JP2008161322A - Face photographing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a face photographing device capable of performing photographing under the same condition when photographing the face of the same person at different times. <P>SOLUTION: The face photographing device comprises: a face holding means for holding the face at a prescribed position; a photographing camera 4 for photographing the held face; a face image data preservation part 36 for storing the data of a photographed face image; and an extraction means 30c for extracting a second face image photographed at a photographing position same as or most similar to the one of a first face image stored in the face image data preservation part 36 from two or more face image groups obtained by photographing the same face again while moving the photographing camera 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a face photographing apparatus used for diagnosing a skin condition.

  Such a face photographing apparatus is used in cosmetic dermatology, cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery, etc., and regularly changes the state of the skin by photographing a person's face, and is used for cosmetics and skin treatment. It is used for the purpose of confirming the effect (for example, Patent Document 1 below). Specifically, evaluation of stains, wrinkles, pores, color unevenness, and the like is performed from the obtained face image, and further, porphyrins, hide-and-spots using ultraviolet rays are also evaluated. In order to evaluate such a skin condition, a face image shot before and a face image shot this time are compared using an image processing technique (software). Therefore, it is necessary that the previous face image and the current face image are taken under the same conditions.

JP 2005-148540 A

  However, the face holding means for holding the face usually only holds the chin part and the forehead part, and if the face is held open in the sun, the face may not be held in the same state. Absent. In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that the height of the chin rest, the height of the forehead holder, and the front and rear position are read on a scale, but the height of the chin rest, the height of the forehead holder and the front and rear position are disclosed. Even if they are set in the same state, there is a possibility that the angle of the held face is different from that at the previous shooting, and there is an insufficient aspect in terms of reproducibility. Therefore, there is a possibility that correct evaluation cannot be performed because the positions of spots, wrinkles, and the like to be matched differ.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a face photographing apparatus capable of photographing under the same conditions when photographing the same person's face at different times. is there.

In order to solve the above-described problem, a face photographing apparatus according to the present invention includes:
Face holding means for holding the face in place;
Photographing means for photographing the face held by the face holding means;
Face image data storage means for storing face image data photographed by the photographing means;
Photographed from the group of two or more face images obtained by photographing the same face again while moving the photographing means at the same or closest photographing position as the first face image stored in the face image data storage means. And an extracting means for extracting the second face image.

  The operation and effect of the face photographing apparatus having such a configuration will be described. The face is held at a predetermined position by a face holding means (for example, a forehead holding unit and a chin rest), and the face is photographed by the photographing means. In order to specify the photographed face image, it is preferable to store information such as an identification ID, a name, a photographing date, and a face image ID in association with each other. Then, when a face image of the same person is photographed at a later date, information such as an identification ID, a name, a photographing date, and a face image ID is read when the face image stored in the face image data storage means is read out to a monitor or the like. Therefore, it becomes easy to specify face images of the same person. However, even if the face image of the same person can be specified, the shooting position (angle shooting) may be slightly different between the previous time and this time, and the face image at the same shooting position as the previous face image shooting position. Therefore, in the present invention, when the same person recaptures a face image at a later date, two or more face images are captured, and the two or more face image groups are compared with the previously captured face images. Then, the face image (referred to as the first face image) that has been taken last time (referred to as the first face image) or the closest face image (referred to as the second face image) is extracted. That is, two or more face images are not captured again after the relative position between the face and the photographing means and the photographing posture of the photographing means are accurately determined, but the photographing means is moved from the approximate photographing position and the photographing means is moved. Since a desired face image is extracted from the two or more face image groups that have been photographed, the complicated work of accurately determining the relative position of the face and the photographing means and the photographing posture of the photographing means Is not necessary before shooting. As a result, it is possible to provide a face photographing apparatus capable of photographing face images under the same conditions when photographing the same person's face at different times.

  In the present invention, the “same or closest photographing position” means that the photographing position of the previous face image completely coincides with the photographing position of the current face image, or the photographing positions of two or more face image groups. It is a concept including the case of the closest shooting position.

Further, as another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the face image data storage means is configured to store the shooting position of the shot face image in association with the face image data, and the same face is shot again. Shooting position setting means for making it possible to set the position of the shooting means based on the shooting position stored in the face image data storage means,
A fine adjustment setting means for finely adjusting the photographing means at the time of photographing again,
The photographing position setting means instructs the relative position control unit that controls the relative position between the photographing unit and the face holding unit and the posture control unit that controls the photographing posture of the photographing unit,
The fine adjustment setting means issues a command to the attitude control unit.

