Controlling a camera with face detection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9628699-B2
Application number	US-201314387189-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2013
Priority date	Nov 29, 2013
Publication date	Apr 18, 2017
Grant date	Apr 18, 2017

Abstract

An example of an electronic device with a first camera and a second camera is described. The first camera receives a first image stream, and the second camera receives a second image stream that includes a face of a user of the electronic device. The electronic device also includes a camera control module that identifies gesture based on a change in the second image stream, identifies a camera control feature of the first camera based on the gesture, and activates the camera control feature for the first camera.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device with a camera that is controlled through face detection, comprising:
a rear-facing camera to receive a rear-facing image stream;
a front-facing camera to receive a front-facing image stream that includes a face of a user of the electronic device;
a camera control module to:
establish a base-line image of the face from the front-facing image stream if the threshold level of movement is not exceeded for a specified period of time;
identify movement of the electronic device away from the face of the user based on a change in the size of the face in the front-facing image stream compared to the baseline image of the face;
identify a first camera control feature of the rear-facing camera based on the movement, wherein the first camera control feature is a command to zoom; and
activate the first camera control feature for the rear-facing camera.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the camera control module is to identify a wink based on a change in the front-facing image stream compared to the baseline image and, in response to the wink, activate an image capture.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the camera control module is to:
identify movement of the electronic device toward the face of the user based on a change in the front-facing image stream compared to the baseline image; and
identify a second camera control feature of the rear-facing camera based on the movement, wherein the second camera control feature is a command to zoom in an opposite direction compared to the first camera control feature.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the camera control module is to identify a tilt of the head and, in response to the tilt, activate a directional camera control feature.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the camera control module is to identify a rotation of the head and in response to the rotation, activate a directional camera control feature.

6. An electronic device with a camera that is controlled through face detection, comprising:
logic to receive a first image stream via a first camera, wherein the first image stream includes a face of a user of the electronic device;
logic to establish a base-line image of the face from the first image stream if the threshold level of movement is not exceeded for a specified period of time;
logic to identify movement of the electronic device away from the face of the user based on a change size of the face in the in the first image stream compared to the baseline image of the face;
logic to identify a first camera control feature of a second camera based on the movement, wherein the first camera control feature is a command to zoom; and
logic to activate the camera control feature for the second camera.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein the camera control module is to identify a wink based on a change in the front-facing image stream compared to the baseline image and, in response to the wink, activate an image capture.

8. The electronic device of claim 6 , comprising logic to:
identify movement of the electronic device toward the face of the user based on a change in the first image stream compared to the baseline image; and
identify a second camera control feature of the second camera based on the movement, wherein the second camera control feature is a command to zoom in an opposite direction compared to the first camera control feature.

9. The electronic device of claim 6 , comprising logic to identify a directional gesture and move a focus target in response to the directional gesture.

10. The electronic device of claim 6 , comprising logic to identify a directional gesture and move a focus target in response to the directional gesture.

11. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising instructions to direct a processor to:
receive a rear-facing image stream from a rear-facing camera;
receive a front-facing image stream from a front-facing camera, wherein the front-facing image stream includes a face of a user of the electronic device;
establish a base-line image of the face from the front-facing image stream if the threshold level of movement is not exceeded for a specified period of time;
identify movement of the electronic device away from the face of the user based on a change in the size of the face in the front-facing image stream compared to the baseline image of the face;
identify a second camera control feature of the rear-facing camera based on the movement, wherein the first camera control feature is a command to zoom; and
activate the camera control feature for the rear-facing camera.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions direct the processor to identify a wink based on a change in the front-facing image stream compared to the baseline image and, in response to the wink, activate an image capture.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions direct the processor to:
identify movement of the electronic device toward the face of the user based on a change in the front-facing image stream compared to the baseline image; and
identify a second camera control feature of the rear-facing camera based on the movement, wherein the second camera control feature is a command to zoom in an opposite direction compared to the first camera control feature.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions direct the processor to identify a tilt of the head and in response to the tilt activate a directional camera control feature.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions direct the processor to identify a rotation of the head and activate a directional camera control feature in response to the rotation.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the instructions direct the processor to identify a directional gesture and move a focus target in response to the directional gesture.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Cheng Liang
• Ma Lili
• Han Hemin
• Poisner David
• Quiet Duane

Classifications

• H04N23/611

  where the recognised objects include parts of the human body · CPC title

• G06F3/012 Primary

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• G06V40/16

  Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions · CPC title