Deep learning compact binary codes for fingerprint indexing

With the rapid growth in fingerprint databases, it has become necessary to develop excellent fingerprint indexing to achieve efficiency and accuracy. Fingerprint indexing has been widely studied with real-valued features, but few studies focus on binary feature representation, which is more suitable to identify fingerprints efficiently in large-scale fingerprint databases. In this study, we propose a deep compact binary minutia cylinder code (DCBMCC) as an effective and discriminative feature representation for fingerprint indexing. Specifically, the minutia cylinder code (MCC), as the state-of-the-art fingerprint representation, is analyzed and its shortcomings are revealed. Accordingly, we propose a novel fingerprint indexing method based on deep neural networks to learn DCBMCC. Our novel network restricts the penultimate layer to directly output binary codes. Moreover, we incorporate independence, balance, quantization-loss-minimum, and similarity-preservation properties in this learning process. Eventually, a multi-index hashing (MIH) based fingerprint indexing scheme further speeds up the exact search in the Hamming space by building multiple hash tables on binary code substrings. Furthermore, numerous experiments on public databases show that the proposed approach is an outstanding fingerprint indexing method since it has an extremely small error rate with a very low penetration rate.     

A Robust Fingerprint Indexing Scheme Using Minutia Neighborhood Structure and Low-Order Delaunay Triangles

Fingerprint indexing is a key technique in automatic fingerprint identification systems (AFIS). However, handling fingerprint distortion is still a problem. This paper concentrates on a more accurate fingerprint indexing algorithm that efficiently retrieves the top N possible matching candidates from a huge database. To this end, we design a novel feature based on minutia neighborhood structure (we call this minutia detail and it contains richer minutia information) and a more stable triangulation algorithm (low-order Delaunay triangles, consisting of order 0 and 1 Delaunay triangles), which are both insensitive to fingerprint distortion. The indexing features include minutia detail and attributes of low-order Delaunay triangle (its handedness, angles, maximum edge, and related angles between orientation field and edges). Experiments on databases FVC2002 and FVC2004 show that the proposed algorithm considerably narrows down the search space in fingerprint databases and is stable for various fingerprints. We also compared it with other indexing approaches, and the results show our algorithm has better performance, especially on fingerprints with distortion.     

Adaptive fingerprint pore modeling and extraction

Sweat pores on fingerprints have proven to be discriminative features and have recently been successfully employed in automatic fingerprint recognition systems (AFRS), where the extraction of fingerprint pores is a critical step. Most of the existing pore extraction methods detect pores by using a static isotropic pore model; however, their detection accuracy is not satisfactory due to the limited approximation capability of static isotropic models to various types of pores. This paper presents a dynamic anisotropic pore model to describe pores more accurately by using orientation and scale parameters. An adaptive pore extraction method is then developed based on the proposed dynamic anisotropic pore model. The fingerprint image is first partitioned into well-defined, ill-posed, and background blocks. According to the dominant ridge orientation and frequency on each foreground block, a local instantiation of appropriate pore model is obtained. Finally, the pores are extracted by filtering the block with the adaptively generated pore model. Extensive experiments are performed on the high resolution fingerprint databases we established. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can detect pores more accurately and robustly, and consequently improve the fingerprint recognition accuracy of pore-based AFRS.     

Global ridge orientation modeling for partial fingerprint identification

Identifying incomplete or partial fingerprints from a large fingerprint database remains a difficult challenge today. Existing studies on partial fingerprints focus on one-to-one matching using local ridge details. In this paper, we investigate the problem of retrieving candidate lists for matching partial fingerprints by exploiting global topological features. Specifically, we propose an analytical approach for reconstructing the global topology representation from a partial fingerprint. First, we present an inverse orientation model for describing the reconstruction problem. Then, we provide a general expression for all valid solutions to the inverse model. This allows us to preserve data fidelity in the existing segments while exploring missing structures in the unknown parts. We have further developed algorithms for estimating the missing orientation structures based on some a priori knowledge of ridge topology features. Our statistical experiments show that our proposed model-based approach can effectively reduce the number of candidates for pair-wised fingerprint matching, and thus significantly improve the system retrieval performance for partial fingerprint identification.     

