A Survey of the methods on fingerprint orientation field estimation

Fingerprint orientation field (FOF) estimation plays a key role in enhancing the performance of the automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS): Accurate estimation of FOF can evidently improve the performance of AFIS. However, despite the enormous attention on the FOF estimation research in the past decades, the accurate estimation of FOFs, especially for poor-quality fingerprints, still remains a challenging task. In this paper, we devote to review and categorization of the large number of FOF estimation methods proposed in the specialized literature, with particular attention to the most recent work in this area. Broadly speaking, the existing FOF estimation methods can be grouped into three categories: gradient-based methods, mathematical models-based methods, and learning-based methods. Identifying and explaining the advantages and limitations of these FOF estimation methods is of fundamental importance for fingerprint identification, because only a full understanding of the nature of these methods can shed light on the most essential issues for FOF estimation. In this paper, we make a comprehensive discussion and analysis of these methods concerning their advantages and limitations. We have also conducted experiments using publically available competition dataset to effectively compare the performance of the most relevant algorithms and methods

Real-time online fingerprint image classification using adaptive hybrid techniques

This paper presents three different hybrid classification techniques applied for the first time in real-time online fingerprint classification. Classification of online real time fingerprints is a complex task as it involves adaptation and tuning of classifier parameters for better classification accuracy. To accomplish the optimal adaptation of parameters of functional link artificial neural network (FLANN) for real-time online fingerprint classification, proven and established optimizers, such as Biogeography based optimizer (BBO), Genetic algorithm (GA), and Particle swarm optimizer (PSO) are intelligently infused with it to form hybrid classifiers. The global features of the real-time fingerprints are extracted using a Gabor filter-bank and then passed into adaptive hybrid classifiers for the desired classification as per the Henry system. Three hybrid classifiers, the optimized weight adapted Biogeography based optimized functional link artificial neural network (BBO-FLANN), Genetic algorithm based functional link artificial neural network (GA-FLANN) and Particle swarm optimized functional link artificial neural network (PSO-FLANN), are explored for real-time online fingerprint classification, where the PSO-FLANN technique  is showing superior performance as compared to GA-FLANN and BBO-FLANN techniques. The best accuracy observed by the application of PSO-FLANN, is 98% for real-time online fingerprint classification

A bisector line field approach to interpolation of orientation fields

We propose an approach to the problem of global reconstruction of an orientation field. The method is based on a geometric model called "bisector line fields", which maps a pair of vector fields to an orientation field, effectively generalizing the notion of doubling phase vector fields. Endowed with a well chosen energy minimization problem, we provide a polynomial interpolation of a target orientation field while bypassing the doubling phase step. The procedure is then illustrated with examples from fingerprint analysis