Method for acquiring the shape of the iris of an eye

• US 20090161925A1
• Filed: 04/25/2006
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Morpho (Advent International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sagem Securite
• Inventors: Cottard, Martin, Monteilliet, Gilles
• Application Number:
  US11/919,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20090161925A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

The invention concerns a method of acquiring the shape of the iris of an eye, comprising:

• • a step of capture (112), by at least one image sensor, of at least one image of the iris, each image corresponding to the illumination of the iris by a light beam;
  • a step of constructing (114) the three-dimensional shape of the iris from the image or images thus captured; and
  • a step of verifying the non-flatness of the three-dimensional shape of the iris thus constructed.

Claims

1. ) A method of acquiring the shape of the iris (102) of an eye (100), comprising:

a step of capture (112), by at least one image sensor (302), of at least one image of the iris (102), each image corresponding to the illumination of the iris (102) by a light beam (108);

a step of constructing (114) the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102), reproducing its shape, from the image or images thus captured; and

a step of verifying the non-flatness of the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) thus constructed.

2. ) An acquisition method according to claim 1, characterised in that the construction step (114) comprises the following steps:

analysis, on the image or images captured, of the shades of light intensities generated by each light beam (108) on the iris (102); and

generation of the three-dimensional shape from the said analysis of the shades of light intensities.

3. ) An acquisition method according to claim 1, characterised in that the direction of illumination of at least one of the light beams (108) forms a non-zero angle with the optical axis (X) of at least one of the image sensors (302), and in that the construction step (114) comprises the following steps:

analysis, on the image or images captured, of the shadows generated by each light beam (108) on the iris (102); and

generation of the three-dimensional shape from the said analysis of the shadows.

4. ) An acquisition method according to claim 1, characterised in that the illumination of the iris (102) consists of a projection of a test pattern onto the iris (102), and in that the construction step (114) comprises the following steps:

analysis, on the image or images captured, of the deformations of the test pattern thus projected;

generation of the three-dimensional shape from the said analysis of the deformations.

5. ) A method of recording the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) of an eye (100) in a database (306) of three-dimensional reference iris shapes, comprising the following steps:

three-dimensional acquisition of the shape of the iris (102) by an acquisition method (112, 114) according to one of claims 1 to 4; and

recording (116) of the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) in the database (306).

6. ) A method of identifying the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) of an eye (100) from a database (306) of three-dimensional reference iris shapes, comprising the following steps:

three-dimensional acquisition of the shape of the iris (102) by an acquisition method (112, 114) according to claim 1;

verification (118) of the non-flatness of the said three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) acquired; and

comparison (120) of the said three-dimensional shape thus acquired with the three-dimensional reference iris shapes in the database (306).

7. ) A device (300) for acquiring the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) of an eye (100), adapted to implement a method according to of claim 1 to 4, comprising:

illumination means (312) adapted to emit one or more light beams (108) onto the iris (102);

at least one image sensor (302);

means of constructing (304) the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) from at least one image of the iris (102) captured by each image sensor (302).

8. ) A device (300) for acquiring the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) of an eye (100), adapted to implement the method of claim 5, comprising:

illumination means (312) adapted to emit one or more light beams (108) onto the iris (102);

at least one image sensor (302);

means of constructing (304) the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) from at least one image of the iris (102) captured by each image sensor (302);

a database (306) of three-dimensional reference iris shapes; and

means of recording (310) the said three-dimensional shape in the said database (306) of three-dimensional reference iris shapes.

9. ) A device (300) for acquiring the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) of an eye (100), adapted to implement a method according to claim 6, comprising:

illumination means (312) adapted to emit one or more light beams (108) onto the iris (102);

at least one image sensor (302);

means of constructing (304) the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) from at least one image of the iris (102) captured by each image sensor (302);

means of verifying the non-flatness of the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102);

a database (306) of three-dimensional reference iris shapes; and

means of comparing (308) the three-dimensional shape of the iris (102) to be identified with the three-dimensional reference iris shapes.