Method and apparatus for using thermal infrared for face recognition
First Claim
1. A method for performing face recognition, comprising:
- producing a first video image input produced from a scene sensed in the reflective domain;
producing a second video image input from said scene sensed in the thermal infrared domain;
applying non-uniformity correction (NUC) to the thermal infrared video image; and
creating a representation template for a face from a fused combination of the video images obtained from the reflective domain and the thermal infrared domain.
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Abstract
A methodology and apparatus is described that incorporates the use of thermal infrared imaging into a complete end-to-end face recognition system. Since thermal infrared primarily images emissive phenomenology there are advantages over video imaging in the reflective domain (e.g., visible, near-infrared) for face recognition, particularly with respect to image invariance in the presence of varying illumination incident on the subject. On the other hand video cameras in the reflective domain provide important image detail not apparent in thermal infrared imagery. Fusion of thermal infrared imagery with reflective domain (e.g., visible, near-infrared) imagery provides even further advantages. Embodiments of such systems that incorporate thermal infrared imaging for automatic face recognition are important for access control, verification, identification, and surveillance and monitoring.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for performing face recognition, comprising:
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producing a first video image input produced from a scene sensed in the reflective domain;
producing a second video image input from said scene sensed in the thermal infrared domain;
applying non-uniformity correction (NUC) to the thermal infrared video image; and
creating a representation template for a face from a fused combination of the video images obtained from the reflective domain and the thermal infrared domain. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An apparatus consisting of:
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at least one sensor configuration for simultaneously acquiring a reflective spectrum image and a thermal infrared spectrum image and producing corresponding reflective spectrum and thermal infrared image signals; and
an interface card connected to said at least one sensor configuration to receive said reflective spectrum and thermal infrared spectrum signals and to send said signals to a memory within a computer system, and wherein said computer system is capable of processing said input reflective spectrum and thermal infrared signals to create and store a face representation template. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification