IMAGE PICK-UP APPARATUS HAVING A FUNCTION OF RECOGNIZING A FACE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE APPARATUS

• US 20090060274A1
• Filed: 08/18/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: KITA, Kazunori
• Granted Patent: US 8,218,815 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/653 by matching three-dimensional models, e.g. conformal mapping of Riemann surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/673 based on contrast or high frequency components of image signals, e.g. hill climbing method
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/675 comprising setting of focusing regions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6811 based on the image signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/147 Scene change detection

Abstract

It is judged whether or not a human face detecting mode is set (S31). When it is determined that the human face detecting mode is set, a two-dimensional face detecting process is performed to detect a human face (S32). When it is determined that a human face has not been detected in the two-dimensional face detecting process, a third-dimensional face detecting process is performed to detect a human face (S35, S36). Meanwhile, an animal face detecting mode is set, a three-dimensional face detecting process is performed to detect a face of an animal corresponding to the set detecting mode (S36). Accuracy of recognizing a face is enhanced.

Claims

1. An image pick-up apparatus having a function of recognizing an object, comprising:

an image pick-up unit for shooting an object to obtain image data of the object;

a face recognizing mode setting unit having plural face recognizing modes, in which face recognizing processes of different contents are performed respectively to recognize a face of the object, and for setting one of the plural face recognizing modes, and

a face recognizing unit for, when a face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit, performing a face recognizing process corresponding to the set face recognizing mode on the image data of the object obtained by the image pick-up unit, thereby recognizing a face in the image data of the object.

2. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face recognizing mode setting unit is capable of setting face recognizing modes each prepared for one of plural sorts of object, and a face recognizing process corresponds to each face recognizing mode, wherein contents to be performed in each face recognizing process are different from the sort of object to the sort of object, and the face recognizing unit performs the face recognizing process corresponding to the face recognizing mode set by the face recognizing mode setting unit on the image data of the object obtained by the image pick-up unit, thereby recognizing a face of an object of the sort corresponding to the face recognizing mode in a face portion of the image data of the object obtained by the image pick-up unit.

3. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face recognizing process includes a two-dimensional face recognizing process for recognizing a two-dimensional face and a three-dimensional face recognizing process for recognizing a three-dimensional face.

4. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face recognizing mode setting unit sets the face recognizing mode selected by a user.

5. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face recognizing mode setting unit automatically selects and sets the face recognizing mode.

6. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plural face recognizing modes include a first face recognizing mode for recognizing a human face and a second face recognizing mode for recognizing a face other than a human face, and the face recognizing unit performs a face recognizing process for recognizing a human face to recognizing a human face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, when the first face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit, and performs a face recognizing process for recognizing a face other than a human face to recognizing a face other than a human face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, when the second face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit.

7. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plural face recognizing modes include a third face recognizing mode for recognizing a two-dimensional face and a forth face recognizing mode for recognizing a three-dimensional face, and the face recognizing unit performs a two-dimensional face recognizing process for recognizing a two-dimensional face to recognizing a face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, when the third face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit, and performs a three-dimensional face recognizing process for recognizing a three-dimensional face to recognizing a three-dimensional face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, when the forth face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit.

8. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plural face recognizing modes include a fifth face recognizing mode in which a face recognizing process can be switched and performed, and the face recognizing unit performs a face recognizing process of recognizing a human face to recognize a human face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, when the fifth face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit, and switches the face recognizing process of recognizing a human face to a face recognizing process of recognizing a face other than a human face and performs the switched face recognizing process to recognize a face other than a human face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, when a human face is not recognized in the face recognizing process of recognizing a human face.

9. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plural face recognizing modes include a sixth face recognizing mode in which a face recognizing process is switched and performed, and the face recognizing unit performs a two-dimensional face recognizing process to recognize a face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, when the sixth face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit, and switches the two-dimensional face recognizing process to a three-dimensional face recognizing process and performs the switched three-dimensional face recognizing process to recognize a face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, when a human face is not recognized in the two-dimensional face recognizing process.

10. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the face recognizing unit performs the two-dimensional face recognizing process on the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit to recognize a face in the obtained image data, when the first face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit, and performs the three-dimensional face recognizing process on the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit to recognize in the obtained image data a face of a sort corresponding to the second face recognizing mode, when the second face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit.

11. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second face recognizing mode is separated into plural face recognizing modes for recognizing objects other than a person and the face recognizing unit performs the two-dimensional face recognizing process on the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit to recognize a human face in the obtained image data, when the first face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit, and the two-dimensional face recognizing process and the three-dimensional face recognizing process are switched to be performed depending on the sort of the object to be recognized in the set face recognizing mode, thereby recognizing a face of the object of the sort in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, when the second face recognizing mode is set by the face recognizing mode setting unit.

12. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the face recognizing unit performs the three-dimensional face recognizing process on the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit to recognize a face in the obtained image data, when a face has not been recognized in the two-dimensional face recognizing process.

13. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face recognizing unit performs the face recognizing process on any one of the whole area, central area and user'"'"'s designating area of the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit to recognize a face in the obtained image data.

14. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when a face has riot been recognized but something like a face has been recognized in the two-dimensional face recognizing process, the face recognizing unit performs the three-dimensional face recognizing process on an area where something like a face has been recognized in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit to recognize a face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit.

15. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face recognizing unit detects a face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit.

16. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the face recognizing unit specifically discriminates what is a face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit.

17. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising:

a two-dimensional face detecting unit for detecting a face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, wherein when a face has been detected by the two-dimensional face detecting unit, the face recognizing unit performs a three-dimensional face recognizing process on the image data in an area where a face has been detected in the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, thereby discriminating a face in the image data obtained by the image pick-up.

18. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the plural face recognizing modes include a seventh face recognizing mode in which a face recognizing process is switched and performed, and when the face recognizing mode setting unit sets the seventh face recognizing mode, the face recognizing unit performs the face recognizing process on the image data obtained by the image pick-up unit, and switches the face recognizing process to an object following process after the face has been recognized in the face recognizing process, thereby following the recognized face moving in the image data.

19. The image pick-up apparatus according to claim 18, wherein when the face cannot be followed in the object following process, the face recognizing unit performs the face recognizing process again, wherein the face recognizing process was set before the object following process is switched and set.

20. A method of controlling an image pick-up apparatus having a function of recognizing an object, the method comprising:

setting one of plural face recognizing modes, in which face recognizing processes of different contents are performed respectively to recognize a face of the object;

shooting an object to obtain image data of the object;

performing a face recognizing process corresponding to the set face recognizing mode on the obtained image data of the object; and

judging based on the performed face recognizing process, whether or not a face has been found in the obtained image data of the object or what is a sort of a face.