System for adaptive real-time facial recognition using fixed video and still cameras

Abstract

A system for facial recognition, consisting of a global database of facial characteristics of known users, a server which accepts from registration pictures taken on a user's camera device, accepts and processes training pictures and videos of other users to enable algorithm improvement, and a static camera which processes user pictures to determine whether the user is a known user or not based on the global database and a local database associated with each static camera.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 ) A system for facial recognition, the system comprising:
 a universal database, consisting of the facial characteristics of known persons,   a computer,   an enrollment manager module, coupled to the computer, configured to accept registration pictures and known person information from an enrollment camera, detect facial characteristics, align the facial characteristics for a standard size face, associate the facial characteristics with the known person information and save those facial characteristics in the universal database,   a universal rules database, coupled to the computer,   a universal rules module, coupled to the computer, the universal rules database, and the universal database, the universal rules module configured to accept data from the fascial characteristics of known persons and calculate rules to enable the differentiation of known persons from one another, and   a deployment camera, coupled to the computer, configured to receive picture data.   
     
     
         2 ) The system in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a per camera adapted database, coupled to the computer and deployment camera manager, configured to save facial recognition data associated with the deployment camera, and   a camera rules module, coupled to the per camera adapted database, computer and universal rules database, configured to accept picture data, determine facial characteristics from the picture data, and send the update the universal rules database.   
     
     
         3 ) The system in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a database of fascial characteristics of other persons, and   a training module, coupled to the computer and other person database, configured to accept picture and video data and selection of an other person in the picture and video data, determine the facial characteristics of the other person and save that information in the other person database,   where the training module compares one or more other person data to known person data, updates rules and stores the updated rules in the global rules database.   
     
     
         4 ) The system in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 An action module, coupled to the computer, which will perform a function on an external module based on the location of the remote camera and the identity of the known person.   
     
     
         5 ) A process for recognizing a person from his facial characteristics based on a set of pre-defined rules, the process comprising:
 accepting picture data from a camera,   removing the static background from the picture data,   determining the facial characteristics from the picture data,   calculating a match score from the pre-defined rules,   identifying the person based on the match score, and   executing an action based on the location of the camera and the identity of the person.   
     
     
         6 ) The process in  claim 5 , calculating a match score further comprising:
 determining if the match score exceeds a maximum threshold,   accepting more picture data to process   
     
     
         7 ) The process in  claim 5 , executing an action further comprising:
 updating the pre-defined rules using the picture data   
     
     
         8 ) The process in  claim 5 , executing an action further comprising:
 associating the picture data with the camera and the person, and   defining a set of rules associating with the camera and the person.   
     
     
         9 ) A process for generating rules for recognizing a person from facial characteristics, the process comprising:
 accepting first picture data from a first user,   accepting second picture data from a second user,   detecting first facial characteristics from the first picture data,   detecting second facial characteristics from the second picture data,   comparing the first facial characteristics and the second facial characteristics, and   calculating a set of rules to differentiate the first user from the second user.   
     
     
         10 ) The process in  claim 9 , further comprising:
 accepting third picture data from a first outside user,   detecting third facial characteristics from the third picture data,   comparing the third facial characteristics to the first facial characteristics and second facial characteristics, and   updating the rules for the first user to differentiate the first user from the second user and third user.   
     
     
         11 ) The process in  claim 9 , where the first picture data comprises multiple views of the face, including a head on, right profile, and left profile.