IP Library Granted Patent US 8,941,561
Granted Patent B1
US 8,941,561 · App. 13/631,438 · Granted Jan 27, 2015

Image capture

Inventor: Thad Eugene Starner (Mountain View, CA)
Assignee: Google Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,941,561
App. No.
13/631,438
Granted
Jan 27, 2015
Kind
B1
Abstract

Methods and systems for capturing and storing an image are provided. In one example, eye-movement data associated with a head-mountable device (HMD) may be received. The HMD may include an image-capture device arranged to capture image data corresponding to a wearer-view associated with the HMD. In one case, the received eye-movement data may indicate sustained gaze. In this case, a location of the sustained gaze may be determined, and an image including a view of the location of the sustained gaze may be captured. At least one indication of a context of the captured image, such as time and/or geographic location of the HMD when the image was captured may be determined and stored in a data-item attribute database as part of a record of the captured image. In a further example, movements associated with the HMD may also be determined and based on to determine sustained gaze and the location of the sustained gaze.

Claims (41)

1. A method comprising:

receiving movement data associated with a head-mountable device (HMD), and determining movements of the HMD based on the movement data;

receiving eye-movement data associated with the HMD, wherein the HMD comprises an image-capture device, and wherein the image-capture device is arranged to capture image data that corresponds to a wearer-view that is associated with the HMD;

determining that the eye-movement data corresponds to sustained gaze and responsively:

determining a location of the sustained gaze in the wearer-view;

causing the image-capture device to capture an image that includes a view of the location of the sustained gaze;

determining at least one indication of a context of the captured image; and

causing a record for the captured image to be stored in a data item-attribute database, wherein the record includes the at least one indication of the context of the captured image, and wherein determining that the eye-movement data corresponds to sustained gaze comprises determining that the eye-movement data indicates a series of gaze points shifting in substantially an opposite direction as the movements of the HMD.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a notification indicating that the record for the captured image has been stored.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein providing a notification comprises providing on a display, a visual indication that the captured image has been stored.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein providing a notification comprises causing an audio signal to be generated, the audio signal indicating that the captured image has been stored.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing the image-capture device to capture an image that includes a view of the location of the sustained gaze comprises causing the image-capture device to focus on the location of the sustained gaze.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining at least one indication of a context of the captured image comprises acquiring a geographic location associated with the captured image.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining at least one indication of a context of the captured image comprises acquiring a time associated with the captured image.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein causing a record for the captured image to be stored in a data item-attribute database comprises sending the record for the captured image to a server.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the record for the captured image further includes a wearer-identification data indicating an identity of a user wearing the HMD when the image was captured.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the data item-attribute database for storing the record of the captured image is associated with the wearer-identification data.

11. A head-mountable device (HMD) comprising:

a motion detection system configured to acquire movement data associated with the HMD;

an image-capture device arranged to capture image data that corresponds to a wearer-view associated with the HMD;

an eye-tracking system configured to acquire eye-movement data; and

a controller configured to:

receive the movement data

determine movements of the HMD based on the movement data

receive the eye-movement data;

determine that the eye-movement data corresponds to sustained gaze based on the eye-movement data indicating a series of gaze points shifting in substantially an opposite direction as the movements of the HMD and responsively:

determine a location of the sustained gaze in the wearer-view;

cause the image-capture device to capture an image that includes a view of the location of the sustained gaze;

determine at least one indication of a context of the captured image; and

cause a record for the captured image to be stored in a data item-attribute database, wherein the record includes the at least one indication of the context of the captured image.

12. The HMD of claim 11 , further comprising a data storage medium configured to store at least the data-item attribute database, wherein the controller is configured to cause the record for the captured image to be stored on the data storage medium.

13. The HMD of claim 12 , further comprising a global positioning system configured to determine a geographic location associated with the HMD, wherein the controller is configured to determine at least one indication of a context of the captured image by receiving the geographic location when the image is captured and associating the geographic location with the captured image.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions executable by a computing device to cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving eye-movement data associated with a head-mountable device (HMD), wherein the HMD comprises an image-capture device, and wherein the image-capture device is arranged to capture image data that corresponds to a wearer-view that is associated with the HMD;

receiving movement data associated with the HMD;

determining movements of the HMD based on the movement data;

determining that the eye-movement data corresponds to sustained gaze based on the eye-movement data indicating a series of gaze points shifting in substantially an opposite direction as the movements of the HMD and responsively:

determining a location of the sustained gaze in the wearer-view;

causing the image-capture device to capture an image that includes a view of the location of the sustained gaze;

determining at least one indication of a context of the captured image; and

causing a record for the captured image to be stored in a data item-attribute database, wherein the record includes the at least one indication of the context of the captured image.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Oct 2, 2017
From: GOOGLE INC.
To: GOOGLE LLC
Reel/Frame 044277/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 28, 2012
From: STARNER, THAD EUGENE
To: GOOGLE INC.
Reel/Frame 029050/0309 →
Continuity (1)
Provisional Application 61584138 · Jan 6, 2012