Personal identification system

• US 20080158546A1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Published: 07/03/2008
• 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 7,612,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/71
• 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 light source stored in said personal identification apparatus;

a window, provided on a surface of said personal identification apparatus, for transmitting light from the light source;

an imaging unit which captures the light transmitted through a finger, which is to be captured, and irradiated on the finger through said window; and

an image processing unit which extracts a vessel pattern of the finger for personal identification from an image which is captured by said imaging unit and which includes joint parts of the finger,

wherein an amount of irradiated light of the light source is controlled in accordance with transmittance for each part of the finger based on position information on the joint parts of the finger extracted from information on the transmittance of the image captured by said imaging unit, and said image processing unit extracts the vessel pattern of the finger for personal identification from the image captured in accordance with the amount of the controlled irradiated light.

3. The personal identification apparatus of claim 1, wherein said image processing unit extracts a brightness of the image captured by said imaging unit and controls the amount of irradiated light of the light source by comparing the brightness with a reference value.

4. The personal identification apparatus of claim 1, wherein said light source comprises a plurality of light emitting elements and the amount of irradiated light is controlled by deciding elements of said plurality of light emitting elements which will emit light.

5. The personal identification apparatus of claim 4, wherein said plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a longitudinal direction of the finger to be captured

6. The personal identification apparatus of claim 4, wherein said light emitting elements are rectangular.

7. The personal identification apparatus of claim 1, wherein said window is provided to prevent the light from the light source from being leaked on said imaging unit without being transmitted through the finger.

8. The personal identification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source comprises a near infrared rays LED.

9. The personal identification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source radiates laser in a near infrared rays range.

10. The personal identification apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light source irradiates the light on a back of the finger.

11. The personal identification apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a storage unit in which vessel patterns of fingers of users are stored

wherein said image processing unit compares the extracted vessel pattern with a vessel pattern registered in advance in said storage unit to identify if a user is an authentic user.

12. The personal identification apparatus of claim 1, wherein said image processing unit compares the extracted vessel pattern with a vessel pattern saved in a fixed medium connected to an identification server, in a medium in which a semiconductor memory is built, or in a portable medium for identifying an individual.

13. The personal identification apparatus of claim 11, wherein said image processing unit receives personal information, selects a registered vessel pattern based on the personal information, and compares the extracted vessel pattern with the selected vessel pattern.

14. The personal identification apparatus of claim 13, further comprising personal information input means for selecting the registered vessel pattern.

15. The personal identification apparatus of claim 14, wherein said personal information input means is a voice, an IC card, or a keyboard.

2. A personal identification apparatus comprising:

a light source which irradiates light on a finger to be captured;

an imaging unit which captures the light transmitted through the finger to be captured; and

an image extracting unit which extracts a pattern of the finger, which is to be captured, from an image which is captured by said imaging unit and which includes joint parts of the finger

wherein an amount of irradiated light of the light source is controlled in accordance with transmittance based on position information on the joint parts of the finger extracted from information on the transmittance of the image captured by said imaging unit, and said image extracting unit extracts a vessel pattern of the finger for personal identification from the image captured in accordance with the amount of the controlled irradiated light.

16. A vessel pattern extraction method comprising the steps of:

irradiating a finger, which is to be captured, with light from a light source stored in a personal identification apparatus;

capturing, by an imaging unit, light which is transmitted through a finger, which is to be captured, via a window provided on a surface of said personal identification apparatus; and

extracting a vessel pattern of the finger for personal identification from an image which is captured by said imaging unit and which includes joint parts of the finger,

wherein an amount of irradiated light of the light source is controlled in accordance with transmittance for each part of the finger based on position information on the joint parts of the finger extracted from information on the transmittance of the image captured by said imaging unit, and

the vessel pattern of the finger for personal identification is extracted from the image captured in accordance with the amount of the controlled irradiated light.