Expression-Invariant Face Recognition with Expression Classification

Face recognition is one of the most intensively studied topics in computer vision and pattern recognition. Facial expression, which changes face geometry, usually has an adverse effect on the performance of a face recognition system. On the other hand, face geometry is a useful cue for recognition. Taking these into account, we utilize the idea of separating geometry and texture information in a face image and model the two types of information by projecting them into separate PCA spaces which are specially designed to capture the distinctive features among different individuals. Subsequently, the texture and geometry attributes are re-combined to form a classifier which is capable of recognizing faces with different expressions. Finally, by studying face geometry, we are able to determine which type of facial expression has been carried out, thus build an expression classifier. Numerical validations of the proposed method are given.