Patents by Inventor Timothy Hawkins

Timothy Hawkins 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: 9609284
    Abstract: A subject is imaged using imaging equipment arranged on portable, wireless vehicles. The vehicles are positioned in a pattern in proximity to the subject and illuminate the subject in order to collect image data. The image data can be collected by cameras carried by the vehicles in addition to or instead of external high speed cameras.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2017
    Assignee: OTOY, INC.
    Inventors: Julian Michael Urbach, Malcolm Taylor, Clay Sparks, Timothy Hawkins
  • Patent number: 8902232
    Abstract: Acquisition, modeling, compression, and synthesis of realistic facial deformations using polynomial displacement maps are described. An analysis phase can be included where the relationship between motion capture markers and detailed facial geometry is inferred. A synthesis phase can be included where detailed animated facial geometry is driven by a sparse set of motion capture markers. For analysis, an actor can be recorded wearing facial markers while performing a set of training expression clips. Real-time high-resolution facial deformations are captured, including dynamic wrinkle and pore detail, using interleaved structured light 3D scanning and photometric stereo. Next, displacements are calculated between a neutral mesh driven by the motion capture markers and the high-resolution captured expressions. These geometric displacements are stored in one or more polynomial displacement maps parameterized according to the local deformations of the motion capture dots.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: University of Southern California
    Inventors: Paul E. Debevec, Wan-Chun Ma, Timothy Hawkins
  • Publication number: 20130314502
    Abstract: A subject is imaged using imaging equipment arranged on portable, wireless vehicles. The vehicles are positioned in a pattern in proximity to the subject and illuminate the subject in order to collect image data. The image data can be collected by cameras carried by the vehicles in addition to or instead of external high speed cameras.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Inventors: Julian Michael Urbach, Malcolm Taylor, Clay Sparks, Timothy Hawkins
  • Patent number: 8134555
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating a surface normal map of an object may include a plurality of light sources having intensities that are controllable so as to generate one or more gradient illumination patterns. The light sources are configured and arranged to illuminate the surface of the object with the gradient illumination patterns. A camera may receive light reflected from the illuminated surface of the object, and generate data representative of the reflected light. A processing system may process the data so as to estimate the surface normal map of the surface of the object. A specular normal map and a diffuse normal map of the surface of the object may be generated separately, by placing polarizers on the light sources and in front of the camera so as to illuminate the surface of the object with polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: University of Southern California
    Inventors: Paul E. Debevec, Wan-Chun Ma, Timothy Hawkins
  • Publication number: 20090195545
    Abstract: Acquisition, modeling, compression, and synthesis of realistic facial deformations using polynomial displacement maps are described. An analysis phase can be included where the relationship between motion capture markers and detailed facial geometry is inferred. A synthesis phase can be included where detailed animated facial geometry is driven by a sparse set of motion capture markers. For analysis, an actor can be recorded wearing facial markers while performing a set of training expression clips. Real-time high-resolution facial deformations are captured, including dynamic wrinkle and pore detail, using interleaved structured light 3D scanning and photometric stereo. Next, displacements are calculated between a neutral mesh driven by the motion capture markers and the high-resolution captured expressions. These geometric displacements are stored in one or more polynomial displacement maps parameterized according to the local deformations of the motion capture dots.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2009
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicant: University fo Southern California
    Inventors: Paul E. Debevec, Wan-Chun Ma, Timothy Hawkins
  • Publication number: 20080304081
    Abstract: An apparatus for generating a surface normal map of an object may include a plurality of light sources having intensities that are controllable so as to generate one or more gradient illumination patterns. The light sources are configured and arranged to illuminate the surface of the object with the gradient illumination patterns. A camera may receive light reflected from the illuminated surface of the object, and generate data representative of the reflected light. A processing system may process the data so as to estimate the surface normal map of the surface of the object. A specular normal map and a diffuse normal map of the surface of the object may be generated separately, by placing polarizers on the light sources and in front of the camera so as to illuminate the surface of the object with polarized spherical gradient illumination patterns.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2008
    Publication date: December 11, 2008
    Inventors: Paul E. Debevec, Wan-Chun Ma, Timothy Hawkins
  • Publication number: 20060007502
    Abstract: A high dynamic range image editing system for editing an image file having pixels spanning a first range of light intensity levels in an image editing system that only displays differences in the light intensity levels of pixels within a second range of light intensity levels that is less than the first range of light intensity levels, without reducing the range of light intensity levels in the image file.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2005
    Publication date: January 12, 2006
    Inventors: Paul Debevec, Timothy Hawkins, Chris Tchou
  • Publication number: 20050018223
    Abstract: A lighting reproduction apparatus for illuminating a subject includes a reproduction light optical source that generates reproduction light. The optical source includes a plurality of light emitters, each characterized by an individual color channel. There may be nine different color channels. A driver drives the light emitter color channels with intensity values at which a substantial spectral match is achieved between the reproduction light and the desired illuminant, so that the subject appears to be illuminated by the desired illuminant. These channel intensity values may be determined by solving a minimization equation that minimizes a sum of square residuals of the reproduction light spectra to the desired illuminant spectra. The output reproduction light may be metamerically, matched with the desired illuminant, with respect to a particular camera's spectral response. One or more spectral reflectances of the subject may be measured and incorporated into the optimization process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Publication date: January 27, 2005
    Inventors: Paul Debevec, Timothy Hawkins, Andreas Wenger