Classification System for Consumer Digital Images using Automatic Workflow and Face Detection and Recognition

• US 20100014721A1
• Filed: 07/20/2009
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FotoNation Ireland Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Ciurel, Stefanita, Vertran, Constantin, Steinberg, Eran, Prilutsky, Yury, Ciuc, Mihai, Bigioi, Petronel, Corcoran, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,199,979 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/583 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification

Abstract

A processor-based system operating according to digitally-embedded programming instructions includes a face detection module for identifying face regions within digital images. A normalization module generates a normalized version of the face region. A face recognition module automatically extracts a set of face classifier parameter values from the normalized face region that are referred to as a faceprint. A workflow module automatically compares the extracted faceprint to a database of archived faceprints previously determined to correspond to known identities. The workflow module determines based on the comparing whether the new faceprint corresponds to any of the known identities, and associates the new faceprint and normalized face region with a new or known identity within a database. A database module serves to archive data corresponding to the new faceprint and its associated parent image according to the associating by the workflow module within one or more digital data storage media.

Claims

1. A processor-based system operating according to digitally-embedded programming instructions and communicating with one or more digital data storage media for classifying and archiving images including face regions that are acquired with a digital image acquisition device, the programming instructions comprising:

(a) a face detection module for identifying a group of pixels corresponding to a face region within digital image data acquired by the acquisition device;

(b) a normalization module for generating a normalized face region from said face region;

(c) a face recognition module for automatically extracting a set of values of face classifier parameters from said normalized face region, said set of face classifier parameter values being collectively known as a faceprint associated with said normalized face region;

(d) a workflow module for automatically comparing said extracted faceprint to a database of archived faceprints previously determined to correspond to one or more known identities, and for determining based on the comparing whether the new faceprint corresponds to any of the one or more known identities, the workflow module further for associating the new faceprint and normalized face region from which said faceprint is derived with a new or known identity within a database comprising other data corresponding to the archived faceprints and associated parent images for performing further comparisons with further faceprints; and

(e) a database module for archiving the data according to the associating by the workflow module within one or more digital data storage media.