A face detection and recognition system having several arrays imaging a
scene in the infrared and visible spectrums. The system may use weighted
subtracting and thresholding to distinguish human skin in a sensed image.
A feature selector may locate a face in the image. The image may be
cropped with a frame or border incorporating essentially only the face.
The border may be superimposed on images from an infrared imaging array
and the visible imaging array. Sub-images containing the face may be
extracted from within the border on the infrared and visible images,
respectively, and compared with a database of face information to attain
recognition of the face. Confidence levels of recognition for infrared
and visible imaged faces may be established. A resultant confidence level
of recognition may be determined from these confidence levels. Infrared
lighting may be used as needed to illuminate the scene.