Partial fingerprint identification for large databases

Nowadays, most fingerprint sensors capture partial fingerprint images. Incomplete, fragmentary, or partial fingerprint identification in large databases is an attractive research topic and is remained as an important and challenging problem. Accordingly, conventional fingerprint identification systems are not capable of providing convincing results. To overcome this problem, we need a fast and accurate identification strategy. In this context, fingerprint indexing is commonly used to speed up the identification process. This paper proposes a robust and fast identification system that combines two indexing algorithms. One of the indexing algorithms uses minutiae triplets, and the other uses orientation field (OF) to index and retrieve fingerprints. Furthermore, the proposal uses some partial fingerprint matching methods on final candidate list obtained from the indexing stage. The proposal is evaluated over two national institutes of standards and technology (NIST) datasets and four fingerprint verification competition (FVC) datasets leading to low identification times with no accuracy loss.     

A method using long digital straight segments for fingerprint recognition

In this paper, we proposed a new method using long digital straight segments (LDSSs) for fingerprint recognition based on such a discovery that LDSSs in fingerprints can accurately characterize the global structure of fingerprints. Different from the estimation of orientation using the slope of the straight segments, the length of LDSSs provides a measure for stability of the estimated orientation. In addition, each digital straight segment can be represented by four parameters: x-coordinate, y-coordinate, slope and length. As a result, only about 600 bytes are needed to store all the parameters of LDSSs of a fingerprint, as is much less than the storage orientation field needs. Finally, the LDSSs can well capture the structural information of local regions. Consequently, LDSSs are more feasible to apply to the matching process than orientation fields. The experiments conducted on fingerprint databases FVC2002 DB3a and DB4a show that our method is effective.     

A comparative study on feature extraction for fingerprint classification and performance improvements using rank-level fusion

Fingerprint classification represents an important preprocessing step in fingerprint identification, which can be very helpful in reducing the cost of searching large fingerprint databases. Over the past years, several different approaches have been proposed for extracting distinguishable features and improving classification performance. In this paper, we present a comparative study involving four different feature extraction methods for fingerprint classification and propose a rank-based fusion scheme for improving classification performance. Specifically, we have compared two well-known feature extraction methods based on orientation maps (OMs) and Gabor filters with two new methods based on "minutiae maps" and "orientation collinearity". Each feature extraction method was compared with each other using the NIST-4 database in terms of accuracy and time. Moreover, we have investigated the issue of improving classification performance using rank-level fusion. When evaluating each feature extraction method individually, OMs performed the best. Gabor features fell behind OMs mainly because their computation is sensitive to errors in localizing the registration point. When fusing the rankings of different classifiers, we found that combinations involving OMs improve performance, demonstrating the importance of orientation information for classification purposes. Overall, the best classification results were obtained by fusing orientation map with orientation collinearity classifiers.     

Modelling fingerprint ridge orientation using Legendre polynomials

The estimation of fingerprint ridge orientation is an essential step in every automatic fingerprint verification system. The importance of ridge orientation can be deflected from the fact that it is inevitably used for detecting, describing and matching fingerprint features such as minutiae and singular points. In this paper we propose a novel method for fingerprint ridge orientation modelling using Legendre polynomials. One of the main problems it addresses is smoothing orientation data while preserving details in high curvature areas, especially singular points. We show that singular points, which result in a discontinuous orientation field, can be modelled by the zero-poles of Legendre polynomials. The models parameters are obtained in a two staged optimization procedure. Another advantage of the proposed method is a very compact representation of the orientation field, using only 56 coefficients. We have carried out extensive experiments using a state-of-the-art fingerprint matcher and a singular point detector. Moreover, we compared the proposed method with other state-of-the-art fingerprint orientation estimation algorithms. We can report significant improvements in both singular point detection and matching rates.     

