Utilising eye detection methods for image processing in a digital image camera

• US 6,690,419 B1
• Filed: 07/10/1998
• Issued: 02/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, TUAN V
• Application Number:
  US09/112,746
• Time in Patent Office: 2,041 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.5225, 348/207, 348/222, 348/239, 348/345, 348/346, 348/350, 348/333.01, 348/333.02, 348/333.03, 348/333.12, 348/207.99, 348/207.2, 348/231.99, 348/231.3, 348/231.5, 348/231.6
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0005 Curl smoothing, i.e. smoothing down corrugated printing material, e.g. by pressing means acting on wrinkled printing material
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/70 cutting perpendicular to the direction of paper feed
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 15/04 Supporting, feeding, or guiding devices; Mountings for web rolls or spindles
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/16585 for paper-width or non-reciprocating print heads
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17513 Inner structure
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 2/17596 Ink pumps, ink valves
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/79 in semiconductor storage media, e.g. directly-addressable memories
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 1/121 by printing code marks applying code marks to labels B65C9/46; marking or coding completed packages B65B61/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/14 using light without selection of wavelength, e.g. sensing reflected white light G06K7/10831 - G06K7/1097 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1417 2D bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/44 Morphing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/18 Image warping, e.g. rearranging pixels individually
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/165 : using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 : Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 : Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 11/56 : using storage elements with more than two stable states represented by steps, e.g. of voltage, current, phase, frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0044 : for image preview or review, e.g. to help the user position a sheet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2112 : using still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2154 : the still video camera incorporating a hardcopy reproducing device, e.g. a printer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 : on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2101/00 : Still video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 : Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 : Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

A method of processing an image taken with a digital camera including an eye position sensing means said method comprising the step of utilizing the eye position information within the sensed image to process the image in a spatially varying sense, depending upon said location information. The utilizing step can comprises utilizing the eye position information to locate an area of interest within said sensed image. The processing can include the placement of speech bubbles within said image.

Claims

1. A method of processing an image captured by a digital camera, said camera having an in-built printing device comprising an ink-ejection-type pagewidth print head and said camera including an eye position sensor adapted to sense eye position information as said image is captured, said method comprising the steps of, in the camera:

storing said image and said eye position information;

utilising said stored eye position information to locate an area of interest within said stored image and to process and modify said stored image within said located area of interest depending upon said eye position information, thereby generating a processed image; and

printing out substantially immediately said processed image with said pagewidth ink-ejection-type print head of said printing device.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of utilising said stored eye position information to process and modify said stored image within said located area of interest includes the step of utilising said stored eye position information to speech bubbles within said located area of interest.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step of utilising said stored eye position information to process and modify said stored image within said located area of interest includes the step of applying a region-specific warp to said located area of interest.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said of utilising said stored eye position information to process and modify said stored image within said located area of interest includes applying a brush stroke filter to the image wherein the filter has greater detail in said located area of interest.