Machine vision system and method for estimating and tracking facial pose

A method for determining whether a user is facing a monitor, comprising:

• obtaining an image using a camera, the image containing a head of the user;
• using a face detection technique to detect a face on the user's head;
• determining a face line that bisects the user's face into two approximately equal parts;
• determining a centroid of the user's head;
• computing a deviation angle between the face line and centroid of the user's head;
• and
• using the deviation angle to determine whether the user is facing the monitor.

A computer-implemented process for determining whether a user's head and face are positioned toward a display device, comprising:

• a capturing step for capturing an image containing the user's head and face;
• a bisection step for defining a head line as a line that bisects the user's head into two approximately equal parts and goes through a center of the display device;
• and
• a comparison step for comparing a deviation angle obtained using the head line to a threshold to determine whether the user's head and face are positioned toward the display device.