基于细节点柱形编码和深度卷积特征的指纹检索方法

指纹检索方法使用细节点柱形编码作为特征,充分考虑指纹细节点的局部结构特征,却忽略指纹的整体结构特征,限制指纹检索的准确率.基于此种问题,文中提出基于细节点柱形编码和深度卷积特征的指纹检索方法.使用深度卷积网络学习指纹的整体结构特征(深度卷积特征),并结合深度卷积特征和细节点柱形编码,提升指纹检索的准确率.在3个经典指纹检索数据库上通过实验分析深度卷积特征的特性.实验表明,文中方法有效提升指纹检索的准确率.     

A real-time matching system for large fingerprint databases

With the current rapid growth in multimedia technology, there is an imminent need for efficient techniques to search and query large image databases. Because of their unique and peculiar needs, image databases cannot be treated in a similar fashion to other types of digital libraries. The contextual dependencies present in images, and the complex nature of two-dimensional image data make the representation issues more difficult for image databases. An invariant representation of an image is still an open research issue. For these reasons, it is difficult to find a universal content-based retrieval technique. Current approaches based on shape, texture, and color for indexing image databases have met with limited success. Further, these techniques have not been adequately tested in the presence of noise and distortions. A given application domain offers stronger constraints for improving the retrieval performance. Fingerprint databases are characterized by their large size as well as noisy and distorted query images. Distortions are very common in fingerprint images due to elasticity of the skin. In this paper, a method of indexing large fingerprint image databases is presented. The approach integrates a number of domain-specific high-level features such as pattern class and ridge density at higher levels of the search. At the lowest level, it incorporates elastic structural feature-based matching for indexing the database. With a multilevel indexing approach, we have been able to reduce the search space. The search engine has also been implemented on Splash 2-a field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based array processor to obtain near-ASIC level speed of matching. Our approach has been tested on a locally collected test data and on NIST-9, a large fingerprint database available in the public domain     

3D fingerprint reconstruction system using feature correspondences and prior estimated finger model

The paper studies a 3D fingerprint reconstruction technique based on multi-view touchless fingerprint images. This technique offers a solution for 3D fingerprint image generation and application when only multi-view 2D images are available. However, the difficulties and stresses of 3D fingerprint reconstruction are the establishment of feature correspondences based on 2D touchless fingerprint images and the estimation of the finger shape model. In this paper, several popular used features, such as scale invariant feature transformation (SIFT) feature, ridge feature and minutiae, are employed for correspondences establishment. To extract these fingerprint features accurately, an improved fingerprint enhancement method has been proposed by polishing orientation and ridge frequency maps according to the characteristics of 2D touchless fingerprint images. Therefore, correspondences can be established by adopting hierarchical fingerprint matching approaches. Through an analysis of 440 3D point cloud finger data (220 fingers, 2 pictures each) collected by a 3D scanning technique, i.e., the structured light illumination (SLI) method, the finger shape model is estimated. It is found that the binary quadratic function is more suitable for the finger shape model than the other mixed model tested in this paper. In our experiments, the reconstruction accuracy is illustrated by constructing a cylinder. Furthermore, results obtained from different fingerprint feature correspondences are analyzed and compared to show which features are more suitable for 3D fingerprint images generation.     

无方向的三角形匹配指纹识别

目的 指纹匹配是自动指纹识别系统研究的核心内容之一,匹配算法的好坏直接影响识别系统的效能。目前,大多数点模式匹配算法都依赖于指纹方向场的求取,由于输入的指纹图像存在平移、旋转和尺度变化,因此同一个手指在不同时间获得的指纹图像的方向场是不同的,这不仅增加了计算量,也影响了指纹识别的精度。针对上述问题,提出了无方向的三角形匹配算法。方法 提出的三角形匹配算法是以平面中任意点与一个确定的三角形之间的位置结构稳定性为理论基础的。首先,分别在待识指纹图像和模板指纹图像中确定基准三角形;其次,将各个特征点与基准三角形三个顶点的距离组成有序三数组;最后,利用数组的相等程度对指纹相似度进行匹配判断。结果 采用国际标准测试库FVC2004进行综合性能比对实验,实验结果表明,与其他几种匹配算法相比,本文方法在识别精度上提高了27.97%~33.81%,在比对时间上降低了3%~5%,在不同旋转角度下误匹配率平均降低了约86.63%,对噪声、平移、旋转和形变有足够的适应能力,具有较高的容错能力和鲁棒性。结论 无方向的三角形匹配算法是一种全局模式的算法,该算法不受指纹图像方向及其位置的影响,实现过程简单,识别精度高,平均比对时间少,适用于处理不同类型的图像数据。     

