TIME-DOMAIN REFLECTOMETRY USED TO PROVIDE BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION

• US 20080195870A1
• Filed: 02/14/2007
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Posamentier, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/00 Aspects of pattern recognition specially adapted for signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861

Abstract

An electronic device includes one or more Time-Domain Reflectometor (TDR) channels and a security block embedded at a silicon or software level to measure human electrical impedance and characteristics for biometric identification and provide biometric authentication.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) and security block to measure human impedance and characteristics for biometric identification and provide biometric authentication.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the TDR and security block is embedded at a silicon level of the portable device.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the TDR and security block conducts a short pulse of energy and analyzes an echo return to reveal details of a reflecting object.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the TDR and security block analyzes the echo return to generate impedance mismatches and an impedance profile.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the impedance profile is compared to a stored database to determine a match condition that determines the biometric authentication.

6. A communications device comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processor to execute Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) techniques to generate a biometrics characterization that is compared with records in the memory storage to determine biometric identification used for personal security by the communications device.

7. The communications device of claim 6 wherein a TDR and security block embedded in the communications device conducts a short pulse of energy to an object and analyzes a reflected waveform to reveal details of the object.

8. The communications device of claim 7 wherein the TDR and security block stores to the memory storage an impedance profile for the reflected waveform from the object.

9. The communications device of claim 8 wherein the impedance profile is compared to a stored database to determine a match condition that determines the biometric identification.

10. A method executed by a device having memory storage and a processor comprising:

executing Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) by conducting a short pulse of energy from the processor from a TDR interface;

analyzing an echo returned to the TDR interface to reveal details of a reflecting object; and

comparing records in the memory storage with a digitized characterization of the details of the reflecting object to determine a match condition.

11. The method of claim 10 further including:

using the match condition for personal security by the device to provide biometric authentication.

12. The method of claim 11 further including:

using the TDR interface in the processor to provide multiple TDR channels that conduct the short pulse and receive the echo that is used in determining the biometric authentication.

13. The method of claim 10 further including:

using the multiple TDR channels to generate a biometrics characterization from scanning finger prints.

14. The method of claim 10 further including:

using the multiple TDR channels to generate a biometrics characterization from thermal hand images.

15. The method of claim 10 further including:

using the multiple TDR channels to generate a biometrics characterization from retinal scans.

16. The method of claim 10 further including:

using the multiple TDR channels to generate a biometrics characterization from facial scans.