Avoiding Spectacles Reflections on Iris Images Using A Ray-tracing Method

Spectacles reflection removal is a challenging problem in iris recognition research. The reflection of the spectacles usually contaminates the iris image acquired under infrared illumination. The intense light reflection caused by the active light source makes reflection removal more challenging than normal scenes since important iris texture features are entirely obscured. Eliminating unnecessary reflections can effectively improve iris recognition system performance. This paper proposes a spectacle reflection removal algorithm based on ray coding and ray tracking to remove spectacle reflection in iris images. By decoding the light source’s encoded light beam, the iris imaging device eliminates most of the stray light. Our binocular imaging device tracks the light path to obtain parallax information and realizes reflected light spot removal through image fusion. We designed a prototype system to verify our proposed method in this paper. This method can effectively eliminate reflections without changing iris texture and improve iris recognition in complex scenarios.