Patent Application
20110177753
Artificial eyes are used in dolls, toy creatures, animatronic beings, life-like robots, etc., collectively referred to as “figures” in this patent specification (“herein”). Animatronic humans, animals, cartoon characters, or other figures that entertain or inform theme park guests may include realistic artificial eyes that can be electronically animated, i.e., made to appear to move in a life-like manner For example, electronically controlled actuators can move an artificial eyeball about one or more axes, open and close an eyelid, and dilate and constrict a pupil.
The face of a figure, including the eyes and other facial features, can be animated by projecting an image onto a surface that is contoured to simulate a face. The image can be projected onto such a surface from either the front or the rear of the surface. In a rear-projection system, a projector can be concealed inside a hollow head of the figure and project an image onto the inside or rear surface of a translucent face. Viewed from the front of the face, a rear-projected moving image can provide the appearance of movement of facial features, including the eyes.
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system and method for generating realistic electronically controlled eyes for a figure. An exemplary system can include a display screen system mounted to a body portion of a figure such as a doll, toy, animatronic being, robot, etc. A convex lens, which serves to simulate the figure's eye, is mounted substantially in contact with a surface of the display screen system. In an exemplary method of operation, eye movement is simulated by the display screen system displaying a sequence of images. To the observer looking at the convex surface of the lens, the lens appears as an eye characterized by realistic eye movement.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the invention will be or become apparent to one of skill in the art to which the invention relates upon examination of the following figures and detailed description. All such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages are encompassed by this description and the accompanying claims.
The invention can be better understood with reference to the following figures. The elements shown in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the invention. Also, in the figures like reference numerals designate corresponding elements throughout the different views.
As illustrated in
Although controller 18 is shown located within a void or cavity 23 in figure body portion 12 for purposes of illustration, in other embodiments the controller or similar device can be located in other regions of a figure or body portion thereof, or located externally to and remotely from the figure or body portion thereof. For example, in an animatronic figure, the controller can be located with or integrated with animatronic controllers and connected by a cable or other suitable connection to display screen system 14. In the exemplary embodiment, connection 22 is included for purposes of programming controller 18, diagnosing problems with controller 18, or other purposes, as described in further detail below.
As illustrated in
As further illustrated in
The convex side of lens 16 can have any suitable shape. For example, it can be hemispherical. However, the convex shape need not be rounded or otherwise uniform and can have contours, surface features, mounting flanges or other characteristics that help provide the appearance of an eye or serve another function. Lens 16 can be clear and transparent as in the exemplary embodiment or tinted. In other embodiments, lens 16 can include one or more opaque areas. Although in the exemplary embodiment lens 16 is made of a homogeneous material such as acrylic, in other embodiments the lens can comprise multiple materials or multiple portions that can be made of different materials.
Display screen system 14 and the attached lens 16 are mounted to figure body portion 12 by mounting them on or in figure body portion 12 in a position and orientation resembling the position and orientation of an eye. In operation, light emitted from display screen system 14 passes through lens 16 in the direction of the outwardly facing arrow 24, i.e., in a direction away from the outer surface of figure body portion 12.
As illustrated in
A meniscus lens 16′, i.e., a thin lens having a convex outer surface and correspondingly concave inner surface, can be mounted over display 14′. Meniscus lens 16′ can help protect the surface of display 14′. An index-matching adhesive 25 can be used to attach lens 16′ to display 14′, thereby promoting a wider field of view.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
An example of a suitable display screen system 14 is a product available from 4D Systems Pty. Ltd. of Sydney, Australia under the product name “μ0LED-128-G1 Intelligent OLED Display Module.” This product combines a 1.5 inch square, passive matrix, 128×128 pixel OLED display screen with a graphics processor on a small circuit card. In the exemplary embodiment, processor 26 can comprise such a graphics processor. A micro-SD (Secure Digital) flash memory card interface (not shown), also available from 4D Systems and other sources, optionally can be connected to the circuit card and used to store application software 36 and image data 38 for use by the graphics processor. Such data elements can be uploaded from a personal computer to the micro-SD card or the graphics processor. Although such data elements are shown for purposes of illustration as stored in memory 28, persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates understand that all such data elements may not reside in memory 28 in their entireties or simultaneously during operation but rather can be loaded in portions (e.g., files, modules, bytes, etc.) on an as-needed basis from one or more other sources. For example, memory 28 can include several elements, such as a volatile working memory portion and a non-volatile flash memory portion, and data stored in the flash memory portion can be loaded as needed into the working memory portion. Alternatively, data can be loaded from an external source, such as a computer, network, or other system (not shown) that communicates with display screen system 14 via programming interface 30.
In operation, processor 26, operating at least in part under the control of application software 36, retrieves image data 38 from memory 28 and causes the images represented by that data to be displayed on display screen system 14 by providing corresponding control signals to display screen system 14. Persons skilled in the art will readily be capable of providing suitable data that, when rendered as a sequence of displayed images, simulates an eye and its movement. For example, a living eye of a human or animal can be digitally photographed, and the captured images stored as image data 38. Alternatively, artwork depicting an eye in various positions or states can be digitized and stored as image data 38. Although the data or signals represent a sequence of images, the actual image data can be provided in any suitable format, such as a video-scan format, and need not consist of individual data blocks or frames corresponding to the display resolution (e.g., 128×128 pixel data blocks).
Processor 26 can cause the images to be displayed in any suitable order or manner, such as in synchronization with, or otherwise in response to, signals or events. For example, display screen system 14 can receive signals from an animatronic controller (not shown) via programming interface 30 or an additional interface (not shown), indicating that the figure or portion thereof has changed orientation or state, and cause processor 26 to simulate movement of an eye in a manner that corresponds to the changed orientation or state. For example, when an animatronic figure's head turns to the left, the eyes can be made to appear to move correspondingly to the right to provide the appearance of the figure's gaze being fixed upon an object. Other examples of synchronized or coordinated eye movement include blinking at times that are synchronized with a soundtrack simulating the figure's speech or noises, as the eyelid can be displayed as well as other portions of the eye.
An exemplary method of operation, in which an eye and its movement are simulated, is illustrated by the flow diagram of
While one or more embodiments of the invention have been described as illustrative of or examples of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that other embodiments are possible that are within the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not to be limited by such embodiments but rather is determined by the appended claims.