Local binary patterns for a hybrid fingerprint matcher

In this work, we present a novel hybrid fingerprint matcher system based on local binary patterns. The two fingerprints to be matched are first aligned using their minutiae, then the images are decomposed in several overlapping sub-windows, each sub-window is convolved with a bank of Gabor filters and, finally, the invariant local binary patterns histograms are extracted from the convolved images.Extensive experiments conducted over the four FVC2002 fingerprint databases show the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid approach with respect to the well-known Tico's minutiae matcher and other image-based approaches. Moreover, a BioHashing approach have been designed using the proposed fixed-length feature vector and very interesting performance has been obtained by combining it with the Tico's minutiae matcher.     

Intelligent fingerprint quality analysis using online sequential extreme learning machine

Because the quality of fingerprints can be degraded by diverse factors, recognizing the quality of fingerprints in advance can be beneficial for improving the performance of fingerprint authentication systems. This paper proposes an effective fingerprint quality analysis approach based on the online sequential extreme learning machine (OS-ELM). The proposed method is based not only on basic fingerprint properties, but also on the physical properties of the various sensors. Instead of splitting a fingerprint image into traditional small blocks, direction-based segmentation using the Gabor filter is used. From the segmented image, a feature set which consists of four selected independent local or global features: orientation certainty, local orientation quality, consistency, and ridge distance, is extracted. The selected feature set is robust against various factors responsible for quality degradation and can satisfy the requirements of different types of capture sensors. With the contribution of the OS-ELM classifier, the extracted feature set is used to determine whether or not a fingerprint image should be accepted as an input to the recognition system. Experimental results show that the proposed method performs better in terms of accuracy and time consumed than BPNN-based and SVM-based methods. An obvious improvement to the fingerprint recognition system is achieved by adding a quality analysis system. Other comparisons to traditional methods also show that the proposed method outperforms others.     

基于Gabor函数的小波域指纹图像增强算法

针对指纹大规模采集库中存在的指纹图像局部区过干或过湿的问题,提出了一种基于Gabor函数的小波域指纹增强算法。该算法在小波域利用低频系数图估计指纹方向,从而抑制了指纹局部过干或过湿的影响,进而分别实现基于Gabor函数的小波域各子图增强,最终将各增强子图利用小波逆变换实现重构。通过对FVC2004的DB1指纹库中的部分低质量图像的增强结果比较,该算法对低质量指纹图像的增强效果明显,且处理速度明显快于现存的Gabor增强方法。     

Indexing and retrieving in fingerprint databases under structural distortions

This paper presents a new algorithm for fingerprint indexing, which is based on minutia triplets, and it is very tolerant to missing and spurious minutiae. In this sense, a novel representation for fingerprints is proposed by defining a triangle set based on extensions of Delaunay triangulations. Moreover, a set of robust features is used to build indices. Finally, a recovery method based on calculating the recommendation score is introduced, using a new similarity function between geometric transformations. Our proposal was tested on well known databases, showing that it outperforms most of the already reported methods, especially under conditions of distortions.     

A robust alignment-free fingerprint hashing algorithm based on minimum distance graphs

Abstraction of a fingerprint in the form of a hash can be used for secure authentication. The main challenge is in finding the right choice of features which remain relatively invariant to distortions such as rotation, translation and minutiae insertions and deletions, while at the same time capturing the diversity across users. In this paper, an alignment-free novel fingerprint hashing algorithm is proposed which uses a graph comprising of the inter-minutia minimum distance vectors originating from the core point as a feature set called the minimum distance graph. Matching of hashes has been implemented using a corresponding search algorithm. Based on the experiments conducted on the FVC2002-DB1a and FVC2002-DB2a databases, we obtained an equal error rate of 2.27%. The computational cost associated with our fingerprint hash generation and matching processes is relatively low, despite its success in capturing the minutia positional variations across users.