Apparatus and method of biometric determination using specialized optical spectroscopy systems

• US 20020183624A1
• Filed: 06/05/2001
• Published: 12/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HID Global Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Rio Grande Medical Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Rowe, Robert K., Hendee, Shonn P., Corcoran, Stephen P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,890,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/476
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0059 using light, e.g. diagnosis by transillumination, diascopy, fluorescence A61B5/0093, A61B5/1455, A61B5/02416 and A61B5/0261 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/117 Identification of persons methods or arrangements for recognising patterns, e.g. fingerprints, G06F18/00, G06V40/00; identification of persons by analysing their voice or speech G10L17/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/681 Wristwatch-type devices
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7264 Classification of physiological signals or data, e.g. using neural networks, statistical classifiers, expert systems or fuzzy systems neural networks per se G06N3/00; expert systems per se G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 5/00 Nanobiotechnology or nanomedicine, e.g. protein engineering or drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00563 using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for performing biometric determinations using optical spectroscopy of tissue. The biometric determinations that are disclosed include determination or verifications of identity, estimation of age, estimation of sex, determination of sample liveness and sample authenticity. The apparatuses disclosed are based upon discrete light sources such as light emitting diodes, laser diodes, vertical cavity surface emitting lasers, and broadband sources with multiple narrow-band optical filters. The multiple light sources are encoded in a manner that the tissue response for each source can be efficiently measured. The light sources are spaced at multiple distances from a detector to contribute differing information to the biometric determination task as do light sources with different wavelength characteristics. Apparatuses are disclosed that incorporate a spectral biometric sensor with a personal electronic device such as cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, wristwatches, electronic fobs for the purpose of providing secure biometric access to protected property.

Claims

1. A system for collecting spectral information from tissue for performing biometric determination tasks comprising:

a plurality of discrete light sources;

means to encode the light sources;

means to direct the light into the tissue;

means to detect light that has substantially passed through sub-surface tissue;

means to record and store the resulting detector signals; and

means for processing the resulting spectral data to perform a biometric determination.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said light sources are light emitting diodes.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said light sources are laser diodes.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said light sources are vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs).

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said light sources are based on one or more incandescent sources coupled to a plurality of optical filters.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said means to encode the light sources is electronic.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said means to encode the light sources is electromechanical.

8. The system as recited in claim 7, wherein said electromechanical means of encoding is a micro electromechanical system (MEMS) assembly.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said means to encode the light sources is mechanical.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said encoding causes a sequential series of single light sources to illuminate the tissue during the tissue sampling interval.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said encoding causes combinations of light sources to illuminate the tissue during the sampling interval.

12. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said means to direct the light into the tissue causes the light to enter the tissue at substantially the same source-detector distance for all combinations of sources and detectors.

13. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said means to direct the light into the tissue causes the light to enter the tissue at substantially different source-detector distances for some combinations of sources and detectors.

14. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said tissue is skin.

15. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said means to detect light is a single-element detector.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said single element detector is a silicon detector.

17. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said single element detector is an indium gallium arsenide detector.

18. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said single element detector is an lead sulfide detector.

19. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein said single element detector is a bolometer.

20. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said means to detect light is a detector array.

21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein said detector array is a silicon detector array.

22. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said detected light is diffusely reflected from the tissue.

23. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said detected light is transmitted through the tissue.

24. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said biometric determination is an identification task.

25. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said biometric determination is a identity verification task.

26. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said biometric determination is an age estimation task.

27. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said biometric determination is a sex estimation task.

28. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said biometric determination is a liveness determination task.

29. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said biometric determination is an authentic-sample determination task.

30. An illumination system for collecting spectral information from tissue for performing biometric determination tasks comprising:

a plurality of discrete light sources; and

means to encode the intensity of the light sources.

31. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein said light sources are all substantially the same distance from a common point.

32. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein said light sources are light emitting diodes.

33. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein said light sources are laser diodes.

34. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein said light sources are vertical cavity surface emitting lasers.

35. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein said light sources are optical filters coupled to one or more incandescent light sources.

36. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein said light sources are arranged to be at two or more substantially different distances from a common point.

37. The system as recited in claim 36 wherein said light sources are light emitting diodes.

38. The system as recited in claim 36 wherein said light sources are laser diodes.

39. The system as recited in claim 36 wherein said light sources are vertical cavity surface emitting lasers.

40. The system as recited in claim 36 wherein said light sources are optical filters coupled to one or more incandescent light sources.

41. The system as recited in claim 30, wherein said means to encode the light sources is electronic.

42. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein said means to encode the light sources is electromechanical.

43. The system as recited in claim 42, wherein said electromechanical means of encoding is a micro electromechanical system (MEMS) assembly.

44. The system as recited in claim 31, wherein said means to encode the light sources is mechanical.

46. The method recited in claim 45 wherein said spectral data represents a single source-detector separation distance.

47. The method recited in claim 45 wherein said spectral data represents a plurality of source-detector separation distances.

48. The method recited in claim 45 wherein said biometric determination is an identification task.

49. The method recited in claim 45 wherein said biometric determination is an identity verification task.

50. The method recited in claim 45 wherein said biometric determination is an age estimation task.

51. The method recited in claim 45 wherein said biometric determination is a sex estimation task.

52. The method recited in claim 45 wherein said biometric determination is a liveness determination task.

53. The method recited in claim 45 wherein said biometric determination is a sample authenticity task.

45. A method for performing a biometric determination task using tissue spectral data, said spectral data having a number of measurement values, comprising the steps of:

obtaining target tissue spectral data from said target individual using illumination from a number of discrete light sources; and

processing said target tissue spectral data using multivariate algorithms to produce a biometric determination.

54. A personal identification system for performing biometric determination tasks to enable access to protected property, comprising:

a personal device;

a spectral biometric sensor;

means for processing the resulting spectral data to perform a biometric determination; and

means to authorize access or deny access to the protected property in accordance with the results of the biometric determination.

55. A system as recited in claim 54, wherein the personal device is a personal digital assistant.

56. A system as recited in claim 54, wherein the personal device is a cellular telephone.

57. A system as recited in claim 54, wherein the personal device is a wristwatch.

58. A system as recited in claim 54, wherein the personal device is an electronic fob.

59. A system as recited in claim 54, wherein the personal device is a smart card.

60. A system as recited in claim 54, wherein the personal device is a firearm.

61. A method for limiting access to protected property using a biometric sensor comprising steps of:

collecting biometric enrollment data from known unauthorized people;

collecting target biometric data from target people;

comparing said target biometric data to said unauthorized enrollment data; and

denying access to said protected property if match between said target biometric data and said unauthorized enrollment data is determined.

62. The method recited in claim 61, wherein said biometric sensor is a spectral biometric sensor.

63. The method recited in claim 61, wherein said protected property is a weapon.

64. The method recited in claim 63, wherein said weapon is a firearm.