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The optimization of the process of recognation fingerprint through the

minutae technique

Conference Paper · April 2019

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 The Optimization of The Process of
Recognization Fingerprint
Through The Minutiae Technique
E.GAZİOĞULLARI1 and E.DUMAN2
1
Fırat University, Elazığ/Turkey, gaziogullariesra@gmail.com
2
Fırat University, Elazığ/Turkey, erkanduman@firat.edu.tr
Abstract - Biometric data science can be referred to identifying
people uniquely and specifically, and in this field one of the most
commonly used parameter is “fingerprint”. Fingerprints are
peculiar to each person, and thus using fingerprints has become
very important especially in identifying people. Identifying
fingerprints specific to each person can be achieved by applying
some algorithms in correct order.
Our main research subject in this study is to suggest an approach
that will use this commonly used identifying system in the most
efficient way and that will perform it much faster, too.
In this article the optimization of identifying fingerprint process
has been examined by using minutiae technique, which is
preferred mainly after the image processing algorithms, described
as pre-process.
Keywords – Fingerprint, Minutiae, Image Processing, Crossing
number, Biometric science.
I. INTRODUCTION
Using fingerprint as a biometric system is generally available
in more specific areas compared to other systems such as had
hand-held scanner, retinal scanning and voice recognition. In
Forensic Area fingerprints have been used regularly and
commonly for more than a hundred year and also the
automatic fingerprint defining systems were founded
approximately 50 years ago [1]. The fingerprint, which is used
to ensure security in military and forensic areas for long years,
is also important and used for datas security in private sectors
in the last years [2].
There are many different techniques to attain fingerprints as
it is commonly used in various areas.
There are some difficulties to define fingerprints and one of
the most difficult one is related to the quality of pictures
regarding with fingerprints [3]. In the defining systems the
processes, which are defined as pre-processing, are performed
to make the image enhancement. In this process, the aim is to
get better and clear results from data.
The researches among the various fingerprint matching
algorithms in the literature are mostly based on Minutiae
Matching. Minutiae techniques is the most preferred one along
with the hybrid feature matching and local methods [3].
In the process of defining fingerprints, it is possible to
perform the process in two ways: filtering and minutiae.
In the filtering technique, there are some filters to make the
images seem better, some of these filters are
Contrast Enhancement, Mean Value Method, Median
Filtering, Laplacion Filter.
The noises on the images can be removed by using some kinds
of filters on the images, which is possible by applying the
filters successively. Due to the fact that this process requires
being serially applied, much more complex algorithms are
generally preferred [4].
In the filtering technique, it is benefited from the datas like
fingerprint direction and frequency of the improved and
cleaned images [2]. The properties like the quality, magnitude
and clearness of the images gained from the fingerprint device
have a very important place in the filtering technique.
Moreover, if there is not a clear image, it becomes more
difficult to achieve true a results, in other techniques, but the
minutiae technique is the least affected technique from these
negative factors.
In the Minutiae technique, the points which differ from the
others on the fingerprint image are determined, and then they
are named according to their shapes suitable to their positions.
The main line and opposite lines determine the minutiae
classifications, which are ridge ending, bifurcation, dot, island,
lake, hook, bridge, double bifurcation, trifurcation, opposed
bifurcation, ridge crossing, opposed bifurcation/ridge ending
[5]. With the determination of these specific points, it is aimed
to match local points and it requires matching the identified
minutiae points instead of matching the fingerprints as image-
based. The storage of these points as data provides much
efficiency and less cost compared to the image based studies.
Through the determination of the minutiae points, it is
possible to identify the patterns of a person’s fingerprint as a
string, in which the standard properties of formerly determined
specific points are found.
 II. METHOD
Figure 1: Minutiae Exctraction Steps [1].
As in the figure 1, the first step of the Minutiae extraction
process is to transform the available image into the grayscale
image. Following this step, the process of threshold value is
performed, which is used to attain the black-white images.
2.1 The Step of Converting an Image into Grayscale Image
Grayscale image is the image which has only gray tones
colors. In fact, a gray color is the color in which red, green and
blue components all have equal density in RGB space.
Therefore, it requires stating only a density value for the three
density values of each pixel [6,7].
The usage of the grayscale images is very common as most
of our present time’s screen and image catching hardware can
support only 8 bit images. Moreover, most of the grayscale
images are sufficient in many areas in terms of usage, and thus
