Gain Value of Image Capture Component

• US 20140232843A1
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Campbell, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/350,563
• Publication Number:
  US 20140232843A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/78
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/993 Evaluation of the quality of the acquired pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/70 Circuitry for compensating brightness variation in the scene
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/71 Circuitry for evaluating the brightness variation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A device to detect an object within proximity of the device, identify a brightness level of the object and modify a gain value of an image capture component based on the brightness level, determine whether the object includes a face, and capture an image of the face if the face is detected.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a user comprising:

detecting for an object within proximity of a device with an image capture component;

identifying a brightness level of the object to modify a gain value of the image capture component;

capturing a view of the object to determine whether the object includes a face; and

capturing an image of the face if the face is detected.

2. The method for detecting a user of claim 1 wherein detecting for an object includes an image capture component of the device detecting for motion in an environment around the device.

3. The method for detecting a user of claim 1 wherein identifying the brightness level includes detected an amount of light reflected from a surface of the object.

4. The method for detecting a user of claim 1 wherein modifying the gain value of the image capture component includes using the brightness level of the object as a midpoint for a dynamic range of the image capture device.

5. The method for detecting a user of claim 1 further comprising using at least one of facial detection technology and eye detection technology to determine whether the object includes a face.

6. The method for detecting a user of claim 1 further comprising authenticating the user with the image of the face and logging the user into the device if the user is authenticated.

7. A device comprising:

an image capture component to capture a view of an environment to detect an object within proximity of the device; and

a controller to identify a brightness level of the object and modify a gain value of the image capture component based on the brightness level;

wherein the controller determines whether the object includes a face and captures an image of the face if the face is detected.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the image capture component tracks the object if the object repositions from one location to another.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the controller updates the brightness level of the object and modifies the gain value if the object is detected to reposition.

10. The device of claim 7 wherein modifying a gain of the view includes the controller using the brightness level as a midpoint for a dynamic range of the image capture component.

11. The device of 10 wherein modifying the gain includes increasing a brightness of the view.

12. A computer readable medium comprising instructions that if executed cause a controller to:

capture a view of an environment with an image capture component to detect for an object within proximity of a device;

identify a brightness level of the object to modify a gain value of the image capture component; and

determine whether the object includes a face and capture an image of the face if the face is detected.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the controller overwrites a default gain of the image capture device if modifying the gain of the view.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the controller ignores an instruction to decrease the gain of the image capture component.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 12 wherein the image capture component uses motion detection technology to determine if the object is detected in the environment around the device.