Recognition of motion-blurred images by use of the method of moments

Image motion causes a blur that changes features of objects and therefore complicates the task of automatic recognition. In this work we develop two recognition methods for motion-blurred images. For the first method we assume that the motion function and direction during the exposure are given. We develop the relation between the blurred-image moments and the original-image moments based on the motion function only. The recognition is carried out by comparing the moments of the restored image against the moments of the image database. In the second method the motion function is not known. In this case image moments that are invariant with respect to the motion blur are identified, and only these moments are used for recognition. The advantage of the suggested methods is that no time-consuming image restoration is required prior to recognition. © 2002 Optical Society of America.