RED EYE DETECTION AIDED BY FACE DETECTION

• US 20120134546A1
• Filed: 10/19/2009
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Oicherman, Boris, Harush, Shlomo, Waidman, Ran, Gaubatz, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,929,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30216 Redeye defect
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 involving models

Abstract

A method for identifying a pair of genuine red eye artifacts in a captured image includes the steps of determining the presence of a face in the captured image, substantially encompassing the face within a shape, and determining the presence of three or more candidate red eye artifacts within the shape. The method continues with measuring the distance from an edge of the shape to each of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts and identifying, as genuine red eye artifacts, two candidate red eye artifacts of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts that are within a predetermined vertical distance from the edge of the shape.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a pair of genuine red eye artifacts in a captured image, comprising the steps of:

determining the presence of a face in the captured image;

substantially encompassing the face within a shape;

determining the presence of three or more candidate red eye artifacts within the shape;

measuring the distance from an edge of the shape to each of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts; and

identifying, as genuine red eye artifacts, two candidate red eye artifacts of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts that are within a predetermined vertical distance from the edge of the shape.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the shape is a rectangle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the edge of the shape corresponds to a narrow side of the rectangle, wherein the narrow side of the rectangle substantially coincides with the chin of the face.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of measuring a color distance between each of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts within the shape.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining that a first of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts is at a vertical distance from the edge of the shape that is approximately equal to the vertical distance from the edge of the shape to the second of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining that a first of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts is within a predetermined horizontal distance to the second of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts, wherein

the horizontal distance is measured relative to an area encompassed by the shape.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing an area of a first of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts with an area of the second of the three or more candidate red eye artifacts.

8. A logic module for identifying a pair of red eye artifacts in a captured image, comprising:

logic for determining that at least one face is present in the captured image;

logic for encompassing each one of the at least one face in a two-dimensional shape;

logic for determining that three or more candidate red eye artifacts are present in at least one of the two-dimensional shapes;

logic for determining that two red eye artifacts are among the three or more candidate red eye artifacts present in at least one of the two-dimensional shapes based on relative positions of the two genuine red eye artifacts within the two-dimensional shape.

9. The logic module of claim 8, wherein the relative positions of the two genuine red eye artifacts implies that the two genuine red eye artifacts are each located at a comparable vertical distance from a lower edge of the two-dimensional shape.

10. The logic module of claim 8, wherein the relative positions of the two genuine red eye artifacts implies that a first of the two genuine red eye artifacts is separated from a second of the two genuine red eye artifacts by a horizontal distance that is within predetermined limits.

11. The logic module of claim 8, further comprising logic for determining that a first of the two genuine red eye artifacts is of a color comparable to that of a second of the two genuine red eye artifacts.

12. The logic module of claim 8, further comprising logic for determining that a first, of the two genuine red eye artifacts is of an area comparable to that of a second of the two genuine red eye artifacts.

13. The logic module of claim 8, wherein the shape is a polygon.

14. The logic module of claim 13, wherein the shape is a rectangle having a narrow and that substantially coincides with the chin of the at least one face present in the captured image.

15. The logic module of claim 8, wherein the logic for determining that two red eye artifacts are among the three or more candidate red eye artifacts present includes logic for assigning a probability to each of the candidate red eye artifacts, wherein the probability pertains to the likelihood that the candidate red eye artifact is a red eye artifact.