CAMERA DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CAPTURING NON-BLINKING IMAGES OF PEOPLE

• US 20120194694A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2011
• 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 8,379,104 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/222.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body

Abstract

In a method for capturing non-blinking images of people using a camera device, the camera device includes an image capturing unit and a storage system. The image capturing unit captures a series of digital images of a group of persons. A face feature value and an eyes feature value of people are predefined, and are stored in the storage system. The number of faces is detected from each of the digital images according to the face feature value, and the number of eyeballs is detected from each of the face area according to the eyes feature value. The method calculates the ratio of the number of faces and the number of eyeballs, and selects the digital image of which the ratio of the face number and the eyeball number is 1:2 as a non-blinking image of the a group of persons.

Claims

1. A camera device, comprising:

an image capturing unit, a storage system, and at least one processor; and

one or more programs stored in the storage system and executed by the at least one processor, the one or more programs comprising;

an image obtaining module operable to predefine a face feature value and an eyes feature value of people, store the face feature value and the eyes feature value into the storage system, and control the image capturing unit to capture a series of digital images of a group of persons;

a face detection module operable to detect one or more face areas from each of the digital images according to the face feature value, analyze an image resolution of each of the face areas, and count a number of faces in the face areas in each of the digital images;

an eyes detection module operable to detect an eyes area from each of the face areas according to the eyes feature value, analyze an image resolution of each of the eyes areas, and count a number of eyeballs in the eyes areas in each of the digital images; and

an image selection module operable to calculate a ratio of the number of faces and the number of eyeballs in each of the digital images, select target images whose ratio of the number of faces and the number of eyeballs is 1;

2 from the digital images, and determine one of the target images as a non-blinking image of the group of persons.

2. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the image selection module is further operable to determine whether a total number of the target images is more than one.

3. The camera device according to claim 2, wherein the image selection module determines a target image as the non-blinking image if the total number of the target images is equal to one, or selects one of the target images whose face area and eyes area have the highest image resolution as the non-blinking image if the total number of the target images is more than one.

4. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the face detection module detects an image area of the digital image as the face area if a face similarity coefficient between the image area of the digital image and a predefined face sample stored in the storage system is greater than the face feature value.

5. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the face detection module detects an image area of the digital image of the digital image as the eyes area if an eyes similarity coefficient between the image area and a predefined eyes sample stored in the storage system is greater than the eyes feature value.

6. The camera device according to claim 1, wherein the eyes detection module analyzes the color of each of the eyes areas to seek a black and round objects as denoting the eyeball area, and compares the eyeball area with a predefined eyeball sample stored in the storage system to count the number of eyeballs in each of the eyes areas.

7. A method for capturing non-blinking images of people using a camera device, the method comprising:

(a) predefining a face feature value and an eyes feature value of people, and storing the face feature value and the eyes feature value into a storage system of the camera device;

(b) controlling an image capturing unit of the camera device to capture a series of digital images of a group of persons;

(c) detecting one or more face areas from each of the digital images according to the face feature value;

(d) analyzing an image resolution of each of the face areas, and counting a number of faces in the face areas in each of the digital images;

(e) detecting an eyes area from each of the face areas according to the eyes feature value;

(f) analyzing an image resolution of each of the eyes areas, and counting a number of eyeballs in the eyes areas in each of the digital images;

(g) calculating a ratio of the number of faces and the number of eyeballs in each of the digital images;

(h) selecting target images whose ratio of the number of faces and the number of eyeballs is 1;

2 from the digital images; and

(i) outputting one of the target images as a non-blinking image of the group of persons.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether a total number of the target images is more than one; and

determining the target image as the non-blinking image if the total number of the target images is equal to one;

or

selecting one of the target images whose face area and eyes area have the highest image resolution as the non-blinking image if the total number of the target images is more than one.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step (c) comprises:

determining whether a face similarity coefficient between an image area of the digital image and a predefined face sample stored in the storage system is greater than the face feature value; and

determining that the image area of the digital image is the face area if the face similarity coefficient is greater than the face feature value.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step (e) comprises:

determining whether an eyes similarity coefficient between an image area of the digital image and a predefined eyes sample stored in the storage system is greater than the eyes feature value; and

determining that the image area of the digital image is the eyes area if the eyes similarity coefficient is greater than the eyes feature value.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein the eyeball number is counted by steps of:

analyzing the color of each of the eyes areas to seek a black and round objects as denoting the eyeball area; and

comparing the eyeball area with a predefined eyeball sample stored in the storage system to count the number of eyeballs in each of the eyes areas.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a camera device, cause the camera device to perform a method for capturing non-blinking images of people, the method comprising:

(a) predefining a face feature value and an eyes feature value of people, and storing the face feature value and the eyes feature value into a storage system of the camera device;

(b) controlling an image capturing unit of the camera device to capture a series of digital images of a group of persons;

(c) detecting one or more face areas from each of the digital images according to the face feature value;

(d) analyzing an image resolution of each of the face areas, and counting a number of faces in the face areas in each of the digital images;

(e) detecting an eyes area from each of the face areas according to the eyes feature value;

(f) analyzing an image resolution of each of the eyes areas, and counting a number of eyeballs in the eyes areas in each of the digital images;

(g) calculating a ratio of the number of faces and the number of eyeballs in each of the digital images;

(h) selecting target images whose ratio of the number of faces and the number of eyeballs is 1;

2 from the digital images; and

(i) outputting one of the target images as a non-blinking image of the group of persons.

13. The medium according to claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether a total number of the target images is more than one; and

determining the target image as the non-blinking image if the total number of the target images is equal to one;

or

selecting one of the target images whose face area and eyes area have the highest image resolution as the non-blinking image if the total number of the target images is more than one.

14. The medium according to claim 12, wherein the step (c) comprises:

determining whether a face similarity coefficient between an image area of the digital image and a predefined face sample stored in the storage system is greater than the face feature value; and

determining that the image area of the digital image is the face area of the people if the face similarity coefficient is greater than the face feature value.

15. The medium according to claim 12, wherein the step (e) comprises:

determining whether an eyes similarity coefficient between an image area of the digital image and a predefined eyes sample stored in the storage system is greater than the eyes feature value; and

determining that the image area of the digital image is the eyes area of the people if the eyes similarity coefficient is greater than the eyes feature value.

16. The medium according to claim 12, wherein the eyeball number is counted by steps of:

analyzing the color of each of the eyes areas to seek a black and round objects as denoting the eyeball area; and

comparing the eyeball area with a predefined eyeball sample stored in the storage system to count the number of eyeballs in each of the eyes areas.

17. The medium according to claim 12, 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.