Human recognition based on the iris biometric is severely impacted when encountering non-ideal images of the eye characterized by occluded irises, motion and spatial blur, poor contrast, and illumination artifacts. This paper discusses the use of the periocular region surrounding the iris, along with the iris texture patterns, in order to improve the overall recognition performance in such images. Periocular texture is extracted from a small, fixed region of the skin surrounding the eye. Experiments on the images extracted from the Near Infra-Red (NIR) face videos of the Multi Biometric Grand Challenge (MBGC) dataset demonstrate that valuable information is contained in the periocular region and it can be fused with the iris texture to improve the overall identification accuracy in non-ideal situations.

Sparse features have traditionally been tracked from frame to frame independently of one another. We propose a framework in which features are tracked jointly. Combining ideas from Lucas-Kanade and Horn-Schunck, the estimated motion of a feature is influenced by the estimated motion of neighboring features. The approach also handles the problem of tracking edges in a unified way by estimating motion perpendicular to the edge, using the motion of neighboring features to resolve the aperture problem. Results are shown on several image sequences to demonstrate the improved results obtained by the approach.

We present a real-time incremental approach to motion segmentation operating on sparse feature points. In contrast to previous work, the algorithm allows for a variable number of image frames to affect the segmentation process, thus enabling an arbitrary number of objects traveling at different relative speeds to be detected. Feature points are detected and tracked throughout an image sequence, and the features are grouped using a spatially constrained expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm that models the interactions between neighboring features using the Markov assumption. The primary parameter used by the algorithm is the amount of evidence that must accumulate before features are grouped. A statistical goodness-of-fit test monitors the change in the motion parameters of a group over time in order to automatically update the reference frame. Experimental results on a number of challenging image sequences demonstrate the effectiveness and computational efficiency of the technique.

We present an incremental approach to motion segmentation. Feature points are detected and tracked throughout an image sequence, and the features are grouped using a region-growing algorithm with an affine motion model. The primary parameter used by the algorithm is the amount of evidence that must accumulate before features are grouped. Contrasted with previous work, the algorithm allows for a variable number of image frames to affect the decision process, thus enabling objects to be detected independently of their velocity in the image. Procedures are presented for grouping features, measuring the consistency of the resulting groups, assimilating new features into existing groups, and splitting groups over time. Experimental results on a number of challenging image sequences demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique. 1

We present a novel method for visually monitoring a highway when the camera is relatively low to the ground and on the side of the road. In such a case, occlusion and the perspective effects due to the heights of the vehicles cannot be ignored. Features are detected and tracked throughout the image sequence, and then grouped together using a multilevel homography, which is an extension of the standard homography to the low-angle situation. We derive a concept called the relative height constraint that makes it possible to estimate the 3D height of feature points on the vehicles from a single camera, a key part of the technique. Experimental results on several different highways demonstrate the system's ability to successfully segment and track vehicles at low angles, even in the presence of severe occlusion and significant perspective changes.