FACE DETECTION APPARATUS, FACE DETECTION METHOD, AND PROGRAM

• US 20150098633A1
• Filed: 10/08/2014
• Published: 04/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: KATO, Takashi, OHSUGA, Shin, KOJIMA, Shin-ichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,372,972 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/7553 based on shape, e.g. active shape models [ASM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/171 Local features and components; Facial parts eye characteristics G06V40/18; Occluding parts, e.g. glasses; Geometrical relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification

Abstract

A face detection apparatus detecting a face from an image which is captured by an imaging unit and includes the face, includes: a position detection unit that detects a position of a face part of the face from the image; an initial state determination unit that determines a model initial state on the basis of the position of the face part; and a model fitting unit that generates a model of the face on the basis of the image by using the model initial state.

Claims

1. A face detection apparatus detecting a face from an image which is captured by an imaging unit and includes the face, the apparatus comprising:

a position detection unit that detects a position of a face part of the face from the image;

an initial state determination unit that determines a model initial state on the basis of the position of the face part; and

a model fitting unit that generates a model of the face on the basis of the image by using the model initial state.

2. The face detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the face part includes the eye, and

wherein the position detection unit creates a difference image between an image from the imaging unit of a certain frame and an image from the imaging unit of the previous frame, and detects a position of the eye on the basis of the difference image.

3. The face detection apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the face part further includes the nose, and

wherein the position detection unit determines a search region on the basis of a position of the nose detected by the position detection unit, and creates the difference image in the search region.

4. The face detection apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the position detection unit detects a change in the eye due to blinking on the basis of the difference image, and the initial state determination unit determines the model initial state when the change occurs.

5. The face detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the initial state determination unit determines a position of the face in the model initial state on the basis of the position of the face part.

6. The face detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the initial state determination unit determines the detected position of the nose as a position of the face in a plane direction, and determines the model initial state by moving the model to the position of the face in the image using the position of the face in the plane direction.

7. The face detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the initial state determination unit calculates the angle of the face from the position of the face part, and determines the model initial state on the basis of the angle of the face.

8. The face detection apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the initial state determination unit determines a position of the face in a depth direction by calculating a distance between the left and right eyes from the detected eye position and calculating a ratio between the distance between the left and right eyes and an average distance between the eyes in a standard face which is statistically acquired in advance, and determines the model initial state by enlarging or reducing the model using the position of the face in the depth direction.