IP Library Granted Patent US 12,555,207
Granted Patent B2
US 12,555,207 · App. 18/112,701 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Fingerphoto deblurring using deep learning GAN architectures

Inventors: Nasser M. Nasrabadi (Morgantown, WV); Jeremy M. Dawson (Fairmont, WV); Amol Joshi (Morgantown, WV); Ali Dabouei (Morgantown, WV)
Assignee: WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY BOARD OF GOVERNORS ON BEHALF OF WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
G06T5/73G06T3/4046G06T2207/20016
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,555,207
App. No.
18/112,701
Granted
Feb 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

Various examples are provided related to fingerphoto deblurring. In one example, a method includes generating, using a guided-attention (GA) mechanism, an intermediate feature map of a blurred image of a fingerprint and generating a deblurred image of the fingerprint based at least in part upon the intermediate feature map. The GA mechanism can generate the intermediate feature map by generating an attended feature map from an input feature map based upon a predicted attention map and adding the input feature map to the attended feature map. A system can include processing circuitry and a fingerphoto deblurring application that, when executed by the processing circuitry, causes the processing circuitry to generate the intermediate feature map and generate the deblurred image.

Claims (33)

1 . A method, comprising:

obtaining a blurred image of a fingerprint;

generating, using a guided-attention (GA) mechanism, an intermediate feature map of the blurred image, wherein the GA mechanism generates the intermediate feature map by:

generating an attended feature map from an input feature map based upon a predicted attention map; and

adding the input feature map to the attended feature map; and

generating a deblurred image of the fingerprint based at least in part upon the intermediate feature map.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predicted attention map is generated from the input feature map using a convolutional layer and a Sigmoid function.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the attended feature map comprises multiplying the input feature map with the predicted attention map.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the attended feature map is normalized by a 2D batch normalization.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the input feature map is generated from an intermediate feature map generated by a preceding GA mechanism.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the input feature map is generated by up-sampling the intermediate feature map generated by the preceding GA mechanism.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the deblurred image is generated from the intermediate feature map using a convolutional layer.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the deblurred image is a deblurred output image of the fingerprint having a resolution equal to the blurred image of the fingerprint, the deblurred output image generated by:

up-sampling the intermediate feature map; and

applying a convolutional layer.

9 . The method of claim 1 , comprising identifying a blurring type associated with the blurred image based upon the intermediate feature map.

10 . The method of claim 1 , comprising generating a second intermediate feature map of the blurred image using a second GA mechanism, the second intermediate feature map having a resolution less than the intermediate feature map.

11 . The method of claim 1 , comprising determining a reconstruction loss based upon a comparison of the deblurred image and a corresponding ground truth image.

12 . A system, comprising:

processing circuitry comprising a processor and memory; and

a fingerphoto deblurring application executable by the processing circuitry, where execution of the fingerphoto deblurring application causes the processing circuitry to:

generate, using a guided-attention (GA) mechanism, an intermediate feature map of a blurred image of a fingerprint, wherein the GA mechanism generates the intermediate feature map by:

generating an attended feature map from an input feature map based upon a predicted attention map; and

adding the input feature map to the attended feature map; and

generate a deblurred image of the fingerprint based at least in part upon the intermediate feature map.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the predicted attention map is generated from the input feature map using a convolutional layer and a Sigmoid function.

14 . The system of claim 12 , wherein generating the attended feature map comprises multiplying the input feature map with the predicted attention map.

15 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the input feature map is generated from an intermediate feature map generated by a preceding GA mechanism.

16 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the deblurred image is generated from the intermediate feature map using a convolutional layer.

17 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the deblurred image is generated by:

up-sampling the intermediate feature map; and

applying a convolutional layer.

18 . The system of claim 12 , comprising execution of the fingerphoto deblurring application causes the processing circuitry to generate a second intermediate feature map of the blurred image using a second GA mechanism, the second intermediate feature map having a resolution less than the intermediate feature map.

Assignments (2)
CONFIRMATORY LICENSE Recorded Feb 10, 2025
From: WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CORPORATION
To: NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Reel/Frame 070161/0303 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 21, 2023
From: NASRABADI, NASSER M.; DAWSON, JEREMY M.; JOSHI, AMOL; DABOUEI, ALI
To: WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY BOARD OF GOVERNORS ON BEHALF OF WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY
Reel/Frame 064012/0167 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63312719 · Feb 22, 2022
Related Publication 20230281762A1 · Sep 7, 2023
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