Region-based template deformation and masking for eye-feature extraction and description

We propose an improved method for eye-feature extraction, descriptions, and tracking using deformable templates. Some existing algorithms are exploited to locate the initial position of eye features and then deformable templates are used for extracting and describing the eye features. Rather than using original energy minimization for matching the templates, the region-based approach is proposed for template deformation. Based on the region properties, the new strategy avoids problems such as template shrinking, adjusting the weights of energy terms, failure of orientation adjustment due to some exceptional cases. Our strategies are also coupled with Canny edge operator to give a new back-end processing. By integrating the local edge information from the edge detection and the global collector from our region-based template deformation, this processing stage can generate accurate eye-feature descriptions. Finally, the template deformation process is applied to tracking eye features. (C) 1997 Pattern Recognition Society.