CA2077540A1 - Process and device for animating motor-driven puppets and the like - Google Patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT
The invention concerns a method and circuitry to implement, monitor, store and optimize and reproduce the acoustic, optical, mechanical, electromechanical and electronic effects in the animation of artificially moved figures such as vital, species-specific behavior of equivalent, esthetically manipulated figure facial expressions and species-specific figure-behavior being transmitted mechanically, electromechanically or electronically.
Fig. 1.

Description

~7~

A M~THO~ FOR ANIMA~NG MOTOR-I~RI~N PUPPETS AND ~E LIKE
AND AF'P~ATIJCt IMPLEMEN~I~G THl~ ~E~IC)D.
1:3escr~ption lhe method concerns a method ~r motor-~nimacing puppets and the like and apparatus uith which to carry out the method.
The above p~ppets and the like comprise mime-~uppets, animal puppets, toys ~d amusement figures, an~mated plantsl puppet or doll objects and the like, all or part of their fi~ure-surfaces as well as lin~bs beiIIg moved in s-lch a w~y that the jerky puppet motions of the entire or partial figure~surfaces as well as limbs are eli~unated, as a ~esult of ~hich the continuous impulse~ree ~hOtiOns can b~ implemented i~ a way unlike that of puppets and hence closer to the way~ of pe~ple.
The expression herein of "a~imation" covers th~; vital ~acial expressions which are characteristic of the part;cular species, ~Iso behavi~j which is spe~ific to ~he parti~ular speciesl and, by mea~s of mechanical, electromechan~cal and electron~c syste~s and tbeir effects, the impa~ed, artis~ic flgure facia~ expression ar,d behavior characteristic of the particular species shall be ~Lhoroughly exploited. ~e met~lod of ~he invention shall make possible the storage, processing and optim~zation as well as reproduc~ion of the acoustic, optic, mechan~c, electrotechnical and electron~c effects in the life-like anima~ion of a~ificially moved figures such as puppets.
Already f~r a long time tbere ha~e been attempts ;uld solution~ in puppetly to additi~nally a~tuate individual elements such as the cyes or the mouth of a perfornLing puppet in order to endow said puppet ~4itb greater expressiveness. Nevertheless even 2 0 7 ( ~ 4 0 2 puppets with a plurality of fuIIctions did rem~un figures which while able to move the mouth, close the eyes or more -- still fell short of "facial expre ision".
Illustrati~ely such a development approach is kno~ from the Gennan patent docu~ent 23. 046,614. It relates to apparatus forcing lil~ motion in a toy doll, i~
s particular a doll head w~th a motor-driven gear in turn excentrically dFiving an actuation lever conne~cted to an elastic strip. E~ach lip is moved by a bar cooperating with a corresponding cylinder projectioII mou~ted excentrically orl ~he ~ear. However the "li~e-like" lip motion transmitted to the doll is far ~om actually beil~g life-]i~e.
We ~lsa refer to the disGlosed Europeall patellt applica~ion 0,150,690 ~0 whereiII the ~otion o~ the doll eyes is achieved by a particular ge ar mounted On a vertical shaft inside the head and operationally connected w:itb the eyeballs.
Moreover the Puropean pate~t applicat;on 0,212,8'11 discloses a method and apparatus for recording and ~eproducing sign~ls controlling an~nlation. This method and this app~ratus also provide sig~al-proces~ing by a cliscrete lo~c. As ~ result, signal-processi~g is possible only in a restri~ted way.
The US patent 4,8~5,136 compnses apparatus to control a doll and includ~
ing stora~e ansi reproduction of a~alog and digital recorded sign;lls. Again this apparatus is unsu~ted tO e~ectively process the control signals.
Nei~her the above solution, nor any of the above ~lesigns combir ed u~th it, render the do~ls or puppets life-like or perm~t such facial expression on stage nr in ~llms required by and acceptable to the new media 2 ID 7 ~ 3 The new media, namely mov~es, video, TV, do ~chieve a new quality of obselvation~ The onlooker not orly watches the puppet from th~ particular best-possible viewer position, but also sees it directly ~n its en~ire figure, directly in front of hirn, and eve~ its face enlarged to screen s~e.
s Even thou~h the artistic expression "classieal pllppet" w~th its "classical features" -- whereby are meant frozen facial IIue~, shape as well ;~ the possible behavl~rs, also are displayed in these media by tbe techniques already iil use, some of them for centunes, tbese media nevertheless make it possible to exploit "closeups" with additio~al artistic expressi ~n and dimensions by mealls of newly won and controlled ~acial expr~s-sion techniques.
Fi~ures ~r systems of fi~ures, primarily for hand p~ppets7 were created for those claims, aIId fo~ s~æes matching thase of conventional glove puppetly, in other words and illustratively, one puppeteer controls a slipover puppe~ with one hand, where sa~d claims ~re characteri~ed by 1b l. TJ~e En~elope The puppets are fitted u~th an elastic envelope hugging their shapes. The mater~al is foarn, plastic, rubbely material, fabrics, even leatber. Preferably the enve]ope is made of corresponding and/or variably thick foam cast or pressed into the eorrespond-in~ shapes and reproducing such features as folds, beads and the like.
This skin corresponds to the extemal body envelope of living things. Tt comprises all visible, bared body parts of the figures.

