein the camera attention model is based at least in part on the following criteria:

during camera zooming operations, frame importance increases temporally and is a function of zooming speed such that a first frame generated during a fast zooming operation is of higher relative importance that a second frame generated during a slower zooming operation; and

during camera panning operations, frame importance is an inverse of panning speed and a function of panning direction.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein frames generated during a horizontal camera panning operation are calculated to be of lesser relative importance as compared to frames generated during a vertical panning operation.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein calculated importance of a frame generated during panning or zooming operations is reduced from a higher importance to a lower importance as a function of ending the panning or zooming operation and passage of a certain period of time.

24. A computing device for creating a comprehensive user attention model, the computing device comprising:

a processer;

a memory coupled to the processor the memory comprising computer-program instructions executable by the processor for:

generating visual, audio, and linguistic attention data based on application of multiple attention models to a plurality of video data sequence feature components, the feature components comprising image sequence, audio, and text-related features;

integrating the visual, audio, and linguistic attention data to create the comprehensive user attention model;

wherein the comprehensive user attention model is a computational representation of elements of the video data sequence tat attract user attention; and

wherein the computational representation is defined as:

A=w v · M v + w a · M a + w l · M l ,

w v , W a , w l representing weights for linear combination, and wherein M v , M a , and M l represent normalized visual, audio, and linguistic attention models.

25. The computing device of claim 24 , wherein the computer-program instructions for generating further comprise instructions for creating the visual attention data with motion, static, face, and/or camera attention models.

26. The computing device of claim 24 , wherein the computer-program instructions for generating further comprise instructions for creating the audio attention data with saliency, speech, and/or music attention models.

27. The computing device of claim 24 , wherein the computer-program instructions for generating further comprise instructions for creating the linguistic attention data with closed caption, and/or automated speech recognition attention models.

28. The computing device of claim 24 , wherein M v , M a , and M l are defined as follows:

M

v

=

(

i

=

1

p

w

i

·

M

i

_

)

×

(

M

_

c

m

)

S

c

m

,

M

a

=

(

j

=

1

q

w

j

·

M

j

_

)

×

(

M

_

a

s

)

S

a

s

,

M

l

=

k

=

1

r

w

k

·

M

k

_

,

w i , w j , w k being weighted values of visual, audio, and linguistic attention models respectively, M cm representing a normalized camera attention used as a visual attention model magnifier, and S cm identifying a magnifier switch that is based on multiple criteria.

29. The computing device of claim 28 , wherein the multiple criteria comprise:

if S cm >=1, the magnifier is open;

if S cm =0, the magnifier is closed; and

wherein a large S cm value indicates a more powerful magnifier than a low S cm value.

30. The computing device of claim 24 , wherein the multiple attention models comprise a camera attention model, and wherein the computer-program instructions for generating the visual attention data generate camera attention data based at least in part on the following criteria:

during camera zooming operations, frame importance increases temporally and is a function of zooming speed such that a first frame generated during a fast zooming operation is of higher relative importance that a second frame generated during a slower zooming operation; and

during camera panning operations, frame importance is an inverse of panning speed and a function of panning direction.

31. The computing device of claim 30 , wherein frames generated during a horizontal camera panning operation are calculated to be of lesser relative importance as compared to frames generated during a vertical panning operation.

32. The computing device of claim 30 , wherein calculated importance of a frame generated during panning or zooming operations is reduced from a higher importance to a lower importance as a function of ending the panning or zooming operation and passage of a certain period of time.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2014
From: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 034541/0477 →