there is no need to use much more complex and difficult
colorful images [7].
In general, gray toning density is stored as an 8 bits integer
that gives possible 256 different gray tones from black to
white. The “0” value represents the black color while the
“255” value represents the White color [7].
In fact, the converting process of a colorful image to a gray
toned color through the grayscale method is attaining gray
toned images that have their equivalents in each color in the
RGB model [6,7].
The gray toned image can be gained by computing the
aritmetic mean that corresponds to the colors in RGB model.
However, this computation doesn’t precisely reflect the
sensitivity of detecting each color differently. For this reason,
to reach the most realistic and concrete result, the formula as
shown in (1) that is performed by scaling must be used [7,8].
Gray-Scale= 0,299 * R + 0,587 *G + 0,114*B (1)
2.2 The Step of Finding Threshold Value
During the binarization process, a thresholding process must
be performed after getting gray color.
This process is fundamental to determine whether black or
white color must be used for each pixel value of an image.
According to the determined thresholding value, one can
decide to use which color, black or white [9].
In the global thresholding, a random value is used for the
threshold value. However, in this process, it may not be
possible to get the same influence and result for the images
that have different color densities. Therefore, determining a
suitable dynamic threshold value peculiar to the image you
have and using that value is much more accurate [9,10].
There is another technique to determine threshold value:
Otsu threshold. This technique provides the most optimum
threshold value by converting the image on gray level to dual
level. First of all, color histogram is computed as it is
important to look at the numbers of each color density on
images and the process goes on according to this color
histogram [10].
The hypothesis that the image consists of two color class as
background image and foreground of the image is created and
then the intra-class variance value of this two colored class is
calculated for the all threshold values. The threshold value that
makes this value the lowest is called as the optimum threshold
value [10,11].
After applying these steps, A grayscale image is turned into
binarization image. A binarization images has only two
different values, the “0” value for black color and the “1”
value for white one [6,7].
2.3. The Step of Thinning
Thinning can be used for various applications, but it is more
beneficial to use it especially for Extracting Skeletons and
Medial Axis Transform [12]. In this mod, all the lines are
turned into only one pixel and it is necessary to have binary
image first, which we have attained in the first step of our
study.
In our study, The Zhang-Suen Thinning algorithm which is
based on the logic of extracting skeletons has been used [12].
Zhang-Suen Thinning Algorithm:
The application of this algorithm is not complex and slow,
also the iterations in this algorithm consists of two subordinate
parts. In the first one if the four conditions stated below are
carried out, one pixel I(i,j) is deleted [13]. These conditions
are:
1.) The connection number has the value of “1”.
2.) There can be at least two black neighbors and it is also
not more than 6.
3.) At least one of the I(i,j+1) ,I(i-1,j) and I(i,j-1) is white.
4.) At least one of the I(i-1,j),I(i+1,j) and I(i,j-1) is white.
In the second part of the iteration, the third and forth
conditions, belonging the first part, are changed as started
below:
1.) The connection number has the value of “1”.
2.) There can be at least two black neighbour and it is not
more than six.
 3.) At least one of the I(i-1,j),I(i,j+1) and I(i+1,j) is white.
4.) At least one of the I(i-1,j),I(i,j+1) and I(i,j-1) is white. P4 P3 P2
While applying the algorithm, if the repetitions used are
completed, the pixels carrying the necessary conditions are P5 P P1
deleted. If there are not any pixels to be deleted, then the
algorithm is ended [14].
P6 P7 P8
2.4. Minutiae Extraction
In a fingerprint defining system, it is necessary to match the
each user in database with the stored fingerprint template. This
process includes many computations and searching, which Figure2: 3×3 window for searching minutiae [16,17].
results in additional load. Therefore, we need to a fingerprint
classification system that helps us limit the dimension of In this method a 3x3 window is used and the minutiae points
database template dramatically. In order to achieve this goal, are extracted by searching and scanning the neighbourhood of
minutiae properties are extracted and then they are matched very ridge pixel in an image.
with the fingerprints. The dimension of template that bases on After that, the CN is calculated and it refers to the sum of
the minutiae technique is small and most of the fingerprint differences between adjoined pixels. For the P point that
defining systems depend on this minutiae technique, too [15]. belongs to 3x3 window, the process is performed counter
Minutiae points are the specific points that belong to a clockwise for the eight neighboring pixels [16,17].
fingerprint image and are used to make the image unique.
Minutiae can be defined as the points on which ridge lines end The CN value for a ridge pixel is calculated as shown below
or bifurcate and there are many minutiae types [15]. in (2) [18].