2 0 ~ 7 ~ 4 ~is skin moreover bears the essential mDlded e]emellt!i of the cxternal shape folmed appropriately in a molcl, Bein~ flex~ble, the skin is dileclly braced In t~exible or rig~d contact by an interIIal frarne also preci~ely matching the shaE~e .at <all poi~ts wbere th~s outer skin requires no deforming, or only v~ ry little. ~hose are the 6 poiDt~ of the natural fi,~lre where the out~rmost body envelope, ie the derma, bardly evinces cha~es or motion, and in hulnans this is for instance all the hai~y head, tlhe cheekbone area, the nose bridge, the lower jaw etc, The "intern~l" frame determ~nes the approx~mate size. The above mentioned skin, which also evinces the finer features o~
shapc, is slipped over this frame.
re~ards the various effects when defonn~ng this envelope, ie, the ulterior fac~al expression, the skin may vary in thickness and/or in Inaterials on the inside, ~llustratively cotton wool or very ~me foam may be placed und~ rneath the cheeks.
As a reslllt di~erent, or deliberate or desired di~er~ntial mechani~a`i properties are imparted to the envelope or ~s 2. 7'he l~ern~l Struc~re One purpose of the internal struc~res already wai cited and illustrated ~s ~haping, and support for, the external envelope.
In order to e~dow this external envelope with corresponding exte~sions, deforrnations and motions, in part or in whole, to achieve corres~onding f~acial expression 2~ or expression, illustratively a wrinkled ~row, a closed eyelid, an opening mouth etc. and to do so precisely and always in identicaJly reproducible manner, the~e internaJly generat-ed forces must act a~ in a natural body, namely 2 o tj~ rrj ~ 5 (a) as regards their absolute force (b) a~ reg~rd~ their directions, especihlly (c) at theif points or aresls of ap~,lication, there must be r~gid, ~xible or slidin~ conne~tiorls etc w~ich are previously determined, implemented 6 aJnd ~ntrolled in relatlnn to the inten~led eeeect6.
E~XAMPLE
~n a puppet representing a human, the entire lower jaw rnay be ~ormed by a rig~d bail in the shape of the human lower Jaw and being copied from it, which can be pivoted about the jaw articul~tion axis an~ thus allows openin~ and clos~ng the mnuth.
,o Ri~id con~ection between the bail and the envelope is not required because thi~ envelope hugs the bail which carries it along as it moves ;~nd the m~mal relative displacements between b~l alld envelope which are to be cot,trolled l~y the shapes of s~d ba~l and envelope also elim~nate the "~tiffness" and therefore the natural process is irr~itated very effectivel~.
~ As another example, the mouth-corner in the envelope must be rigidlv linlced in point form to an inner structure to control mouth effects in all nuances, namely that regaldless of open or closed mouth, said corner ~nust poin~ up for a jolly effect and down for a sad one.
Preferably these internal structure~ are implemet,ted using plunger-, bs~il-and lever mechamsrr~ etc, causing corresponding pressures, tract ions or other mechsan~cal effects at defined contacts with the erlvelope and thus producin~ the facial expre~ion by - 20~7~
mean~ of the envclope. These mechan~sms must accur,ltely m~ch the desired cff~ct hy ~heir force, amplitude and direction etc.
I~e ruost suitable solutions for instance for the ~bove lower jaw are lo~ic systems at pre~formed anatolnical struetllres ~f the original fi~lres.
s Anchorillg or fixed points of these structure~ ~re in~ide the fi~re along a ~en~ ns or at other in~ide accessories.

3. ~;'orce Transmission Because of the volumes involved -- that of the head of a conventional hand puppet i5 al~out 15 to 20 cm3 which moreover must accommodate the puppeteer's finger up, and also this applies to larger figures for their eyes, eye~rows etc -- th~ flgures as a rule preclude motors or the like inside them to deliver the p~lwer t~ actuate levers or other devices.
The inside parts, small levers etc., ~e connecte,3 by bowden ~ables with the par~s prov~ding the force and located outside the figLlre~ in other words they are .~ comlected to the traction-cores of bowden cables or they are fitted into hydraulic mecha ~s~s, 4. Applica~ion offor&e The b~wdcn tTaction sheath and core are coupled each to a motor or servo-motor outside the ~l~ure, ie the puppet, said motor or selvoinotor being rnatched as regards power and motion to the c~upled intcrnal stmcture to generate corresponding displacements.

2 0 ~

5. Power control If these motors or servornotors are coILnected Z~) corre.spolld~r~g cnntrol m~a~s, the dispklcements of th~ control rneans result in envelope displacements analo~
gous to ~e initiated ones.
~ Py amolmt each tim~ to a linear displacement elerllent ~r ~ conuection with several to an expression -- within the possible displacernents or expressio~s of the overall figure.
The above described method already is the obj~ct of a German patent application P ~9 01 079.1~42 for the specia~ case of a manuall~/ operated puppet.
Below another method is disclos~d whereby all acoustic, mechanical and optical effects can be enhanced by modern tecbnology resorting to ~udio-v~sual carriers to achieve artistic optimum and in particular as regal7ds facial exl)ression and differentiat~
ed figure animation.
Differential displacement, in particular differenti~l faeial expression, pre-swnes a large mlmber of single controls, indiv~dual displace~ n~s includ;ng the clnsing, of eyes, up-and~doyn, l~ft-and-right motion of eyes, opening the mouth etc, fwther integraung thcse individual motions into the "total ~notion of the total effect of the total expression" to mention only a few consideratiorls.
The large number of single, sirnultaneous controls as well as their comple~-20 ty may overtax the puppeteer, regardless of the obligatory. higl~-4uality çpecial ~raining required and the presumed transfer as "puppeteer", the more so that the technique of 2 0 7 1 tJ ~ 8 anima~ion and the cont~ols rnay vary frnm pupp~t to puppet and that sevcral igur~s or several techniqu~s may be required only for one scene nl nne iettinK.
Problem The o~cct ~f the invention is to ma~e possible reproducible figure dlsplace-s Inent a~d mot~orl which ~re improved to the point of b~ing appl oximately lUe-like. T11is problem is solved ~y th~ features of the rnethod clalm t, fulth~r advantageous metllod implem~ntations being stated in the method dependent claims 2 ~ hrongh 18, the apparatus for the implemerltation of the method bein~g defined by claim 19 and being characterized in that both d~re~t and ~ndirect control means are associat~ed wlth the artificially moved .0 figures, the indirect co~trol means be~ng connected by a computdr comprising ~n analog-di~ital converter and a decoder. further a memory, fur~her a r,lagnetic tape containing at least two tracks and bearing sou~d and tim~ng code, w~th ins~ rtion of a regulator, and the puppet motion further being controlled by the above co~poIlents in reproducible maDrler ~he sound-and-light ef~eets.
3 ~e apparatus of the invention further may be characterized in that the simultaneous ~otion of several objects, ie puppets together witJl sound-and-light effects shall be possible.
Most of all, the technical pro~ress of the invention is in the simulation of natursl r otlon and facial expression by means of artificial and natural controls, and in that such can be reproduced and optirnized~ None of the kno~n literature allows this functional success.

2 ~ 7 i'~
A colnputer-supported metho~l is described belc,w, which optimizcs the al~imatioIl of a mamlally actu~ted p~ppet.
Sound is produceLI fc)llow~ng presentatioll of script i~ the stuclio. The talk, for instan~e dialo~, is produced as for a radio play with due ac. ount for the subsequent 6 puppetry. Then the act30n ~(~un~ls, foremos~ thunder, closing doors etc. are admLxed to perrnit correspondin~ reactions by the pllppeteer.
If possible, any music already may be ~ncorporated to further "an~mate" tbe puppeteer in his actions.
~e f~nal-znixed sound played off a sound medium forms the play scrlpt to ,o guide the puppeteer in Ihe imrnediate an~mati~n c~f the puppel.
011 one hand the facial-expression puppets are g~lided "directly", in other words, the puppeteel bears the hand puppet on his hand and iml~arts to it its body-shape, structure and motion.
~or differential facial expression and behavior, the l~uppeteer rleeds accesso-ries, ie "indirect animation", in other words, the motion wi~l not be ~nplemented through the analogo~s displacement of fingers or hand, but by means oF accessories.
The most minute displacements are made possible using se~vomotor~ which are part of a suitable mechan~cal system, by trans~utting the power through bowden cables and ~he ac~ion of same on a suitably sbaped envelope, on~ servo-mechanism being used for one-dimensional or linear motion. Tbese linear motions can be controlled whether or not they are imparted by servo-mechari~

2 0 7 ~
~ plurality of di~erent displacements requires a ~ ol r~sponding mlmber of such linear displacements or chalmels with associated co~trol l.nd control means, As vPiCe may be stored OII a ma~letic ~ape, the .,ontrols actlvate~l by the puppeteer are storetl qualitatively and quantitatively.
Be~a~l~e th~ puppeteer ~ct lates the indi ~dual reglllators in "analo~le man~
er", for instance using a slide control, the storage requires an;llo~-digltal conversion.
When ~eplayin~ the stored controls with digital~analog back-conversion and ~hen feeding them back into the original ch~nnels, the comlluter will reproduce the original control ;n the channels and hence the original animation.
,0 The block-circuit diagram used to implement the method of the invention is elucidated in the attached drawings.
Other features of the invention are discussed in the description bel~w in relatio31 to the attached draw~ngs. Both the description and t~le draw~ngs are pro~ided in illus2rative and non-restrictive manner.
lG - Fig. 1 is "recording", Fig. ~ is "playback".
~ig. 1 shows the recording position in which a ma~ netic tape 1 is connected tv a coder ~/a in the computer 2. In the simplest case, this wil~ be a two~track rnagnetic tape wbi~b, oll one track, carries all the sound of voice, noise ar,d music together. ~n the 20 initial recordlng, the connected computer 2, ie the coder 2/a, feeds a continuous code charact~rizing eac~ marking site of the previously empty track The computer further-more also stores this coding in its memory 2c.

2 0 7 7 ~3 ~ 1~

The signc~ from the indirect analogous control system 3 ~nd allSillg from the regulator S and that was digitized in the analo~ue-di~ital converter 2b also arrlves in tl~ memory 2c, thou~h absolutcly in synchron~zation with ~he souncl track, ie with the ~ouIld, coupled to the identical code, ie th& contillual code si~ nals such as are already r¢~orded on the seco~d sound track On account of thi~ code, the computer now compr~s-e~ uIlambiguous and immu~abl~ separate assohation of each characterlzed slle of the play program, that is of the sound, and of the regulation implemenled at tbis time.
The direct motion of the puppet 7 is implemente~ I by direct control means 4, for iDstance the hcmd. The referer~ce 6 denotes the control t,ack, 10 denoteg the ~um of all one-dimensional ~ontrols which together with the dlrect control rne~ns 4 act on the puppet-system 7 and a~ a whole irnplement the "play".
In the case of reproduction as shown in Fig. 2, its (,peration differs from the above generation in that the coder 2a is now a decod~,r, the an;Llog-dig~tal converter 2b is now a digital-analog converter. In replay, the magnetic tape feeds the code si~nals, s which are absolutely synchronous w~th the soundl to Ihe decod~r.
Tbis code enables the computer to activate t~,e digiti7ed control~and regulat;on data f~om tbe memory 2c which are pro~ded ~th tlle same code. Follow~n~
digital-analog conversion, these signals are aga~n fed to the control track 6.
The "sound play" is the script for the mechanical play, ie the total sequence of manipulations, and secondarily also for its storage.
Obviously rnotions also may be ~tored without parallel "hear play" in the mauner of a pantomime. Appropriately then the player shall re( eive paral~el instn~ctions in the form of acollstic dat~ signals, seqllence information, pro ~rammi]lg nr nther infor mation iII ~ynchroniza~ion with the control sigrlals to be stored Obvinusly these inst~uctlor~s ~nd signals also ma~ be ~clmixecl to "nnl~lal"
hear plays because so that assistarlce w~ll be provided to the indi~idllal player ~LS well as to the overall therne.
Not only do~s ~he code correspond to constant ti,nlng, but it also contain~
the ~haracterization of arbitra~y sites in the play original, ie in Ihe sound play. Perfarce tbe code is more complex than a pure timing signal would be. Nevertheless processing is ~acilitated by the particular tLme linear and identical sequence of a scene and hence the storage sequence on tbe magnetic tape and/or ~n the memory associated w~th the computer 2.
On t~e other hand, any arbitrary site of a scene can be searcbed and found for purposes of sampling, adjusting, recording, correcting etc. a,ld can be reproduced in tec~nically identical manner. The sound provid~s direct acousti~ identification of a scene ,~ to the puppeteer. ~e code allow~ the computer to associate and monitor the corre-sponding stored digital si~nals.
Process;ng and optimi~atlon ~n replay and follow~ng di~ital-analog conversion of the stored signals, the colnputer assumes the regulation in the prevlollsly ~t~red chan~lels.
Regulation by the puppeteer in the colTesponding control traclcs may be suppressed entirely. In that case the puppeteer no longer needs controlling that channel.

3 ~ ~3 Ho~ever the analo,~le regulation also may be pr~ scl-ved in the "dnrTIinarlt"
mode. In other words~ acnl~tion of regulatiun or of one regula~or by the pllppetecr will prov~de sucb re~ulation; in ~he event of lack of activation, re~~ tion is carri~cl ollt by the cligital-analogue converted pulses.
'l~e ~alo~ue re~ulatio~l may be preserved in "~ualltitatively~moditying"
manner by the puppeteer. In oth~r words, the puppeteer in,:reases or decreases the predeterrnined or stored regulations, ie he regulates only by plu~ and minus adjusting regulations already extant.
T~e regulation may be preserved in "quantitativel~ modifying" manner, that ,~ is, the puppeteer is able to contimlously ~ctuate the corresponding re~ulation or he may do so in response to a specific situation. T~e co nputer inte~rat,:s the stor~d and present regulations and pulses for effective re~gu]ation.
The method of the invention allows ir~coIporating any number or ~11 chan-nels ~inult~neously and incorporating individual or an arbitr;Lry n~m~er of channels coDsecutively.
The method of the inventio~l allows post-facto corrcction of individual cbannel~, that is, when recordings already exist and/or the tot~ recording i~ "standing'`
CO~EC I IC)NS
1. ColTection of the total stored regulati~n of a channel of a 2~ scene7 for instance by completely re-recording this channel while the residual program of thç overall sy~tem remains unchanged 2 0 l 7 U ~
~. Correction of indivitlu~1l sequences ~ithin the stnre~l ~nntrol of a cb lunel, the comyuter assumes matching Lhe clata, in othel words ~n(l fnr~n~ost the hookup site~.
3. "Q~lantitative" correction of t~e entire store co~trol or of s indiv~dual sequences witbin the stored control o~ a channel, ic raising or Inwering the ma~nitude of the digitaJly stored coatrol pulses of one or of arbitrary charmels l~y a de~lrute percentage to be morl~tored. lhis correspond~ to increasing the reduction in speed alld intensity or force along tbe regulated reference ~ath, fnr irlstance in the re~lated puppet mouth aperture: more rapid, slower al~d widel ol narrower rnoutbaperture.
3a. "Dry-run" correction w~thout puppel participation, that is, in the absel:lce of play by system input or programm~rlg -~ stored controls of one or more charmels, in whole or ~n p~t or arbitrary sequences by a percentage to be de~ermined.
3b, Analo~ue "life" correction, that is, during the play, ie the ~s replay, the puppeteer or the director can qu2ntitatively modiry the magnitude oi the control signals o~ one or of an arbitraly ~umber of channels.
FIJRTXER WAYS 'ro OPIIMIZE
~ Variou~ concrete static regulation conditions or elemellts of statiç expressive "recordings" and consistirlg o~ one or of an arbitrary number single regu~ation chaMels wit~ concrete states in the various single r~ gulators jointly building up the expression are progran~med as transitoly or target states in the ~equ~nce af the play.

~ a ~ r~

In other words, a specific regnlation in one or in sirnultaneously ~lifferent positions in the corre~pondi~g different re~ulators and corresponding to a static statc, a kirld of "snapshot" in thc puppet ~ystercll for instnnce the expreiston of fear, can be sct, searched for ~nd/or selected regulator by regulator.
s Ihe compllter can insert this state followin~ t:lkeover at an arbitrary pa~sage of ~he play and w~thi~ the computer~contlollc~l play Tbe computel~ al.so assllmes the adaptation of this "static indlvldual adjustment" into the pl~ to become a continuous sequence of play which however at the desired target point s~all e~nce precisely ~be previously defined system state. The duration, that is the tirne this adjustment is being ,o retauled, aDd also for instance the adaptation Inte~als of data flows present at this target point as well as going back to the prev~ously extant data flow can be made to be varia~le and situation-specific. This method c~n be implemented uslng one or an arbitra~ynumber of channels, that is, displacement elements, either once or ~ith arbitrary frequen~
cy durin~ the play.
~s ~. PROGRAMM~NG I~YNAMIC SEQUE~NCES
In other words, ~he computer takes ovèr the cominous re~ulations w~thirl a time interval which always shall be precisely defined but in priDciple may be of arbitrary length, in one or irl an arbitrary number of channels p~eviously determined whicb for in~tance participate in an e~ect or a dynam~c expression, These defined se~quences of motion or regulation procedures can be inserted as in A into the extant data flow or play sequence and be adapted correspondingly 2 (~ 3 ~ ~3 ~0 Ex~mples: sponta~eously closing eyelids, randomly but naturally in a manner sul~r.
posed on the eyelid motio~s otherw~se controlled as a fullction of actiotls, nr, continuoLIs and occasionally briefly interrupted mo~inn nf rln~ ti~ in a dog ctc, s obviously also motori~ed tic~ ol~ chara~telisti~ ol ~ figure~
'I~hese 5equence~s bf motion nlso may be process~d, ~or instance tbey r~ay be time~expanded or time-colnpres~ed, thsy may be restricted in regulation amplitude, or lowered or increased, etc.
C. SIMPLE LINKAG~, OF J~)ISPLACEM~NT ELE'MEN' xampl~s Slightly drooping eyelids when lt)oking down, or slight mouth openin~ with maximllm head rotatit,n etc.
~n other words, wh~n ma~mally activating a specific channel, ~equently another channel or several are also activated thereby or are sup~ ~ressed in qualitative and quantitative mamler as precisely determined durin~ the time interval spe~ified, and are coupled.
~.a These lin~cage~ range from connecting individual channels to C.b displacement patterns, in other words, the linkage of an entire family of channels.
~xamplc At max~m~m mouth aperture, there is simultaneously a maximum opening of eyelids while the eyeballs stare straight ahead.
As shown, the linl~age also rnay be the lowering of activity in a~ther channel, it need not be always a parallel increase in activity.

20~ ~rt~ 17 D. P~OGRAMMING MORE~ COMPLEX, ALRl~ADY C~UALIT~TIV~L~
AND Q~AN'r~TAT~EL~ E~P~ESS~ON~ ) MOOC) I'LEME~N'rSt B~TI~R
CALLE~D "BACKGR(:)UNDS"

Exnmpl~
sa~nQss~deprc~ioll: sntall gap~ betwee~ the eyeli~l~, al~o slight lowering of the llppcr eyelids, slightly droopin~ corner of the fnouth ~s the hlitial state of repr~,çen~ing a molltll, limiting the activatiorl of all channels, for ir~tance the mouth open~g only to 50 % max etc, ,~ The puppeteer ~uides and plays the, puppet directly and alone by indirect control. A sad mood whicb from the beginning aefects, slows a~ld stops the liv~ng can ~e performed here s~mila~ly or be integrated as a supelposition for direct control.
On one hand the puppeteer guiding the puppet, ;~s a mle one per~on, for installce the director or further puppeteers, on the other hand, rnay enter such progran~
,s additionally in similarity with a one~dimension~l regulatio~ fro.ll r~nlm to maximum:
D.a Durin~ the very fir~t play Storage: controls in the play itself + pro,grammed control D,b I)uring replay, adding programnled control S~orage: l~.b.a replayed control + programmed control D,b,b only original control D.c Programm~ng for replay in addition to stored contents r).c.a replay implements stored content~ + prograrnrnin,g renewedstorage:originallystc,redcontrol ~ prograrnm-ed control -` 2 ~

D.c.b replay as in D.c.b renewed storage: unchanged or~g~nal contr()l .c.c replay ~s in D.c..l rellewed storage: both versions.

Accordlngly this method allows f~lrther "dyeing-:u~ resct or already worked-out control, behavior ~d expression procedures of the figures, ~or instance to superpose on them moods, or rei~force and match.
C~tber optimizillg approacbes are:
E. COMP~R-CONTROLLED INTEGRAIION O~ VARIOUS S~GLE
CONTROL~
E.a Integration of various stored and/or stored anl played regulations in identical channels a~ described abo~e into one effective regula~ion.
a a omplete ~eries of data a.b one or more complete sequences o~ data with selected single sequences of idenLi~al channels for defined positions, E b Integration of various channels from different st ries of data into a new series of data Example Li~Xing the channels for mouth motion froln the llata-sequence x with the d~ta chanrlels for eye motion from the data sequ~ nce y ~nto a complete ê

.

2 ~ 2~3 ~
ID
F. PROCESSIN(3 IHE CON~OLS ~TH COMl'UTER GE~APHIC~
All the col~trols, that i~ the re~latiotLs ~tored in thc various channels can be repres~nted grap~ic~lly whc~her singly for each chalmel or fo~ several channels jointly etc with the regulati~)n state as the amplitude as ~Inction of tirne c~nd aga~ also charac-teri~ed by the cocle.
These graphics can be procesçed using ~urrent or adapted compute~ pro~
grams and pro~ramm~ng.
In an especiall~ prefe~red way involving modifica~ions in and at the grap~-ics, i~ is possible to undertake corrections, insertions, and foremost adaptatiorLs and most nf all such effects c~m be judged before the fact.
The computer takes ~ve~ the end gl aphics in co~e;pondin~ data ~alues and sequences, tbat is, again in modified ~egulation sequences corr~sponding to the process-ing.
This method with all its possibilities is ~ornparable to processin~ a musicalscore as the script, a~l effects are jointly show~ as in the case o~ the sLngle channel as in the overall sequen~e, they can be detected, compared and baJ:Lnced, cha~ged, retailled or entirely be eliminated, isolated as seen from the perspectiv~ of the entire system~
All sorts of possibilities of a "purely theoretical" play are there, that is, the puppet carries out motions at the end of the process which it ne~er showed before i:n such marmer.
G. Oppoçite thereto is the spontaneous, computer-controlled regulation of the puppet by the puppeteer.

~aP~ 5~P~l3 Tbis does not involve control by regulatio4 whlch w~llld not requlre a computer.
I~ fnr Ul.'jtallCe the puppeteer directly "lends his ~oice" that is "li~" to tlle puppet during the pla~'s a~tions and in the process lle t~l~s lhe puppet dial~g Illt(~ a s mi~ophnne, the computer whlch is coupled ta the acoustic sig]~als can tben a~su~ne the correspondin~ synchronous regulation of the mout~ or part Oe il iu fr~quency~a~d~ampli~
tude controlled manner.
Further controls are po~sible in relation to thig exarnple, which may be advantageously used in film~ but m~)st ~ all in the theater and ~ hich are tr~ered by tbe .0 direct, situation-specific and situati~-conditio~ed reactiorL~ of the puppeteer.
H. F.XCLUSIVELY COMPUTER~SUPPO~TED ~vIE'r~ODS
Self- or computer-controlled correction programs Examples H.a Correction/elimination by computer/or "te~ hnical defects"/dropoutsin connection with the magnetic tape or the like/and entailed error regula-Tions ~.b Ba]ancing or nnatching to "harder" reglllati()n, that is of phenotypic, impulsive or robotic appearing re~ulations ~.c Exclusion of incompatible regulations or those jeopardizing the sys-Tem/for instance as regards a long~eared dog, tha~ left and right ear should 2U Touch or be mutually hampering, damaging etc.

`` 2 O ~ ~ ~3 ~ ~

1. SELF-CON~OLLING A~L) SELF-GENE~RAl'INC; ME'I~IODS ANI:~
Pl~C)GRAMS
Upon determinin~ and storulg or assurLung indiv~dual di~placement and behaY~or compa~e~ts and actirr~, tlle colnputer is abie to adilpt and gener~te certain S sequenees.
Example wal~n~, determining the li~ting of tbe thigh, ~en,ling the kne~, llfting tbe forefoot and the pos~ible li~cages As regards translational motiolls, the cornputer is able to purposefully control the individual elements and to combine tbem "autonom~usly ,o As regards outlook, and similarly to the chess c~mputer, the cornputer is able tn self-generate behavior-and-reaction patterns.
By means of the above method, the system as whole can be optimi~ed both ~uantitatively and qualitati~ely. All variations, both as re~gards Jilms, special-effects films and stage, are possible fro~n the completely manually g~ided and present-situation depen~
,~ dent and pla~ controlled beha~ior and expression to the compute r-generated performance ~f thc puppe~.
Ohv~ously t~is system can be optim~zed as a whole not only for hand-~uided puppets in animation but also for dolls in tbe widest sense. l`he puppet or doll also can perform witbout direct puppeteer animation. The system and tlle method make possi~le the computer-supported and controlled phenotypic "autonomous puppet and fi~ure".
No limits are set on the differentiation ~n expres~ion and beha~dor by the inherellt syste~n alld ~etllo~. In othe~ words, an arbitrary number of operations of arbitrary gradations and complex~ may be used.

2 ~ ~ 7 ~ æ

Be it further borne in m~nd that aside the motor-llctuatiorl of the puppets, ie th~ir animation, the overall light al50 may be optimi2ed in the man~l of St~lgill~. As already previously rnentioned, the me~ho~l is not restricted to lland puppet~ or puppeLs and dolls in gcneral. It may also be applied in puppe~ry special~ePfects ~ nd in any productlon using special e~fects that do not ~ome a~out by themselves, such ~s for instance the p~rticipant, but instead are controlled "from the o-ltside".
In conclusion several econonucally sigrlificarlt eff, cts are being discussed:
(a) There is substantial savmg in puppeteers, assumption of operation~ and controls by the memory instead of by further puppeteers that ~ r~mote control whether wireless or by cable shall animate alone or in com~ination with further ones a system or a fig~lre, (b) Th~rc is ~ubstantial stress-relief for the puppetee~ both "physically" such as in the required concentratiorl on all the single systems and thei, precise synchromzation by relief from simultarl~ously required "additional tasks" which are howeYer concurrent 16 as regards collcentration and attention paid to then~ ely the actuation of mo-lth, eyes, eyebrows, eyelids etc, the additional operations not only bein~ additive with respect to masteIy but tbe tota] task dificulty increasing with each particL~lar one in the malmer of the number of ball~ bein8 simultaneously juggled.
Without degrading ~he overall artistry, the puppeteer can concentrate totally 2D on the expression of the overall figure as regards pose and aura, in the manner of ~he "simple" conventional hand puppet, tbe numbcr of ~imult;lneou~ operations being p~ ree limited even f~r acc~mplished ptlppeteers and particil~ants 2 ~ 7 ~t ~
2~
When operations are taken ~ver by further participants, there ~ e~ at once a need for substantial training in order that the over~ll actions ~s initiatcd by different puppeteers can take pl~ce i~ such manner that they take place as if :Erorn "orl~ mold".
parliclllar "best puppetcer" for a particlllar e~fect or motion can play 6~ same co~cutiv~ly a~d stor~ it for each puppet.
(d) The ~ hrnn~ation of play script with play such as voic¢ and mouth motions or the like succeeds with nearly arbitrary precision ar,d in incomparably short time because, ill the pr~cess, the puppeteer 1) is able to concentrate solely on these indiv~dLIal synchrollization where~
.0 as the other motions may be stored consecutively later ~ ) all "with successful motions and effects" rema3n definitely preserved or stored, 3~ defects or "poorer parts" ~rom entire passages to single actions either can be corrected as a whole without the constraint that "the ~-~bole must be repeated"
~s whereby the ~ame Or even new errors m~ght ~e made due to lhe possible rlew stora~e, adaptation of the extant regula~ion etc (e) ~xtant parts which are perfect in individual aspecLs rnay be perfected, such as a mouth-oper~ing with perfect timing relative to the accompa,lying voice but made too small in implementation 2~ (f) ~he matching in time between the play script arld the play for ~dividual play segments, fiJrther for the overall sequence "wi~hout puppeteer", w~thout a ki~d of , --` 2 0 7 7 3 ~ ~

