Methods and Apparatus for Digit Swipe Sensor Data Streaming

• US 20090279749A1
• Filed: 05/12/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonavation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonavation, Inc.
• Inventors: Clarke, David B., Irving, Richard, Jahromi, Omid S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,503,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1335 Combining adjacent partial images (e.g. slices) to create a composite input or reference pattern; Tracking a sweeping finger movement

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for processing biometric digit data variously include scanning a digit in a transverse direction relative to an array of sensor elements, detecting the scanned digit and/or a predetermined characteristic of the scanned digit, outputting from individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements respective continuous streams of biometric data associated with the scanned digit, discrete sampling the respective continuous streams of data, and reconstructing the discrete sampled data. The discrete sampled data may be directly reconstructed, e.g., in accordance with a reconstruction characteristic associated with detecting and/or discrete sampling the scanned digit, to form a biometric characteristic image associated with the digit. Optionally, the respective continuous streams of data may be stored for later discrete sampling, or discrete sampled data may be stored for later reconstruction to form a biometric characteristic image associated with the digit.

Claims

1. A method for processing digit data, comprising:

outputting from individual sensor elements of an array of sensor elements respective continuous streams of data associated with a digit scanned in a transverse direction relative to the array of sensor elements;

discrete sampling the respective continuous streams of data in accordance with a reconstruction characteristic; and

reconstructing the discrete sampled data in accordance with the reconstruction characteristic.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reconstructing the discrete sampled data to form a biometric characteristic image associated with the digit.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a scanning movement of the digit in a transverse direction of the array of sensor elements; and

discrete sampling the continuous streams of data in accordance with an amount of scanning movement in the transverse direction.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a scanning speed of the digit in a transverse direction of the array of sensor elements; and

discrete sampling the continuous streams of data in accordance with the scanning speed.

5. The method of claim 1, the discrete sampling including sampling the continuous streams of data at a sampling rate determined by a predetermined spatial resolution accuracy.

6. The method of claim 1, the discrete sampling including sampling the continuous streams of data at a predetermined time interval.

7. The method of claim 1, the discrete sampling including sampling the continuous streams of data at a fixed time interval.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

recording each discrete sample together with a scanning speed of the digit in the transverse direction.

9. A method for processing digit data, comprising:

outputting in parallel from individual sensor elements of an array of sensor elements respective continuous streams of data associated with a digit scanned in a transverse direction relative to the array of sensor elements; and

recording the continuous streams of data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting an amount of scanning movement in the transverse direction; and

recording the continuous streams of data together with data associated with the scanning movement in the transverse direction.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting an amount of scanning movement in the transverse direction; and

recording the continuous streams of data together with data associated with a scanning speed in the transverse direction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the scanning speed is discontinuous.

13. The method of claim 9, said recording including controlling a speed of recording in accordance with the amount of scanning movement in the transverse direction.

14. The method of claim 9, said recording including controlling a speed of recording in accordance with a scanning speed in the transverse direction.

15. A method for processing digit data, comprising:

receiving in parallel a plurality of continuous streams of data, the continuous streams of data being associated with respective individual sensor elements of an array of sensor elements and including information generated in response to scanning a digit in a transverse direction relative to the array of sensor elements; and

discrete sampling the plurality of continuous streams of data in accordance with a reconstruction characteristic.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, with the continuous streams of data, data associated with an amount of scanning movement of the digit in the transverse direction, and discrete sampling the plurality of continuous streams of data in accordance with the amount of scanning movement.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, with the continuous streams of data, data associated with a scanning speed of the digit in the transverse direction, and discrete sampling the plurality of continuous streams of data in accordance with the scanning speed.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the scanning speed is discontinuous.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

reconstructing the discrete sampled data to form a biometric characteristic image associated with the digit.

20. A method for capturing digit data, comprising:

measuring speed of motion of a digit traveling across a row of sensors, each sensor producing a continuous stream of data associated with the digit; and

digitizing the continuous stream of data at a rate in accordance with the speed of motion.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein sampling intervals related to the continuous stream produce samples representative of equal distances along the digit.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the speed is discontinuous.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising recording the digitized stream.

