Methods and apparatus to capture images

• US 10,165,177 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2017
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielsen, Christen V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saini, Amanadeep
• Application Number:
  US15/793,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20180048807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 382100, 382118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/53 Recognition of crowd images, e.g. recognition of crowd congestion
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4415 using biometric characteristics of the user, e.g. by voice recognition or fingerprint scanning cryptography using biological data H04L9/3231; authentication in networks using biometric H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/46 by combining or binning pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/33 Transforming infrared radiation cameras or camera modules for generating image signals from infrared radiation H04N23/20; circuitry of SSIS for transforming infrared radiation into image signals H04N25/20

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to operate a mobile phone are disclosed. An example mobile phone disclosed herein includes an illumination source and an image sensor to capture a first image of a face. The disclosed example mobile phone also includes a logic circuit to determine whether the face in the first image is in a first orientation with respect to the image sensor. When the face in the first image is in the first orientation, the logic circuit is to trigger the image sensor to capture a second image and perform a facial recognition process on the second image, but not on the first image.

Claims

1. A mobile phone comprising:

an image sensor to capture a first image of a face; and

a logic circuit to;

determine whether the face in the first image is in a first orientation with respect to the image sensor; and

when the face in the first image is in the first orientation;

trigger the image sensor to capture a second image; and

perform a facial recognition process on the second image, but not on the first image.

2. The mobile phone of claim 1, further including an illumination source, wherein the second image is captured while the illumination source is used to illuminate the face.

3. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the image sensor is to operate in a first mode to capture the first image at a first resolution, the image sensor is to operate in a second mode to capture the second image at a second resolution, the second resolution higher than the first resolution, and the facial recognition process is performed on image data of the second resolution included in the second image.

4. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the logic circuit is further to:

when the face in the first image is not in the first orientation;

trigger the image sensor to capture the second image;

determine whether the second image includes the face in the first orientation with respect to the image sensor; and

not perform the facial recognition process on the second image when the face in the second image is not in the first orientation.

5. The mobile phone of claim 2, wherein the illumination source is at least one of a flash or a display.

6. The mobile phone of claim 5, wherein the first image is captured without the flash emitting light.

7. The mobile phone as defined in claim 1, further including a binner to bin pixels of the first image.

8. A tangible computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a mobile phone to at least:

capture a first image of a face; and

determine whether the face in the first image is in a first orientation with respect to an image sensor; and

when the face in the first image is in the first orientation;

capture a second image; and

perform a facial recognition process on the second image, but not on the first image.

9. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the second image is captured while an illumination source is illuminated.

10. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the mobile phone is to operate in a first mode to capture the first image at a first resolution, the mobile phone is to operate in a second mode to capture the second image at a second resolution, the second resolution higher than the first resolution, and the facial recognition process is performed on image data of the second resolution included in the second image.

11. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, wherein the instruction, when executed, further cause the mobile phone to:

when the face in the first image is not in the first orientation;

trigger the image sensor to capture the second image;

determine whether the second image includes the face in the first orientation with respect to the image sensor; and

not perform the facial recognition process on the second image when the face in the second image is not in the first orientation.

12. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the illumination source is at least one of a flash or a display.

13. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 12, wherein the first image is captured without the flash emitting light.

14. The computer readable medium as defined in claim 8, further including a binner to bin pixels of the first image.

15. A mobile phone comprising:

image capturing means for capturing a first image of a face;

orientation determining means for determining whether the face in the first image is in a first orientation with respect to the image capturing means;

triggering means for triggering the image capturing means to capture a second image when the face in the first image is in the first orientation; and

facial recognition means for performing a facial recognition process on the second image, but not on the first image, when the face in the first image is in the first orientation.

16. The mobile phone of claim 15, further including illumination means, wherein the second image is captured while the illumination means is used to illuminate the face.

17. The mobile phone of claim 15, wherein the image capturing means is to operate in a first mode to capture the first image at a first resolution, the image capturing means is to operate in a second mode to capture the second image at a second resolution, the second resolution higher than the first resolution, and the facial recognition process is performed on image data of the second resolution included in the second image.

18. The mobile phone of claim 15, wherein:

the triggering means is to trigger the image capturing means to capture the second image when the face in the first image is not in the first orientation; and

the orientation determining means is to determine whether the face in the second image is in the first orientation with respect to the image capturing means; and

the facial recognition means is not to perform the facial recognition process on the second image when the face in the second image is not in the first orientation.

19. The mobile phone of claim 16, wherein the illumination means is at least one of a flash or a display.

20. The mobile phone of claim 19, wherein the first image is captured without the flash emitting light.