US 8,526,684 B2 · Flexible image comparison and face matching application

Abstract

Two faces may be compared by calculating distances between different regions of the windows, and choosing one of the distances as the difference between the images. Two images are examined to detect the location of the face in the images. The faces may then be geometrically and photometrically rectified. A sliding window that is smaller than the whole face may be positioned at various locations over the images, and a descriptor is calculated for each window position. The descriptor for a window at one location in one image is compared with descriptors for windows in the neighborhood of that location in the other image. The lowest distance between window descriptors is chosen. The process is repeated for all window positions, resulting in a set of distances. The distances are sorted, and one of the distances is chosen to represent the difference between the two faces.

Claims20

Dependent claims

One or more computer-readable storage media that store executable instructions to recognize a face, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform acts comprising:

detecting, in a first image, a first region that contains a first face;
performing a geometric rectification on said first region;
performing a photometric rectification on said first region;
calculating a plurality of first descriptors of said first image by evaluating overlapping windows of said first image, wherein a descriptor is calculated for each window;
comparing said first descriptors to a plurality of second descriptors, said plurality of second descriptors being calculated from windows of a second region of a second image that contains a second face, wherein said comparing produces a plurality of distances comprising a distance for each window location of said first region and said second region;
choosing one of said distances to represent a difference between said first face and said second face;
and
determining, based on said difference, whether said first face and said second face are of a same person.

5 more elements

A method of comparing a first image to a second image, the method comprising:

using a processor to perform acts comprising:
performing a geometric rectification on said first image;
performing a photometric rectification on said first image;
calculating a descriptor for a plurality of windows of each of said first image and said second image, each window having a size, there being at least two of said plurality of windows that cover overlapping regions, wherein each window has a location within said first image or said second image;
comparing a window at each location of said first image with one or more windows of said second image to produce a distance, at each location, between said first image and said second image, thereby producing a plurality of distances between said first image and said second image;
choosing one of said plurality of distances as a difference between said first image and said second image;
and
using said difference to determine whether a first object in said first image is the same object as a second object in said second image.

5 more elements

A system for determining whether a first face and a second face are faces of the same person, the system comprising:

a processor;
a data remembrance component;
a component that is stored in said data remembrance component and that executes on said processor, wherein the component geometrically rectifies said first face, photometrically rectifies said first face, calculates first descriptors for overlapping windows in a first image that contains said first face, calculates second descriptors for overlapping windows in a second image that contains said second face, makes a comparison of a descriptor of a window in said first image with one or more descriptors of windows in said second image and, based on said comparison, calculates distances for each window location in said first image and said second image, and wherein said component chooses one of said distances to represent a difference between said first face and said second face, and determines whether said first face and said second face are faces of the same person based on said difference.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Flexible image comparison and face matching application

Life of this patent

Flexible image comparison and face matching application

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20