Apparatus and method for face recognition and computer program

• US 8,396,262 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2008
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Aisaka, Kazuki, Murakami, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): DULANEY, KATHLEEN YUAN
• Application Number:
  US12/049,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20080247611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 382/118, 382/103, 382/181, 348/169, 348/152, 340/5.83
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/28 Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/772 Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. averaging or distorting patterns; Generating dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/167 using comparisons between temporally consecutive images
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 82/17 Lathe for pulley

Abstract

Disclosed is a face recognition apparatus for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image. The apparatus includes the following elements. A face registration unit registers the face of a person as an image. A face detection unit detects a face in a frame of an input moving image. A face tracking unit tracks the detected face in frames of the input moving image. A face identification unit compares the detected face, which is being tracked by the face tracking unit, with the registered face registered in the face registration unit to identify the face. A stabilization unit stabilizes the result of face identification by the face identification unit.

Claims

1. A face recognition apparatus for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image, the apparatus comprising:

face registration means that registers the face of a person as an image;

face detection means that detects an image of the face in a frame of an input moving image;

face tracking means that tracks the detected image of the face in frames of the input moving image;

face identification means that compares the detected image of the face, which is being tracked by the face tracking means, with the registered face registered in the face registration means to identify the detected image of the face; and

stabilization means that stabilizes a result of face identification by the face identification means, the stabilization means updating the registered face, registered in the face registration means, of the person whose face has been identified by the face identification means to a present detected image of the face of the person only once each predetermined frame period of the moving image, the predetermined frame period being equal to five frames.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the result of face identification on the detected image of the face, which tracking by the face tracking means is locked on, satisfies a predetermined reliability criterion, the stabilization means locks face identification on the detected image of the face and updates the registered face to the detected image of the face that face identification is locked on.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stabilization means updates the registered face to the detected image of the face so long as an accuracy of face identification on the detected image of the face is sufficiently high.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when updating the registered face to the detected image of the face, the stabilization means determines, on a basis of a size of the detected image of the face and at least one of a yaw angle and a pitch angle of the detected image of the face, whether the accuracy of face identification is high.

5. A face recognition method for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image, the method comprising:

registering the face of a person as an image in a face registration unit;

detecting an image of the face in a frame of an input moving image;

tracking the detected image of the face in frames of the input moving image;

comparing the detected image of the face, which is being tracked in the tracking, with the registered face registered in the face registration unit to identify the detected image of the face; and

updating, using a processor, the registered face, registered in the face registration unit, of the person whose face has been identified in the comparing to a present detected image of the face of the person only once each predetermined frame period of the moving image to stabilize a result of face identification, the predetermined frame period being equal to five frames.

6. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program described in computer-readable form so as to allow a computer to execute a method for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image, the method comprising:

registering the face of a person as an image in a face registration unit;

detecting an image of the face in a frame of an input moving image;

tracking the detected image of the face in frames of the input moving image;

comparing the detected image of the face, which is being tracked in the tracking, with the registered face registered in the face registration unit to identify the detected image of the face; and

updating, using a processor, the registered face, registered in the face registration unit, of the person whose face has been identified in the comparing to a present detected image of the face of the person only once each predetermined frame period of the moving image to stabilize a result of face identification, the predetermined frame period being equal to five frames.

7. A face recognition apparatus for previously registering a face image of a person, receiving a moving image in which face identification is intended to be performed, and performing face recognition in the received moving image, the apparatus comprising:

a face registration unit that registers the face of a person as an image;

a face detection unit that detects an image of the face in a frame of an input moving image;

a face tracking unit that tracks the detected image of the face in frames of the input moving image;

a face identification unit that compares the detected image of the face, which is being tracked by the face tracking unit, with the registered face registered in the face registration unit to identify the image of the face; and

a stabilization unit that stabilizes a result of face identification by the face identification unit, the stabilization unit updating the registered face, registered in the face registration unit, of the person whose face has been identified by the face identification unit to a present detected image of the face of the person only once each predetermined frame period of the moving image, the predetermined frame period being equal to five frames.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stabilization unit determines, on a basis of a size of the detected image of the face and at least one of a yaw angle and a pitch angle of the detected image of the face, a threshold that must be met for updating of the registered face.