IP Library Granted Patent US 8,682,029
Granted Patent B2
US 8,682,029 · App. 12/735,093 · Granted Mar 25, 2014

Rule-based segmentation for objects with frontal view in color images

Inventor: Robinson Piramuthu (Oakland, CA)
Assignee: Flashfoto, Inc.
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,682,029
App. No.
12/735,093
Granted
Mar 25, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of labeling pixels in an image that represent human skin are detected and one or more regions in the image are identified. Each region may include all or a portion of a human face. Pixels that represent each face in the image are identified using the pixels that represent skin and the regions that include faces of the people, thereby identifying a position of each face in the image. A face mask and a torso map corresponding to each face is determined using determined face positions. The extracted face masks and the torso maps are used to refine a skin map. A person or people map is determined using the skin map and the rough body map.

Claims (56)

1. A method comprising:

forming a face map of a person in an image, wherein the face map is a face region in the image corresponding to a face of the person;

forming a torso map of the person in the image based on the face map, wherein the torso map is a torso region in the image corresponding to a torso of the person; and

forming a person map based on the face map and the torso map, wherein the person map is a person region in the image corresponding to the person, wherein the person map forms a segmented image of the person in the image, and wherein forming the person map includes:

combining the torso map and the face map to form an initial person map;

determining whether an additional region in the image includes a color matching a color in the torso map or in the face map; and

combining the additional region with the initial person map in response to finding a color match.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the face map comprises:

determining an initial face map for the face of the person, wherein the initial face map is a region in the image that corresponds to a position of the face; and

determining whether to combine an additional region in the image with the initial face map.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the face map includes skin pixels.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the torso map comprises:

determining an initial torso map for the torso of the person, wherein the initial torso map is positioned below the face map; and

determining whether to combine an additional region in the image with the initial torso map.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein determining whether to combine the additional region with the initial torso map comprises:

determining whether the additional region and the initial torso map include similar colors.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein determining whether to combine the additional region with the initial torso map comprises:

determining whether the additional region is adjacent to the initial torso map.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining whether to remove a subset of the torso region within the torso map.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining whether to remove the subset of the torso region comprises:

determining whether a position of the subset of the torso region is at a top edge of the image.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining whether to remove the subset of the torso region comprises:

determining whether a distance between the subset of the torso region and the face map is greater than a certain threshold.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein determining whether to remove the subset of the torso region comprises:

determining whether a size of the subset of the torso region with respect to the face map is greater than a certain size.

11. A method comprising:

forming a face map of a person in an image, wherein the face map is a face region in the image corresponding to a face of the person;

forming a torso map of the person in the image based on the face map, wherein the torso map is a torso region in the image corresponding to a torso of the person;

forming a person map based on the face map and the torso map, wherein the person map is a person region in the image corresponding to the person, wherein the person map forms a segmented image of the person in the image; and

determining whether to remove a subset of the torso region within the torso map, wherein determining whether to remove the subset of the torso region comprises determining whether a distance between the subset of the torso region and the face map is greater than a certain threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein forming the face map comprises:

determining an initial face map for the face of the person, wherein the initial face map is a region in the image that corresponds to a position of the face; and

determining whether to combine an additional region in the image with the initial face map.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein determining the torso map comprises:

determining an initial torso map for the torso of the person, wherein the initial torso map is positioned below the face map; and

determining whether to combine an additional region in the image with the initial torso map.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining whether to combine the additional region with the initial torso map comprises:

determining whether the additional region and the initial torso map include similar colors.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein determining whether to combine the additional region with the initial torso map comprises:

determining whether the additional region is adjacent to the initial torso map.

16. A method comprising:

forming a face map of a person in an image, wherein the face map is a face region in the image corresponding to a face of the person;

forming a torso map of the person in the image based on the face map, wherein the torso map is a torso region in the image corresponding to a torso of the person;

forming a person map based on the face map and the torso map, wherein the person map is a person region in the image corresponding to the person, wherein the person map forms a segmented image of the person in the image; and

determining whether to remove a subset of the torso region within the torso map, wherein determining whether to remove the subset of the torso region comprises determining whether a size of the subset of the torso region with respect to the face map is greater than a certain size.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein forming the face map comprises:

determining an initial face map for the face of the person, wherein the initial face map is a region in the image that corresponds to a position of the face; and

determining whether to combine an additional region in the image with the initial face map.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein determining the torso map comprises:

determining an initial torso map for the torso of the person, wherein the initial torso map is positioned below the face map; and

determining whether to combine an additional region in the image with the initial torso map.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein determining whether to combine the additional region with the initial torso map comprises:

determining whether the additional region and the initial torso map include similar colors.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein determining whether to combine the additional region with the initial torso map comprises:

determining whether the additional region is adjacent to the initial torso map.

Assignments (3)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 15, 2018
From: AGILITY CAPITAL II, LLC
To: FLASHFOTO, INC.
Reel/Frame 047517/0306 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Mar 18, 2014
From: FLASHFOTO, INC.
To: AGILITY CAPITAL II, LLC
Reel/Frame 032462/0302 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2010
From: PIRAMUTHU, ROBINSON
To: FLASHFOTO, INC.
Reel/Frame 024562/0760 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 61013984 · Dec 14, 2007
Related Publication 20100278426A1 · Nov 4, 2010