Digital image processing apparatus and method to photograph an image with subject eyes open

1. A digital image processing apparatus comprising a digital signal processing unit that recognizes a facial expression of a face of a subject from a photographed image, determines whether eyes on the face are closed by determining whether an upper set of eyelashes is separated from a lower set of eyelashes, and re-photographs the subject if the eyes are determined to be closed.

2. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the digital signal processing unit comprises:

a facial expression detecting unit that detects the facial expression of the face from the photographed image;

a facial expression determination unit that determines whether the eyes on the face are closed by determining whether the upper set of eyelashes is separated from the lower set of eyelashes; and

a re-photographing unit that generates a re-photographed image by re-photographing the subject if it is determined that the eyes are closed.

3. The digital image processing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the facial expression detecting unit detects a re-photographed facial expression of a re-photographed face in the re-photographed image, and the facial expression determination unit determines whether re-photographed eyes in the re-photographed image are closed.

4. A method of controlling a digital image processing apparatus, the method comprising:

(a) receiving an image;

(b) generating a photographed image by photographing the image;

(c) checking whether an eye on the face in the photographed image is closed by determining whether an upper eyelash is separated from a lower eyelash; and

(d) generating a re-photographed image by re-photographing the image if the checking determines that the eye is closed.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein checking whether the eye on the face in the photographed image is closed comprises:

detecting a facial expression from the photographed image; and

determining whether the eye in the detected facial expression is closed.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising measuring a ratio of a black pupil portion to a white portion of the eye.

7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the image is automatically re-photographed when the eye is closed.

8. The method of claim 4 , further comprising determining whether an eye in the re-photographed image is closed.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising re-photographing the image a second time when the eye in the re-photographed image is closed.

10. A method of controlling a digital image processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a first image;

detecting a subject's face in the first image by recognizing a facial expression;

generating a second image if in the first image an upper set of eyelashes is separated from a lower set of eyelashes on the subject;

determining whether the upper set of eyelashes is separated from the lower set of eyelashes in the second image; and

generating a third image if it is determined that at least one set of eyelashes is not separated in the second image.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the second image is generated automatically.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least a portion of the facial expression is detected based on a size of the face.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the size of the face is detected based on color.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the size of the face is detected based on edges.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least a portion of the facial expression is detected based on a position and direction of the face.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the position of the face is detected by calculating a distance between a center portion of the face and a center of a display on the digital image processing apparatus.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the direction of the face is detected from a triangle shape formed by a mouth and first and second eyes of the subject.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising storing the second image in a memory.

19. A digital image processing apparatus comprising a digital signal processing unit that recognizes a facial expression of a face of a subject from a photographed image, determines whether an eye on the face is closed by determining whether an upper eyelash of the subject is not separated from a lower eyelash of the subject, and automatically re-photographs the subject if the eye is determined to be closed.