BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION DEVICE, BIOMETRIC AUTHENTICATION METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20100328033A1
• Filed: 01/19/2009
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kamei, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 8,542,095 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.82
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0875 for diagnosis of bone A61B5/4504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/15 Biometric patterns based on physiological signals, e.g. heartbeat, blood flow
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means

Abstract

Provided is a biometric authentication device that can enhance usability, suppress deterioration of authentication accuracy due to ambient noise, and increase tolerance to wiretapping. A biometric authentication device generates a signal pattern toward a living body by using a signal pattern generating means 11, and transmits the signal pattern to the living body in accordance with the signal pattern by a signal transmitting means 12. Further, the device receives a response signal transmitted through the living body by a signal receiving means 13. The device then calculates transfer feature in accordance with the signal pattern and the response signal by a transfer feature calculating means 14. Further, the device extracts and collates a feature amount in accordance with the transfer features.

Claims

1-18. -18. (canceled)

19. A biometric authentication device comprising:

a signal pattern generating unit that generates a signal pattern of a signal transmitted to a living body;

a signal transmitting unit that transmits a signal to the living body based on the signal pattern from the signal pattern generating unit;

a signal receiving unit that receives a response signal transmitted from the living body;

a transfer feature calculating unit that calculates a transfer feature of a signal transmitted through the living body based on the signal pattern from the signal pattern generating unit and the response signal received by the signal receiving unit;

a feature amount extracting unit that extracts a feature amount based on the transfer feature that is calculated, the feature amount varying for every living body; and

a feature amount collating unit that collates the extracted feature amount with a feature amount stored in a feature amount storing unit in advance,

wherein the signal pattern generating unit is configured to change the signal pattern every time the signal pattern generating unit generates the signal pattern.

20. The biometric authentication device according to claim 19, wherein

the signal transmitting unit is configured to transmit the signal to the living body while being contacted to the living body, and

the signal receiving unit is configured to receive the response signal from the living body while being contacted to the living body.

21. The biometric authentication device according to claim 19, wherein

the signal transmitting unit is configured to transmit the signal through a bone conduction-type speaker,

the signal receiving unit is configured to receive the response signal through a bone conduction-type microphone, and

the transfer feature is an acoustic transfer function in the living body.

22. The biometric authentication device according to claim 19, wherein

the signal transmitting unit is configured to transmit the signal through an electrode,

the signal receiving unit is configured to receive the response signal through an electrode, and

the transfer feature is an electrical transfer function in the living body.

23. The biometric authentication device according to claim 19, wherein the signal pattern generating unit is configured to generate a signal pattern indicating white noise as the signal pattern.

24. The biometric authentication device according to claim 19, wherein

the signal transmitting unit is configured to transmit the signal to a part of a finger in the living body,

the signal receiving unit is configured to receive the response signal from the part of the finger in the living body, and

the transfer feature is a transfer feature of the part of the finger.

25. The biometric authentication device according to claim 24, comprising a finger pattern authenticating unit that receives a pattern of a finger and collates an amount that indicates the input pattern of the finger with an amount that indicates a pattern of a finger that is stored in advance,

wherein the biometric authentication device is configured to perform the biometric authentication based on a collation result by the feature amount collating unit and a collation result by the finger pattern authenticating unit.

26. A portable telephone comprising the biometric authentication device according to claim 19, the portable telephone comprising:

a control unit that sets a state of the portable telephone to a state in which at least one function of the portable telephone can be used or a state in which at least one function of the portable telephone cannot be used based on the biometric authentication by the biometric authentication device.

27. The portable telephone according to claim 26, wherein the function includes a function that uses a non-contact-type IC.

28. A biometric authentication method comprising:

a signal pattern generating process that generates a signal pattern of a signal transmitted to a living body;

a signal transmitting process that transmits a signal to the living body based on the signal pattern generated by the signal pattern generating process;

a signal receiving process that receives a response signal transmitted from the living body;

a transfer feature calculating process that calculates a transfer feature of a signal transmitted through the living body based on the signal pattern generated by the signal pattern generating process and the response signal received by the signal receiving process;

a feature extracting process that extracts a feature amount based on the transfer feature that is calculated, the feature amount varying for every living body; and

a feature amount collating process that collates the extracted feature amount with a feature amount stored in a feature amount storing unit in advance,

wherein the signal pattern is changed every time the signal pattern is generated in the signal pattern generating process.

29. The biometric authentication method according to claim 28, wherein

the signal transmitting process is configured to transmit the signal to the living body while being contacted to the living body, and

the signal receiving process is configured to receive the response signal from the living body while being contacted to the living body.

30. The biometric authentication method according to claim 28, wherein the signal transmitting process is configured to transmit the signal through a bone conduction-type speaker,

the signal receiving process is configured to receive the response signal through a bone conduction-type microphone, and

the transfer feature is an acoustic transfer function in the living body.

31. The biometric authentication method according to claim 28, wherein

the signal transmitting process is configured to transmit the signal through an electrode,

the signal receiving process is configured to receive the response signal through an electrode, and

the transfer feature is an electrical transfer function in the living body.

32. The biometric authentication method according to claim 28, wherein the signal pattern generating process is configured to generate a signal pattern indicating white noise as the signal pattern.

33. A storage medium that stores a biometric authentication program making a biometric authentication device comprising a signal transmitting unit that transmits a signal to a living body and a signal receiving unit that receives a response signal transmitted through the living body to perform biometric authentication based on the response signal achieve the following:

a signal pattern generating unit that generates a signal pattern of a signal transmitted to the living body and outputs the signal pattern that is generated to the signal transmitting unit;

a transfer feature calculating unit that calculates a transfer feature of a signal transmitted through the living body based on the signal pattern from the signal pattern generating unit and the response signal received by the signal receiving unit;

a feature amount extracting unit that extracts a feature amount based on the transfer feature that is calculated, the feature amount varying for every living body; and

a feature amount collating unit that collates the extracted feature amount with a feature amount stored in a feature amount storing unit in advance,

wherein the signal pattern generating unit achieves change of the signal pattern every time the signal pattern generating unit generates the signal pattern.