Perfecting of Digital Image Capture Parameters Within Acquisition Devices Using Face Detection

Abstract

Within a digital acquisition device, acquisition parameters of a digital image are perfected as part of an image capture process using face detection within said captured image to achieve one or more desired image acquisition parameters. Default values are determined of one or more image attributes of at least some portion of the digital image. Values of one or more camera acquisition parameters are determined. Groups of pixels are identified that correspond to an image of a face within the digitally-captured image. Corresponding image attributes to the groups of pixels are determined. One or more default image attribute values are compared with one or more captured image attribute values based upon analysis of the image of the face. Camera acquisition parameters are then adjusted corresponding to adjusting the image attribute values.

1 . Within a processor-based digital image acquisition device, a method of enhancing acquisition parameters of a digital image as part of an image capture process using face detection within said captured image to achieve one or more desired image acquisition parameters, the method comprising using a processor to perform the following:
 identifying a plurality of groups of pixels that correspond to a face within a digitally-acquired reference image;   determining values of one or more attributes of the face;   comparing one or more default image attribute values with one or more of the determined values;   classifying the face according to its age based on the comparing of the image attribute values;   adjusting a camera acquisition parameter based on the classifying of the face according to its age; and   capturing a main image in accordance with the adjusting of the camera acquisition parameter.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating in-camera, capturing or otherwise obtaining in-camera a collection of low resolution images including the face; and   tracking said face within said collection of low resolution images.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the identifying of face pixels is automatically performed by an image processing apparatus, the method further comprising performing automated processing of the face pixels based on the classifying. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the camera acquisition parameter comprises exposure. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the age of the face is classified as that of a child. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the adjusting of camera acquisition parameter comprises reducing exposure. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising applying fill-flash to the face in post-processing. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the age of the face is classified as that of a baby or a child. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the adjusting of camera acquisition parameter comprises optimizing focus on the baby's or child's face, centering the face, increasing the size of the face, cropping around the face, adjusting the orientation or color of the face, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the adjusting of camera acquisition parameters comprises increasing the resolution or reducing the compression, or both, of pixels of the face of the baby or child. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising tracking the face over a sequence of images. 
     
     
         12 . A processor-based digital image acquisition device, comprising a processor and a memory having code embedded therein for programming the processor to perform a method of enhancing a digital image including a face using face detection to achieve one or more desired image parameters, the method comprising:
 identifying a plurality of groups of pixels that correspond to a face within a digitally-captured main image;   determining values of one or more attributes of the face;   comparing one or more default image attribute values with one or more of the determined values;   classifying the face according to its age based on the comparing of the image attribute values;   performing automated processing of the face pixels based on the classifying of the face according to its age to generate a processed image including a processed version of the face; and   displaying, transmitting, or storing the processed image, or combinations thereof.   
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 generating in-camera, capturing or otherwise obtaining in-camera a collection of low resolution images including the face; and   tracking said face within said collection of low resolution images.   
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the identifying of face pixels is automatically performed by an image processing apparatus. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the attribute values comprise exposure values. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the age of the face is classified as that of a child. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 16 , wherein the performing automated processing comprises reducing exposure. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 17 , wherein the performing automated processing further comprises applying fill-flash to the face. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the age of the face is classified as that of a baby or a child. 
     
     
         20 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the performing of automated processing comprises optimizing focus on the baby's or child's face, centering the face, increasing the size of the face, cropping around the face, adjusting the orientation or color of the face, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The device of  claim 19 , wherein the performing of automated processing comprises increasing the resolution or reducing the compression, or both, of pixels of the face of the baby or child. 
     
     
         22 . The device of  claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises tracking the face over a sequence of images. 
     
     
         23 . One or more processor-readable storage media having code embedded therein for programming one or more processors to perform a method of enhancing a digital image including a face using face detection to achieve one or more desired image parameters, the method comprising:
 identifying a plurality of groups of pixels that correspond to a face within a digitally-captured main image;   determining values of one or more attributes of the face;   comparing one or more default image attribute values with one or more of the determined values;   classifying the face according to its age based on the comparing of the image attribute values;   performing automated processing of the face pixels based on the classifying of the face according to its age to generate a processed image including a processed version of the face; and   displaying, transmitting, or storing the processed image, or combinations thereof.   
     
     
         24 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 23 , the method further comprising:
 generating in-camera, capturing or otherwise obtaining in-camera a collection of low resolution images including the face; and   tracking said face within said collection of low resolution images.   
     
     
         25 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 23 , wherein the identifying of face pixels is automatically performed by an image processing apparatus. 
     
     
         26 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 23 , wherein the attribute values comprise exposure values. 
     
     
         27 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 23 , wherein the age of the face is classified as that of a child. 
     
