Facial recognition

• US 8,611,616 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2013
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ross, Steven James, Schneiderman, Henry Will, Nechyba, Michael Christian, Zhao, Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, KANJIBHAI B
• Application Number:
  US13/738,744
• Time in Patent Office: 341 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/106, 382115-118, 382/128, 382/173, 382/305, 382/312, 340/5.2
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/653 by matching three-dimensional models, e.g. conformal mapping of Riemann surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/40 Spoof detection, e.g. liveness detection

Abstract

An example method includes capturing, by an image capture device of a computing device, an image of a face of a user. The method further includes detecting, by the computing device, whether a distance between the computing device and an object represented by at least a portion of the image is less than a threshold distance, and, when the detected distance is less than a threshold distance, denying authentication to the user with respect to accessing one or more functionalities controlled by the computing device, where the authentication is denied independent of performing facial recognition based at least in part on the captured image.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions for causing at least one processor of a computing device to perform operations comprising:

capturing, by an image capture device coupled to the computing device, an image of a face of a user;

detecting whether a distance between the computing device and an object represented by at least a portion of the image is less than a threshold distance; and

when the detected distance is less than a threshold distance, denying authentication of the user with respect to accessing one or more functionalities controlled by the computing device.

2. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the at least one processor to detect whether the distance is less than the threshold distance comprise instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

identifying at least two landmarks within the image; and

determining a number of pixels of the image disposed between the at least two landmarks of a face represented in the image.

3. The computer-readable storage device of claim 2, wherein the at least two landmarks include a left cornea and a right cornea of a face represented in the image.

4. The computer-readable storage device of claim 2, wherein the at least two landmarks include an ocular center and a nasal base of a face represented in the image.

5. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the at least one processor to detect whether the distance is less than the threshold distance comprise instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting a light beam towards the object;

receiving a reflection associated with the transmitted light beam; and

determining the distance based at least in part on the received reflection.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 5, wherein the instructions for causing the at least one processor to determine the distance based at least in part on the received reflection comprise instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

measuring a phase shift associated with the received reflection.

7. The computer-readable storage device of claim 5, wherein the instructions for causing the at least one processor to determine the distance based at least in part on the received reflection comprise instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

measuring a time of flight associated with the transmitted light beam and the received reflection.

8. The computer-readable storage device of claim 5, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a reflectance associated with the transmitted light beam; and

determining the distance based at least in part on the determined reflectance.

9. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

estimating a distance between the computing device and the object represented by at least the portion of the image to obtain an estimated distance;

calculating a ratio between the detected distance and the estimated distance;

generating an acceptable margin of error based at least in part on the calculated ratio; and

when the detected distance is within the margin of error from the estimated distance, processing the image to determine whether the image matches at least one of (1) an enrollment image that represents, at least in part, a face of an authorized user, and (2) a mathematical representation of the face of the authorized user.

10. The computer-readable storage device of claim 9, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

upon determining that the image matches the enrollment image, granting authentication of the user.

11. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

upon denying authentication of the user, preventing the computing device from transitioning from a locked state to an unlocked state.

12. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

upon denying authentication of the user, denying a device communicatively coupled to the computing device permission to transition from a locked state to an unlocked state.

13. The computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the device communicatively coupled to the computing device is a door lock.

14. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

defining an acceptable distance range having a lower bound and an upper bound, wherein the lower bound corresponds to the threshold distance; and

when the detected distance is less than the lower bound or greater than the upper bound, denying authentication of the user with respect to accessing one or more functionalities controlled by the computing device, wherein the authentication is denied independent of performing facial recognition based at least in part on the captured image.

15. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the at least one processor to detect whether the distance is less than the threshold distance comprise instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

measuring the distance by at least one of an optical proximity sensor, infrared proximity sensor, laser rangefinder, magnetic sensor, and sonar sensor.

16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

when the distance is equal to or greater than the threshold distance, proceeding to perform a facial recognition authentication operation using the captured image.

17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, further comprising instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

outputting, by a display device of the computing device, a notification that indicates the denying of authentication of the user with respect to accessing one or more functionalities controlled by the computing device.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the at least one processor to deny denying authentication comprise instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

denying authentication of the user prior to performing facial recognition based at least in part on the captured image.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the at least one processor to deny denying authentication comprise instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

denying authentication of the user concurrently with performing facial recognition based at least in part on the captured image.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the instructions for causing the at least one processor to deny denying authentication comprise instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform operations comprising:

denying authentication of the user after performing facial recognition based at least in part on the captured image and irrespective of one or more results of performing the facial recognition.