Imaging systems and methods for obtaining and using biometric information

• US 20070263907A1
• Filed: 05/15/2006
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: McMakin, Douglas, Kennedy, Mike
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/25 Recognition of walking or running movements, e.g. gait recognition

Abstract

Disclosed herein are exemplary embodiments of imaging systems and methods of using such systems. In one exemplary embodiment, one or more direct images of the body of a clothed subject are received, and a motion signature is determined from the one or more images. In this embodiment, the one or more images show movement of the body of the subject over time, and the motion signature is associated with the movement of the subject'"'"'s body. In certain implementations, the subject can be identified based at least in part on the motion signature. Imaging systems for performing any of the disclosed methods are also disclosed herein. Furthermore, the disclosed imaging, rendering, and analysis methods can be implemented, at least in part, as one or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the respective methods.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving one or more direct images of the body of a clothed subject, the one or more images showing movement of the body of the subject over time; and

determining a motion signature from the one or more images, the motion signature being associated with the movement of the body of the subject.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying the subject based at least in part on the motion signature.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising,

determining an anthropometric measurement from the one or more images;

and

identifying the subject based at least in part on the anthropometric measurement in addition to the motion signature.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the identifying comprises comparing the motion signature with a corresponding authenticated motion signature.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising randomly selecting the motion signature from among multiple possible motion signatures.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion signature is a gait signature.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing the one or more direct images by irradiating the subject with electromagnetic radiation selected to substantially penetrate clothing and substantially reflect from the body of the subject.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more images are captured at a rate of at least about two images per second.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more images comprise at least two images.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing the one or more direct images by irradiating the subject with electromagnetic radiation in a range of about 200 MHz to about 1 THz.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising capturing the one or more direct images by irradiating the subject with electromagnetic radiation from an antenna array concealed from the subject.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the subject is authorized to be in a secured area based at least in part on the motion signature.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more direct images also show at least one concealed object carried by the subject, the method further comprising detecting the at least one concealed object.

14. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

15. An imaging system, comprising a processing system that executes the computer-executable instructions of claim 14.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving a direct image of the body of a clothed subject, the image being of the subject as the subject is moving by foot; and

determining an anthropometric measurement of the subject from the image.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the anthropometric measurement is of a portion of the body of the subject that is concealed by clothing.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising identifying the subject based at least in part on the anthropometric measurement.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the identifying comprises comparing the anthropometric measurement determined from the image with a corresponding authenticated anthropometric measurement.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the anthropometric measurement is randomly selected from among multiple possible anthropometric measurements.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising obtaining the image of the subject by irradiating the subject with electromagnetic radiation having frequencies in a range of about 200 MHz to about 1 THz.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining whether the subject is authorized to be in a secured area based at least in part on the anthropometric measurement determined from the image.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the direct image also shows at least one concealed object carried by the subject, the method further comprising detecting the at least one concealed object.

24. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 16.

25. An imaging system, comprising a processing system that executes the computer-executable instructions of claim 24.

26. A method, comprising:

interrogating a subject moving on foot with electromagnetic radiation having frequencies in a range from about 200 MHz to about 1 THz;

detecting returned electromagnetic radiation reflected by the subject during the interrogation; and

generating two or more images of the subject from the returned electromagnetic radiation at a rate of at least two images per second.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the images are generated at a rate of ten images per second or higher

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the electromagnetic radiation has frequencies in a range between about 5 GHz and 110 GHz.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the electromagnetic radiation has frequencies in a range between about 8 GHz and 12 GHz.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the subject is interrogated by transmitting the electromagnetic radiation to the subject from a first antenna element of an antenna array, and the returned electromagnetic radiation from the subject that is associated with the first antenna element is detected by a second antenna element and a third antenna element of the antenna array.

31. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

determining one or more motion signatures of the subject from the two or more images; and

identifying the subject based at least in part on the one or more motion signatures.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the one or more motion signatures include one or more gait signatures.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

determining one or more anthropometric measurements of the subject from the two or more images; and

identifying the subject based at least in part on the one or more anthropometric measurements.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising identifying the subject based at least in part on an anthropometric measurement of a portion of the body that is concealed by clothing.

35. An imaging system, configured to perform the method of claim 26.

36. An imaging system, comprising:

a two-dimensional antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements, the antenna array being dimensioned to transmit electromagnetic radiation to a human subject moving on foot in front of the antenna array and receive a portion of the transmitted electromagnetic radiation reflected by the human subject;

a transceiver system coupled to the antenna array, the transceiver system including a switching system configured to selectively activate one of the antenna elements for transmission and another one or more of the antenna elements for reception and produce image data based on the received portion; and

a processing system coupled to the transceiver system and configured to receive the image data from the transceiver system, the processing system being further configured to render one or more images from the image data and identify the human subject based at least in part on the one or more images.

37. The imaging system of claim 36, wherein the transceiver is configured to generate electromagnetic radiation in a range from about 200 MHz to about 1 THz.

38. The imaging system of claim 36, wherein the processing system is further configured to determine one or more anthropometric measurements of the human subject from the one or more rendered images.

39. The imaging system of claim 36, wherein multiple images are rendered by the processing system, and wherein the processing system is further configured to determine one or more motion signatures of the human subject from the multiple rendered images.