Using time in recognizing persons in images

• US 20060245624A1
• Filed: 04/28/2005
• Published: 11/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Gallagher, Andrew C., Stubler, Peter O., Das, Madirakshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/178 estimating age from face image; using age information for improving recognition

Abstract

A method of identifying at least one particular person of interest in a collection of digital images taken over time, includes providing the collection of digital images with each digital image containing one or more persons; storing in a digital database an appearance model having a set of features that are distance measurements associated with facial features of the particular person of interest at an associated time; and providing an individual recognition classifier that uses the appearance model and the associated time to identify the particular person of interest in images from the collection of digital images.

Claims

1. A method of identifying at least one particular person of interest in a collection of digital images taken over time, comprising:

providing the collection of digital images with each digital image containing one or more persons;

storing in a digital database an appearance model having a set of features that are distance measurements associated with facial features of the particular person of interest at an associated time; and

providing an individual recognition classifier that uses the appearance model and the associated time to identify the particular person of interest in images from the collection of digital images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the image capture time of each image of the collection of digital images is known, and is used by the individual recognition classifier to identify the particular person of interest.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance measurements are ratios or angles associated with distances between facial features.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the facial features include eyes, nose, eyebrows, or mouth.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a greater number of appearance models is used for children during their growing years.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the age of the person of interest at the time of image capture is known, and further including modifying the appearance model to compensate for the difference in time between the time associated with the appearance model and the age of the person of interest.

7. The method of claim 1 further including at least two appearance models with different associated times.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the features include the birth date of the particular person of interest.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the associated time is either calendar date or age of the particular person of interest.

10. The method of claim 2, further including at least two appearance models with different associated times, wherein the appearance model with the associated time closest to the image capture time is used by the individual recognition classifies to identify the particular person of interest.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the appearance model is modified to produce an age specific appearance model that is used by the individual recognition classifier to identify the particular person of interest.

12. The method of claim 2, further including at least two appearance models with different associated times, wherein an age specific appearance model is produced from the at least two appearance models, and wherein the age specific appearance model is used by the individual recognition classifies to identify the particular person of interest.

13. A method of identifying at least one particular person of interest in a collection of digital images taken over time, comprising:

providing the collection of digital images with each digital image containing one or more persons;

storing in a digital database an appearance model having a set of features that are distance measurements associated with facial features of the particular person of interest and are derived from previously captured digital images associated with the particular person of interest at an associated time; and

providing an individual recognition classifier that uses the appearance model and the associated time to identify the particular person of interest in images from the collection of digital images.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the collection of digital images includes the captured digital images used in the storing step.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the image capture time of each image of the collection of digital images is known, and is used by the individual recognition classifier to identify the particular person of interest.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the appearance model is modified to produce an age specific appearance model that is used by the individual recognition classifier to identify the particular person of interest.

17. The method of claim 15, further including at least two appearance models with different associated times, wherein an age specific appearance model is produced from the at least two appearance models, and wherein the age specific appearance model is used by the individual recognition classifies to identify the particular person of interest.

18. The method of claim 15, further including at least two appearance models with different associated times, wherein the appearance model with the associated time closest to the image capture time is used by the individual recognition classifies to identify the particular person of interest.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the stored features are measurements associated with facial features of the particular person of interest that are used by the individual recognition classifier.

20. The method of claim 13 further including at least two appearance models with different associated times.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein a greater number of appearance models is used for children during their growing years.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the features include the birth date of the particular person of interest.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the associated time is either calendar date or age of the particular person of interest.

24. A method of identifying at least one particular person of interest in a collection of digital images taken over time, comprising:

providing the collection of digital images wherein the capture time of each digital image is known;

storing in a digital database an appearance model of the particular person of interest and an associated birth date of the person of interest; and

searching for the individual of interest in only those digital images having capture times later then the birth date of the individual of interest.