In-Camera Based Method of Detecting Defect Eye with High Accuracy

• US 20130044199A1
• Filed: 10/21/2012
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation Europe Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Nanu, Florin, Corcoran, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,743,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/78
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/05 Combinations of cameras with electronic flash apparatus; Electronic flash units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 19/023 Multi-image cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0503 Built-in units
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 2215/0571 With second light source
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/62 Retouching, i.e. modification of isolated colours only or in isolated picture areas only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/624 Red-eye correction control of camera based on recognised facial parts H04N23/611
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/80 Camera processing pipelines; Components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/951 by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio

Abstract

A portable digital image acquisition device includes multiple lenses and/or multiple flashes. A main digital image and first and second reference images are acquired. The first and second reference images are acquired with different flash-lens combinations that have different flash-lens distances. One or more flash eye defects are detected and corrected in the main image based on analysis of the first and second reference images.

Claims

1. A portable digital image acquisition device, comprising:

(a) at least one lens and at least one sensor for acquiring a main digital image and first and second reference images of approximately a same acquired scene that includes one or more luminous objects;

(b) a memory for storing the main digital image;

(c) one or more non-transitory processor-readable media having digital code embedded therein for programming a processor to perform a method of determining an iris region of an eye in the main digital image using the first and second reference images, wherein the method comprises;

(i) acquiring the first and second reference images using the at least one lens and the at least one sensor;

(ii) normalizing the first and second images to generate normalized first and second reference images;

(iii) analyzing one or more differences between the first and second normalized reference images;

(iv) determining the iris region of the eye within the main image based on the analyzing;

(v) generating meta data based on the determining of the iris region; and

(vi) storing, transmitting, communicating, displaying, or projecting the main image or a further processed version, or combinations thereof, along with said meta data.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the analyzing takes into account color of the iris region of the eye within the acquired scene.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the normalizing comprises re-sizing one or both of the first and second images.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the normalizing comprises aligning the first and second images.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the aligning comprises aligning one or more eyes within the first and second images.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the normalizing comprises aligning at least one of the first and second images with the main image.

7. One or more non-transitory processor-readable media having digital code embedded therein for programming a processor to perform a method of determining an iris region of an eye in a main digital image using the first and second reference images, wherein the method comprises:

normalizing the first and second images to generate normalized first and second reference images;

analyzing one or more differences between the first and second normalized reference images;

determining the iris region of the eye within the main image based on the analyzing;

generating meta data based on the determining of the iris region; and

storing, transmitting, communicating, displaying, or projecting the main image or a further processed version, or combinations thereof, along with said meta data.

8. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable media of claim 7, wherein the analyzing takes into account color of the iris region of the eye within the acquired scene.

9. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable media of claim 7, wherein the normalizing comprises re-sizing one or both of the first and second images.

10. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable media of claim 7, wherein the normalizing comprises aligning the first and second images.

11. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable media of claim 10, wherein the aligning comprises aligning one or more eyes within the first and second images.

12. The one or more non-transitory processor-readable media of claim 7 wherein the normalizing comprises aligning at least one of the first and second images with the main image.

13. A method of determining an iris region of an eye in a main digital image using first and second reference images, comprising:

acquiring the first and second reference images using a digital image acquisition device that includes at least one lens, at least one image sensor and a processor;

normalizing the first and second images to generate normalized first and second reference images;

analyzing one or more differences between the first and second normalized reference images;

determining the iris region of the eye within the main image based on the analyzing;

generating meta data based on the determining of the iris region; and

storing, transmitting, communicating, displaying, or projecting the main image or a further processed version, or combinations thereof, along with said meta data.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the analyzing takes into account color of the iris region of the eye within the acquired scene.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the normalizing comprises re-sizing one or both of the first and second images.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the normalizing comprises aligning the first and second images.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the aligning comprises aligning one or more eyes within the first and second images.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the normalizing comprises aligning at least one of the first and second images with the main image.