Minutiae types:
§ If the ridge ends suddenly, that points is called as (2)
‘ridge ending’.
§ If one ridge branches out into one or more ridges, then The types of points that refer to calculated CN values are as
it is ‘ridge bifurcation’. in the below [19].
§ Too small ridges are called as ‘ridge dots’.
§ If the ridges are a bit longer than the dots and are found CN Property
between two diverging ridges, they are called as
’ridge islands’. 0 Isolated Point
§ If there is nothing between two diverging ridges then
1 Ridge ending point
they are lakes.
§ If small ridges participate in two longer ridges, then 2 Continuing ridge point
they are ‘bridges’.
3 Bifurcation point
§ If two ridges cross one another, then they are called as
‘crossovers’ [15]. 4 Crossing point
Among these minutiae types, ridge ending and ridge
Figure 3: Crossing number types [19].
bifurcation are the most common minutiae types.
In the minutiae technique, after our first step pre-processing
The ending point that has ‘1’ value for the CN number and
are completed, then it is time to extract minutiae. In this
the bifurcation that has “3” value for CN number are as in the
process, the most widespread minutiae extraction technique is
the “crossing number”, in which minutiae points are identified. Figure 4 stated below [20].
This technique is generally preferred to extract minutiae points
due to its pureness, simplicity and performance efficiency.

Cross Number Technique:

This is the most common minutiae extraction method and it
is shown as CN referring to crossing number.

Figure 4: Ending Point and Bifurcation [20].

 The identifying process is fulfilled according to the specific
properties of the minutiae points. These properties can be
stated as the x and y coordinate points, the calculated angle
value of the minutiae and also the type of the minutiae. After
these processes, it is possible to identify a person through
these flocks of minutiae.
2.5. Post-Processing Technique:
This process is the last process and it is performed after the
extraction of minutiae points.
After identifying the minutiae points, the wrong points that
are not clear and explicit are extracted and then these points
are deleted [18, 19]. Using more accurate and clear minutiae
points increases the accuracy of the identifying processes.
III. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS
In this study, the dataset of fingerprint images from Cornell
University was used which consists of 6.000 fingerprint
images of 600 persons [21]. The dimension of the each
fingerprint image is 96x103 size and bmp.
In the proposed method, the fingerprint image is first
converted to a black-and-white image. This binary image is
then applied to the Thinning process and the Crossing number
technique. Finally, minutiae points are deduced according to
CN value. After these stages, the value of the minutiae points
belonging to the fingerprint picture is recorded in the file in
text format. These four fields are the coordinate information (x
and y values), angle values and the class name of the minutiae
type. The process is completed by keeping the file format as
string. The outputs of the steps applied to the
original fingerprint image are shown in Figure 5, Figure 6,
Figure 7, Figure 8 below.
Figure 5: Fingerpint Image.
Figure 6: Binary Image.
Figure 7: The Image following the thinning process.
Figure 8: Minutiae Points.
IV. CONCLUSION
In this article, it is aimed to inform about the fingerprint
identifying system, which is a very popular technique among
the biometric applications in technology. Moreover, the
identifying process has been applied to ensure high quality of
fingerprint images through the minutiae technique and in the
end, an output in the text format that includes specific points to
identify a person has been attained.
When compared to the comparisons of images, much faster
results have been attained by means of text matching
technique.
The necessary steps for the process of extracting minutiae
have been defined through the optimum parameters and in
each step the optimum techniques have been applied.
Especially the design of each step’s working in parallel in
itself is a very important acquisition as it means the more
parallel the processes are, the faster results you gain. In our
next studies, it is especially aimed to search the parallel
implementation of the process of extracting minutiae by
depending on this framework.
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