Radar-based authentication

• US 10,503,883 B1
• Filed: 10/06/2016
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Gillian, Nicholas Edward, Poupyrev, Ivan, Schwesig, Carsten C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thiaw, Catherine
• Application Number:
  US15/287,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/21 characterised by their sensors, purposes or types
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/56 for presence detection presence detection using near field arrangements G01V3/00, e.g. G01V3/08, G01V3/12; burglar, theft or intruder alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22 - G08B13/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/66 Radar-tracking systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/888 through wall detection
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/90 using synthetic aperture techniques , e.g. synthetic aperture radar [SAR] techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/904 SAR modes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4004 of parts of a radar system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/41 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation; Target signature; Target cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/415 Identification of targets based on measurements of movement associated with the target
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/245 : Query processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/217 : Validation; Performance evaluation; Active pattern learning techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/25 : Fusion techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/253 : of extracted features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/28 : Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/41 : Interactive pattern learning with a human teacher
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 : using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 : Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 : Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2105 : Dual mode as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 : Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 : Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 : with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 : Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 : for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 : Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 : Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/75 : involving models
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/806 : of extracted features
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/64 : Three-dimensional objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 : Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 : using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/93 : Remote control using other portable devices, e.g. mobile phone, PDA, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/883 : where the sensing device enters an active or inactive mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 : Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 : using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

This document describes techniques and devices for radar-based authentication. The techniques describe a radar-based authentication component that is configured to recognize biometric characteristics associated with a person or gestures performed by the person. Then, by comparing the biometric characteristics or gestures with an authentication library, an authentication state may be determined which allows or restricts access to a device or application.

Claims

1. An authentication module implemented at least partially in hardware of a computing device and configured to initiate one or more authentication states based on biometric characteristics

by performing operations comprising:

initiating transmission of outgoing frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radio frequency (RF) radar signals via a plurality of transmitting antennas of the computing device using beamforming techniques, the transmitting antennas collocated to enable the beamforming techniques such that a radiation pattern generated by the transmitting antennas comprises constructive interference and destructive interference;

receiving, via a plurality of receiving antennas of the computing device that are separate from the transmitting antennas, incoming RF signals generated by the outgoing FMCW RF radar signals reflecting off a person, a number of the receiving antennas greater than or equal to a number of the transmission antennas;

analyzing the incoming RF signals to determine a spatial representation of the person;

comparing the spatial representation of the person with stored biometric characteristics in an authentication library to recognize the person as a known person or a known type of person; and

determining an authentication state associated with the known person or known type of person from the authentication library.

2. The authentication module of claim 1, wherein the authentication state enables or restricts access to the computing device, an application executing on the computing device, or a remote device.

3. The authentication module of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

initiating a first authentication state which permits the person to access the computing device or an application executing on the computing device if the person is recognized as the known person; and

initiating a second authentication state which restricts the person from accessing the computing device or the application if the person is not recognized as the known person.

4. The authentication module of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

initiating a first authentication state which permits the person to access the computing device or an application executing on the computing device if the person is recognized as a first type of person; and

initiating a second authentication state which restricts the person from accessing the computing device or the application if the person is recognized as a second type of person.

5. The authentication module of claim 4, wherein

one of the first type of person or the second type of person corresponds to an adult and the other of the first type of person or the second type of person corresponds to a child.

6. The authentication module of claim 1, wherein the stored biometric characteristics comprise at least one of a height or a skeletal structure associated with the known person or type of person.

7. The authentication module of claim 1, wherein the stored biometric characteristics comprise a walking gait of the known person.

8. The authentication module of claim 1, wherein the spatial representation of the person is detected based on the incoming RF signals having been reflected off bone tissue of the person, and

wherein the spatial representation of the person comprises a skeletal structure or walking gait of the person.

9. The authentication module of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, via the receiving antennas, additional incoming RF signals generated by additional outgoing FMCW RF radar signals reflecting off one or more gestures performed by the person;

analyzing the additional incoming RF signals to determine one or more characteristics of the one or more gestures performed by the person;

comparing the one or more characteristics of the one or more gestures with stored gesture in the authentication library to recognize the one or more gestures as a pre-configured authentication gesture; and

wherein the authentication module determines the authentication state based at least in part on the one or more gestures being recognized as the pre-configured authentication gesture.

10. The authentication module of claim 1, wherein:

the transmitting antennas comprise two transmitting antennas for transmitting the FMCW RF radar signals; and

the receiving antennas comprise four antennas for receiving the incoming RF signals.

11. A method of determining an authentication state performed by a computing device, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the computing device and via transmitting antennas of the computing device using beamforming techniques, a plurality of outgoing frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) radio frequency (RF) radar signals, the transmitting antennas collocated to enable the beamforming such that a radiation pattern generated by the transmitting antennas comprises constructive interference and destructive interference;

capturing, by the computing device and via a plurality of receiving antennas of the computing device that are separate from the transmitting antennas, incoming RF signals generated by the plurality of outgoing FMCW RF radar signals reflecting off a person, a number of the receiving antennas being greater than or equal to a number of the transmitting antennas;

determining, by the computing device, a spatial representation of the person from the captured incoming RF signals;

comparing, by the computing device, the spatial representation of the person to an authentication library;

recognizing, by the computing device, an authentication state corresponding to the spatial representation of the person using the authentication library; and

initiating, by the computing device, the recognized authentication state.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the authentication state enables or restricts access to the computing device, an application executing on the computing device, or a remote device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the spatial representation of the person comprises at least one biometric characteristic of the person.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one biometric characteristic of the person is recognized without the person'"'"'s active engagement with the computing device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the spatial representation of the person comprises at least one gesture performed by a person.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the FMCW RF radar signals and the incoming RF signals correspond to a frequency band included as part of a Wi-Fi radio spectrum.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the transmitting antennas comprise two transmitting antennas for transmitting the FMCW RF radar signals; and

the receiving antennas comprise four antennas for receiving the incoming RF signals.

18. A computing device comprising:

a processing system;

an authentication component implemented at least partially in hardware, the authentication component including;

a three-dimensional object detection system configured to detect an input involving orientation or movement of an object in three-dimensional space, the three-dimensional object detection system comprising;

a radio frequency (RF) transmitter configured to transmit frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) RF radar signals via a plurality of transmitting antennas of the computing device using beamforming techniques, the transmitting antennas collocated to enable the beamforming such that a radiation pattern generated by the transmitting comprises constructive interference and destructive interference;

an RF receiver configured to receive incoming RF signals via a plurality of receiving antennas of the computing device that are separate from the transmitting antennas, a number of the receiving antennas being greater than or equal to a number of the transmitting antennas, and the incoming RF signals generated by the plurality of outgoing FMCW RF radar signals reflecting off the object; and

a radar processing module configured to determine the orientation or movement of the object from the received incoming RF signals; and

an authentication module configured to;

compare the orientation or movement of the object to an authentication library;

recognize an authentication state corresponding to the orientation or movement of the object using the authentication library; and

initiate the recognized authentication state.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein:

the transmitting antennas comprise two transmitting antennas for transmitting the FMCW RF radar signals; and

the receiving antennas comprise four antennas for receiving the incoming RF signals.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein:

the object comprises a human; and

the orientation or movement of the object corresponds to a walking gait of the human.