24. A method for capturing digit data, comprising:

digitizing a continuous stream of input digit data at fixed time intervals; and

providing speed of movement of the digit associated with each of the fixed time intervals.

25. A method for capturing digit data, comprising:

output an analog signal representative of the digit as it travels across a digit sensor;

recording the output analog signal; and

analyzing the recorded signal in accordance with a movement speed of the digit.

26. Digit data processing apparatus comprising:

an array of sensor elements configured to detect a digit scanned in a transverse direction relative to the row of sensor elements, individual sensor elements of the array of sensor elements being configured to output respective continuous streams of data associated with the digit detected by the individual sensor element during scanning; and

a sampler configured to discrete sample continuous streams of data output in parallel by said individual sensor elements in accordance with a reconstruction characteristic.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

a motion detector configured to detect an amount of scanning movement of the digit in the transverse direction.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, the sampler being configured to discrete sample the continuous streams of data in accordance with the amount of scanning movement of the digit detected by said motion detector.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, the sampler being configured to discrete sample the continuous streams of data at a sampling rate determined by a predetermined amount of scanning movement in the transverse direction detected by said motion detector.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, the sampler being configured to discrete sample the continuous streams of data at a sampling rate determined on the basis of a scanning speed in the transverse direction detected by the motion detector.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, the sampler being configured to discrete sample the continuous streams of data at a sampling rate determined by a predetermined spatial resolution accuracy.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, the predetermined spatial resolution being defined consistent with the FBI'"'"'s IAFIS specification.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, the predetermined spatial resolution being 500 dots per inch (dpi), the array of sensor elements being arranged at a pitch of 1/500^th of an inch, and the sampler being configured to discrete sample the continuous streams of data at a sampling rate corresponding to 1/500^th of an inch of scanning movement in the transverse direction.

34. The apparatus of claim 26, the sampler being configured to discrete sample the continuous streams of data at a sampling rate determined by a predetermined time interval

35. The apparatus of claim 27 the sampler being configured to discrete sample the continuous streams of data at a sampling rate determined by a fixed time interval.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, further comprising memory that stores the discrete sampled data together with a detected scanning speed of the digit in the transverse direction detected by said detector.

37. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising an imaging device that reconstructs the discrete sampled data to form a biometric characteristic image associated with the digit.

38. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising an imaging device that reconstructs the discrete sampled data to form a biometric characteristic image associated with the digit.

39. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a multiplexer that converts discrete samples of the parallel continuous streams of data to a single digital signal.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising memory that stores the digital signal.

41. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising an imaging device that reconstructs the continuous streams of data recorded by the recorder to form a biometric characteristic image associated with the digit.

42. The apparatus of claim 26, the individual sensor elements being impedance based sensor elements.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, the individual sensor elements being piezoelectric impedance based sensor elements.

44. The apparatus of claim 27, the detector comprising an optical mouse chip.

45. The apparatus of claim 27, the detector comprising a rectangular array of sensor elements.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, the rectangular array of sensor elements being integral with the array of sensor elements.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, the rectangular array of sensor elements being independent from the array of sensor elements.

48. The apparatus of claim 45, the rectangular array of sensor elements being arranged in the transverse direction.

49. Digit data processing apparatus comprising:

an array of sensor elements configured to detect a digit scanned in a transverse direction relative to the array of sensor elements, individual sensor elements of said row of sensor elements being configured to output respective continuous streams of data associated with the digit detected by said individual sensor elements during scanning; and

a memory that stores in parallel the respective continuous streams of data output by said individual sensor elements.

50. The device of claim 49, further comprising:

a detector that detects an amount of scanning movement of the digit in the transverse direction; and

said recorder recording the continuous streams of data in accordance with a scanning speed of the digit in the transverse direction detected by said detector.

51. The device of claim 49, further comprising:

a detector configured to detect an amount of scanning movement of the digit in the transverse direction; and

said recorder recording the continuous streams of data together with a scanning speed of the digit in the transverse direction detected by said detector.