  According to this configuration, since the previous shooting position is stored, and shooting can be performed after moving the shooting unit to the stored shooting position (relative position, shooting posture) at the time of shooting again, the shooting position close to the previous shooting position can be obtained. Shooting can be started from (relative position, shooting posture). Then, two or more face images can be photographed while finely adjusting the photographing means at the time of photographing again. This is because the face holding angle and the like cannot actually be made completely the same, so even if it is the previous shooting position, the shooting position of the shooting means needs to be finely adjusted. Because. With this configuration, since shooting can be started from a shooting position close to the previous shooting, the number of shots can be reduced, shooting time can be shortened, and shooting efficiency can be improved.

  As another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the photographing position is a relative position that is a relative three-dimensional coordinate between the face holding means and the photographing means, and a photographing angle that is a rotation angle around three axes of the photographing means. And a first detection means for detecting a relative three-dimensional coordinate between the face holding means and the photographing means, and a second detection means for detecting a rotation angle around the three axes of the photographing means. It is preferable to provide.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to detect the relative three-dimensional coordinates of the face holding unit and the photographing unit and the photographing posture of the photographing unit, and store these in association with the face image as photographing position data. It can be used effectively for re-shooting.

  As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the photographing means shoots two or more images at a low resolution while finely adjusting a photographing position when the same face is photographed again, and the extracting means is a low resolution 2 A second face image photographed at the same or most similar photographing position as the first face image stored in the face image data storage means is extracted from the face image group described above.

  According to this configuration, at the time of re-shooting, two or more shots were taken at a low resolution, and a shot was taken from the low-resolution face image group at the same or closest shooting position as the desired first face image. A second face image can be extracted. Since shooting is performed at a low resolution, the memory capacity can be kept small and the extraction processing efficiency can be improved.

  In the above-described embodiment, the low-resolution face image data storage stores the photographing position of the photographed low-resolution face image in association with the low-resolution face image data when the same face is photographed again. Means for extracting a low-resolution second face image extracted by the extraction means at the shooting position of the extracted low-resolution second face image stored in the low-resolution face image data storage means. It is preferable to configure so that a high-resolution face image can be taken.

  According to this configuration, since the shooting position of the low-resolution face image is stored when shooting the high-resolution face image at the shooting position of the extracted low-resolution second face image, this storage By moving the photographing means to the photographing position, a high-resolution face image can be photographed easily and quickly, and fatigue during photographing due to the fixed face can be reduced.

  As another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the photographing unit photographs a moving image of the same face while finely adjusting a photographing position at the time of another photographing, and the extracting unit captures the photographed image. A second face image photographed at the same or most similar photographing position as the first face image stored in the face image data storage means is extracted from the moving image.

  According to this configuration, when the image is captured again, a moving image of the face is photographed while finely adjusting the photographing position, and a desired first face stored in the face image data storage unit is obtained from the photographed moving image. A second face image photographed at the same or closest photographing position as the image can be extracted. For example, two or more still images are cut out from a moving image at a predetermined timing (for example, stored in a frame memory (VRAM, SRAM, etc.) having a predetermined capacity at a predetermined timing to form a still image), held as a face image, and By comparing with the first face image, it is possible to extract the second face image photographed at the same or most approximate photographing position.

  As another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the face is fixed by a face holding means at the time of shooting, and the distance and horizontality between predetermined points of the face image shot by the shooting means are subjected to image analysis. Face inclination calculating means for calculating the face inclination, and the face inclination calculating means includes the first face inclination of the first face image stored in the face image data storage means, and the first face image taken at the time of photographing again. It is preferable to include a face inclination control unit configured to calculate the second face inclination of the two-face image and to control the movement of the photographing unit so that the second face inclination matches the first face inclination. .

  According to this configuration, the first face inclination of the first face image and the second face inclination of the second face image captured at the time of photographing are calculated again so that the second face inclination matches the first face inclination. Since the photographing means can be moved at a time, the number of re-shoots can be reduced, the second face inclination is calculated in the first photographing, and the photographing means can be moved (including rotation) to become the first face inclination. For example, only the next second shooting is sufficient, and the shooting efficiency is preferable.

(Embodiment 1)
A preferred embodiment 1 of a face photographing apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the face photographing apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the face photographing apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing details of the rotational movement mechanism of the photographing camera.

  The face photographing apparatus A is used in cosmetic dermatology, cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery and the like. It is used for the purpose of observing changes in skin condition over time by photographing human faces at regular or moderate intervals and confirming the effects of cosmetics and skin treatments. This apparatus has a function of evaluating spots, wrinkles, pores, color unevenness, and the like from the obtained face image, and can also evaluate porphyrins, hide spots, etc. using ultraviolet rays.

<Configuration of face photographing device>
In FIG. 1, the face photographing apparatus A includes a substantially cubic housing 1, and when photographing a face, the face is held in a predetermined position in the housing 1, and indoor light or the like is emitted. A structure that does not easily enter the housing 1 is employed. An opening 1a is formed on the front surface of the housing 1, from which a face is inserted. As face holding means for holding a person's face in a predetermined position, a chin rest 2 and a forehead press 3 are provided. The chin rest 2 and the forehead retainer 3 are configured to be manually position-adjustable so as to correspond to the size and shape of a person's face. A curtain 1b is provided to prevent outside light from entering from the opening 1a.

  A photographing camera 4 is provided as photographing means for photographing a face, and is held by a camera support 5. As shown in FIG. 1, three shooting positions of the face by the shooting camera 4 are set, that is, a front position P0 and left and right side positions P1 and P2. The front position P0 is a position where the photographing camera 4 faces the face, and the side positions P1 and P2 are positions set to 45 ° with respect to the front position P0. However, the angle of 45 ° is not limited to this value, and may be set to other angles. Also, the side surface positions P1 and P2 are not limited to two locations, and more side surface positions are provided. It may be set. For example, it may be set to 30 °, 45 °, 60 °, and 75 °. P3 indicates a trajectory in which the photographing camera 4 is rotated by a moving mechanism described later.

  As the photographing camera 4, a digital camera is used, but any type of camera may be used. If necessary, one having a video function may be used, or a video camera capable of taking a still image may be used.

  Thus, in order to photograph face images at a plurality of locations, the photographing camera 4 is configured to be able to rotate around the face position. The rotation center B of the photographic camera 4 is set at the position of the chin mount 2.

  Further, a three-axis rotation mechanism 5 a that can freely rotate about three axes around the lower part of the photographing camera 4 is interposed between the camera support 5 and the photographing camera 4. Since the lower part of the photographing camera 4 can be freely rotated about three axes, the photographing posture of the photographing camera 4 can be finely adjusted. The three-axis rotation mechanism 5a can be applied without being limited to a known mechanism, and can be constituted by, for example, a three-axis free rotation structure and a three-axis drive motor for driving free rotation.

  In addition, a triaxial angle sensor 331 (corresponding to the second detecting means) is installed in the photographing camera 4 in order to detect the triaxial free rotation angle by the triaxial rotation mechanism 5a. The triaxial angle sensor 331 detects the angles of the three axes (referred to as X, Y, Z axes, or roll angle, pitch angle, and yaw angle), and the detection signal is sent to the attitude control unit 321 for attitude. The control unit 321 controls the three-axis rotation mechanism 5a. The rotation angles around the three axes correspond to the photographing postures that constitute the photographing position data. The triaxial angle sensor 331 is a known triaxial angle sensor.

  Light sources 8 for illuminating the face are arranged at a plurality of locations in the housing 1. The light sources 8 are arranged so as to face the face along the circumferential direction with the position of the face as the center, and are also arranged at a plurality of locations above as shown in FIG. The light source 8 includes a light source that irradiates visible light and a black light that irradiates ultraviolet rays. Either one or both are used depending on the purpose. As the light source 8 for irradiating visible light, an appropriate one such as a halogen lamp, a fluorescent lamp, or an LED can be used. A flash light source may be used as the light source 8.

  A diffusion plate 9 for uniformly diffusing light emitted from the light source 8 is disposed between the light source 8 and the face. The cross-sectional shape of the diffusion plate 9 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the diffusion plate 9 is arranged not only on the front surface of the face but also on the ceiling portion and the bottom surface portion, and thus the face is surrounded by the diffusion plate 9. The diffusion plate 9 does not have to be semicircular, and may have a polygonal shape or an elliptical shape. Since the photographing camera 4 moves to the back side of the diffusion plate 9, a rectangular opening 9a is formed to enable photographing at the front position P0 and the side positions P1 and P2.

<Camera moving mechanism>
Next, details of the moving mechanism of the photographing camera 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. A drive motor 10 and a drive shaft 11 are provided at the rotation center B, and an arm 12 is connected to the drive shaft 11. Two connecting shafts 13 are implanted in the front end portion 12 a of the arm 12 in the vertical direction, and the camera support 5 is coupled to the upper end of the connecting shaft 13. The camera support 5 has a substantially U-shape when viewed from the side, and the photographing camera 4 is disposed inside the U-shape.

