Electronic device and method for providing information related to skin type of object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10849530-B2
Application number	US-201615742808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2016
Priority date	Jul 8, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

Provided are an electronic device and method for providing information related to a skin type of an object. The electronic device includes: a camera configured to capture at least one image including a skin portion and a non-skin portion of an object; and a processor configured to determine at least one color ratio between the skin portion and the non-skin portion from the at least one image, and determine a skin type of the object based on the determined at least one color ratio.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device for determining a skin type of an object, the electronic device comprising:
a camera;
a memory storing one or more instructions; and
a processor configured to execute the one or more instructions to:
control the camera to capture at least one image comprising a skin portion and a non-skin portion of an object;
determine a characteristic vector comprising at least one color ratio between the skin portion and the non-skin portion according to a plurality of pre-set color elements and a non-color characteristic;
determine at least one skin attribute related to the object from the captured at least one image; and
determine, by using the characteristic vector, a skin type representing a color ratio similar to the at least one color ratio in a skin type table corresponding to the determined at least one skin attribute as a skin type of the object.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
extract at least one skin type table corresponding to the determined at least one skin attribute; and
determine the skin type of the object using the extracted at least one skin type table and the at least one color ratio of the object.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one skin attribute comprises at least one of a disease related to the skin portion, a disease related to the non-skin portion, a skin tanning state of the object, and an amount of oily residue on skin of the object and wherein the non-skin portion comprises at least one of a fingernail portion and a conjunctiva portion.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pre-set color elements comprise at least two of red, green, blue, hue, saturation, and brightness (value) (RGB 13 HSV).

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to provide recommendation information for managing skin of the object based on the determined skin type.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
obtain environment information about an environment around the object, and
determine the recommendation information based on at least one of the environment information, the determined skin attribute and the determined skin type.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the recommendation information comprises at least one of information for avoiding sunburn, information about a sunscreen suitable to the object, and information about a recommended length of time for the object to be exposed to sun.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a parameter corresponding the determined at least one skin attribute;
compensate the at least one color ratio using the determined parameter; and
determine the skin type of the object using a predetermined skin type table and the compensated at least one color ratio of the object.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
obtain information about the skin portion of the object based on a user input responding to a survey for the skin portion of the object; and
obtain score information by assigning a score per item of the survey using the obtained information about the skin portion of the object, wherein the skin type table is generated by using at least some of the obtained score information, wherein the at least one skin attribute is determined by using at least some of the obtained score information.

10. A method of determining, by an electronic device, a skin type of an object, the method comprising:
obtaining at least one captured image comprising a skin portion and a non-skin portion of an object;
determining at least one skin attribute related to the object;
determining a characteristic vector comprising at least one color ratio between the skin portion and the non-skin portion from the captured at least one image according to a plurality of pre-set color elements and a non-color characteristic; and
determining, by using the characteristic vector, a skin type representing a color ratio similar to the at least one color ratio in a skin type table corresponding to the determined at least one skin attribute as a skin type of the object.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising extracting at least one skin type table corresponding to the determined at least one skin attribute; and
determining the skin type of the object using the extracted at least one skin type table and the at least one color ratio of the object.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining a parameter corresponding the determined at least one skin attribute;
compensating the at least one color ratio using the determined parameter; and
determining the skin type of the object using a predetermined skin type table and the compensated at least one color ratio of the object.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein, in the determining of the at least one color ratio, the at least one color ratio between the skin portion and the non-skin portion is determined according to a plurality of pre-set color elements.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of pre-set color elements comprise at least two of red, green, blue, hue, saturation, and brightness (value) (RGB_HSV).

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
calculating a characteristic vector comprising the at least one color ratio according to the plurality of pre-set color elements and a non-color characteristic; and
determining the skin type of the object using the calculated characteristic vector and the extracted at least one skin type table.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one skin attribute comprises at least one of a disease related to the skin portion, a disease related to the non-skin portion, a skin tanning state of the object, and an amount of oily residue on skin of the object and wherein the non-skin portion comprises at least one of a fingernail portion and a conjunctiva portion.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
obtaining environment information about an environment around the object;
providing recommendation information for managing skin of the object based on at least one of the environment information, the determined skin attribute or the determined skin type.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program which, when executed by a computer, performs a method comprising:
obtaining at least one captured image comprising a skin portion and a non-skin portion of an object;
determining at least one skin attribute related to the object;
determining a characteristic vector comprising at least one color ratio between the skin portion and the non-skin portion from the captured at least one image according to a plurality of pre-set color elements and a non-color characteristic; and determining, by using the characteristic vector, a skin type representing a color ratio similar to the at least one color ratio in a skin type table corresponding to the determined at least one skin attribute as a skin type of the object.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tiwari Vijay Narayan
• Venkatesan Shankar M
• Narayanan Rangavittal

Classifications

• A61B5/443 Primary

  Evaluating skin constituents, e.g. elastin, melanin, water · CPC title

• A61B5/0077

  Devices for viewing the surface of the body, e.g. camera, magnifying lens · CPC title

• A61B5/449

  Nail evaluation, e.g. for nail disorder diagnosis · CPC title

• H04M1/72454

  according to context-related or environment-related conditions · CPC title

• A61B5/1034

  by means of colour cards · CPC title