Face Tracking for Controlling Imaging Parameters

• US 20130223698A1
• Filed: 02/19/2013
• Published: 08/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FotoNation Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DigitalOptics Corporation Europe Limited (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Corcoran, Peter, Steinberg, Eran, Bigioi, Petronel
• Granted Patent: US 8,934,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20016 Hierarchical, coarse-to-fine, multiscale or multiresolution image processing; Pyramid transform
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20121 Active appearance model [AAM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/248 involving reference images or patches
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/251 involving models
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/446 using Haar-like filters, e.g. using integral image techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/62 relating to a temporal dimension, e.g. time-based feature extraction; Pattern tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/161 Detection; Localisation; Normalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• 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: G06V 40/173 face re-identification, e.g. recognising unknown faces across different face tracks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/611 where the recognised objects include parts of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/675 comprising setting of focusing regions

Abstract

A method of tracking faces in an image stream with a digital image acquisition device includes receiving images from an image stream including faces, calculating corresponding integral images, and applying different subsets of face detection rectangles to the integral images to provide sets of candidate regions. The different subsets include candidate face regions of different sizes and/or locations within the images. The different candidate face regions from different images of the image stream are each tracked.

Claims

1. A face detection and recognition method, comprising:

acquiring an image received from an image stream including one or more face regions;

calculating an integral image for at least a portion of the image or a sub-sampled version of at least a portion of the image, or both;

applying face detection to at least a portion of the integral image to provide a set of one or more candidate face regions;

using a database, including applying face recognition to one or more candidate face regions and providing an identifier for a recognized face;

storing the identifier for the recognized face in association with at least one image or portion thereof that include the recognized face from the image stream; and

adjusting white balance, color balance, focus, or exposure, or combinations thereof, for the recognized face.