  A roller support 14 is attached to the back surface of the arm 12 at the tip end side so as to be rotatable about the vertical direction with respect to the arm tip end portion 12a, and the roller 15 is held rotatably. The roller 15 is configured to be in contact with the bottom surface of the housing 1, and thus the photographing camera 4 can be smoothly rotated with respect to the rotation center B. The relative position between the photographing camera 4 and the face holding unit is detected by a camera position sensor 33 (corresponding to the first detection unit), and this detection signal is transmitted to the relative position control unit 32 to control the drive motor 10. It is configured as follows. The relative position is a relative three-dimensional coordinate of the photographing camera 4 with the rotation center B as a base point. That is, the photographing camera 4 is configured to rotate around the face holding means (chin mounting base 2 and forehead retainer 3). The relative position constitutes shooting position data. The rotational movement mechanism of the photographing camera 4 is not limited to the present embodiment, and various modifications can be considered.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the control device 20 has a function of controlling the operation of the face photographing device A and a function of performing image processing on the face image photographed by the photographing camera 4. The captured face image is displayed on the monitor 21. The keyboard 22 inputs various operation commands to the face photographing apparatus A and various operation commands and data inputs for performing image processing. The control device 20, the monitor 21, and the keyboard 22 may be configured by a general-purpose computer (personal computer).

<Control related>
Next, main control functions of the face photographing apparatus A will be described with reference to the control block diagram of FIG. The controller 30 provides a function for comprehensively controlling the face photographing apparatus A, and includes a CPU, a memory, and other necessary programs. The illumination control unit 31 controls the turning on / off of the light source 8. The light source 8 is turned on when taking a face image. When using visible light and ultraviolet light separately, control is performed as to which of them is lit or both of them are lit.

  The relative position control unit 32 performs movement control for stopping the photographing camera 4 at each of the front position P0 and the side positions P1 and P2, and issues an operation command to the drive motor 10. In order to stop the photographing camera 4 at a predetermined position, a camera position sensor 33 is provided. As the camera position sensor 33, sensors for detecting the above three photographing positions are provided. For example, the position of the arm 12 can be detected by an optical sensor, a micro switch, or the like.

  Further, not only the above three shooting positions but also an intermediate position between them can be detected. For example, the position of the photographing camera 4 can be detected in fine steps based on a signal from an encoder that rotates in conjunction with the drive motor 10, a count value of a drive pulse supplied to the drive motor 10 (pulse motor), or the like. it can. Therefore, position detection can be performed for the entire range in which the photographing camera 4 is movable.

  Basically, the position control of the photographing camera 4 by the relative position control unit 32 is performed so as to be stopped at three positions of the front position P0 and the side surface positions P1 and P2, and the fine adjustment of the photographing posture is performed by the posture control unit 321. Executed.

  The attitude control unit 321 instructs the triaxial rotation mechanism 5a to change the attitude of the photographing camera 4 based on fine adjustment setting values stored in advance in storage means (not shown). At this time, the triaxial rotation mechanism 5a is instructed while collating the detection signal from the triaxial angle sensor 331 with the fine adjustment set value. The fine adjustment setting value is a setting value for finely adjusting the photographing posture of the photographing camera 4, and is, for example, in the range of −1 to +1 degree with respect to the initial angle (the first photographing angle) for each of the three axes. , 0.01 intervals are preferable from the viewpoint of fine adjustment.

  The camera control unit 34 controls the operation of the photographing camera 4, and specifically takes a face image by releasing the shutter. The face image is taken at three locations, the front position P0 and the side positions P1 and P2. In addition, the camera control unit 34 can control photographing operations at low resolution and high resolution. High resolution means a resolution that can diagnose the skin condition, and low resolution means a resolution that is lower than this high resolution and that can be judged to be identical to a face image at high resolution. And can be appropriately set depending on the device. Further, even when the photographing camera 4 can photograph a moving image, the camera control unit 34 can control the operation. When a moving image is shot, control is performed so that a still image at a predetermined shooting position can be cut out.

  The face image data storage unit 36 (corresponding to the face image data storage means) stores the face image data photographed by the photographing camera 4. The face image data is digital color image data, and is stored in an appropriate file format such as JPEG. The face image data is stored for each front image and left and right side images (which can be specified by the face image ID), a person ID (identification information) for specifying a person, a shooting date, and a shooting position (relative three-dimensional coordinates, Saved together with the shooting posture).

  A low-resolution face image data storage unit 361 (corresponding to a low-resolution face image data storage unit) stores low-resolution face image data shot by the shooting camera 4. The low resolution face image data is stored together with the photographing position (relative three-dimensional coordinates, photographing posture).

