3D face authentication and recognition based on bilateral symmetry analysis

• US 20060078172A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 04/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Original Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Inventors: Razdan, Anshuman, Farin, Gerald, Zhang, Liyan
• Granted Patent: US 7,436,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/168 Feature extraction; Face representation

Abstract

There is provided a novel approach for automatic human face authentication. Taking a 3D triangular facial mesh as input, the approach first automatically extracts the bilateral symmetry plane of the face surface. The intersection between the symmetry plane and the facial surface, namely the Symmetry Profile, is then computed. By using both the mean curvature plot of the facial surface and the curvature plot of the symmetry profile curve, three essential points of the nose on the symmetry profile are automatically extracted. The three essential points uniquely determine a Face Intrinsic Coordinate System (FICS). Different faces are aligned based on the FICS. The Symmetry Profile, together with two transversal profiles, namely the Forehead Profile and the Cheek Profile compose a compact representation, called the SFC representation, of a 3D face surface. The face authentication and recognition steps are finally performed by comparing the SFC representation of the faces.

Claims

1. A method for automatic authentication and recognition of a human face, the method comprising:

generating a three-dimensional facial mesh representing the surface of a human face to be authenticated;

extracting from the facial mesh a bilateral symmetry plane;

computing a symmetry profile representing the intersection between the symmetry plane and the facial mesh;

computing a transversal forehead profile for the facial mesh;

computing a transversal cheek profile for the facial mesh;

storing the symmetry profile, the forehead profile and the cheek profile as a compact representation of the surface of the face to be authenticated;

extracting three points on a portion of the symmetry profile representing the nose, the three points uniquely determining a face intrinsic coordinate system;

using the face intrinsic coordinate system to align the compact representation of the surface of the face to be authenticated with one or more stored compact representations of human faces; and

comparing the compact representation of the surface of the face to be authenticated with the one or more stored compact representations of human faces.