# US 9,519,970 B2 · Systems and methods for detecting a tilt angle from a depth image > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,519,970 B2 - Document ID: US9519970B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/879,604 - Filed: 2015-10-09 - Published: 2016-02-04 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2009-05-01 - Assignees: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Applicants: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC - Inventors: Zsolt Mathe; Charles Claudius Marais - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9519970B2 ## CPC - G06V 20/64: Three-dimensional [3D] objects - G06T 7/73: using feature-based methods - G06V 10/20: Image preprocessing - G06V 10/40: Extraction of image or video features - G06V 40/103: {Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition} - H04N 23/611: where the recognised objects include parts of the human body - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION ## Abstract A depth image of a scene may be received, observed, or captured by a device. A human target in the depth image may then be scanned for one or more body parts such as shoulders, hips, knees, or the like. A tilt angle may then be calculated based on the body parts. For example, a first portion of pixels associated with an upper body part such as the shoulders and a second portion of pixels associated with a lower body part such as a midpoint between the hips and knees may be selected. The tilt angle may then be calculated using the first and second portions of pixels. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system, comprising: a camera; a processor; and memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory bearing computer-readable instructions that, in response to execution by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising: determining, using relative position of pixels in an image captured by the camera, a tilt angle indicating an angle the camera is tilted upward or downward; and modifying, based at least in part on the determined tilt angle, data captured by the camera. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions cause the system to perform operations further comprising: modifying a position of the camera based at least in part on the tilt angle. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein modifying a position of the camera based at least in part on the tilt angle comprises: rotating the camera in an upward direction in response to determining that the camera is angled downward. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein modifying a position of the camera based at least in part on the tilt angle comprises: rotating the camera in a downward direction in response to determining that the camera is angled upward. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein modifying, based at least in part on the determined tilt angle, data captured by the camera comprises: modifying depth data received by the camera based at least in part on the tilt angle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein modifying, based at least in part on the determined tilt angle, data captured by the camera comprises: determining a depth value of a plurality of depth values in the data of a capture area to be modified based on the tilt angle. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein modifying, based at least in part on the determined tilt angle, data captured by the camera comprises: modifying a color or infrared image of a capture area received by the camera based on the tilt angle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein modifying, based at least in part on the determined tilt angle, data captured by the camera comprises: rotating a color or depth image of a capture area received by the camera based on the tilt angle. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions cause the system to perform operations further comprising: adjusting a computer model that represents a person depicted in an image of a capture area received by the camera component based on the tilt angle. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein adjusting a computer model that represents a person depicted in an image of a capture area received by the camera component based on the tilt angle comprises: rotating the computer model forward or backward by a number of degrees equal to a number of degrees in the tilt angle. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions cause the system to perform operations further comprising: determining a background depicted in an image of the capture area received by the camera component based on the tilt angle. ### Claim 12 A method, comprising: determining, by one or more computers, using relative position of pixels in an image captured by a camera, a tilt angle that indicates an angle that the camera is tilted upward or downward; and modifying, by the one or more computers, based at least in part on the determined tilt angle, data captured by the camera. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: modifying a position of the camera based at least in part on the determined tilt angle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein modifying the position of the camera based at least in part on the determined tilt angle further comprises: rotating the camera in an upward direction in response to determining that the camera is angled downward, and rotating the camera in a downward direction in response to determining that the camera component is angled upward. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: adjusting a computer model that represents a person depicted in an image of the capture area received by the camera based on the tilt angle. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein adjusting the computer model that represents the person further comprises: rotating the computer model forward or backward by a number of degrees equal to a number of degrees in the tilt angle. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining a background depicted in an image of the capture area received by the camera component based on the tilt angle. ### Claim 18 A computer-readable storage device, bearing computer-executable instructions that, in response to execution on a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising: determining, using relative position of pixels in an image captured by a camera, a tilt angle that indicates an angle that the camera is tilted upward or downward; and modifying, based at least in part on the determined tilt angle, data captured by the camera. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein modifying data captured by the camera comprises modifying the image captured by the camera. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein modifying data captured by the camera comprises determining a depth value of a plurality of depth values in the data captured by the camera.