Force Field Feature Extraction

The overall objective in defining feature space is to reduce the dimensionality of the original pattern space, while maintaining discriminatory power for classification. To meet this objective in the context of ear biometrics a novel force field transformation which treats the image as an array of mutually attracting particles that act as the source of a Gaussian force field has been developed. Underlying the force field there is a scalar potential energy field, which in the case of an ear takes the form of a smooth surface that resembles a small mountain with a number of peaks joined by ridges. The peaks correspond to potential energy wells and to extend the analogy the ridges correspond to potential energy channels. Since the transform also happens to be invertible, and since the surface is otherwise smooth, information theory suggests that much of the information is transferred to these features, thus confirming their efficacy. Force field feature extraction, using an algorithm...