FACE CENTER POSITION DETECTING DEVICE, FACE CENTER POSITION DETECTING METHOD, AND COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM

• US 20090279786A1
• Filed: 10/19/2006
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Naito, Takeshi, Ishiguro, Hiroshi, Kasugai, Junya, Ohue, Kenichi, Uozumi, Shigeyasu
• Granted Patent: US 7,907,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/195
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/03 by measuring coordinates of points
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/74 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 using facial parts and geometric relationships

Abstract

It is possible to accurately detect a face center position based on an image of a person when the person is wearing glasses even when the person is facing sideways. Face images obtained as a result of photographing a face of a driver using a camera (10) are stored in an image memory (22). The CPU 24 determines positions of the sides and top and bottom positions of the face based on the face images stored in the image memory (22). Further, the CPU 24 determines whether or not the driver is wearing glasses or is facing sideways. When the wearing glasses and facing sideways is determined, a face center position is detected using face images for a lower region of the face. As a result, it is possible to detect a face center position in a reliable manner even when a driver wearing glasses is facing sideways.

Claims

1. A face center position detecting device comprising:

a face image storage unit that stores images obtained by photographing a face;

a contour determining unit that processes the images stored in the face image storage unit and obtains positions of contours in a lateral direction of the face images;

a wearing glasses determining unit that determines whether or not glasses are being worn on faces of the images stored in the face image storage unit;

a sideways orientation determining unit that determines whether or not a face of the face images stored in the face image storage unit is facing sideways; and

a center position detecting unit that detects a center position of the face based on images for a lower part of a face of the face images stored in the face image storage unit and for regions between contour positions obtained by the contour determining unit when the wearing glasses determining unit determines that glasses are being worn on the face of the face image and the sideways orientation determining unit determines that the face of the face image is facing sideways.

2. The face center position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the wearing glasses determining unit determines whether or not an image of a temple of glasses is included in a face image, and when it is determined that an image of a temple of the glasses is included in the face image, determines that glasses are being worn on the face of the face image.

3. The face center position detecting device according to claim 1, the sideways orientation determining unit comprising:

means for determining whether or not an image of a temple of the glasses is contained in the face image; and

means for determining that the face is facing sideways when determined by the means that an image of a temple of glasses is contained in the face image.

4. The face center position detecting unit according to claim 1, wherein the center position detecting unit detects a center position in a lateral direction of the face based on an image of a region for a part of the face image below the glasses that is an image of a region positioned between positions of contours in the lateral direction.

5. The face center position detecting device according to claim 1, the center position detecting unit further comprising a vertical direction center position detecting means that detect a vertical center position of a face,

wherein the vertical direction center position detecting means is comprising:

eye region image storing means that store standard eye region images;

synthesizing means that synthesize images of eye regions stored in the eye region image storing means at the eye regions of the face images; and

means for detecting a center position of a face in a vertical direction based on images synthesized by the synthesizing means.

6. The face center position detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the center position detecting unit detects a provisional face center position based on a region for a lower part of a face, of the face images stored in the face image storage unit, and an image for a region between positions of contours obtained by the contour determining unit, sets face center searching regions based on the provisional face center position, and detects the center position of the face again from within the face center search region.

7. The face center position detecting device according to claim 6, wherein the center position detecting unit sets the face center search region centered on the provisional face center position in such a manner that a left edge position coordinate and a right edge position coordinate are bilaterally symmetrical.

8. A face center position detecting method comprising:

a face image storing step of storing face images obtained by photographing a face;

a contour determining step of processing face images stored in the face image storing step and obtaining contour positions in a lateral direction of the face;

a wearing glasses determining step of determining whether or not glasses are worn on the faces of the face images stored in the face image storing step;

a sideways orientation determining step of determining whether or not a face of a face image stored in the face image storing step is facing sideways; and

a center position detecting step of detecting a center position of a face based on images for a lower part of a face of the face images stored in the face image storage unit and for regions between contour positions obtained by the contour determining unit when determined in the wearing glasses determining step that glasses are being worn on the face of the face image and the sideways orientation determining step determines that the face of the face image is facing sideways.

9. A computer-readable medium storing program causing a computer to execute:

a face image storing procedure that stores face images obtained by photographing a face;

a contour determining step that processes face images stored in the face image storage step and obtains positions of contours in a lateral direction of the face;

a wearing glasses determining procedure that determines whether or not glasses are being worn on faces of the face images stored in the face image storage step;

a sideways orientation determining step that determines whether or not a face of the face image stored in the face image storage unit is facing sideways;

a center position detecting step of detecting a center position of a face based on images for a lower part of a face of the face images stored in the face image storage unit and for regions between contour positions obtained by the contour determining unit when determined in the wearing glasses determining step that glasses are being worn on the face of the face image and the sideways orientation determining step determines that the face of the face image is facing sideways.