  The controller 30 has functions of an imaging position setting unit 30a, a fine adjustment setting unit 30b, an extraction unit 30c, and a high-resolution imaging instruction unit 30d. The shooting position setting unit 30a issues a command to the relative position control unit 32 based on the shooting position (relative position, shooting posture) of the previous shooting stored in the face image data storage unit 36, and sets the shooting camera 4 to the previous shooting position. The position is moved to a relative position with the same shooting condition, a command is issued to the posture control unit 321, and control is performed so that the shooting posture is the same as the previous time.

  Further, the fine adjustment setting unit 30b instructs the attitude control unit 321 to freely rotate the photographing camera 4 based on, for example, the fine adjustment setting value at the time of photographing again, and controls the three-axis rotation mechanism 5a. .

  The extraction unit 30c also selects a first face image that is a previous image stored in the face image data storage unit 36 from a group of two or more low resolution face images stored in the low resolution face image data storage unit 361. A second face image photographed at the same or the most similar photographing position (read out in advance by collation of ID or the like) can be extracted. The method for determining whether or not they are the same or the most approximate is not particularly limited. For example, a method for comparing and determining a specific part of the face (eyes, nose, eyebrows, mouth, mole, etc.), and positional relationship between a plurality of specific parts And a method for comparing and determining the contour of a specific part or the entire face.

  Then, the high-resolution shooting instruction unit 30d reads the shooting position of the low-resolution second face image extracted by the extraction unit 30c from the low-resolution face image data storage unit 361 so that high-resolution shooting can be performed at this shooting position. The camera controller 34 is instructed. Fine adjustment of the photographing position is performed by the fine adjustment setting means 30b. Thereby, a high-resolution face image can be shot at the same shooting position as the low-resolution second face image extracted by the extraction unit 30c. This high-resolution face image is the same or most similar face image as the previous face image (first face image), thereby enabling accurate image processing diagnosis by the image processing unit 38 to be described later.

  The image processing unit 38 is configured by software necessary for confirming effects such as skin treatment based on the face image data. Specifically, a comparison between the face image taken last time and the face image taken this time is performed using image processing technology, for example, comparison of size and shape such as spots and wrinkles in a specific part of the face, calculation of area, It has a function to analyze the degree of discoloration. These analysis results are converted into data and stored in a storage unit (not shown).

<Operation flowchart>
Next, the procedure for photographing a face image according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, the face is held by the chin rest 2 and the forehead press 3 (S1). Next, in order to move the photographing camera 4 to the photographing position, the photographing motor 4 is driven by the drive motor 10 (S2). The predetermined shooting position is set to be the front position P0. In steps S1 and S2, in order to capture a desired face image, the position of the photographing camera 4 may be adjusted as appropriate while the position of the chin rest 2 and the forehead press 3 are fixed and the face position is adjusted as appropriate. . Next, the photographing position is measured by the camera position sensor 33 and the triaxial angle sensor 331 and transmitted to the processor 30 (S3).

  If the current shooting is the first (S4), a face image is shot (S5). Then, the photographing position (relative position, photographing posture) measured in step S3 in association with the photographed face image is stored in the face image data storage unit 36 (S6). Information such as a person ID, shooting position ID, shooting date and time is also stored in association with each other.

  Next, it is determined whether or not to move to another shooting position (S7). When shooting is performed on the side surfaces P1 and P2 in addition to the front, the process returns to step S2, and shooting is performed by changing the shooting position.

  If the shooting is not the first shooting but the shooting again, the process proceeds from step S4 to the shooting process again. Since the shooting position is saved at the first shooting, it can be used at the next shooting. In the photographing process again, by inputting identification information such as a person ID, the previous face image data and photographing position data are read (S11). The same face as the previous time is held by the chin rest 2 and the forehead press 3, and the photographing camera 4 is moved to the photographing position read in step S11 (S12). Here, the face is held by the chin rest 2 and the forehead retainer 3, but the face position (angle) is often slightly shifted, so reproducibility may not be obtained even if it is taken as it is. . Therefore, in the present embodiment, the photographing process shown in the following steps is performed. That is, the shooting position (relative position, shooting posture) is detected (S13), shooting is performed at a low resolution (S14), and the shooting position detected at step S13 and the low-resolution face image data shot at step S14 are obtained. It is stored in the low resolution face image data storage unit 361 (S15).

  Next, it is determined whether or not to perform photographing by finely adjusting the photographing position (S16). When finely adjusting the photographing position, the triaxial rotating mechanism 5a is controlled in step S17 based on the fine adjustment setting value. The shooting posture is finely adjusted (S17). The fine adjustment setting value is, for example, fixed at two axes in the three-axis rotation mechanism 5a and only one axis, with an interval of 0.2 degrees in a range of -0.2 degrees to +0.2 degrees with respect to the initial photographing angle. Then, the angle is changed, and this is performed for each of the three axes (that is, 27 photographing operations are performed). Next, the process returns to step S13, and the processes up to S16 are repeated. The shooting end determination can be set as appropriate, but here the end determination is made when shooting at the fine adjustment setting value ends. In addition, it is preferable to set the fine adjustment movement from several times to several tens of times from the viewpoint of high-speed processing.

