Red eye filter for in-camera digital image processing within a face of an acquired subject

• US 7,619,665 B1
• Filed: 04/19/2006
• Issued: 11/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FotoNation Ireland Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: DeLuca, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jerabek; Kelly L
• Application Number:
  US11/379,346
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 348/227.1, 348/229.1, 348370-371, 382/117, 396/158, 396/166
• US Class Current: 348/241
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10024 Color image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30216 Redeye defect
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/77 Retouching; Inpainting; Scratch removal
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0002 Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/62 Retouching, i.e. modification of isolated colours only or in isolated picture areas only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/624 Red-eye correction control of camera based on recognised facial parts H04N23/611
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/74 by influencing the scene brightness using illuminating means

Abstract

A digital camera has an integral flash and stores and displays a digital image. Under certain conditions, a flash photograph taken with the camera may result in a red-eye phenomenon due to a reflection within an eye of a subject of the photograph. The digital camera has a red-eye filter which analyzes the stored image for the red-eye phenomenon and modifies the stored image to eliminate the red-eye phenomenon by changing the red area to black. The modification of the image is enabled when a photograph is taken under conditions indicative of the red-eye phenomenon. The modification is subject to anti-falsing analysis which further examines the area around the red-eye area for indicia of the eye of the subject.

Claims

1. A method in conjunction with acquiring from an image store a digital image including at least one eye of a subject'"'"'s face, comprising:

(a) locating a grouping of pixels within a digital image having color indicative of a red eye phenomenon;

(b) determining that the grouping of pixels has a feature indicative of a pupil of the subject'"'"'s eye adjacent at least one other feature of the subject'"'"'s eye or other component of the subject'"'"'s face; and

(c) determining that a flash was used in originally capturing the image, for digitally-processing the digital image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the color of the grouping from substantially red in color to substantially black in color.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the color is substantially red, and the method comprises determining that no other pixels within a vicinity of a radius originating at the grouping has a similar red color.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising determining that pixels within a vicinity of a radius originating at the grouping has a natural color for the subject'"'"'s face.

5. One or more computer-readable media having digital code embedded therein for programming one or more processors to perform a method in conjunction with acquiring from an image store a digital image including at least one eye of a subject'"'"'s face, the method comprising:

(a) locating a grouping of pixels within a digital image having color indicative of a red eye phenomenon;

(b) determining that the grouping of pixels has a feature indicative of a pupil of a subject'"'"'s eye adjacent at least one other feature of the subject'"'"'s eye or other component of the subject'"'"'s face; and

(c) determining that a flash was used in originally capturing the image, for digitally-processing the digital image.

6. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, the method further comprising determining that the subject was relatively close to the camera at the time of originally capturing the image.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, the method further comprising determining that a low level of ambient light was present at the time of originally capturing the image.

8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, the method further comprising modifying the color of the grouping from substantially red in color to substantially black in color.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, wherein the color is substantially red, and the method comprises determining that no other pixels within a vicinity of a radius originating at the grouping has a similar red color.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 5, the method comprising determining that pixels within a vicinity of a radius originating at the grouping has a natural color for the subject'"'"'s face.

11. One or more computer-readable media having digital code embedded therein for programming one or more processors to perform a method in conjunction with acquiring from an image store a digital image including at least one eye of a subject'"'"'s face, the method comprising:

(a) locating a grouping of pixels within a digital image having a feature indicative of a pupil of a subject'"'"'s eye adjacent at least one other feature of the subject'"'"'s eye or other component of the subject'"'"'s face,

(b) determining that the grouping of pixels has a color not indicative of a red eye phenomenon;

(c) determining that a flash was not used in originally capturing the image, that the subject was not relatively close to the camera at the time of originally capturing the image, or that a high level of ambient light was present at the time of originally capturing the image, or combinations thereof, for digitally-processing the digital image.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11, the method further comprising inhibiting a step of modifying the color of the grouping of pixels.

13. One or more computer-readable media having digital code embedded therein for programming one or more processors to perform a method in conjunction with acquiring from an image store a digital image including at least one eye of a subject'"'"'s face, comprising:

(a) locating a grouping of pixels within a digital image having color indicative of a red eye phenomenon;

(b) determining that the grouping of pixels has a feature indicative of a pupil of the subject'"'"'s eye surrounded by one or more other components of the subject'"'"'s face; and

(c) determining that a flash was used in originally capturing the image, for digitally-processing the digital image.

14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13, further comprising modifying the color of the grouping from substantially red in color to substantially black in color.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the color is substantially red, and the method comprises determining that no other pixels within a vicinity of a radius originating at the grouping has a similar red color.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13, comprising determining that pixels within a vicinity of a radius originating at the grouping has a natural color for the subject'"'"'s face.

17. An apparatus that determines the use of a source of light for providing illumination during an image acquisition, comprising:

(a) a source of light for providing illumination during image acquisition;

(b) a digital image detector for acquiring an image; and

(c) a red-eye filter for detecting pixels within the image indicative of a red-eye phenomenon, for digitally-processing the image.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the red eye filter further for modifying the pixels, and wherein the apparatus further comprises an integral image display for displaying the modified image.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the pixels have a color and shape indicative of the red-eye phenomenon and the image is modified to change the color to a black color and further wherein:

(i) said source of light selectively provides illumination during image recording; and

(ii) said red-eye filter is enabled to modify the image in response to said source of light providing illumination during image acquisition.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising an exposure control mechanism for determining if the image was acquired in a condition conducive to the red-eye phenomenon and for generating a red-eye signal in response thereto, wherein said red-eye filter is further enabled in response to the red-eye signal.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said red-eye filter further includes a falsing avoidance apparatus which enables modification of the pixels in response to an absence of color indicative of the red-eye phenomenon within a vicinity of and exclusive to the pixels.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said red-eye filter further includes a falsing avoidance apparatus which enables modification of the pixels in response a substantially white colored region within a vicinity of the pixels.

23. A digital image acquisition system, comprising an apparatus for capturing digital images and a digital processing component for locating a grouping of pixels within a digital image having color indicative of a red eye phenomenon;

for determining that the grouping of pixels has a feature indicative of a pupil of a subject'"'"'s eye adjacent at least one other feature of the subject'"'"'s eye or other component of the subject'"'"'s face; and

for determining that a flash was used in originally capturing the image, for digitally-processing the digital image.

24. The system of claim 23, the method further comprising modifying the color of the grouping from substantially red in color to substantially black in color.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the color is substantially red, and the method comprises determining that no other pixels within a vicinity of a radius originating at the grouping has a similar red color.

26. A digital image acquisition system, comprising an apparatus for capturing digital images and a digital processing component for locating a grouping of pixels within a digital image having color indicative of a red eye phenomenon;

for determining that the grouping of pixels has a feature indicative of a pupil of a subject'"'"'s eye surrounded by one or more other components of the subject'"'"'s face; and

for determining that a flash was used in originally capturing the image, for digitally-processing the digital image.

27. The system of claim 26, the method further comprising modifying the color of the grouping from substantially red in color to substantially black in color.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the color is substantially red, and the method comprises determining that no other pixels within a vicinity of a radius originating at the grouping has a similar red color.

29. The system of claim 26, the method comprising determining that pixels within a vicinity of a radius originating at the grouping has a natural color for the subject'"'"'s face.