Image processing apparatus, image processing method, and recording medium recorded with image processing program to process image taking into consideration difference in image pickup condition using AAM

• US 6,934,406 B1
• Filed: 06/08/2000
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Minolta Corporation Limited (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Yuusuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jingge
• Application Number:
  US09/589,109
• Time in Patent Office: 1,902 Days
• Field of Search: 382116-120, 382/154, 345416-633
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation

Abstract

In order to eliminate influence due to difference in the image pickup condition from an input image, an image processing apparatus includes a landmark point data input unit to input coordinates of a landmark point of a face image input through an image input unit and the grey-level value of texture of a face image, an inclination amount input unit to input an inclination amount of a face image in the depth direction, and an image space formation unit forming an image space by carrying out principal component analysis on a plurality of landmark point data and a plurality of inclination amounts with respect to a plurality of the input face images.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

a landmark amount input unit to input at least one landmark amount selected from a plurality of coordinate values to identify a shape of a face image or a plurality of grey-level values of texture of a face image, as the landmark amount of a face image included in an input image;

an image pickup condition input unit to input inclination of a face image in a depth direction as an image pickup condition of capturing said input image; and

an image space formation unit to form an image space by applying a statistical method on a plurality of said landmark amounts input through said landmark amount input unit and a plurality of image pickup conditions input through said image pickup condition input unit with respect to a plurality of face images.

2. The image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said image pickup condition input through said image pickup condition input unit further includes brightness of illumination during image capturing.

3. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting at least one landmark amount selected from a plurality of coordinate values to identify a shape of a face image or a plurality of grey-level values of texture of a face image as the landmark amount of a face image included in an input image;

inputting inclination of a face image in a depth direction as an image pickup condition of capturing said input image; and

forming an image space by applying a statistical method on a plurality of said landmark amounts and a plurality of said image pickup conditions with respect to a plurality of face images.

5. The image processing method according to claim 3, wherein said image pickup condition further includes brightness of illumination during image capturing.

4. A recording medium recorded with an image processing program for a computer to execute the steps of:

inputting at least one landmark amount selected from a plurality of coordinate values to identify a shape of a face image or a plurality of grey-level values of texture of a face image, as the landmark amount of a face image included in an input image;

inputting inclination of a face image in a depth direction as an image pickup condition of capturing said input image; and

forming an image space by applying a statistical method on a plurality of said landmark amounts and a plurality of said image pickup conditions with respect to a plurality of face images.

6. The recording medium recorded with an image processing program according to claim 4, wherein said image pickup condition further includes brightness of illumination during image capturing.