Image registration and fusion of MMW and visual images for concealed object detection

Abstract

This paper addresses the registration and the fusion techniques between passive millimeter wave (MMW) and visual images for concealed object detection. The passive MMW imaging system detects concealed objects such as metal and man-made objects as well as small liquid and gel containers. The registration and fusion processes are required to combine information from both of visual and MMW images. The registration process is composed of feature extraction and matching stages. The body areas in two images are adjusted to each other in scale, rotation, and location. The image fusion method is based on discrete wavelet transform and a fusion rule, which emphasizes the person's identity and the hidden object together. The experimental and simulation results show the proposed technique can detect a concealed object and fuse two different types of images in a fully automated way.