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Apparatus and method for tracking facial motion through a sequence of images

  • US 5,802,220 A
  • Filed: 12/15/1995
  • Issued: 09/01/1998
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1995
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for estimating movements of a face and a facial feature of a human appearing in a sequence of images recorded over time, comprising the steps of:

  • (a) acquiring with a processor a first image and a second image from the sequence of images, the first image being recorded at a first instant in time and the second image being recorded at a second instant in time;

    (b) locating with the processor a first region of the first image in which the face is located and a second region of the first image in which the facial feature is located;

    (c) computing with the processor a first transformation to estimate a movement of the face between the first region in the first image and a first region in the second image;

    (d) forming a third image using the processor by warping the second image with the first transformation, said forming step eliminating, in the third image, the movement of the face between the first region in the first image and the first region in the second image so as to isolate, in the third image, a movement of the facial feature between the second region in the first image and a second region in the second image;

    (e) computing with the processor a second transformation to estimate a movement of the facial feature between the second region in the first image and a region in the third image; and

    (f) combining with the processor the first transformation and the second transformation to estimate the movement of the facial feature between the second region in the first image and the second region in the second image.

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