Personal authentication method and device

• US 20060210123A1
• Filed: 05/05/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kondo, Kenji, Uomori, Kenya
• Granted Patent: US 7,564,993 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/193 Preprocessing; Feature extraction

Abstract

During registration, an iris image taken is frequency-analyzed using a plurality of frequencies f1 to fn to generate features for the respective frequencies f1 to fn. During authentication, frequencies f2 to fn are selected from the frequencies f1 to fn for use in frequency analysis for authentication. An iris image of a person to be authenticated taken is frequency-analyzed using the selected frequencies f2 to fn to generate features for the respective frequencies f2 to fn. The generated features are compared with the features generated for the same frequencies during the registration to perform personal authentication.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A personal authentication method using iris image,

wherein during registration, acquired iris image is frequency-analyzed using a plurality of band-pass filters having different passbands from each other to generate a feature for each passband and register the feature, and

wherein the method comprises the steps of:

acquiring an iris image of a person to be authenticated using a first apparatus different in performance from a second apparatus used during registration;

selecting at least one passband from the passbands of the plurality of band-pass filters;

performing frequency analysis for the acquired iris image of the person to be authenticated using at least one band-pass filter having the selected passband to generate a feature for the selected passband; and

comparing the generated feature with the feature generated for the same passband during the registration to perform personal authentication.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the selection of the passband during the authentication is performed based on a resolution of the acquired iris image during the authentication.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the resolution is determined from the acquired iris image itself.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a size of an iris in the acquired iris image is used as the resolution.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the size of the iris is determined based on the length of a circumference corresponding to the boundary between the iris and the pupil of the acquired iris image.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the resolution is determined by predicting a size of the iris taken from information on the first apparatus.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein during registration, a plurality of combinations each including two or more features selected from the generated features are generated and authentication precision for each combination is calculated, and

wherein the selection of the passband during the authentication is performed based on the calculated authentication precision.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the authentication precision is calculated using a distribution of authentication scores between identical persons and a distribution of authentication scores between different persons.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the authentication precision during the authentication is estimated from the selected passband.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the authentication precision is estimated using a distribution of authentication distances between identical persons and a distribution of authentication distances between different persons.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein whether or not the person to be authenticated should be finally authenticated is judged according to the estimated authentication precision.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein a right to be bestowed on the person to be authenticated after the authentication is controlled according to the estimated authentication precision.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein whether or not re-authentication is performed is judged according to the estimated authentication precision.

29. A personal authentication device using iris image,

wherein during registration, acquired iris image is frequency-analyzed using a plurality of band-pass filters having different passbands from each other to generate a feature for each passband and register the feature, and

wherein the device comprises:

a first apparatus for acquiring an iris image of a person to be authenticated, the first apparatus being different in performance from a second apparatus used during registration;

means for selecting at least one passband from the passbands of the plurality of band-pass filters;

means for performing frequency analysis for the acquired iris image by the first apparatus using at least one band-pass filter having the selected passband to generate a feature for the selected passband; and

means for comparing the generated feature with the feature generated for the same passband during the registration to perform personal authentication.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the selecting means performs the selection of passband based on a resolution of the acquired iris image by the first apparatus.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein the selecting means performs the selection of passband based on information on the first apparatus.

32. The device of claim 29, wherein during the registration, a plurality of combinations each including two or more features selected from the generated features are generated and authentication precision for each combination is calculated, and

wherein the selecting means performs the selection of passband based on the calculated authentication precision.

33. An authentication server for performing personal authentication using iris image received from an authentication terminal,

wherein during registration, acquired iris image is frequency-analyzed using a plurality of band-pass filters having different passbands from each other to generate a feature for each passband and register the feature, and

wherein the server comprises:

means for selecting at least one passband from passbands of the plurality of band-pass filters;

means for performing frequency analysis for the received iris image using at least one band-pass filter having the selected passband to generate a feature for the selected passband; and

means for comparing the generated feature with the feature generated for the same passband during the registration to perform personal authentication.

34. An authentication terminal comprising:

means for selecting at least one passband from a plurality of passbands;

means for performing frequency analysis for an iris image using a plurality of band-pass filers having different passbands from each other to generate a feature for each of the selected passband; and

means for sending the feature to an authentication server,

wherein the authentication server compares the feature received from the authentication terminal with a feature generated for the same passband during registration to perform personal authentication.

35. An authentication server, comprising

a means for comparing a feature received from the authentication terminal of claim 34 with a feature generated for the same passband during registration to perform personal authentication.