  Next, the same or most similar face image as the previous face image is extracted from the low-resolution face image data group (S18). As an extraction method, it is preferable to extract the same or closest second face image by comparing the contours of a specific part of the face.

  Next, the shooting position of the extracted second face image is read from the low-resolution face image data storage unit 361, and the shooting camera 4 is finely adjusted to this shooting position (shooting posture) (S19). Then, the face is photographed at a high resolution (for example, the resolution at the previous photographing) (S20). Next, the photographed high-resolution face image and its photographing position are stored in the face image data storage unit 36 in association with the previous face image data (S21).

  Next, it is determined whether or not to move to another shooting position (S22). For example, when photographing is performed on the side surfaces P1 and P2 in addition to the front surface, the process returns to step S12, and photographing is performed by changing the photographing position.

  In the first embodiment, at the time of photographing again, two or more face images are photographed at a low resolution, and a face image that is the same as or closest to the previous face image is extracted from the low-resolution face image group. By performing the extraction process with the low-resolution face image, the memory capacity can be reduced and the extraction processing speed can be increased as compared with the case of extracting the high-resolution face image.

  In the first embodiment, the low-resolution face image is captured. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the present invention, two or more face images are shot at the same resolution as the previous shooting while finely adjusting the shooting camera 4 at the time of shooting again, and from the two or more face image groups, the same or closest approximation to the previous face image. The face image can be extracted.

(Embodiment 2)
Another preferred embodiment 2 of the face photographing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below, but the functional configuration indicated by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment has the same function in the second embodiment, so that description will be given. Will be omitted, and the description will focus on the functions specific to the second embodiment.

  In Embodiment 2 shown in FIG. 9, the photographing camera 4 performs moving image photographing. The fine adjustment setting means 30b can control the posture control unit 321 so that the shooting posture of the shooting camera 4 can be automatically finely adjusted in moving image shooting by the shooting camera 4. Further, the shooting position of the shooting camera 4 can be changed manually, and a moving image can be shot while changing the shooting position manually.

  The controller 30 includes a still image cutout unit 30e that performs a process of cutting out a still image from a moving image shot by the shooting camera 4 at a predetermined timing (or at a predetermined shooting position). The still image face image cut out by the still image cutout unit 30e is stored in the still image face image data storage unit 362 together with its shooting position.

  The extraction unit 30c reads two or more face image data from the still image face image data storage unit 362, compares the data with the previous first face image, and extracts the same or closest second face image. Image processing diagnosis by the image processing unit 38 can be accurately performed using the second face image extracted here.

  Further, when the resolution of the cut out still image is low, the shooting position (shooting posture) of the extracted face image of the still image is read by the high resolution shooting instruction unit 30d so that shooting at a high resolution can be performed. The photographing camera 4 is finely adjusted to this photographing position (photographing posture) to shoot a still image with high resolution. The photographed high-resolution face image is saved as the current face image in association with the face image data of the last photograph, together with the photographing position.

<Flowchart of Embodiment 2>
FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the second imaging process according to the second embodiment. In the photographing process again, by inputting identification information such as a person ID, the previous face image data and photographing position data are read (S31). The same face as the previous time is held by the chin rest 2 and the forehead press 3, and the photographing camera 4 is moved to the photographing position read in S31 (S32). Next, a shooting position (relative position, shooting posture) is detected (S33), and a moving image is shot while moving the shooting position (fine adjustment movement) (S14). The movement of the photographing position is set by a fine adjustment setting value stored in advance in a storage unit (not shown). The fine adjustment set value can be appropriately set as described above.

  A shooting position is detected in real time or at a predetermined timing simultaneously with moving image shooting, and a still image is cut out from the moving image at the predetermined timing. The cut out still image (face image) is stored in the still image face image data storage unit 362 in association with the shooting position where the still image was shot (S35).

  Next, it is determined whether or not the moving image shooting is completed (S36). If the moving image shooting is ended, the process goes to step S37, and if the moving image shooting is not ended, the process returns to step S33 and the moving image shooting is performed. Note that the moving image shooting can be configured to set the automatic mode and the manual mode and perform moving image shooting in the automatic mode or the manual mode.

