Patent ID: 7436988

Claim:
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 automatically using both mean curvature plot of the facial mesh and curvature plot of a curve representing the symmetry profile, 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.