"g,enera] test" and graphics-controlled "w~th the camera" befole ~h~ work and where required can be adapted again (~) for the firs~ the time pnssibility that the play be ~,uided and accompar~ed fol~ instance by the producer or other perso~Ls not only in instrwclin~ mannel but directly, 6 be~ng ~ble both to co-direct the play qualitatJvety as ~4ell as quacltitativcl~.
(h) The possibilit~ to compare directly various asp~cts of the play because identical quality of the stored motion aspects is ensured (i) . substantially shortened production times because the stored motions a~d those contrc)lled by the cornputer ~ake place identically and "flawlessly" and the lesser stress on the puppeteer ought to reduce the "puppeteer-induced faults and reqwired repetitions".

Claims (15)

Claims

1. A method for animating motor-driven puppets and the like, with the following features:
(a) at least one drive unit is present to drive a part or a segment of the puppet, (b) a manual input/control system is provided which emits control signals to control at least one drive unit, (c) the control signals are digitized by an analogue-digital converter, (d) the digitized control signals are fed to a processor/computer by means of which the control signals can be combined individually or in sets in variable manner or together into other control signals, (e) a memory is provided in which the control signals can be stored and which is designed to emit the stored control signals to at least one drive unit, (f) a digital-analogue conversion of the processed control signals takes place and the converted data are fed to at least one drive unit, (g) a superposition of further sub control-signals on the said control signals from memory is carried out.

2. Method defined in claim 1, characterized in that the sub control-signals are control signals generated manually and simultaneously by the puppeteer or a puppeteer-aide.

3. Method defined in claim 1, characterized in that the sub control-signals are read out as needed from a previously stored subroutine and are superposed on the control signals.

4. Method defined in one of the above claims, characterized in that the sub control-signals affect, ie enlarge or reduce the power of the control signals for a selectable set of drive units.

5. Method defined in one of the above claims, characterized in that the modification of a shift of the null point effects the stroke of single or a selectable set of drive units.

6. Method defined in one of the above claims, characterized in that the modification effects an expansion and compression in time or a backup in time and acceleration of the control signals associated with individual motion procedures, as a result of which the puppet motions are slowed or accelerated.

7. Method defined in one of the above claims, characterized in that the modification of the control signals is implemented by a selection system with which the modified program may be applied to the individual or to the sets of drive units.

8. Method defined in one of the above claims, characterized in that in order to implement natural patterns of motion when a predetermined value of acontrol signal of a control channel is exceeded, the control-signal values of at least one further control channel are automatically modified.

9. Method defined in claim 6, characterized in that the automatic modification is filed in the memory as a sub-routine which can be turned ON or OFF.

10. Method defined in one of the above claims, characterized in that the totality of the control pluses arranged by control channels can be expressed as a series of data or can be represented on a screen for processing.

11. Method defined in one of the above claims, characterized in that the totality of the control signals arranged by individual channels can be expressed as computer graphics or can be represented on a screen for processing and in that the program can be processed by changing the graphics, the computer taking over the processed end graphics as corresponding data values and sequences and forming from them corresponding modified regulation sequences.

12. Method defined in one of the above claims, characterized in that the basic patterns of motion such as "walking, sitting, jumping" or basic facial expressions such as "joy, laughter, sorrow, weeping" are filed as blocks of sub control-signals in subroutines and are superposed on manually played-in and stored control signals for other patterns of motion.

13. Apparatus implementing the method of claims 1 through 12, comprising - at least one drive unit to drive a part or a segment of a puppet, - a manually activated input/control-means emitting electrical control signals to control at least one drive unit, - a processor/computer, - a memory connected thereto to store control signals and to issue the stored control signals to at least one drive unit, - a digital/analogue/analogue-digital converter to convert control signals, characterized in that a superposition system is provided wherein control signals from the memory (2C) are subjected to superposition by further sub control-signals either manually generated by the input system (regulator 5) or being read-out from sub-routines previously stored in further memories.

14. Apparatus defined in claim 13, characterized in that several drive units of several puppets can be simultaneously hooked-up to it.

15. Apparatus defined in claim 13, characterized in that sound-and-light equipment can be connected to it which is activated by stored sound/light signals.