Fingerprint image input device and living body identification method using fingerprint image

• US 20030044051A1
• Filed: 08/22/2002
• Published: 03/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vista Peak Ventures LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Fujieda, Ichiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,181,052 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1347 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/40 Spoof detection, e.g. liveness detection

Abstract

A color image sensor sequentially acquires a plurality of fingerprint images when a finger is pressed against the detector surface. A color information extraction unit detects the finger color in synchronization with the input of the plurality of fingerprint images. An areal information extraction unit detects a physical quantity representing the pressure applied by the finger to the color image sensor when the plurality of fingerprint images are acquired, particularly, the quantity related with the area of the finger in contact with the detector surface. A living body identification unit determines whether the finger is a live or dead one by the analysis of correlation between the physical quantity and the finger color. According to this configuration, even if the finger color does not change much, it is possible to distinguish living bodies from dead ones if there is a sufficient correlation with information such as the area of the fingerprint that reflects the finger pressure. The thickness of the fingerprint input unit is approximately 1-2 mm, determined by the sum of the thickness of the planar light source and that of the color image sensor.

Claims

1. A fingerprint image input device comprising:

an image input unit for sequentially acquiring a plurality of fingerprint images of a finger pressed against a detector surface;

a color detection unit for detecting a color of said finger in synchronization with input of said plurality of fingerprint images;

a pressure detection unit for detecting a physical quantity reflecting a pressure applied by said finger to said detector surface when said plurality of fingerprint images are acquired; and

a determination unit for determining whether said finger is a live or dead one by analyzing a correlation between said physical quantity and the color of said finger.

2. The fingerprint image input device according to claim 1, wherein said color detection unit comprises a circuit for calculating an average of colors of a specific area in a center of each of said plurality of fingerprint images.

3. The fingerprint image input device according to claim 1, wherein said pressure detection unit comprises a circuit for processing said fingerprint image data and said physical quantity is a quantity related with an area of said finger in contact with the detector surface.

4. The, fingerprint image input device according to claim 1, wherein said pressure detection unit is a pressure sensor located on a back or a periphery of said image input unit.

5. The fingerprint image input device according to claim 1, wherein said image input unit is a fingerprint image sensor formed on a transparent substrate and sensitive to capacitance or pressure and said fingerprint image sensor has a light source and a color sensor located on the back thereof.

6. The fingerprint image input device according to claim 1, wherein said, image input unit has a prism having a face where said finger touches, a light source emitting light to said prism to irradiate said finger in a slanting direction and an optical system for focusing light returned from the face in contact with said finger on an image sensor.

7. A fingerprint image input device comprising:

a color image sensor for acquiring color image data of a fingerprint of a finger in close contact with an image input surface;

an image temporary storage unit for storing said fingerprint image data;

an areal information extraction unit for extracting areal information of said fingerprint from said fingerprint image data;

a color information extraction unit for extracting color information of said fingerprint; and

a living body identification unit for determining whether said finger is a live or dead one by examining a correlation between said areal information and color information and by referring to a predetermined threshold and a coefficient of correlation with the fingerprint area calculated for each of predetermined colors.

8. The fingerprint image input device according to claim 7, wherein said areal information extraction unit extracts the areal information of said fingerprint by a calculation extracting fingerprint ridges and valleys from said fingerprint image data and a calculation calculating an area of said ridge and valley regions of the fingerprint.

9. The fingerprint image input device according to claim 7, wherein said color information extraction unit conducts a calculation for selecting a specific area of said fingerprint, for example, a central area of said fingerprint and a calculation for calculating an average of each of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in said specific area.

10. The fingerprint image input device according to claim 8, wherein said color information extraction unit conducts a calculation for selecting a specific area of said fingerprint, for example, a central area of said fingerprint and a calculation for calculating an average of each of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in said specific area.

11. A fingerprint-based living body identification method comprising the steps of:

acquiring a color fingerprint image data of a finger in close contact with an image input surface;

storing said fingerprint image data in a temporary memory;

extracting an areal information of said fingerprint from said fingerprint image data;

extracting a color information of said fingerprint; and

determining whether said finger is a live or dead one by examining a correlation between said areal information and said color information and by referring to a predetermined threshold and a coefficient of correlation with the fingerprint area calculated for each of predetermined colors.

12. The fingerprint-based living body identification method according to claim 11, wherein said extracting of said areal information extracts the areal information of said fingerprint by a calculation extracting fingerprint ridges and valleys from said fingerprint image data and a calculation calculating an area of said ridge and valley regions of the fingerprint.

13. The fingerprint-based living body identification method according to claim 11, wherein said extracting of said color information conducts a calculation for selecting a specific area of said fingerprint, for example, a central area of said fingerprint and a calculation for calculating an average of each of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in said specific area.

14. The fingerprint-based living body identification method according to claim 12, wherein said extracting of said color information conducts a calculation for selecting a specific area of said fingerprint, for example, a central area of said fingerprint and a calculation for calculating an average of each of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) in said specific area.