Facial image display apparatus, facial image display method, and facial image display program

• US 9,852,323 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2015
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsuda, Munetaka, Hiramatsu, Shuji, Suzuki, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Merouan, Abderrahim
• Application Number:
  US14/934,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20160063311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• 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: G06V 40/165 using facial parts and geometric relationships
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/167 using comparisons between temporally consecutive images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/2628 Alteration of picture size, shape, position or orientation, e.g. zooming, rotation, rolling, perspective, translation

Abstract

The present invention provides a facial image display apparatus that can display moving images concentrated on the face when images of people'"'"'s faces are displayed. A facial image display apparatus is provided wherein a facial area detecting unit (21) detects facial areas in which faces are displayed from within a target image for displaying a plurality of faces; a dynamic extraction area creating unit (22) creates, based on the facial areas detected by the facial area detecting means, a dynamic extraction area of which at least one of position and surface area varies over time in the target image; and a moving image output unit (27) sequentially extracts images in the dynamic extraction area and outputs the extracted images as a moving image.

Claims

1. A facial image display apparatus comprising:

a memory, one or more processors configured to execute instructions stored on said memory to embody;

a detector that detects areas containing faces in a plurality of target images each displaying one or more faces, wherein each target image is a still image, wherein the detector identifies one or more persons corresponding to the areas containing faces and creates, using the areas containing faces, a path through the plurality of target images connecting the detected areas containing faces according to the one or more identified persons; and

a moving image creating unit that creates a moving image in which a camera moves through the plurality of target images according to the path, wherein the moving image contains the areas containing faces from the plurality of target images, wherein the moving image creating unit selects a pattern from among specific moving image pattern options for the path based on the number of detected facial areas.

2. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector further acquires attribute information pertaining to the areas containing faces.

3. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the attribute information comprises information pertaining to an age or an expression corresponding to each of the areas containing faces.

4. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the detector creates the path based on the acquired attribute information pertaining to the areas containing faces.

5. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the detector creates the path according to an age of the one or more identified persons.

6. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the moving image zooms in on the detected facial areas.

7. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a time estimator that estimates a time needed to detect facial areas in each of the plurality of target images, wherein the facial image display apparatus outputs the moving image on a display on the basis of the plurality of target images, and wherein a time duration of the moving image is determined on the basis of the detection time estimated by the time estimator.

8. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the path comprises a sequence of the detected areas containing faces of the plurality of target images according to one of the one or more identified persons.

9. The facial image display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the moving image zooms in on the detected facial areas of the plurality of target images according to the sequence.

10. A facial image display method executed on a computer comprising:

detecting areas containing faces in a plurality of target images each displaying one or more faces, wherein each target image is a still image;

automatically identifying one or more persons corresponding to the areas containing faces and creating, using the areas containing faces, a path through the plurality of target images connecting the detected areas containing faces according to the one or more identified persons;

and creating a moving image in which a camera moves through the plurality of target images according to the path, wherein the moving image contains the areas containing faces from the plurality of target images,

wherein a pattern from among specific moving image pattern options for the path based on the number of detected facial areas.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a program comprising the steps of:

detecting areas containing faces in a plurality of target images each displaying one or more faces, wherein each target image is a still image;

automatically identifying one or more persons corresponding to the areas containing faces and creating, using the areas containing faces, a path through the plurality of target images connecting the detected areas containing faces according to the one or more identified persons; and

creating a moving image in which a camera moves through the plurality of target images according to the path, wherein the moving image contains the areas containing faces from the plurality of target images,

wherein a pattern from among specific moving image pattern options for the path based on the number of detected facial areas.