  In step S37, two or more still image face image data are read from the still image face image data storage unit 362, and a second face image that is the same as or closest to the previous face image data (first face image) is extracted (step S37). S37). Next, it is determined whether or not the resolution of the extracted second face image is equivalent to the resolution of the previous face image (S38). If it is determined that the resolution is equivalent, the process goes to step S42, It is determined whether or not to perform moving image shooting at the shooting position.

  When it is determined that the resolutions are not equal, in step S40, the high resolution shooting instruction unit 30d executes the high resolution shooting (S40). The photographed high-resolution face image is associated with the previous face image data together with the photographing position, stored in the face image data storage unit 36 (S41), and used for diagnosis. Next, in step S42, it is determined whether or not to perform moving image shooting at another shooting position. For example, when shooting a moving image of a side face image, the process returns to step S32 and the above operation is repeated.

(Embodiment 3)
Another preferred embodiment 3 of the face photographing apparatus according to the present invention will be described below, but the functional configuration indicated by the same reference numerals as in the first or second embodiment has the same function in the third embodiment. Description thereof will be omitted, and description will be made centering on functions unique to the third embodiment.

  In FIG. 11, the face photographing apparatus according to the third embodiment performs image analysis on a distance and a horizontal level between predetermined points of a face image photographed by the photographing camera 4 while the face is fixed by the face holding unit at the time of photographing. There is provided a face inclination calculating means 30f for calculating a face inclination (rotation angles around the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis which are three axes). Examples of the predetermined points of the face image include nose, mouth, eyes, and eyebrows. The rotation angle of the vertical axis (Z-axis) of the face is calculated by the difference in length between the right eye and the left eye connected by a straight line. Further, the rotation angle of the horizontal axis (Y axis) extending to the left and right of the face is calculated based on the difference in length between the nose center and the mouth center. Further, the level (the rotation angle of the front axis (X axis) of the face) is calculated, for example, by connecting the centers of the right eye and the left eye with a straight line and the inclination of the straight line and the horizontal line. FIG. 5 shows the X axis, Y axis, and Z axis centered on the center of gravity of the face.

  The face inclination calculation means 30f calculates the first face inclination of the first face image stored in the face image data storage unit 36 and the second face inclination of the second face image taken at the time of shooting again. It is configured.

  Then, the face inclination control means 30g as one functional element of the processor 30 controls to move the photographing camera 4 so that the second face inclination calculated by the face inclination calculation means 30f matches the first face inclination. Can do. In the first embodiment, the photographing camera 4 is configured to be fine-adjustable with a predetermined fine adjustment setting value. However, in the third embodiment, the photographing of the photographing camera 4 is performed so as to coincide with the first face inclination in the fine adjustment. The position (photographing posture) can be finely adjusted, and it is not necessary to perform photographing more than necessary.

<Flowchart of Embodiment 3>
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the second imaging process according to the second embodiment. In the photographing process again, by inputting identification information such as a person ID, the previous face image data and photographing position data are read (S51). A first face image inclination is calculated (S52). Next, the same face as the previous time is held by the chin rest 2 and the forehead press 3, and the photographing camera 4 is moved to the photographing position read in S51 (S53). Next, the photographing position (relative position, photographing posture) is detected (S54), and photographing is performed (S55).

  Next, the photographing position measured in step S54 and the face image photographed in step S55 are associated with each other and stored in the data storage unit 363 (S56). Next, the second face image inclination of the face image photographed in step S55 is calculated (S57). Next, it is determined whether or not the first face image inclination calculated in step S52 matches the second face inclination calculated in step S57 (S58). The determination in step S58 may be configured to substantially match, or may be configured to determine that the degree of matching is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

  If it is determined in step S58 that the first face inclination and the second face inclination do not match, the shooting position is finely adjusted (S59), the process returns to step S54, and the operations from step S54 to S58 are repeated. In this fine adjustment, the difference between the first face inclination and the second face inclination is calculated, and the face inclination control means 30g instructs the posture control unit 321 according to the calculated difference, and the three-axis rotation mechanism 5a. To finely adjust the shooting posture of the shooting camera 4.

  When it is determined in step S58 that the first face inclination and the second face inclination are the same, in step 60, the extraction unit 30c reads the face image data from the data storage unit 363 and is the same as the first face image or A similar second face image is extracted recently. The face image corresponding to the second face inclination calculated last in step S57 is extracted. Therefore, the extraction process here does not require an extraction method such as the contour determination between the first face image and the second face image. Then, the extracted second face image is stored in the face image data storage unit 36 in association with the previous face image data together with the photographing position (S61) and used for diagnosis. Next, in step S62, it is determined whether or not to shoot at another shooting position. For example, when shooting a moving image of a side face image, the process returns to step S51 and the above operation is repeated.

