Method and apparatus for contactless hand recognition

• US 20040017934A1
• Filed: 07/29/2002
• Published: 01/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Right Problem LLC
• Original Assignee: Robert William Kocher
• Inventors: Kocher, Robert William
• Granted Patent: US 7,616,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/11 Hand-related biometrics; Hand pose recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/45 Detection of the body part being alive

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for Contactless Hand Recognition (CHR) for positive identification of cooperative individuals seeking access to physical, logical, or informational systems. Contactless Hand Recognition (CHR) is based on a novel technique and apparatus that rapidly and contactlessly captures a livescan hand geometry video image with a visible wavelength, infrared, or thermal camera of a person desiring access, then reduces the image to a template, compares the livescan template to a reference template, and determines if there is a match. Contactless Hand Recognition (CHR) is a significant advancement over current state-of-the-art hand recognition systems because authentication is done contactlessly while on the move, and at a distance, while simultaneously verifying liveness. It can also be combined with a personal knowledge process to include the use of a Personnel Identification Number (PIN), a secret contactless sign (SCS), or unique hand/finger position biometrics known only to the user. The CHR invention offers the possibility for users to have a rapid, fully contactless three-factor system of authentication based on contactless tokens, biometrics, and personal knowledge identification signs.

Claims

1. A contactless hand recognition system for identifying an individual, comprising:

an imaging device producing a video image signal of a person'"'"'s hand;

a computer-processing unit;

an image processing unit contained in said computer-processing unit, connected to said imaging device for receiving said video image of a person'"'"'s hand based on measurable biometrics characteristics of said hand with the image comprising at least one of;

(i) finger dimensions, (ii) palm dimensions, (iii) location of visible features on hand, (iv) location of thermal features of the hand, and (v) entire hand;

a software program within said image processing unit that extracts said persons hand image from said video image;

a minutia generator that processes said extracted hand image to generate minutia points;

a software program to convert the minutia to a biometric template using a mathematical relationship between said minutia points;

a database of individual records containing biometric templates;

a biometric template match system that compares and computes a percentage of match between said video image biometric template and said biometric template from said database; and

an output signal which is produced when said match percentage exceeds a set threshold or a different output signal when said match does not exceed said set threshold.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, with the addition of a physical token that presents a unique identification number wherein said token'"'"'s communication media comprises at least one of:

(i) radio frequency, (ii) laser, (iii) light, (iv) infrared, (v) acoustics, and (vi) mechanical contact;

a transmitter/receiver for said token communication signal;

a database to link said token to an individual'"'"'s record containing a biometric template; and

a software-processing program to verify said token is valid.

3. The system as defined in claim 2, wherein said physical token is a contactless token.

4. The system as defined in claim 1, used in conjunction with a facial recognition system.

5. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein said imaging device is an infrared camera.

6. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein said database includes access authorization information.

13. A three factor authentication system combining the hand recognition system as defined in claim 1 combined with the physical token system as defined in claim 2 further combined with the unique hand position system as defined in claim 7.

14. The system as defined in claim 13, wherein said physical token is a contactless token.

15. The system as defined in claim 13, wherein said imaging device is an infrared camera.

16. The system as defined in claim 13, wherein said database includes access authorization information.

7. A system for authenticating an individual through a unique hand position, comprising:

a physical token that presents a unique identification number wherein said token'"'"'s communication media comprises at least one of;

(i) radio frequency, (ii) laser, (iii) light, (iv) infrared, (v) acoustics, and (vi) mechanical contact;

a transmitter/receiver for said token communication signal;

a database to link said token to an individual'"'"'s record containing a unique hand position template;

a software processing program to verify the token is valid;

an imaging device for producing video image signals of a person'"'"'s hand;

a minutia generator connected to said imaging device for receiving said video image of a person'"'"'s hand based on measurable biometrics characteristics of said hand image'"'"'s comprising at least one of;

(i) finger dimensions, (ii) palm dimensions, (iii) location of visible features on hand, (iv) location of thermal features of the hand, and (v) entire hand;

a software process program to convert the minutia into a unique hand position template using a mathematical relationship between said minutia points;

a unique hand position template match system that compares and computes a percentage of match between said video image unique hand position template to unique hand position template from said database and produces a signal when the match percentage exceeds a set threshold or a different signal when the match does not exceed the set threshold;

8. The system as defined in claim 7 for authenticating an individual through a video image of a person'"'"'s unique hand position wherein said unique hand position is replaced with another biometric selected from the list of a face, arm, ear, head, or second hand.

9. The system as defined in claim 7, wherein several hand signal are stored in a reference database with each hand signal corresponding to a specific meaning.

10. The system as defined in claim 7, wherein said physical token is a contactless token.

11. The system as defined in claim 7, wherein said imaging device is an infrared camera.

12. The system as defined in claim 7, wherein said database includes access authorization information.

17. A method for authenticating or identifying an individual through the video image of a person'"'"'s hand comprising:

presenting a hand contactlessly to a video camera;

acquiring and capturing image of said hand;

processing said image to isolate said hand image from its background;

processing said hand image to produce minutia points;

computing a livescan biometric template from distances, dimensions, ratios, and vectors from said minutia;

comparing said live scan biometric template with reference templates stored in a database;

computing a matching score based on matching algorithms that compare said referenced biometric templates to the said live scan biometric template;

determining a biometric match or non-match based on said matching algorithms score and matching criteria; and

presenting said biometric match or non-match result via an output device.

18. The method of claim 17 for authenticating or identifying an individual through a video image of a person'"'"'s hand wherein the process is initiated by a physical token electronic input.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said physical token electronic input is provided from a contactless token.

20. The method of claim 17 for authenticating or identifying an individual through a video image of a person'"'"'s hand wherein said biometric match was concluded and wherein said method is followed by the following additional steps to authenticate an individual by verifying an individual'"'"'s unique knowledge a unique hand position comprising:

contactlessly presenting said hand in a unique hand position selected from the list of;

hand orientation, finger position, hand angle, and selected fingers extended or closed;

acquiring and capturing an image of said unique hand position;

processing said image to isolate said unique hand position from its background;

processing said unique hand position to reduce it to minutia points;

computing a livescan unique hand position template from distances, dimensions, ratios, and vectors from said minutia;

comparing said livescan unique hand position template with reference template stored in a database;

computing a matching score based on matching algorithms that compare referenced templates to said live scan unique hand position;

determining a biometric match or non-match based on said matching algorithms score and matching criteria; and

presenting said livescan unique hand position match or non-match via an output device.

21. The method of claim 20 for authenticating or identifying an individual through a video image of a person'"'"'s unique hand position wherein said unique hand position is replaced or augmented with another body part selected from the list of a face, arm, ear, head, or second hand.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein comparing said livescan unique hand position template with reference template stored in a database is expanded to compare to several stored reference templates whereby each reference template has a unique meaning.