Face recognition with combined PCA-based datasets

A consumer digital camera including a processor programmed by digital code to perform a face recognition method for working with two or more collections of facial images, wherein the method comprises:

• (a) determining distinct representation frameworks for first and second sets of facial regions extracted from corresponding image collections each framework including at least principle component analysis (PCA) features;
• (b) storing representations of said first and second sets of facial regions using their respective representation frameworks;
• (c) determining a third, distinct representation framework based on the representations of the first and second sets of facial regions;
• (d) combining the stored representation of the first and the second sets of facial regions without using original facial image samples;
• including back-projecting the sets of facial regions into their respective representation frameworks, combining the two back-projected representations of these sets of facial regions into a combined dataset, and forward projecting the combined dataset into the third representation framework;
• (e) storing a representation of the combined dataset using said third representation framework;
• (f) comparing a representation of a current facial region, determined in terms of said third representation framework, with one or more representations of facial images of the combined dataset;
• and
• (g) based on the comparing, determining whether one or more of the facial images within the combined dataset matches the current facial image.