<Another embodiment>
In the present embodiment, the setting and fine adjustment of the photographing position of the photographing camera 4 are automatically performed, but these may be performed manually. In this case, it is preferable to display externally in order to confirm whether or not the photographing camera 4 is set at a correct position. For example, when the photographing camera 4 is moved during the final fine adjustment, external display is performed when the correct position is reached. As a way of displaying, there are methods such as displaying with a lamp such as an LED or generating a warning sound with a buzzer. Moreover, you may make it display on the monitor 21. FIG.

  In the present embodiment, the photographic camera 4 is fixed to the camera support 5, but the photographic camera 4 may be attached so that it can move relative to the camera support 5. Thereby, fine adjustment of the photographing camera 4 may be performed.

Cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of the face photographing device Longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the face photographing device The perspective view which shows the detailed structure of the rotational movement mechanism of an imaging camera Side view showing detailed configuration of rotation movement mechanism of photographing camera Illustration for explaining the three axes of the face FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control function of the face photographing apparatus of the first embodiment. Operation Flowchart of Embodiment 1 Operation Flowchart of Embodiment 1 FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control function of the face photographing apparatus of the second embodiment. Operation flowchart of Embodiment 2 FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a control function of a face photographing apparatus according to a third embodiment Operation Flowchart of Embodiment 3

Explanation of symbols

2 Ching rest 3 Forehead holder 4 Shooting camera 5 Camera support 5a Triaxial rotating mechanism 20 Control device 30 Controller 30a Shooting position setting means 30b Fine adjustment setting means 30c Extraction means 30d High resolution shooting support section 30e Still image cutout section 30f Face Tilt calculator 30g Face tilt controller 32 Relative position controller 321 Posture controller 33 Camera position sensor 331 Three-axis angle sensor 34 Camera controller 36 Face image data storage unit 361 Low resolution face image data storage unit 362 Still image face image data Storage unit 363 Data storage unit 38 Image processing unit A Face photographing device P0 Front position P1, P2 Side position

Claims (7)

Face holding means for holding the face in place;
Photographing means for photographing the face held by the face holding means;
Face image data storage means for storing face image data photographed by the photographing means;
Photographed from the group of two or more face images obtained by photographing the same face again while moving the photographing means at the same or closest photographing position as the first face image stored in the face image data storage means. Extracting means for extracting the second face image obtained;
A face photographing apparatus comprising: The face image data storage means is configured to store the shooting position of the shot face image in association with the face image data,
A photographing position setting means for enabling setting of the position of the photographing means based on the photographing position stored in the face image data storage means when photographing the same face again;
A fine adjustment setting means for finely adjusting the photographing means at the time of photographing again,
The photographing position setting means instructs the relative position control unit that controls the relative position between the photographing unit and the face holding unit and the posture control unit that controls the photographing posture of the photographing unit,
The face photographing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fine adjustment setting unit issues a command to the posture control unit. The photographing position is defined by a relative position that is a relative three-dimensional coordinate between the face holding unit and the photographing unit, and a photographing posture that is a rotation angle around three axes of the photographing unit,
First detection means for detecting a relative three-dimensional coordinate between the face holding means and the photographing means;
The face photographing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a second detecting unit that detects a rotation angle around three axes of the photographing unit. The photographing means shoots two or more images at a low resolution while finely adjusting the photographing position when photographing the same face again.
The extraction unit extracts a second face image photographed at the same or most approximate photographing position as the first face image stored in the face image data storage unit from the two or more face image groups of low resolution. The face photographing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein A low-resolution face image data storage unit that stores a shooting position of the shot low-resolution face image in association with low-resolution face image data when the same face is shot again;
When a low-resolution second face image is extracted by the extraction means, a high-resolution face is captured at the shooting position of the extracted low-resolution second face image stored in the low-resolution face image data storage means. The face photographing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the face photographing apparatus is configured to be capable of photographing an image. The photographing means shoots a moving image of the same face while finely adjusting the photographing position when photographing again.
The extraction means extracts a second face image taken at the same or closest photographing position as the first face image stored in the face image data storage means from the photographed moving image. The face photographing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. At the time of the photographing, the face is fixed by a face holding means, and a face inclination calculating means for calculating the inclination of the face by performing image analysis on the distance and the level between predetermined points of the face image photographed by the photographing means. ,
The face inclination calculating means is configured to calculate a first face inclination of the first face image stored in the face image data storage means and a second face inclination of the second face image taken at the time of photographing again. And
The face photographing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising face inclination control means for controlling the photographing means to move so that the second face inclination coincides with the first face inclination. apparatus.

Images