ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND IMAGE CAPTURE CONTROL METHOD USING THE SAME

• US 20120098966A1
• Filed: 02/24/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloud Network Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, HOU-HSIEN, LEE, CHANG-JUNG, LO, CHIH-PING
• Granted Patent: US 8,743,192 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/143
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/197 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/183 for receiving images from a single remote source
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A method for controlling an image capture device obtains an image captured by a camera of an electronic device, detects an eye area in the obtained image, and determines a matching subject template by comparing the detected eye area with a plurality of subject templates. The method further determines a control command corresponding to the matching subject template, and sends the control command to the image capture device to adjust movements of the image capture device.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an image capture device using an electronic device, the method comprising:

obtaining an image captured by a camera of the electronic device;

detecting an eye area of an eye of a user in the obtained image using an eye detection method, and determining a matching subject template that matches the detected eye area, the determining of the matching subject template according to comparison of the detected eye area with a plurality of subject templates according to a height of the detected eye area and coordinates of the eye in the detected eye area;

determining a control command corresponding to the matching subject template; and

adjusting at least one of a position of the image capture device, an angle or a focal length of a lens of the image capture device according to the control command.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining eye images captured by the camera of the electronic device in different positions under different subject statuses; and

creating the subject templates according to the captured eye images.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

setting the control command corresponding to each of the subject templates, and storing the control command in a storage device of the electronic device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of subject templates comprise:

subject templates of different subject status and subject templates of different eye positions.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the subject templates of different subject status comprise:

a subject template under a normal status, a subject template under a large status, and a subject template under a small status of the eye of the user, a height of an eye area of the subject template under the normal status is greater than or equal to a first preset value and less than or equal to a second preset value, a height of an eye area of the subject template under the large status is greater than the second preset value, and a height of an eye area of the subject template under the small status is less than the first preset value;

the subject templates of different eye positions comprising;

when one of the eyes is still, when one of the eyes moves upward, when one of the eyes moves downward, when one of the eyes moves left, when one of the eyes moves right, when one of the eyes moves upper-left, when one of the eyes moves down-left, when one of the eyes moves upper-right, and when one of the eyes moves down-right.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of determining a matching subject template comprises:

obtaining the subject template under the large status upon the condition that the height of the detected eye area is greater than the second preset value corresponding to the subject template under the large status;

obtaining the subject template under the small status upon the condition that the height of the detected eye area is less than the first preset value corresponding to the subject template under the small status;

or

obtaining a matching subject templates from the subject templates of different eye positions according to an X-axis coordinate and a Y-axis coordinate of the eye in the detected eye area upon the condition that the height of the detected eye area is greater than or equal to the first preset value and less than or equal to the second preset value.

7. An electronic device that controls an image capture device, comprising:

a camera;

a storage device;

at least one processor; and

one or more modules that are stored in the storage device and are executed by the at least one processor, the one or more modules comprising instructions;

to obtain an image captured by the camera of the electronic device;

to detect an eye area of an eye of a user in the obtained image using an eye detection method, and determine a matching subject template that matches the detected eye area, the determining of the matching subject template according to comparison of the detected eye area with a plurality of subject templates according to a height of the detected eye area and coordinates of the eye in the detected eye area;

to determine a control command corresponding to the matching subject template; and

to adjust at least one of a position of the image capture device, an angle or a focal length of a lens of the image capture device according to the control command.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the one or more modules further comprise instructions:

obtaining eye images captured by the camera of the electronic device in different positions under different subject statuses; and

creating the subject templates according to the captured eye images.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein the one or more modules further comprise instructions:

setting the control command corresponding to each of the subject templates, and storing the control command in a storage device of the electronic device.

10. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of subject templates comprise:

subject templates of different subject status and subject templates of different eye positions.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the subject templates of different subject status comprise:

a subject template under a normal status, a subject template under a large status, and a subject template under a small status of the eye of the user, a height of an eye area of the subject template under the normal status is greater than or equal to a first preset value and less than or equal to a second preset value, a height of an eye area of the subject template under the large status is greater than the second preset value, and a height of an eye area of the subject template under the small status is less than the first preset value;

the subject templates of different eye positions comprising;

when one of the eyes is still, when one of the eyes moves upward, when one of the eyes moves downward, when one of the eyes moves left, when one of the eyes moves right, when one of the eyes moves upper-left, when one of the eyes moves down-left, when one of the eyes moves upper-right, and when one of the eyes moves down-right.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the instruction to determine a matching subject template comprises:

obtaining the subject template under the large status upon the condition that the height of the detected eye area is greater than the second preset value corresponding to the subject template under the large status;

obtaining the subject template under the small status upon the condition that the height of the detected eye area is less than the first preset value corresponding to the subject template under the small status;

or

obtaining a matching subject templates from the subject templates of different eye positions according to an X-axis coordinate and a Y-axis coordinate of the eye in the detected eye area upon the condition that the height of the detected eye area is greater than or equal to the first preset value and less than or equal to the second preset value.

13. A non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, causes the processor to perform a method for controlling an image capture device, the method comprising:

obtaining an image captured by a camera of the electronic device;

detecting an eye area of an eye of a user in the obtained image using an eye detection method, and determining a matching subject template that matches the detected eye area, the determining of the matching subject template according to comparison of the detected eye area with a plurality of subject templates according to a height of the detected eye area and coordinates of the eye in the detected eye area;

determining a control command corresponding to the matching subject template; and

adjusting at least one of a position of the image capture device, an angle or a focal length of a lens of the image capture device according to the control command.

14. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining eye images captured by the camera of the electronic device in different positions under different subject statuses; and

creating the subject templates according to the captured eye images.

15. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

setting the control command corresponding to each of the subject templates, and storing the control command in a storage device of the electronic device.

16. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of subject templates comprise:

subject templates of different subject status and subject templates of different eye positions.

17. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 16, wherein the subject templates of different subject status comprise:

a subject template under a normal status, a subject template under a large status, and a subject template under a small status of the eye of the user, a height of an eye area of the subject template under the normal status is greater than or equal to a first preset value and less than or equal to a second preset value, a height of an eye area of the subject template under the large status is greater than the second preset value, and a height of an eye area of the subject template under the small status is less than the first preset value;

the subject templates of different eye positions comprise;

when one of the eyes is still, when one of the eyes moves upward, when one of the eyes moves downward, when one of the eyes moves left, when one of the eyes moves right, when one of the eyes moves upper-left, when one of the eyes moves down-left, when one of the eyes moves upper-right, and when one of the eyes moves down-right.

18. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 17, wherein the step of determining a matching subject template comprises:

obtaining the subject template under the large status upon the condition that the height of the detected eye area is greater than the second preset value corresponding to the subject template under the large status;

obtaining the subject template under the small status upon the condition that the height of the detected eye area is less than the first preset value corresponding to the subject template under the small status;

or

obtaining a matching subject templates from the subject templates of different eye positions according to an X-axis coordinate and a Y-axis coordinate of the eye in the detected eye area upon the condition that the height of the detected eye area is greater than or equal to the first preset value and less than or equal to the second preset value.

19. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 13, wherein the medium is selected from the group consisting of a hard disk drive, a compact disc, a digital video disc, and a tape drive.