Method for performing a face tracking function and an electric device having the same

• US 9,858,470 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2015
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Kang, Ming-Che, Chiu, Chung-Ko
• Primary Examiner(s): GORADIA, SHEFALI DINESH
• Application Number:
  US14/748,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20160019412A1
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30201 Face
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• 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 23/61 based on recognised objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/631 Graphical user interfaces [GUI] specially adapted for controlling image capture or setting capture parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q

Abstract

A method for performing a method for performing a performing a face tracking function in an electric device is provided. The electric device has a touch panel, a camera, and a processor. The method includes the following steps. A touch signal is receiving by the touch panel. Under a video call, a face tracking mode is entered based on the touch signal by the processor. Face tracking is performed on a captured frame from the camera to obtain at least one region of interesting (ROI) of the captured frame by the processor, each of the ROI having an image of a face. A target frame is generated by combining the at least one ROI by the processor. The target frame is transmitted to another electric device by the processor, so that the target frame is shown on the another electric device as a video talk frame.

Claims

1. A method for performing a face tracking function in an electric device, the electric device having a touch panel, a camera, and a processor, the method comprising:

receiving a touch signal by the touch panel;

under a video call, entering a face tracking mode based on the touch signal by the processor;

performing face tracking on a captured frame from the camera to automatically obtain multiple regions of interesting (ROIs) of the captured frame by the processor, each of the ROIs having a face object;

cutting the multiple ROIs with multiple face objects from the captured frame and generating a target frame by combining the multiple ROIs with the multiple face objects by the processor; and

transmitting the target frame containing the combined multiple face objects to another electric device by the processor, so that the target frame is shown on the another electric device as a video talk frame.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying a floating control interface by the touch panel when the electric device runs a communicating program to perform the video talk with the another electric device, and the floating control interface has a face tracking control item;

wherein the receiving step comprising receiving the touch signal by the touch panel when the face tracking control item is selected.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether the electric device is performing the video talk by judging whether the communicating program is performed in foreground and whether the camera is activated, wherein the communicating program is listed in a white list.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of candidate communication programs are listed in the white list.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the performing step, one ROI is obtained;

Wherein the generating step comprises enlarging the ROI, and the target frame is generated according to the enlarged ROI.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the performing step, more than one ROIs are obtained, the generating step comprises enlarging the ROIs, and the target frame is generated by combining the enlarged ROIs.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the step of performing face tracking, the method further comprises performing face detecting on the captured frame from the camera to determining the location of the at least one face in the captured frame.

8. A electric device for performing a face tracking function, the electric device comprising:

a touch panel, for receiving a touch signal;

a camera, for capturing a frame; and

a processor, for entering a face tracking mode based on the touch signal under a video call, and performing face tracking on the captured frame from the camera to automatically obtain multiple regions of interesting (ROIs) of the captured frame, each of the ROIs having a face object;

wherein the processor is further for cutting the multiple ROIs with multiple face objects from the captured frame and generating a target frame by combining the multiple ROIs with the multiple face objects, and for transmitting the target frame containing the combined multiple face objects to another electric device, so that the target frame is shown on the another electric device as a video talk frame.

9. The device according to claim 8, further the touch panel further displays a floating control interface when the electric device runs a communicating program to perform the video talk with the another electric device, and the floating control interface has a face tracking control item;

wherein the touch panel receives the touch signal when the face tracking control item is selected.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the processor further determine whether the electric device is performing the video talk by judging whether the communicating program is performed in foreground and whether the camera is activated, wherein the communicating program is listed in a white list.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of candidate communication programs are listed in the white list.

12. The device according to claim 9, wherein the floating control interface has a face tracking icon, acting as the face tracking control item.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one ROI comprises one ROI, the processor further enlarges the ROI, and the target frame is generated according to the enlarged ROI.

14. The device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one ROI comprises more than one ROIs, the processor further enlarges the ROIs, and the target frame is generated by combining the enlarged ROIs.

15. The device according to claim 8, wherein the processor further performs face detecting on the captured frame from the camera to determining the location of the at least one face in the captured frame before the processor performs face tracking.

16. A non-transitory storage media for storing a program code, wherein when the program code is executed by an electric device, the electric device performs a method for performing a face tracking function, the electric device has a touch panel, a camera, and a processor, the method comprises:

receiving a touch signal by the touch panel;

under a video call, entering a face tracking mode based on the touch signal by the processor;

performing face tracking on a captured frame from the camera to automatically obtain multiple regions of interesting (ROIs) of the captured frame by the processor, each of the ROIs having a face object;

cutting the multiple ROIs with multiple face objects from the captured frame and generating a target frame by combining the multiple ROIs with the multiple face objects by the processor; and

transmitting the target frame containing the combined multiple face objects to another electric device by the processor, so that the target frame is shown on the another electric device as a video talk frame.

17. The non-transitory storage media according to claim 16, wherein the method further comprises displaying a floating control interface by the touch panel when the electric device runs a communicating program to perform the video talk with the another electric device, and the floating control interface has a face tracking control item;

wherein the receiving step comprises receiving the touch signal by the touch panel when the face tracking control item is selected.

18. The non-transitory storage media according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether the electric device is performing the video talk by judging whether the communicating program is performed in foreground and whether the camera is activated, wherein the communicating program is listed in a white list.

19. The non-transitory storage media according to claim 16, wherein when one ROI is obtained, the generating step comprises enlarging the ROI, and the target frame is generated according to the enlarged ROI;

wherein when more than one ROIs are obtained, the generating step comprises enlarging the ROIs, and the target frame is generated by combining the enlarged ROIs.

20. The non-transitory storage media according to claim 16, wherein before the step of performing face tracking, the method further comprises performing face detecting on the captured frame from the camera to determining the location of the at least one face in the captured frame.