Real-time multi-face detection on FPGA for video surveillance applications

In the field of face recognition and in the establishment of a face database, face detection is a crucial step. In current security and surveillance systems, most of the face detection proposed now is focused on software algorithms to improve the detection rate and decrease false alarms. However, these more complex algorithms require more computation time, which hinders real-time applications. In this paper, we propose a real-time multi-face detection system based on hardware design to enhance processing time. The proposed hardware architecture is implemented on an Altera DE2-70 field-programmable gate array development board to test the feasibility of our hardware design. To implement, our system requires 15,223 logic elements. The proposed system can operate in real-time at a frame rate of 30fps, and detects up to five faces simultaneously. Our experimental results show that the proposed face detection architecture provides a reliable real-time system operating at low cost and providing a high detection rate.