BIOMETRIC DATA ACQUISITION DEVICE, BIOMETRIC DATA ACQUISITION METHOD AND BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION DEVICE

• US 20070253602A1
• Filed: 04/25/2007
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: AMANO, Kazuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/489 Blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/141 Control of illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/03 Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands

Abstract

A biometric data acquisition device for acquiring data of a living body by irradiating the living body with light includes: a light source unit that emits light to the living body; a plurality of light receiving elements that receive transmitted light or reflected light, which is transmitted through the living body or reflects from the living body, respectively, by irradiating the living body with the light from the light source unit; an openable and closable gate provided for each of the plurality of light receiving elements; and an opening and closing control unit that controls opening and closing of the gate so as to make uniform intensities of light received by the plurality of light receiving elements.

Claims

1. A biometric data acquisition device for acquiring data of a living body by irradiating the living body with light, comprising:

a light source unit emitting light to the living body;

a plurality of light receiving elements receiving one of transmitted light and reflected light, the transmitted light and the reflected light being transmitted through the living body and reflecting from the living body, respectively, by irradiating the living body with the light from the light source unit;

an openable and closable gate provided for each of the plurality of light receiving elements; and

an opening and closing control unit controlling opening and closing of the gate so as to make uniform an intensity of light received by the plurality of light receiving elements.

2. The biometric data acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing control unit sets a time to open a gate corresponding to one of the plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a position remote from the light source unit in accordance with a time at which an intensity of light emitted from the light source unit is high, and sets a time to open a gate corresponding to one of the plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a position near to the light source unit in accordance with a time at which the intensity is low.

3. The biometric data acquisition device according to claim 2, wherein a time to open a gate corresponding to one of the light receiving elements arranged in a position remotest from the light source unit is set in accordance with a time at which an intensity of light emitted from the light source unit is at a peak, and as, starting from the one of the light receiving elements arranged in a position remotest from the light source unit, each light receiving element is nearer to the light source unit, a time to open the gate is subsequently shifted in accordance with decay of the intensity of the light.

4. The biometric data acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the opening and closing control unit makes long a time period during which a gate corresponding to one of the plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a position remote from the light source unit is opened, and makes short a time period during which a gate corresponding to one of the plurality of light receiving elements arranged in a position near to the light source unit is opened.

5. The biometric data acquisition device according to claim 1, wherein the biometric data acquisition device is wearable on a body.

6. A biometric data acquisition method for acquiring data of a living body by irradiating the living body with light, comprising:

irradiating the living body with light emitted from a light source unit;

receiving one of transmitted light and reflected light by a plurality of light receiving elements, the transmitted light and the reflected light being transmitted through the living body and reflecting from the living body, respectively, by irradiating the living body with the light from the light source unit; and

making uniform an intensity of light received by the plurality of light receiving elements by an opening and closing control unit controlling opening and closing of a gate provided for the plurality of light receiving elements.

7. A biometric authentication device, comprising:

a biometric data acquisition unit for acquiring data of a living body by irradiating the living body with light; and

an authentication unit for performing personal authentication with the data of the living body acquired by the biometric data acquisition unit;

the biometric data acquisition unit, including;

a light source unit emitting light to the living body;

a plurality of light receiving elements receiving one of transmitted light and reflected light, the transmitted light and the reflected light being transmitted through the living body and reflecting from the living body, respectively, by irradiating the living body with the light from the light source unit;

an openable and closable gate provided for each of the plurality of light receiving elements; and

an opening and closing control unit controlling opening and closing of the gate so as to make uniform an intensity of light received by the plurality of light receiving elements;

the authentication unit, including;

a biometric data storing unit storing in advance data of the living body acquired by the biometric data acquisition unit; and

an authentication control unit comparing the data of the living body stored in advance in the biometric data storing unit with the data of the living body acquired in authentication by the biometric data acquisition unit, and if both the stored data and the acquired data match, outputting a permission signal representing completion of authentication.

8. The biometric authentication device according to claim 7, wherein the biometric authentication device is wearable on a body.

9. A biometric authentication device, comprising:

a biometric data acquisition unit for acquiring data of a living body by irradiating the living body with light; and

an authentication unit for performing personal authentication with the data of the living body acquired by the biometric data acquisition unit;

the biometric authentication device being coupled to an external device, and being designed to be wearable on a body;

the biometric data acquisition unit, including;

a light source unit emitting light to the living body;

a plurality of light receiving elements receiving one of transmitted light and reflected light, the transmitted light and the reflected light being transmitted through the living body and reflecting from the living body, respectively, by irradiating the living body with the light from the light source unit;

an openable and closable gate provided for each of the plurality of light receiving elements; and

an opening and closing control unit controlling opening and closing of the gate so as to make uniform an intensity of light received by the plurality of light receiving elements;

the authentication unit, including;

a biometric data storing unit storing in advance data of the living body acquired by the biometric data acquisition unit;

an identification data storing unit storing identification data of an individual;

an authentication control unit comparing the data of the living body stored in advance in the biometric data storing unit with the data of the living body acquired in authentication by the biometric data acquisition unit, and if both the stored data and the acquired data match, outputting a permission signal representing completion of authentication.

an authentication holding unit holding authentication completion information indicating a state of completed authentication;

a release unit releasing a state of the authentication completion information held by the authentication holding unit when detecting the biometric authentication device is removed from the body; and

a sending unit sending identification data stored in the identification data storing unit to the external device when a permission signal output from the authentication control unit is input.

10. A biometric authentication device, comprising

a biometric data acquisition unit for acquiring data of a living body by irradiating the living body with light;

and

an authentication unit for performing personal authentication with the data of the living body acquired by the biometric data acquisition unit;

the biometric data acquisition unit, including;

a light source unit emitting light to the living body;

a plurality of light receiving elements receiving one of transmitted light and reflected light, the transmitted light and the reflected light being transmitted through the living body and reflecting from the living body, respectively, by irradiating the living body with the light from the light source unit;

an openable and closable gate provided for each of the plurality of light receiving elements; and

an opening and closing control unit controlling opening and closing of the gate so as to make uniform an intensity of light received by the plurality of light receiving elements;

the authentication unit, including;

a resting state detection unit detecting a resting state of the living body;

a biometric data storing unit storing in advance a vein pattern of the living body acquired by the biometric data acquisition unit;

an authentication control unit comparing the vein pattern stored in advance in the biometric data storing unit with the vein pattern acquired in authentication by the biometric data acquisition unit, and if both the stored vein pattern and the acquired vein pattern match, outputting a permission signal representing completion of authentication; and

an authentication prohibition control unit prohibiting authentication by the authentication control unit if a result detected by the resting state detection unit exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

11. A biometric data acquisition device for acquiring data of a living body by irradiating the living body with light, comprising:

a light source unit emitting light to the living body;

a plurality of light receiving elements receiving one of transmitted light and reflected light, the transmitted light and the reflected light being transmitted through the living body and reflecting from the living body, respectively, by irradiating the living body with the light from the light source unit; and

a plurality of openable and closable gates, the plurality of gates each provided for one of the plurality of light receiving elements, at least two of the plurality of gates being opened at a different timing after starting irradiation of the living body with the light.

13. The biometric authentication device according to claim 11, wherein an intensity of the light varies with time.

12. A biometric data acquisition device for acquiring data of a living body by irradiating the living body with light, comprising:

a light source unit emitting light to the living body;

a plurality of light receiving elements receiving one of transmitted light and reflected light, the transmitted light and the reflected light being transmitted through the living body and reflecting from the living body, respectively, by irradiating the living body with the light from the light source unit; and

a plurality of openable and closable gates, the plurality of gates each provided for one of the plurality of light receiving elements, at least two of the plurality of gates being closed at a different timing after the at least two gates having been opened.