Personal identification system

• US 20050185827A1
• Filed: 04/13/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Umemura, Shin-ichiro, Ito, Yoshitoshi, Kono, Miyuki, Miyatake, Takafumi, Harada, Kunio, Ueki, Hironori
• Granted Patent: US 7,277,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/10 Image acquisition document image scanning and transmission H04N1/00; control of digital cameras H04N23/60
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/145 Sensors therefor

Abstract

A personal identification system, which uses a vein pattern of a finger, optimizes the amount of light of a light source based on a captured finger image and emphasizes the vein pattern during image processing for identification.

Claims

1. A personal identification apparatus comprising:

a fixing device that indicates the position to set an identification region and contacts a part of set identification region;

a light source that irradiates the identification region;

an imaging unit which captures a transmitted light form the identification region;

an image processing unit which enhances or extracts blood vessel pattern from an image captured with the imaging unit, and compares the blood vessel pattern with a registered data;

wherein the image processing unit detects a setting of the identification region to the position from the image captured with the image unit, and starts the irradiation with the light source.

2. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the identification region is a finger.

3. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the light source irradiates a light to generate the image to detects a setting of the identification region before the irradiation to the identification region.

4. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the light source irradiates a light to generate the image to detects a setting of the identification region before the irradiation to the identification region.

5. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the light source comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements.

6. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the light source comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements.

7. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the light source comprising a plurality of light-emitting elements.

8. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the position to set the identification region is sterilized.

9. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein, the position to set the identification region is sterilized.

10. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 1 comprising:

a memory to store feature quantity of blood vessel patterns as the registered data.

11. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 2 comprising:

a memory to store feature quantity of blood vessel patterns as the registered data.

12. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 1 comprising:

input means to input personal information to select the stored registered data.

13. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 2 comprising:

input means to input personal information to select the stored registered data.

14. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein the input means is voice input means, IC card or keyboard.

15. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 13,

wherein the input means is voice input means, IC card or keyboard.

16. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the registered data is stored in medium connected to an authentication server or portable medium.

17. A personal identification apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the registered data is stored in medium connected to an authentication server or portable medium.

18. A personal identification method comprising:

detecting a setting of an identification region to a setting position from an image captured with an image unit,

irradiating the identification region with light source,

capturing a transmitted light form the identification region with the imaging unit,

enhancing or extracting blood vessel pattern from an image captured with the imaging unit, and comparing the blood vessel pattern with a registered data.

19. A personal identification method according to claim 18,

wherein the identification region is a finger.

20. A personal identification method according to claim 18 comprising:

irradiating lights to generate the image to detects the setting of the identification region with the light source.