Digital camera with face detection function for red eye reduction

• US 20070147822A1
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Techwin Co., Ltd. (Hanwha Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Toshiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 396/158
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 7/16 in accordance with both the intensity of the flash source and the distance of the flash source from the object, e.g. in accordance with the "guide number" of the flash bulb and the focusing of the camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/624 Red-eye correction control of camera based on recognised facial parts H04N23/611
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method

Abstract

A digital camera that compensates a red eye phenomenon during photography is provided. The digital camera includes a charge coupled device (CCD), a face detection circuit, a flash mode controller, and a flash. When the flash preliminarily emits light, the face detection circuit detects an eye color of a person from an image captured by the CCD. The flash mode controller preliminarily flashes the flash before a main photographing is performed, and may subsequently actuate the flash for a main flashing based on a photographing result of the CCD, when the eye color detected by the face detection circuit is within a predetermined scope, holds the main flashing ready while a predetermined red eye reduction standby time passes after the flash preliminarily emits light.

Claims

1. A digital camera comprising:

a photographing constituent that photographs a subject;

a flashing constituent that emits light toward the subject during a preliminary flashing operation or a main flashing operation of the flashing constituent based on an analysis of an image captured by the photographing constituent during the preliminary flashing operation; and

a detection constituent configured to detect an eye color of a human subject from the image captured by the photographing constituent with the preliminary flashing operation,

wherein, when the eye color detected by the detection constituent is within a predetermined red eye scope, a flashing control constituent determines a red eye reduction time and actuates the main flashing operation of the flashing constituent after the red eye reduction time has elapsed.

2. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the flashing control constituent changes the red eye reduction time according to a photographing environment proximate the human subject.

3. The digital camera of claim 1 further comprising:

an evaluation constituent configured to evaluate a brightness of the image captured by the photographing constituent, the evaluation constituent and the flashing control constituent cooperating to change the red eye reduction time.

4. The digital camera of claim 1, wherein the flashing control constituent is further configured to flash the flashing constituent during the red eye reduction time when the eye color detected by the detection constituent is dark red.

5. The digital camera of claim 1, further comprising an informing constituent notifies a user of the camera or the human subject that the eye color is red.

6. The digital camera of claim 1 further comprising an informing constituent that notifies the human subject that the red eye reduction time is elapsing.

7. The digital camera of claim 6, wherein the informing constituent comprises a light.

8. The digital camera of claim 7 wherein the light comprises the flashing constituent.

9. The digital camera of claim 6, wherein the informing constituent comprises a sound emission means.

10. A digital camera comprising:

a flash means for illuminating a subject;

a means for capturing a photographic image of the subject;

a means for determining if the subject includes a face with eyes;

a means for determining an eye color of the subject; and

an eye color adjustment means for controlling operation of the flash means according to an output from the means for determining an eye color.

11. The digital camera of claim 10 further comprising a notification means in communication with the means for determining an eye color, the notification means informing a user of the camera or the subject that the eye color is red.

12. The digital camera of claim 10 wherein the eye color adjustment means adjusts a flashing time of the flash means.

13. The digital camera of claim 10 wherein the eye color adjustment means actuates the flash means to emit a short duration light toward the subject during a preliminary photographing operation in which the photographic image is analyzed for identifying a red eye color, and a long duration light toward the subject during a main photographing operation in which a subsequent photographic image of the subject is stored.

14. The digital camera of claim 13 further comprising a red eye reduction timing means for delaying the main photographing operation from the preliminary photographing operation by a variable time according to at least one of a brightness of the image from the preliminary photographing operation and a photographing environment proximate the subject.

15. A method for compensating a red eye phenomenon during photographing of a subject with a digital camera, the method comprising:

photographing a first image of the subject using a first flash;

determining if the first image of the subject includes a face with eyes;

if the first image of the subject includes a face with eyes, determining a color of the eyes;

if the eyes have a red color, determining a red eye reduction timing period; and

photographing a second image of the subject using a second flash after the red eye reduction timing period.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the first flash has a shorter duration than the second flash.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of notifying the subject that the red eye reduction timing period is elapsing.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the notifying step comprises actuating a flash of the digital camera intermittently.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of adjusting the red eye reduction timing period according to at least one of a brightness of the first image and an environment of the first image proximate the subject.