     
         28 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 27 , wherein the performing automated processing comprises reducing exposure. 
     
     
         29 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 28 , wherein the performing automated processing further comprises applying fill-flash to the face. 
     
     
         30 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 23 , wherein the age of the face is classified as that of a baby or a child. 
     
     
         31 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 30 , wherein the performing of automated processing comprises optimizing focus on the baby's or child's face, centering the face, increasing the size of the face, cropping around the face, adjusting the orientation or color of the face, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         32 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 30 , wherein the performing of automated processing comprises increasing the resolution or reducing the compression, or both, of pixels of the face of the baby or child. 
     
     
         33 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 23 , wherein the method further comprises tracking the face over a sequence of images. 
     
     
         34 . Within a processor-based digital image acquisition device, a method of enhancing acquisition parameters of a digital image as part of an image capture process using face detection within said captured image to achieve one or more desired image acquisition parameters, the method comprising using a processor to perform the following:
 identifying a plurality of groups of pixels that correspond to a face within a digitally-acquired reference image;   determining values of one or more attributes of the face;   comparing one or more default image attribute values with one or more of the determined values;   classifying the face according to its gender based on the comparing of the image attribute values;   adjusting a camera acquisition parameter based on the classifying of the face according to its gender; and   capturing a main image in accordance with the adjusting of the camera acquisition parameter.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising:
 generating in-camera, capturing or otherwise obtaining in-camera a collection of low resolution images including the face; and   tracking said face within said collection of low resolution images.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the identifying of face pixels is automatically performed by an image processing apparatus, the method further comprising performing automated processing of the face pixels based on the classifying of the face according to its gender. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the adjusting of camera acquisition parameter comprises optimizing focus on the face, centering the face, increasing the size of the face, cropping around the face, adjusting the orientation or color of the face, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the adjusting of camera acquisition parameters comprises increasing the resolution or reducing the compression, or both, of pixels of the face. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising tracking the face over a sequence of images. 
     
     
         40 . A processor-based digital image acquisition device, comprising a processor and a memory having code embedded therein for programming the processor to perform a method of enhancing a digital image including a face using face detection to achieve one or more desired image parameters, the method comprising:
 identifying a plurality of groups of pixels that correspond to a face within a digitally-captured main image;   determining values of one or more attributes of the face;   comparing one or more default image attribute values with one or more of the determined values;   classifying the face according to its gender based on the comparing of the image attribute values;   performing automated processing of the face pixels based on the classifying of the face according to its gender to generate a processed image including a processed version of the face; and   displaying, transmitting, or storing the processed image, or combinations thereof.   
     
     
         41 . The device of  claim 40 , further comprising:
 generating in-camera, capturing or otherwise obtaining in-camera a collection of low resolution images including the face; and   tracking said face within said collection of low resolution images.   
     
     
         42 . The device of  claim 40 , wherein the identifying of face pixels is automatically performed by an image processing apparatus. 
     
     
         43 . The device of  claim 40 , wherein the attribute values comprise exposure values. 
     
     
         44 . The device of  claim 40 , wherein the performing of automated processing comprises optimizing focus on the face, centering the face, increasing the size of the face, cropping around the face, adjusting the orientation or color of the face, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         45 . The device of  claim 40 , wherein the performing of automated processing comprises increasing the resolution or reducing the compression, or both, of pixels of the face. 
     
     
         46 . The device of  claim 40 , wherein the method further comprises tracking the face over a sequence of images. 
     
     
         47 . One or more processor-readable storage media having code embedded therein for programming one or more processors to perform a method of enhancing a digital image including a face using face detection to achieve one or more desired image parameters, the method comprising:
 identifying a plurality of groups of pixels that correspond to a face within a digitally-captured main image;   determining values of one or more attributes of the face;   comparing one or more default image attribute values with one or more of the determined values;   classifying the face according to its gender based on the comparing of the image attribute values;   performing automated processing of the face pixels based on the classifying of the face according to its gender to generate a processed image including a processed version of the face; and   displaying, transmitting, or storing the processed image, or combinations thereof.   
     
     
         48 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 47 , the method further comprising:
 generating in-camera, capturing or otherwise obtaining in-camera a collection of low resolution images including the face; and   tracking said face within said collection of low resolution images.   
     
     
         49 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 47 , wherein the identifying of face pixels is automatically performed by an image processing apparatus. 
     
     
         50 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 47 , wherein the performing of automated processing comprises optimizing focus on the face, centering the face, increasing the size of the face, cropping around the face, adjusting the orientation or color of the face, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         51 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 47 , wherein the performing of automated processing comprises increasing the resolution or reducing the compression, or both, of pixels of the face. 
     
     
         52 . The one or more processor-readable storage media of  claim 47 , wherein the method further comprises tracking the face over a sequence of images.