Method and apparatus for prioritizing image quality of a particular subject within an image

• US 9,489,564 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2013
• Issued: 11/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gattuso, Michelle N
• Primary Examiner(s): Haskins, Twyler
• Assistant Examiner(s): BHUIYAN, FAYEZ A
• Application Number:
  US13/951,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20150016693A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 348/222.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body

Abstract

A device capable of digital imaging detects multiple faces in image data received from an image sensor, performs pattern recognition to check if at least one of the detected faces is a priority face belonging to a ranked set of reference faces, adjusting at least one imaging related parameter (e.g., focus setting, exposure level, depth of focus in a plenoptic camera) of the device based on a region of interest (ROI) corresponding to the highest priority recognized face, and capturing an image.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

an image sensor configured to capture an image including a plurality of persons;

a memory including data representing a ranked reference set of faces;

a processor, coupled to the memory and to the image sensor, configured to;

receive image data from the image sensor;

detect at least one face image in the image data;

perform facial recognition on the at least one face image;

in a case that a plurality of face images are detected in the image data and recognized as matching respective faces of the ranked reference set of faces,

select, as a designated face, a particular face image from the plurality of face images detected in the image data that corresponds to a highest ranked face in the ranked reference set of faces for a person of the plurality of persons,

detect imaging conditions for a plurality of image regions in the image data,

identify, as a region of interest, from the plurality of image regions in the image data, a particular image region that includes the designated face, and

automatically set at least one configuration parameter of the electronic apparatus based on the detected imaging conditions for at least the region of interest such as to prioritize the image quality of the designated face within a captured image of the plurality of persons that is captured using the electronic apparatus according to the automatically set at least one configuration parameter.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the reference set of faces includes a face of an owner of the electronic apparatus.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the reference set of faces includes at least one face selected by a user of the electronic apparatus.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the reference set of faces includes at least one face corresponding to an emergency contact person listed in the electronic apparatus.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the reference set of faces includes a face that has been imaged upon powering up the electronic apparatus.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to receive a reference image of at least one of the reference set of faces from a remote device.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the processor is configured to receive the reference image from a social network.

8. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a variable focus lens, coupled to the image sensor, wherein the processor is coupled to the variable focus lens, and wherein the at least one configuration parameter includes a focus setting of the variable focus lens.

9. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the at least one configuration parameter comprises an exposure setting of the image sensor.

10. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein, under user control, the processor is adapted to:

add the at least one face image to the data representing the reference set of faces.

11. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the image data includes viewfinder image data.

20. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein detecting the imaging conditions for the plurality of image regions comprises at least one of detecting variation in at least one of respective distances of the plurality of persons from the electronic apparatus and detecting variation in complexion among faces of the plurality of persons.

21. The electronic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the focus setting of the variable focus lens is selected such as to prioritize the sharpness of the designated face within the captured image of the plurality of persons.

12. A method of operating an electronic apparatus comprising:

reading image data from an image sensor configured to capture an image including a plurality of persons;

detecting at least one face image in the image data;

performing facial recognition on the at least one face image to determine if the at least one face image corresponds to a face from a ranked reference set of faces;

in a case that a plurality of face images are detected in the image data and correspond to respective faces of the ranked reference set of faces,

selecting, as a designated face, a particular face image from the plurality of face images detected in the image data that corresponds to a highest ranked face in the ranked reference set of faces for a person of the plurality of persons,

detecting imaging conditions for a plurality of image regions in the image data,

identifying, as a region of interest, from the plurality of image regions in the image data, a particular image region that includes the designated face, and

automatically setting at least one configuration parameter of the electronic apparatus based on the detected imaging conditions for at least the region of interest such as to prioritize the image quality of the designated face within a captured image of the plurality of persons that is captured using the electronic apparatus according to the automatically set at least one configuration parameter.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the selecting as the designated face comprises:

comparing a face of an owner of the electronic apparatus to the plurality of face images.

14. The method according to claim 12 wherein the selecting as the designated face comprises:

comparing a face selected by a user of the electronic apparatus to the plurality of face images.

15. The method according to claim 12 wherein the selecting as the designated face comprises:

comparing at least one face corresponding to an emergency contact person stored in the electronic apparatus to the plurality of face images.

16. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

receiving data representing at least one reference face of the reference set of faces from a remote device.

17. The method according to claim 12 wherein setting at least one configuration parameter comprises:

setting a focus of a variable focus lens of the electronic apparatus.

18. The method according to claim 12 wherein setting at least one configuration parameter comprises:

setting an exposure of the image sensor of the electronic apparatus.

19. The method according to claim 12 further comprising:

under user control, capturing an image and adding the image to the reference set of faces.