INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INFORMATION PROCESSING DEVICE

• US 20160156840A1
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Published: 06/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LLC Corporation
• Inventors: Arai, Toshiya, Uchida, Shinji, Ikeda, Masako
• Granted Patent: US 9,998,654 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/56 provided with illuminating means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/64 Computer-aided capture of images, e.g. transfer from script file into camera, check of taken image quality, advice or proposal for image composition or decision on when to take image

Abstract

A control method for controlling an information processing device 101 including a camera 10 for receiving an image and a display 14 having a display surface on the same side as an image-receiving side of the camera 10 according to an embodiment causes a computer 18A of the information processing device 101 for receiving an image of a face 21 of a subject from the camera 10, horizontally inverting the received image, and displaying the horizontally-inverted image on the display 14, to execute: detecting a distance between the information processing device 101 and a reference portion included in the face 21 of the subject; determining a scaling factor based on a ratio between a reference distance used for evaluating the image of the face 21 of the subject and the detected distance; and displaying, on the display 14, as a guide image 35 for guiding the subject in such a direction as to change a distance between the information processing device and the subject, an image corresponding to at least one part included in an image obtained by enlarging or shrinking the horizontally-inverted image of the face based on the determined scaling factor.

Claims

1. A control method for controlling an information processing device comprising a camera for receiving an image and a display having a display surface on the same side as an image-receiving side of the camera, wherein:

the control method causes a computer of the information processing device for receiving an image of a face of a subject from the camera, horizontally inverting the received image, and displaying the horizontally-inverted image on the display, to execute;

detecting a distance between the information processing device and a reference portion included in the face of the subject;

determining a scaling factor based on a ratio between a reference distance used for evaluating the image of the face of the subject and the detected distance; and

displaying, on the display, as a guide image for guiding the subject in such a direction as to change a distance between the information processing device and the subject, an image corresponding to at least one part included in an image obtained by enlarging or shrinking the horizontally-inverted image of the face based on the determined scaling factor.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that a difference between the reference distance and the detected distance is within a predetermined range, the camera is activated to capture an image of the subject.

3. The control method according to claim 2, wherein:

the information processing device comprises a lighting device having a light-outputting port on the same side as the image-receiving side of the camera; and

when capturing an image of the subject, the lighting device is activated to irradiate the subject with light.

4. The control method according to claim 2, wherein the captured image is an image to be used for evaluating the face of the subject.

5. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the guide image is displayed on the display while being superimposed over the image of the face of the subject.

6. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the image corresponding to the at least one part has a shape corresponding to an outline of the at least one part.

7. The control method according to claim 6, wherein the shape corresponding to the outline of the at least one part includes a shape corresponding to at least one of the eyes, the nose and the mouth.

8. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the image corresponding to the at least one part has a shape corresponding to an outline of the face of the subject or an outline of the eyes, the nose or the mouth included in the face of the subject.

9. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

the reference portion is a plurality of portions included in the face of the subject; and

the distance is an average distance among distances between the information processing device and a plurality of reference portions included in the face of the subject.

10. The control method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of portions include at least one portion selected from each of a left half and a right half of the face of the subject.

11. The control method according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of portions include at least one portion selected from each of an upper half and a lower half of the face of the subject with respect to a predetermined reference point.

12. The control method according to claim 1, wherein:

an image corresponding to at least one part included in the enlarged image is a guide image for guiding the subject toward a direction of moving the face closer to the information processing device; and

an image corresponding to at least one part included in the shrunk image is a guide image for guiding the subject toward a direction of moving the face of the subject away from the information processing device.

13. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the guide image is an image for guiding the subject so as to bring the detected distance closer to the reference distance.

14. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation of the image of the face of the subject includes a skin analysis of the face of the subject.

15. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the detected distance is a distance between a camera of the information processing device and the reference portion of the face of the subject.

16. An information processing device comprising:

a camera that receives an image;

a display that has a display surface on the same side as an image-receiving side of the camera; and

a controller that horizontally inverts an image of a face of a subject obtained by using the camera so as to display the horizontally-inverted image on the display,

wherein the controller;

detects a distance between the information processing device and a reference portion included in the image of the face of the subject;

determines a scaling factor based on a ratio between a reference distance used for evaluating the image of the face of the subject and the detected distance; and

displays, on the display, as a guide image for guiding the subject in such a direction as to change a distance between the information processing device and the subject, an image corresponding to at least one part included in an image obtained by enlarging or shrinking the horizontally-inverted image of the face based on the determined scaling factor.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program for controlling an information processing device comprising a camera for receiving an image and a display having a display surface on the same side as an image-receiving side of the camera, wherein:

the program causes a computer of the information processing device for receiving an image of a face of a subject from the camera, horizontally inverting the received image, and displaying the horizontally-inverted image on the display, to execute;

detecting a distance between the information processing device and a reference portion included in the face of the subject;

determining a scaling factor based on a ratio between a reference distance used for evaluating the image of the face of the subject and the detected distance; and

displaying, on the display, as a guide image for guiding the subject in such a direction as to change a distance between the information processing device and the subject, an image corresponding to at least one part included in an image obtained by enlarging or shrinking the horizontally-inverted image of the face based on the determined scaling factor.

18. A control method for controlling an information processing device comprising a camera for receiving an image and a display having a display surface on the same side as an image-receiving side of the camera, wherein:

the control method causes a computer of the information processing device for receiving an image of a face of a subject from the camera, horizontally inverting the received image, and displaying the horizontally-inverted image on the display, to execute;

displaying, on the display, a guide image for guiding the subject in such a direction as to change a distance between the information processing device and the face of the subject, the guide image corresponding to a reference size of a reference portion of the image of the face.

19. A control method for controlling an information processing device comprising a camera for receiving an image and a display having a display surface on the same side as an image-receiving side of the camera, wherein:

the control method causes a computer of the information processing device for receiving an image of a face of a subject from the camera, horizontally inverting the received image, and displaying the horizontally-inverted image on the display, to execute;

detecting a distance between the camera and a reference portion included in the face of the subject;

displaying, on the display, a guide image for guiding the subject in such a direction as to change a distance between the information processing device and the subject, the guide image corresponding to at least one part included in an image obtained by enlarging or shrinking the horizontally-inverted image of the face;

displaying, on the display, a guide image corresponding to at least one part of the shrunk face image if it is determined that the detected distance is less than a reference distance for evaluating the image of the face of the subject; and

displaying, on the display, a guide image corresponding to at least a portion of the enlarged face image if it is determined that the detected distance is greater than the reference distance for evaluating the image of the face of the subject.