Personal authentication device

• US 20040184641A1
• Filed: 07/14/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miura, Naota, Miyatake, Takafumi, Nagasaka, Akio, Kashimura, Yuichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,245,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/145 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

A compact authentication device that prevents user from feeling pressure and is strong against external light, when capturing an image of a finger blood vessel pattern with transmitted light. The device includes a guidance part for determining the finger position, a light source disposed on at least one side of the guidance part to emit light to be transmitted though the finger, an image capture part for capturing the transmitted light, a shading unit for limiting an irradiation region of the light, a finger thickness measuring unit, a unit for controlling a light amount of the light source based on a result of the measurement, a unit for recording registered image patterns of the finger, a unit for collating a captured image pattern from the image capture part with the registered patterns, and a unit for controlling different processing according to the collation result.

Claims

1. A personal authentication device comprising:

a light source for emitting light to be transmitted through a finger;

an image capture part for capturing the light; and

a light amount adjustment unit for adjusting an amount of light transmitted through the finger and input to said image capture part, and an amount of light reflected by a surface of a side face of the finger and input to said image capture part,

wherein said light source is disposed in a horizontal direction or a horizontally slanted direction with respect to an image capture face of the finger.

2. The personal authentication device according to claim 1, wherein said light amount adjustment unit is a shading unit for controlling an irradiation region of the finger for the light emitted from said light source.

3. The personal authentication device according to claim 2, wherein said shading unit is disposed in such a position that shades the light applied to an image capture part side of the finger.

4. The personal authentication device according to claim 1, wherein said light source increases an amount of light applied to a specific region of the finger and serves also as said light amount adjustment unit.

5. The personal authentication device according to claim 1, wherein said light source emits light from at least two directions at shifted timing, and said image capture part captures an image according to the timing.

6. The personal authentication device according to claim 1, further comprising a guidance part for determining a position of the finger.

7. The personal authentication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reflection unit for reflecting light,

wherein irradiation is performed from the at least two directions by reflecting the light emitted from said light source.

8. The personal authentication device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a unit for measuring thickness of the finger,

wherein an amount of said light source is controlled on the basis of a measurement result supplied from said image capture unit.

9. A personal authentication system comprising:

a recording unit for recording a plurality of registered captured image patterns of the finger;

the personal authentication device according to claim 1;

a collation unit for collating a captured image pattern supplied from said image capture part with the registered patterns; and

a control unit for controlling different processing according to a result of the collation.

10. A personal authentication device comprising:

a light source for emitting light to be transmitted through a finger;

an image capture part for capturing the light transmitted through the finger; and

a light amount adjustment unit for adjusting an amount of light emitted from said light source and applied to the finger according to a region of the finger,

wherein said light source is disposed in a horizontal direction or a horizontally slanted direction with respect to an image capture face of the finger.

11. The personal authentication device according to claim 10, wherein said light amount adjustment unit is a shading unit for controlling an irradiation region of the finger for the light emitted from said light source.

12. The personal authentication device according to claim 11, wherein said shading unit is disposed in such a position that shades the light applied to an image capture part side of the finger.

13. The personal authentication device according to claim 10, wherein said light source increases an amount of light applied to a specific region of the finger and serves also as said light amount adjustment unit.

14. The personal authentication device according to claim 10, wherein said light source emits light from at least two directions at shifted timing, and said image capture part captures an image according to the timing.

15. The personal authentication device according to claim 10, further comprising a guidance part for determining a position of the finger.

16. The personal authentication device according to claim 10, further comprising:

a reflection unit for reflecting light,

wherein irradiation is performed from the at least two directions by reflecting the light emitted from said light source.

17. The personal authentication device according to claim 10, further comprising:

a unit for measuring thickness of the finger,

wherein an amount of said light source is controlled on the basis of a measurement result supplied from said image capture unit.

18. A personal authentication system comprising:

a recording unit for recording a plurality of registered captured image patterns of the finger;

the personal authentication device according to claim 10;

a collation unit for collating a captured image pattern supplied from said image capture part with the registered patterns; and

a control unit for controlling different processing according to a result of the collation.

19. A personal authentication device comprising:

a light source for emitting laser to be transmitted through a finger; and

an image capture part for capturing the laser transmitted through the finger,

wherein said light source is disposed in a horizontal direction or a horizontally slanted direction with respect to an image capture face of the finger.