APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR FACE RECOGNITION AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20080247611A1
• Filed: 03/17/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Aisaka, Kazuki, Murakami, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,262 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/28 Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/772 Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. averaging or distorting patterns; Generating dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/167 using comparisons between temporally consecutive images
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 82/17 Lathe for pulley

Abstract

Disclosed is a face recognition apparatus for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image. The apparatus includes the following elements. A face registration unit registers the face of a person as an image. A face detection unit detects a face in a frame of an input moving image. A face tracking unit tracks the detected face in frames of the input moving image. A face identification unit compares the detected face, which is being tracked by the face tracking unit, with the registered face registered in the face registration unit to identify the face. A stabilization unit stabilizes the result of face identification by the face identification unit.

Claims

1. A face recognition apparatus for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image, the apparatus comprising:

face registration means that registers the face of a person as an image;

face detection means that detects a face in a frame of an input moving image;

face tracking means that tracks the detected face in frames of the input moving image;

face identification means that compares the detected face, which is being tracked by the face tracking means, with the registered face registered in the face registration means to identify the face; and

stabilization means that stabilizes the result of face identification by the face identification means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stabilization means updates the registered face, registered in the face registration means, of the person whose face has been identified by the face identification means to the present detected face of the person every predetermined frame period of the moving image.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when the result of face identification on the detected face, which tracking by the face tracking means is locked on, satisfies a predetermined reliability criterion, the stabilization means locks face identification on the detected face and updates the registered face to the detected face that face identification is locked on.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the stabilization means updates the registered face to the detected face so long as the accuracy of face identification on the detected face is sufficiently high.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when updating the registered face to the detected face, the stabilization means determines, on the basis of the size of the detected face and at least one of the yaw angle and the pitch angle of the detected face, whether the accuracy of face identification is high.

6. A face recognition method for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) registering the face of a person as an image in face registration means;

(b) detecting a face in a frame of an input moving image;

(c) tracking the detected face in frames of the input moving image;

(d) comparing the detected face, which is being tracked in the step (c), with the registered face registered in the face registration means to identify the face; and

(e) updating the registered face, registered in the face registration means, of the person whose face has been identified in the step (d) to the present detected face of the person every predetermined frame period of the moving image to stabilize the result of face identification.

7. A computer program described in computer-readable form so as to allow a computer to execute a process for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image, the program comprising the steps of:

(a) registering the face of a person as an image in face registration means;

(b) detecting a face in a frame of an input moving image;

(c) tracking the detected face in frames of the input moving image;

(d) comparing the detected face, which is being tracked in the step (c), with the registered face registered in the face registration means to identify the face; and

(e) updating the registered face, registered in the face registration means, of the person whose face has been identified in the step (d) to the present detected face of the person every predetermined frame period of the moving image to stabilize the result of face identification.

8. A face recognition apparatus for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image, the apparatus comprising:

a face registration unit that registers the face of a person as an image;

a face detection unit that detects a face in a frame of an input moving image;

a face tracking unit that tracks the detected face in frames of the input moving image;

a face identification unit that compares the detected face, which is being tracked by the face tracking unit, with the registered face registered in the face registration unit to identify the face; and

a stabilization unit that stabilizes the result of face identification by the face identification unit.