Patents by Inventor Sean Eron Anderson

Sean Eron Anderson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10274737
    Abstract: A vehicle camera system captures and transmits video to a user device, which includes a viewing device for playback of the captured video, such as virtual reality or augmented reality glasses. A rendering map is generated that indicates which pixels of the video frame (as identified by particular coordinates of the video frame) correspond to which coordinates of a virtual sphere in which a portion of the video frame is rendered for display. When a video frame is received, the rendering map is used to determine the texture values (e.g., colors) for coordinates in the virtual sphere, which is used to generate the display for the user. This technique reduces the rendering time when a user turns his or her head (e.g., while in virtual reality) and so it reduces motion and/or virtual reality sickness induced by the rendering lag.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Nikolai Smolyanskiy, Zhengyou Zhang, Sean Eron Anderson, Michael Hall
  • Patent number: 9959627
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shape parameter computation system and method for computing three-dimensional human head shape parameters from two-dimensional facial feature points. A series of images containing a user's face is captured. Embodiments of the system and method deduce the 3D parameters of the user's head by examining a series of captured images of the user over time and in a variety of head poses and facial expressions, and then computing an average. An energy function is constructed over a batch of frames containing 2D face feature points obtained from the captured images, and the energy function is minimized to solve for the head shape parameters valid for the batch of frames. Head pose parameters and facial expression and animation parameters can vary over each captured image in the batch of frames. In some embodiments this minimization is performed using a modified Gauss-Newton minimization technique using a single iteration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Nikolay Smolyanskiy, Christian F. Huitema, Cha Zhang, Lin Liang, Sean Eron Anderson, Zhengyou Zhang
  • Patent number: 9767586
    Abstract: A method for operating an image processing device coupled to a color camera and a depth camera is provided. The method includes receiving a color image of a 3-dimensional scene from a color camera, receiving a depth map of the 3-dimensional scene from a depth camera, generating an aligned 3-dimensional face mesh from a plurality of color images received from the color camera indicating movement of a subject's head within the 3-dimensional scene and form the depth map, determining a head region based the depth map, segmenting the head region into a plurality of facial sections based on both the color image, depth map, and the aligned 3-dimensional face mesh, and overlaying the plurality of facial sections on the color image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Lin Liang, Christian F. Huitema, Matthew Adam Simari, Sean Eron Anderson
  • Publication number: 20170251176
    Abstract: A vehicle camera system captures and transmits video to a user device, which includes a viewing device for playback of the captured video, such as virtual reality or augmented reality glasses. A rendering map is generated that indicates which pixels of the video frame (as identified by particular coordinates of the video frame) correspond to which coordinates of a virtual sphere in which a portion of the video frame is rendered for display. When a video frame is received, the rendering map is used to determine the texture values (e.g., colors) for coordinates in the virtual sphere, which is used to generate the display for the user. This technique reduces the rendering time when a user turns his or her head (e.g., while in virtual reality) and so it reduces motion and/or virtual reality sickness induced by the rendering lag.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 29, 2016
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Inventors: Nikolai Smolyanskiy, Zhengyou Zhang, Sean Eron Anderson, Michael Hall
  • Publication number: 20160014392
    Abstract: A method for operating an image processing device coupled to a color camera and a depth camera is provided. The method includes receiving a color image of a 3-dimensional scene from a color camera, receiving a depth map of the 3-dimensional scene from a depth camera, generating an aligned 3-dimensional face mesh from a plurality of color images received from the color camera indicating movement of a subject's head within the 3-dimensional scene and form the depth map, determining a head region based the depth map, segmenting the head region into a plurality of facial sections based on both the color image, depth map, and the aligned 3-dimensional face mesh, and overlaying the plurality of facial sections on the color image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2014
    Publication date: January 14, 2016
    Inventors: Lin Liang, Christian F. Huitema, Matthew Adam Simari, Sean Eron Anderson
  • Patent number: 9148637
    Abstract: Methods and systems for face detection and tracking using an image-based capture device are disclosed herein. The method includes generating a depth image of a scene, generating a mask image from the depth image, and detecting a position of a face of a user in the scene using the mask image. The method also includes determining an intensity of the face using a first color channel of the mask image and adjusting a gain level of a first color channel of the image-based capture device directed at the scene to achieve a target intensity of the face.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2015
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Sean Eron Anderson, Christian F. Huitema
  • Patent number: 9123144
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shape parameter computation system and method for computing three-dimensional human head shape parameters from two-dimensional facial feature points. A series of images containing a user's face is captured. Embodiments of the system and method deduce the 3D parameters of the user's head by examining a series of captured images of the user over time and in a variety of head poses and facial expressions, and then computing an average. An energy function is constructed over a batch of frames containing 2D face feature points obtained from the captured images, and the energy function is minimized to solve for the head shape parameters valid for the batch of frames. Head pose parameters and facial expression and animation parameters can vary over each captured image in the batch of frames. In some embodiments this minimization is performed using a modified Gauss-Newton minimization technique using a single iteration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Nikolay Smolyanskiy, Christian F. Huitema, Cha Zhang, Lin Liang, Sean Eron Anderson, Zhengyou Zhang
  • Publication number: 20150235372
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shape parameter computation system and method for computing three-dimensional human head shape parameters from two-dimensional facial feature points. A series of images containing a user's face is captured. Embodiments of the system and method deduce the 3D parameters of the user's head by examining a series of captured images of the user over time and in a variety of head poses and facial expressions, and then computing an average. An energy function is constructed over a batch of frames containing 2D face feature points obtained from the captured images, and the energy function is minimized to solve for the head shape parameters valid for the batch of frames. Head pose parameters and facial expression and animation parameters can vary over each captured image in the batch of frames. In some embodiments this minimization is performed using a modified Gauss-Newton minimization technique using a single iteration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2015
    Publication date: August 20, 2015
    Applicant: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Nikolay SMOLYANSKIY, Christian F. HUITEMA, Cha ZHANG, Lin LIANG, Sean Eron ANDERSON, Zengyou ZHANG
  • Publication number: 20130121526
    Abstract: A three-dimensional shape parameter computation system and method for computing three-dimensional human head shape parameters from two-dimensional facial feature points. A series of images containing a user's face is captured. Embodiments of the system and method deduce the 3D parameters of the user's head by examining a series of captured images of the user over time and in a variety of head poses and facial expressions, and then computing an average. An energy function is constructed over a batch of frames containing 2D face feature points obtained from the captured images, and the energy function is minimized to solve for the head shape parameters valid for the batch of frames. Head pose parameters and facial expression and animation parameters can vary over each captured image in the batch of frames. In some embodiments this minimization is performed using a modified Gauss-Newton minimization technique using a single iteration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 11, 2011
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Nikolay Smolyanskiy, Christian F. Huitema, Cha Zhang, Lin Liang, Sean Eron Anderson, Zhengyou Zhang
  • Publication number: 20130113956
    Abstract: Methods and systems for face detection and tracking using an image-based capture device are disclosed herein. The method includes generating a depth image of a scene, generating a mask image from the depth image, and detecting a position of a face of a user in the scene using the mask image. The method also includes determining an intensity of the face using a first color channel of the mask image and adjusting a gain level of a first color channel of the image-based capture device directed at the scene to achieve a target intensity of the face.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Publication date: May 9, 2013
    Applicant: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sean Eron Anderson, Christian F. Huitema