Classification and organization of consumer digital images using workflow, and face detection and recognition

• US 9,779,287 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Steinberg, Eran, Corcoran, Peter, Prilutsky, Yury, Bigioi, Petronel, Ciuc, Mihai, Ciurel, Stefanita, Verlan, Constantin
• Primary Examiner(s): STREGE, JOHN B
• Application Number:
  US14/542,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20150067600A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 382118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/23 Clustering techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/232 Non-hierarchical techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/763 Non-hierarchical techniques, e.g. based on statistics of modelling distributions
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/647 by matching two-dimensional images to three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/167 using comparisons between temporally consecutive images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/173 face re-identification, e.g. recognising unknown faces across different face tracks

Abstract

Techniques for identifying a person in a target image are described. According to one of the techniques, identifying a person in a target image involves displaying, within a graphical user interface, an image that depicts one or more faces. One or more faces are automatically detected within the image. A user provides input that selects a face of the one or more faces to be a currently-selected face. A set of images are selected from a collection of images, where the set of images includes images that closely match the currently-selected face. Concurrently with display of the currently-selected face, each image in the set of images is displayed. Within the graphical user interface, a control is provided. The control enables a user to select a target image from the set of images. In response to detecting that the user has selected a target image using the control, the currently-selected face is associated with a person to which the target image corresponds.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying, within a graphical user interface, an image that depicts one or more faces;

detecting one or more faces within the image;

receiving user input that selects a face of the one or more faces to be a currently-selected face;

selecting a set of images, from a collection of images, that closely match the currently-selected face;

wherein an image in the set of images comprises a normalized face region that is normalized by;

based on, at least in part, one or more distances between eyes, a nose, and a mouth depicted in a face region of the image, determining a profile type of a face depicted in the face region;

based on, at least in part, the profile type, determining a transformation, and applying the transformation to the face region to generate the normalized face region;

concurrently with displaying the currently-selected face, displaying each image in the set of images;

providing, within the graphical user interface, a control that enables a user to select a target image from the set of images; and

in response to detecting that the user has selected the target image using said control, associating the currently-selected face with a person to whom the target image corresponds;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the one or more faces includes displaying a visual indication of a boundary around the one or more faces.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising concurrently displaying an originally-acquired image, the image that depicts one or more faces and a visual indication of a boundary around the one or more faces.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein each image in the set of images has been associated with a different person.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying each image in the set of images includes displaying an indication of degree of match between each image and the currently-selected face.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying each image in the set of images includes displaying each image in an order that reflects a degree of match between each image and the currently-selected face.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein each image of the set of images comprises a face image, created from an original digitally acquired image including a face by performing the steps of:

identifying a group of pixels that correspond to a face within the original digitally acquired image;

selecting a portion of the original image to include the group of pixels;

automatically generating a new image with values of pixels based on the selected portion.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an option to create a new face for identifying a new person based on the currently-selected face.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising in response to receiving input that selects the option to create the new face, allowing a user to enter a handle to identify the new person.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting a set of images of known persons within a database.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, cause performing:

displaying, within a graphical user interface, an image that depicts one or more faces;

detecting one or more faces within the image;

receiving user input that selects a face of the one or more faces to be a currently-selected face;

selecting a set of images, from a collection of images, that closely match the currently-selected face;

wherein an image in the set of images comprises a normalized face region that is normalized by;

based on, at least in part, one or more distances between eyes, a nose, and a mouth depicted in a face region of the image, determining a profile type of a face depicted in the face region;

based on, at least in part, the profile type, determining a transformation, and applying the transformation to the face region to generate the normalized face region;

concurrently with displaying the currently-selected face, displaying each image in the set of images;

providing, within the graphical user interface, a control that enables a user to select a target image from the set of images; and

in response to detecting that the user has selected the target image using said control, associating the currently-selected face with a person to whom the target image corresponds.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, storing additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause performing:

displaying a visual indication of a boundary around the one or more faces.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, storing additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause performing:

concurrently displaying an originally-acquired image with the image that depicts one or more faces with a visual indication of a boundary around the one or more faces.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein each image in the set of images has been associated with a different person.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, storing additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause performing:

displaying an indication of degree of match between each image and the currently-selected face.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, storing additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause performing:

displaying each image in an order that reflects a degree of match between each image and the currently-selected face.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, wherein each image of the set of images comprises a face image, created from an original digitally acquired image including a face by performing the steps of:

identifying a group of pixels that correspond to a face within the original digitally acquired image;

selecting a portion of the original image to include the group of pixels;

automatically generating a new image with values of pixels based on the selected portion.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, storing additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause performing:

generating an option to create a new face for identifying a new person based on the currently-selected face.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, storing additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause performing:

in response to receiving input that selects the option to create the new face, allowing a user to enter a handle to identify the new person.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11, storing additional instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processors, cause performing:

selecting a set of images of known persons within a database.