Apparatus for extracting feature points from a facial image
AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsYoshiyasu Kado, Masamichi Nakagawa, Fumio Maehara
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Abstract
A facial image picture data is processed by an edge extraction part, which performs edge extraction on the inputted image picture. The processed data is then converted by a binary level conversion part for each preestimated point of facial elements. An image picture arithmetic processing part performs time-to-time arithmetic computation of correlation values between the data of the binary-leveled edged-image picture and the data having been previously stored in the shape data-base part, and issues an output including extracted data of feature points of the facial image picture.
Claims13
An apparatus for outputting data indicative of matching features of a face with data in a data-base, said apparatus comprising:
- an image picture inputter for receiving an input image of a face, said image including a plurality of facial feature searching regions each of which corresponds to a respective facial feature of said face;
- an edge extractor for processing said input image of said face to form an edged-image of said face;
- a binary level converter for dividing said image into said plurality of facial feature searching regions and subsequently performing a binary level conversion on said edged-image of said face corresponding to a plurality of facial feature points of said face, said binary level converter converting said edged-image of said face into a binary-leveled edged-image of said face;
- a shape data-base permanently storing a plurality of shape data as a reference data-base for said plurality of facial feature points, said shape data comprising coordinate data and gradient vectors in x,y coordinates;
- an image picture arithmetic processor for determining an amount of correspondence by computing a correlation value between data of each of said plurality of facial feature points of said binary-leveled edged-image of said face and each corresponding one of said plurality of facial feature points of said shape data stored in said shape data-base;
- a shape data-base changer for changing copied data of said plurality of shape data copied from said shape data-base;
- and
- an outputter for outputting data indicative of said matching features of said face based on said correlation value and said copied data, wherein
- using both said edge extractor and said binary level converter results in decreased sensitivity of said apparatus to changes in lighting.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.