System and method for applying a reflectance modifying agent to improve the visual attractiveness of human skin

• US 10,016,046 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2014
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TCMS Transparent Beauty, LLC
• Original Assignee: TCMS Transparent Beauty, LLC
• Inventors: Edgar, Albert D., Iglehart, David C., Yeager, Rick B.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAO, ELMER M
• Application Number:
  US14/571,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20150196109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 2044/007 Devices for determining the condition of hair or skin or for selecting the appropriate cosmetic or hair treatment
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 40/30 Masks for marking lips or eyelashes
• CPC Class Codes: A45D 44/005 for selecting or displaying personal cosmetic colours or hairstyle
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0064 Body surface scanning
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/442 Evaluating skin mechanical properties, e.g. elasticity, hardness, texture, wrinkle assessment
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/444 Evaluating skin marks, e.g. mole, nevi, tumour, scar
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6888 Cabins
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 35/00 Devices for applying media, e.g. remedies, on the human body devices for handling toiletry or cosmetic substances A45D; absorbent pads, e.g. swabs, A61F13/15
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 35/25 specially adapted for the application of sunscreen, tanning or self-tanning lotions
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/36 for portability , i.e. hand-held printers or laptop printers B41J3/4075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/407 for marking on special material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/4073 Printing on three-dimensional objects not being in sheet or web form, e.g. spherical or cubic objects B41J3/283, B41J3/286 take precedence; building up a 3D object using individual droplets from jetting heads B29C64/112
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/60 relating to illumination properties, e.g. using a reflectance or lighting model
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/171 Local features and components; Facial parts eye characteristics G06V40/18; Occluding parts, e.g. glasses; Geometrical relationships
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/628 Memory colours, e.g. skin or sky

Abstract

A computer-controlled system determines attributes of a frexel, an area of human skin, and applies a modifying agent (RMA) at the pixel level, typically to make the skin appear more youthful and so more attractive. The system scans the frexel, identifies unattractive attributes, and applies the RMA, typically with an inkjet printer. The identified attributes relate to reflectance and may refer to features such as irregular-looking light and dark spots, age-spots, scars, and bruises. Identified attributes may also relate to the surface topology of the skin, for more precisely enhancing surface irregularities such as bumps and wrinkles. Feature mapping may be used, for example to make cheeks appear pinker and cheekbones more prominent. The RMA can be applied in agreement with identified patterns, such as adding red to a red frexel, or in opposition, such as adding green or blue to a red frexel, according to idealized models of attractiveness.

Claims

1. An apparatus to improve visual attractiveness of a region of human skin, the apparatus comprising:

a housing adapted to be manually moved over the region of human skin;

at least one camera attached to the housing, the camera generating one or more images of the region of human skin, the region of human skin allocated into a plurality of frexels;

a computing environment located within the housing and operable to perform operations comprising;

processing the one or more images to measure reflective properties of a pattern within the plurality of frexels,

determining a total amount of a substance to apply to specific frexels of the plurality of frexels based on the reflective properties, the total amount being applicable to the specific frexels to achieve a desired reflectance, the substance comprising at least one of an ink, a dye, a pigment and a bleaching agent, and

determining an amount of the substance to apply to the specific frexels, the amount being a portion of the total amount and being applicable to the specific frexels to achieve a reflectance different from the desired reflectance; and

an application head attached to the housing, the application head applying the substance to the specific frexels based on the amount to modify the pattern.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein determining the total amount of the substance is based on a map of the region of human skin and an idealized map of the region of human skin.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein determining the total amount of the substance comprises:

generating the map of the region of human skin, the map comprising a location and a reflectance of each frexel of the plurality of frexels;

generating the idealized map of the region of human skin which includes selectively removing a portion of middle frequency components from the map of the region of human skin; and

determining the total amount of the substance based on a difference between the map and the idealized map, the total amount of the substance being applicable to the region of human skin to make the region of human skin appear more like the idealized map.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein determining the total amount of the substance further comprises determining local skin morphology, wherein the idealized map is provided based on the local skin morphology.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein applying the substance to the specific frexels is achieved during multiple passes of the apparatus over the region of human skin.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computing environment is further operable to perform operations comprising:

breaking the image into multiple spectral bands; and

identifying a feature within the image based on the multiple spectral bands, the feature comprising the specific frexels and corresponding to the pattern.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computing environment is further operable to perform operations comprising:

identifying a plurality of features within the image, at least one feature of the plurality of features comprising the specific frexels and corresponding to the pattern; and

generating a map of the region of human skin based on the plurality of features, wherein applying the substance is further based on the map.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein determining the total amount of the substance is further based on the map and a library of idealized features.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substance comprises a plurality of transparent dyes, such that a desired correction for a frexel may be obtained by applying specified amounts of each transparent dye of the plurality of transparent dyes.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein modifying the pattern comprises creating an effect in opposition to the reflectance properties of the region of human skin.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein modifying the pattern comprises creating an effect in agreement with the reflectance properties of the region of human skin.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflective properties of the pattern within the plurality of frexels are provided based on a previous application of the substance using the application head.

13. An apparatus to improve visual attractiveness of a region of human skin, the apparatus comprising:

a housing adapted to be manually moved over the region of human skin;

at least one camera attached to the housing, the camera generating one or more images of the region of human skin, the region of human skin allocated into a plurality of frexels;

a computing environment located within the housing and operable to perform operations comprising;

processing, using a computing environment, the one or more images to measure reflective properties of a pattern within the plurality of frexels,

determining, using the computing environment, a total amount of a substance to apply to specific frexels of the plurality of frexels based on the reflective properties, the total amount being applicable to the specific frexels to achieve a desired reflectance, the substance comprising at least one of an ink, a dye, a pigment and a bleaching agent, and

determining, using the computing environment, an amount of the substance to apply to the specific frexels, the amount being a portion of the total amount and being applicable to the specific frexels to achieve a reflectance different from the desired reflectance; and

an application head attached to the housing, the application head applying the substance to the specific frexels based on the amount to modify the pattern.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the reflective properties of the pattern within the plurality of frexels are provided based on a previous application of the substance using the application head.

15. A system visual attractiveness of a region of human skin, the system comprising:

an apparatus comprising at least one camera for generating one or more images of the region of human skin, the region of human skin being allocated into a plurality of frexels and an application head; and

a computing environment communicably attached to the apparatus and operable to perform operations comprising;

processing the one or more images to measure reflective properties of a pattern within the plurality of frexels;

determining a total amount of a substance to apply to specific frexels of the plurality of frexels based on the reflective properties, the total amount being applicable to the specific frexels to achieve a desired reflectance, the substance comprising at least one of an ink, a dye, a pigment and a bleaching agent;

determining an amount of the substance to apply to the specific frexels, the amount being a portion of the total amount and being applicable to the specific frexels to achieve a reflectance different from the desired reflectance; and

transmitting a command to apply, using the application head, the substance to the specific frexels based on the amount to modify the pattern.