Automatic Face Annotation via Semi-Supervised Learning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Manual face annotation in videos is time-consuming and costly, especially in unconstrained environments with variations in orientation, luminance, and expression, where existing methods require significant manual effort for training data preparation.

Innovation Solution

An automatic face annotation method utilizing semi-supervised learning on social network data, which involves dividing videos into frames, extracting temporal and spatial information, collecting weakly labeled data, applying iterative refinement clustering to remove noise, and using active semi-supervised learning to label remaining face tracks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual face annotation is used, then annotation accuracy can be maintained, but time consumption and cost of effort increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveannotation accuracyVSAvoidtime consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses deepfake technology to generate synthetic face images that copy and replicate face characteristics from a small set of real images. This allows the system to create numerous training samples automatically, replacing the need for manual annotation of each face while maintaining accuracy through the synthetic replicas that preserve facial identity and features.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service by automatically generating its own training data through deepfake synthesis. Instead of requiring human annotators to label face images, the system uses neural networks to synthesize realistic face images from少量 real samples, thereby annotating faces automatically at scale without human intervention.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If existing face recognition methods are used in unconstrained environments, then face annotation can be performed, but annotation accuracy decreases due to variations in orientation, luminance, and expression

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveface annotation capabilityVSAvoidannotation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies parameter changes by using deepfake technology to generate synthetic face images with varied parameters such as orientation, luminance, and expression. These synthetic images cover the full range of unconstrained variations, allowing the system to train face recognition models on diverse conditions without the limitations of real-world constrained data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-generating a comprehensive dataset of synthetic face images with various conditions before actual face annotation is needed. This pre-synthesized training data prepares the face recognition model in advance for handling unconstrained environments, ensuring high accuracy when processing real video data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If more training data is collected to improve annotation accuracy, then face recognition performance improves, but the complexity of data collection and processing increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveface recognition performanceVSAvoiddata collection and processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses deepfake copying to create synthetic face images that replicate real face characteristics. This allows the system to generate large volumes of training data by copying and varying existing face samples, thereby improving recognition performance without the complexity of collecting diverse real-world data from multiple sources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces the mechanical process of manually collecting and curating training data with an automated deepfake synthesis mechanism. Instead of requiring complex data collection infrastructure and manual labeling processes, the system uses neural networks to automatically generate training data, significantly reducing processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS9176987B1Automatic face annotation method and system
Publication Date: 2015.11.03 TCL TECHNOLOGY GROUP CORPORATION
  • US9176987B1 patent drawing
  • US9176987B1 patent drawing
  • US9176987B1 patent drawing

AI summary

An automatic face annotation method is provided. The method includes dividing an input video into different sets of frames, extracting temporal and spatial information by employing camera take and shot boundary detection algorithms on the different sets of frames, and collecting weakly labeled data by crawling weakly labeled face images from social networks. The method also includes applying face detection together with an iterative refinement clustering algorithm to remove noise of the collected weakly labeled data, generating a labeled database containing refined labeled images, finding and labeling exact frames containing one or more face images in the input video matching any of the refined labeled images based on the labeled database, labeling remaining unlabeled face tracks in the input video by a semi-supervised learning algorithm to annotate the face images in the input video, and outputting the input video containing the annotated face images.