3D template matching for pose invariant face recognition using 3D facial model built with isoluminance line based stereo vision

We propose a framework for face recognition performed in 3D space. A 3D facial model consisting of a sparse depth map is constructed from stereo images using isoluminance lines for the stereo matching. By searching for arcs whose radiuses are of certain ranges, we can locate the candidate irises very efficiently. After the pose of the face is detected, the 3D model is transformed into a canonical pose. Recognition is performed by calculating the mean differences in depth between the corresponding data points in the 3D test model and all the models in the database. The corresponding data points refer to a pair of closest data points in two 3D models. We show that even without using any 2D features, we can do face recognition depending on the depth information only. The 3D pose detecting algorithm makes it possible for our face recognition algorithm to be pose invariant.