Facial recognition

• US 9,158,904 B1
• Filed: 11/14/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• 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): Tabatabai, Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US14/079,941
• Time in Patent Office: 698 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/107, 382/236, 348169-172, 348/352
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, an authentication image;

determining, by the computing device, whether a number of pixels positioned between at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds a threshold number of pixels; and

responsive to determining that the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels, denying, by the computing device, authentication with respect to accessing one or more functionalities controlled by the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by the computing device, the at least two landmarks within the authentication image; and

determining, by the computing device, the number of pixels of the image positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two landmarks include a left cornea and a right cornea of a face represented in the authentication image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two landmarks include an ocular center and a nasal base of a face represented in the authentication image.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the computing device, whether a distance between an image capture device and an object represented by at least a portion of the authentication image is within a threshold distance based on the determination of whether the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels, wherein the authentication image is captured by the image capture device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the threshold distance is inversely proportional to the threshold number of pixels.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computing device, a resolution of the authentication image, wherein the resolution is associated with a level of detail of the authentication image; and

setting, by the computing device, the threshold number of pixels based on the resolution of the authentication image.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein setting the threshold number of pixels comprises:

responsive to determining that the resolution of the authentication image is greater, increasing, by the computing device, the threshold number of pixels.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the resolution of the authentication image comprises determining, by the computing device, the resolution of the authentication image based at least in part on one or more properties of an image capture device associated with a capture of the authentication image.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein the at least two landmarks include a first landmark represented in the authentication image and a second landmark represented in the authentication image,

wherein the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks is a first number of pixels, and

wherein the threshold number of pixels is a first threshold number of pixels, the method further comprising:

responsive to determining that the first number of pixels exceeds the first threshold number of pixels, determining, by the computing device, whether a second number of pixels positioned between a third landmark represented in the authentication image and a fourth landmark in the authentication image exceeds a second threshold number of pixels; and

responsive to determining that the second number of pixels does not exceed the second threshold number of pixels, granting, by the computing device, the authentication with respect to accessing the one or more functionalities controlled by the computing device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels, determining, by the computing device, whether the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels by at least a predetermined margin of error;

responsive to determining that the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels by at least the predetermined margin of error, denying, by the computing device, the authentication with respect to accessing the one or more functionalities controlled by the computing device; and

responsive to determining that the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels by less than the predetermined margin of error, granting, by the computing device, the authentication with respect to accessing the one or more functionalities controlled by the computing device.

12. A device comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors configured to;

receive an authentication image;

determine whether a number of pixels positioned between at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds a threshold number of pixels; and

responsive to determining that the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels, deny authentication with respect to accessing one or more functionalities controlled by the device.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

identify the at least two landmarks within the authentication image; and

determine the number of pixels of the image positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine whether a distance between an image capture device and an object represented by at least a portion of the authentication image is within a threshold distance based on the determination of whether the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels, wherein the authentication image is captured by the image capture device.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the threshold distance is inversely proportional to the threshold number of pixels.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

determine a resolution of the authentication image, wherein the resolution is associated with a level of detail of the authentication image; and

set the threshold number of pixels based on the resolution of the authentication image.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein, to set the threshold number of pixels, the one or more processors are configured to:

responsive to determining that the resolution of the authentication image is greater, increase the threshold number of pixels.

18. The device of claim 12,

wherein the at least two landmarks include a first landmark represented in the authentication image and a second landmark represented in the authentication image,

wherein the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks is a first number of pixels,

wherein the threshold number of pixels is a first threshold number of pixels, and

wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

responsive to determining that the first number of pixels exceeds the first threshold number of pixels, determine whether a second number of pixels positioned between a third landmark represented in the authentication image and a fourth landmark in the authentication image exceeds a second threshold number of pixels; and

responsive to determining that the second number of pixels does not exceed the second threshold number of pixels, grant the authentication with respect to accessing the one or more functionalities controlled by the device.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

responsive to determining that the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels, determine whether the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels by at least a predetermined margin of error;

responsive to determining that the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels by at least the predetermined margin of error, deny the authentication with respect to accessing the one or more functionalities controlled by the device; and

responsive to determining that the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels by less than the predetermined margin of error, grant the authentication with respect to accessing the one or more functionalities controlled by the device.

20. A computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed cause one or more programmable processors of a computing device to:

receive an authentication image;

determine whether a number of pixels positioned between at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds a threshold number of pixels; and

responsive to determining that the number of pixels positioned between the at least two landmarks represented in the authentication image exceeds the threshold number of pixels, deny authentication with respect to accessing one or more functionalities controlled by the computing device.