# US 2019/0377967 A1 · Image analyzer, image analysis method, and image analysis program > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2019/0377967 A1 - Document ID: US20190377967A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/547,638 - Filed: 2019-08-22 - Published: 2019-12-12 - Earliest claimed: 2017-03-14 - Assignees: OMRON Corporation - Applicants: OMRON Corporation - Inventors: Tomohiro YABUUCHI; Tomoyoshi AIZAWA; Koichi KINOSHITA; Tadashi HYUGA; Hatsumi AOI; Mei UETANI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190377967A1 ## CPC - G06V 40/10: Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands - G06T 7/00: Image analysis - G06V 10/82: using neural networks - G06V 20/52: Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects (recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69) - G06V 40/168: {Feature extraction; Face representation} - G06V 40/171: {Local features and components; Facial parts (eye characteristics G06V40/18); Occluding parts, e.g. glasses; Geometrical relationships} - G06V 40/173: {face re-identification, e.g. recognising unknown faces across different face tracks} - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract An image analyzer repeatedly obtains a captured image including a subject to be detected, and detects, in the captured image, a first area likely to include the subject without a cover, detects, in the captured image, a second area likely to include the subject with a cover, and determines whether the subject is covered by the cover based on a detection result of the first area and a detection result of the second area and a determination result for the captured image obtained previously. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An image analyzer comprising a processor configured with a program to perform operations comprising: operation as an image obtaining unit configured to repeatedly obtain a captured image comprising a subject to be detected; operation as a first detector configured to detect, in the captured image, a first area likely to comprise the subject without a cover; operation as a second detector configured to detect, in the captured image, a second area likely to comprise the subject with a cover; operation as a determination unit configured to determine whether the subject in the captured image is covered by the cover; and operation as an area locating unit configured to select one of a detection result from operation as the first detector and a detection result from operation as the second detector in accordance with a determination result from operation as the determination unit, and to locate a subject area comprising the subject in the captured image based on the selected detection result, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the determination unit comprises operation as the determination unit configured to determine whether the subject is covered by the cover based on the detection result from operation as the first detector and the detection result from operation as the second detector, and a determination result as to whether the subject in a captured image obtained previously is covered by the cover. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The image analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations further comprising operation as a coarse detector configured to search the captured image at intervals larger than intervals at which operation as the first detector searches for the first area and intervals at which operation as the second detector searches for the second area, and detect a coarse candidate area likely to comprise the subject, the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the first detector comprises operation as the first detector configured to detect the first area in a neighboring range in and around the coarse candidate area detected by operation as the coarse detector, and the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the second detector comprises operation as the second detector configured to detect the second area in a neighboring range in and around the coarse candidate area detected by operation as the coarse detector. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The image analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that operation as the coarse detector comprising operation as the coarse detector configured to detect the coarse candidate area in a neighboring range in and around the subject area located in a captured image obtained previously. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The image analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that: operation as the determination unit comprises operation as the determination unit configured to determine that the subject is not covered by the cover in response to detecting, by operation as the first detector, more first areas than second areas detected by operation as the second detector by a difference in number between the first areas and the second areas satisfying a predetermined condition, operation as the determination unit comprises operation as the determination unit configured to determine that the subject is covered by the cover in response to detecting, by operation as the second detector, more second areas than first areas detected by operation as the first detector by a difference in number between the first areas and the second areas satisfying the predetermined condition, and operation as the determination unit comprises operation as the determination unit configured to determine whether the subject is covered by the cover based on a result of determination as to whether the subject in a captured image obtained previously is covered by the cover in response to the difference in number between first areas detected by operation as the first detector and second areas detected by operation as the second detector not satisfying the predetermined condition. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The image analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that: in response to detecting, by operation as the first detector, a plurality of first areas and to determining, by operation as the determination unit, that the subject is not covered by the cover, operation as the area locating unit comprises operation as the area locating unit configured to locate the subject area comprising the subject by joining the plurality of first areas, and in response to detecting, by operation as the second detector, a plurality of second areas and to determining, by operation as the determination unit, that the subject is covered by the cover, operation as the area locating unit comprises operation as the area locating unit configured to locate the subject area comprising the subject by joining the plurality of second areas. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The image analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that: in response to a difference in number between first areas detected by operation as the first detector and second areas detected by operation as the second detector not satisfying a predetermined condition, operation as the determination unit comprises operation as the determination unit configured to detect a difficulty in determining whether the subject is covered by the cover in response to the subject in a captured image obtained previously being determined to be covered by the cover and to more first areas than the second areas being detected, or in response to the subject in the captured image obtained previously being determined not to be covered by the cover and to more second areas than the first areas being detected, and in response to detecting, by operation as the determination unit, a difficulty in determining whether the subject is covered by the cover, operation as the area locating unit comprises operation as the area locating unit configured to locate the subject area comprising the subject by joining the first areas detected by operation as the first detector and the second areas detected by operation as the second detector. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The image analyzer according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations further comprising: operation as an error determination unit configured to redetect the subject in the located subject area to determine whether the located subject area has been detected erroneously. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The image analyzer according to claim 1, wherein the subject to be detected comprises a human face. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The image analyzer according to claim 8, wherein the cover comprises a mask. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The image analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that: operation as the determination unit comprises operation as the determination unit configured to determine that the subject is not covered by the cover in response to detecting, by operation as the first detector, more first areas than second areas detected by operation as the second detector by a difference in number between the first areas and the second areas satisfying a predetermined condition, operation as the determination unit comprises operation as the determination unit configured to determine that the subject is covered by the cover in response to detecting, by operation as the second detector, more second areas than first areas detected by operation as the first detector by a difference in number between the first areas and the second areas satisfying the predetermined condition, and operation as the determination unit comprises operation as the determination unit configured to determine whether the subject is covered by the cover based on a result of determination as to whether the subject in a captured image obtained previously is covered by the cover in response to the difference in number between first areas detected by operation as the first detector and second areas detected by operation as the second detector not satisfying the predetermined condition. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The image analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that: in response to detecting, by operation as the first detector, a plurality of first areas and to determining, by operation as the determination unit, that the subject is not covered by the cover, operation as the area locating unit comprises operation as the area locating unit configured to locate the subject area comprising the subject by joining the plurality of first areas, and in response to detecting, by operation as the second detector, a plurality of second areas and to determining, by operation as the determination unit, that the subject is covered by the cover, operation as the area locating unit comprises operation as the area locating unit configured to locate the subject area comprising the subject by joining the plurality of second areas. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The image analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations such that: in response to a difference in number between first areas detected by operation as the first detector and second areas detected by operation as the second detector not satisfying a predetermined condition, operation as the determination unit comprises operation as the determination unit configured to detect a difficulty in determining whether the subject is covered by the cover in response to the subject in a captured image obtained previously being determined to be covered by the cover and to more first areas than the second areas being detected, or in response to the subject in the captured image obtained previously being determined not to be covered by the cover and to more second areas than the first areas being detected, and in response to detecting, by operation as the determination unit, a difficulty in determining whether the subject is covered by the cover, operation as the area locating unit comprises operation as the area locating unit configured to locate the subject area comprising the subject by joining the first areas detected by operation as the first detector and the second areas detected by operation as the second detector. ### Claim 13 (depends on 6) The image analyzer according to claim 6, wherein the processor is configured with the program to perform operations further comprising: operation as an error determination unit configured to redetect the subject in the located subject area to determine whether the located subject area has been detected erroneously. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The image analyzer according to claim 2, wherein the subject to be detected comprises a human face. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The image analyzer according to claim 14, wherein the cover comprises a mask. ### Claim 16 An image analysis method implemented by a computer, the method comprising: repeatedly obtaining a captured image comprising a subject to be detected; detecting, in the captured image, a first area likely to comprise the subject without a cover; detecting, in the captured image, a second area likely to comprise the subject with a cover; determining whether the subject in the captured image is covered by the cover; and selecting one of a detection result obtained in detecting the first area and a detection result obtained in detecting the second area in accordance with a determination result obtained in determining whether the subject is covered, and locating a subject area comprising the subject in the captured image based on the selected detection result, wherein determining whether the subject is covered by the cover comprises determining whether the subject is covered by the cover based on the detection result obtained in detecting the first area and the detection result obtained in detecting the second area, and a determination result as to whether the subject in a captured image obtained previously is covered by the cover. ### Claim 17 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing an image analysis program, which when read and executed, causes a computer to perform operations comprising: repeatedly obtaining a captured image comprising a subject to be detected; detecting, in the captured image, a first area likely to comprise the subject without a cover; detecting, in the captured image, a second area likely to comprise the subject with a cover; determining whether the subject in the captured image is covered by the cover; and selecting one of a detection result obtained in detecting the first area and a detection result obtained in detecting the second area in accordance with a determination result obtained in determining whether the subject is covered, and locating a subject area comprising the subject in the captured image based on the selected detection result, wherein determining whether the subject is covered by the cover comprises determining whether the subject is covered by the cover based on the detection result obtained in detecting the first area and the detection result obtained in detecting the second area, and a determination result as to whether the subject in a captured image obtained previously is covered by the cover.