Information terminal, information control method for an information terminal, and information control program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9449237-B2
Application number	US-200913391177-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2009
Priority date	Aug 21, 2009
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

To make it possible to significantly reduce a burden on a user at a time of a classification of image files added or updated, for example, and thus facilitate association with other content data. An image detector/register ( 20 ) detects an image file that is unregistered or updated, and structures and manages a list of the image files. A face rectangular detector ( 21 ) detects a face rectangle in the image files detected, associates information on the face rectangle with the image file, and stores the information. A similar face classification section ( 22 ) calculates an amount of feature of the face rectangle, compares the amount of feature calculated with amounts of feature of different face rectangles already calculated and classified into groups, calculates a similarity between the face rectangle and the face rectangles of the different face rectangles in the respective groups, and classifies and manages the face rectangles in accordance with a result of the similarity calculation. A similar face display section ( 23 ) displays at least one image file including the face rectangle classified into the same group on a display screen.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An information terminal, comprising:
circuitry configured to
detect an image file;
detect a face image included in an image of the detected image file;
calculate an amount of feature of the detected face image;
compare the amount of feature calculated with amounts of feature of different face images which are already calculated and classified into groups;
calculate similarity values between the detected face image and the different face images in the respective groups;
determine average similarity values of the respective groups, each one of the average similarity values representing an average value of the similarity values associated with a corresponding one of the groups;
determine minimum similarity values of the respective groups, each one of the minimum similarity values representing a minimum value of the similarity values associated with a corresponding one of the groups;
classify and manage the detected face image in a first one of the groups corresponding to an average similarity value that is the highest among the average similarity values and that is greater than a first threshold;
associate the face images in a second one of the groups with the first one of the groups when the average similarity value of the second one of the groups is greater than the first threshold and the minimum similarity value of the second one of the groups is greater than a second threshold; and
display at least one image file, which includes a face image classified as the first one of the groups, on a display screen based on a result of the classification of the detected face image.

2. The information terminal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to detect a taken image file newly taken by an image pickup device, an unregistered image file stored in an external memory, and an image file updated by a file system that manages file information.

3. The information terminal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to correct the result of the classification of the detected face image in accordance with an instruction given by a user, and reflect the corrected result of the classification of the detected face image in a classification of a different face image to be performed.

4. The information terminal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to display a predetermined object image corresponding to the detected image file on the display screen, and to display a predetermined icon image for notifying the completion of the classification of the detected face image in a vicinity of the predetermined object image.

5. The information terminal according to claim 4 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to display, when the predetermined object image is selected and a user instruction for requesting to display the image file is input by a user, an image of the image file corresponding to the predetermined object image on the display screen.

6. The information terminal according to claim 4 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to display, when the predetermined object image is selected and a user instruction for requesting to display a list of a plurality of image files similar to the detected face image in the image file is input by a user, images of the plurality of image files including a face image similar to the detected face image in the image file corresponding to the predetermined object image on the display screen as a list.

7. The information terminal according to claim 4 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to display, when the predetermined object image is selected and a user instruction for requesting to display registration information associated with a desired face image is input by a user in a state where predetermined registration information associated with each of a plurality of face images is stored, the registration information associated with the desired face image on the display screen along with the face image.

8. The information terminal according to claim 4 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to display the at least one image file on the display screen based on the result of the classification of the detected face image and in response to a selection of the predetermined icon image by a user.

9. The information terminal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to display the at least one image file on the display screen in response to a request for one or more images similar to the detected face image.

10. The information terminal according to claim 1 ,
wherein the circuitry is configured to display a predetermined object image corresponding to the detected image file on the display screen, and to display a predetermined icon image indicating a corresponding application program.

11. An information control method for an information terminal, comprising:
detecting an image file by circuitry of the information terminal;
detecting a face image included in an image of the image file detected by the circuitry;
calculating an amount of feature of the face image detected by the circuitry;
comparing the amount of feature calculated with amounts of feature of different face images which are already calculated and classified into groups;
calculating similarity values between the detected face image and the different face images in the respective groups;
determining average similarity values of the respective groups, each one of the average similarity values representing an average value of the similarity values associated with a corresponding one of the groups;
determining minimum similarity values of the respective groups, each one of the minimum similarity values representing a minimum value of the similarity values associated with a corresponding one of the groups;
classifying and managing the detected face image in a first one of the groups corresponding to an average similarity value that is the highest among the average similarity values and that is greater than a first threshold by the circuitry;
associating the face images in a second one of the groups with the first one of the groups when the average similarity value of the second one of the groups is greater than the first threshold and the minimum similarity value of the second one of the groups is greater than a second threshold; and
displaying, by the circuitry, at least one image file, which includes a face image classified as the first one of the groups, on a display screen based on a result of the classification of the detected face image which is performed by the circuitry.

12. The information control method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
displaying a predetermined object image corresponding to the detected image file on the display screen, and displaying a predetermined icon image for notifying the completion of the classification of the detected face image in a vicinity of the predetermined object image.

13. The information control method according to claim 11 , further comprising:
displaying a predetermined object image corresponding to the detected image file on the display screen, and displaying a predetermined icon image indicating a corresponding application program.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform an information control method, the method comprising:
detecting an image file;
detecting a face image included in an image of the detected image file;
calculating an amount of feature of the face image detected by the computer;
comparing the amount of feature calculated with amounts of feature of differen

Assignees

• Yagi Daichi
• Kawakami Hiroyuki
• Kimura Akitaka
• Sony Corp
• Sony Mobile Communications Inc

Inventors

• Yagi Daichi
• Kawakami Hiroyuki
• Kimura Akitaka

Classifications

• G06V10/987

  with the intervention of an operator · CPC title

• G06F16/583 Primary

  using metadata automatically derived from the content · CPC title

• G06K9/033 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30247

  Physics · mapped topic