Facial enrollment and recognition system

Abstract

A facial recognition system includes a memory for storing a facial image database, wherein the facial image database includes a plurality of entries each corresponding to a different person, and wherein each entry includes a person identifier along with one or more facial images of the person. The facial recognition system further includes a facial recognition module that is operatively coupled to the memory. The facial recognition module is configured to receive a new facial image, and to select one or more facial recognition engines based on one or more facial image parameters of the new facial image, and to use the selected facial recognition engines to compare the new facial image with facial models that are based upon facial images stored in the facial image database in order to identify the person in the new facial image.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A facial recognition system, comprising:
 an input;   an output;   a memory for storing a facial image database, wherein the facial image database includes a plurality of entries each corresponding to a different person, and wherein each entry includes a person identifier along with one or more facial images of the person;   a facial recognition module operatively coupled to the memory, the input and the output, the facial recognition module configured to:
 receive a new facial image via the input and ascertain one or more facial image parameters from the new facial image; 
 select a subset of facial recognition engines from a larger set of available facial recognition engines based at least in part on one or more of the ascertained facial image parameters, wherein each of the facial recognition engines is configured to compare the new facial image to facial representations that are based upon the facial images stored in the facial image database and identify a person identifier that likely corresponds to the new facial image; and 
 send a person ID to a control module via the output, wherein the control module is configured to control one or more building control devices based at least in part on the person ID. 
   
     
     
         2 . The facial recognition system of  claim 1 , wherein the selected subset of facial recognition engines consists of one facial recognition engine selected from the larger set of available facial recognition engines. 
     
     
         3 . The facial recognition system of  claim 1 , wherein the selected subset of facial recognition engines comprises two or more facial recognition engines selected from the larger set of available facial recognition engines. 
     
     
         4 . The facial recognition system of  claim 3 , wherein the facial recognition module is further configured to process the person identifiers identified by each of the subset of facial recognition engines to determine the person ID that is sent to the control module. 
     
     
         5 . The facial recognition system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the facial recognition engines provide a confidence level of the person identifier that likely corresponds to the new facial image. 
     
     
         6 . The facial recognition system of  claim 5 , wherein the facial recognition module is configured to determine a confidence level in the person ID that is based at least in part on the confidence level of the person identifier provided by each of one or more of the subset of facial recognition engines. 
     
     
         7 . The facial recognition system of  claim 6 , wherein the facial recognition module is configured to select a different subset of facial recognition engines from the larger set of available facial recognition engines when the confidence level in the person ID is below a threshold confidence level. 
     
     
         8 . The facial recognition system of  claim 1 , wherein the facial image database comprises multiple facial images for each person identifier, with some of the multiple facial images representing the person at one or more of different facial angles, different facial lighting, different facial size in terms of pixels, and different facial obstructions. 
     
     
         9 . The facial recognition system of  claim 8 , wherein the different facial obstructions comprise one or more of differing hair style, wearing glasses, not wearing glasses, wearing a hat, not wearing a hat, and differing ages. 
     
     
         10 . The facial recognition system of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the larger set of available facial recognition engines comprise a cloud-based facial recognition engine. 
     
     
         11 . A method of recognizing individuals within a building space, the method comprising:
 gaining access to a facial image database that includes a plurality of enrolled persons, where the facial image database includes a facial image for each of the plurality of enrolled persons under each of a plurality of different facial conditions;   monitoring one or more video feeds providing images of spaces within the building space, at least some of the images include images of persons within the building space;   processing the one or more video feeds to detect one or more facial images of a person within the building space;   selecting one or more facial recognition engines to compare the detected one or more facial images with facial models that are based upon the facial images in the facial image database, where selecting the one or more facial recognition engines is based at least in part on one or more image criteria of the one or more detected facial images;   receiving from the selected one or more facial recognition engines an identified one of the plurality of enrolled persons included in the facial image database that is identified in the one or more detected facial images;   reporting the identified one of the plurality of enrolled persons to a building automation system; and   controlling one or more building control devices of the building automation system based at least in part on the identified one of the plurality of enrolled persons.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of different facial conditions include two or more of the person looking up, the person looking down, the person looking to the left, the person looking to the right and the person looking straight ahead. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the facial image database organizes the facial images for each of the plurality of enrolled persons at each of a plurality of different facial conditions into predetermined separate categories that can be separately queried by the one or more facial recognition engines. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the separate categories include one or more of the person with glasses, the person without glasses, the person with their hair worn up, the person with their hair worn down, the person clean shaven, the person not clean shaven, the person wearing jewelry, the person not wearing jewelry, and the person wearing a hat, the person not wearing a hat, and a person wearing a scarf. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the separate categories include one or more of the person looking to the left, the person looking to the right, the person looking up, the person looking down, and the person looking straight ahead. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the building automation system comprises an HVAC system, and the method further comprises controlling a building control user interface device to allow the identified one of the plurality of enrolled persons to change one or more building control parameters only when the identified one of the plurality of enrolled persons has been granted permission to change one or more building control parameters. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the building automation system comprises an access control system, and the method further comprises controlling a building access device to allow entry of the identified one of the plurality of enrolled persons only when the identified one of the plurality of enrolled persons has been granted permission to enter. 
     
     
         18 . A method of identifying an individual, the method comprising:
 monitoring a video feed that provides a series of images of activity in or around a building;   extracting one or more images from the series of images of the video feed;   analyzing the extracted one or more images to find facial images;   quantifying the facial images to find a query-able facial image;   selecting one or more facial recognition engines based at least in part upon one or more image properties of the query-able facial image;   sending the query-able facial image to the selected one or more facial recognition engines, the selected one or more facial recognition engines configured to compare the query-able facial image to facial models that are based upon facial images stored in a facial image database;   providing facial recognition engine results that include an identity of a person shown within the query-able facial image as well as an associated confidence value; and   controlling one or more building control devices based at least in part on the identity of the person shown within the query-able facial image.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising creating the facial image database by soliciting facial images of each of a plurality of enrolled persons under each of a plurality of facial conditions. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the plurality of facial conditions includes one or more of the person looking to the left, the person looking to the right, the person looking up, the person looking down, and the person looking straight ahead.