Patent ID: 7957566
Filing Date: 2011-06-07
Classification: A61B,G06K

Abstract:
1. An eyelid detection apparatus, comprising: a face-image storing means for storing an image of a face of a subject; an eyelid-candidate extracting means for processing the image stored in the face-image storing means and extracting a pair of lines, which becomes a candidate of a combination of a line corresponding to an upper eyelid and a line corresponding to a lower eyelid; a parameter calculating means for calculating an average value of intensity of plural pixels in a predetermined part of the image, which is stored within the face-image storing means, including both ends of the line, which is one of the pair of the candidate lines extracted by the eyelid-candidate extracting means and corresponding to the lower eyelid, and calculating a parameter, which indicates a possibility that the predetermined part of the image including the both ends of the line includes at least one of an outer corner and an inner corner of an eye on the basis of the calculated average value of the intensity of the plural pixels; an eyelid detecting means for detecting a position of an eyelid of the subject on the basis of the parameter calculated by the parameter calculating means; and a pattern storing means for storing a pattern which represents a skin region corresponding to a skin part and an eye region corresponding to an eye part, within an area, which is equal to that of the predetermined part including the both ends of the line, wherein the parameter calculating means calculates a difference between an average value of intensity of plural pixels of a part of the image stored in the face-image storing means corresponding to the skin region, which is represented by the pattern stored in the pattern storing means, and an average value of intensity of plural pixels of a part of the image stored in the face- image storing means corresponding to the eye region, which is represented by the pattern stored in the pattern storing means, and wherein the eyelid detecting means detects right and left eyelids on the basis of the difference.