MULTISPECTRAL BARCODE IMAGING

• US 20110165911A1
• Filed: 01/05/2011
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HID Global Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Lumidigm Incorporated (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Rowe, Robert K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,787,630 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1312 direct reading, e.g. contactless acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1388 using image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/40 Spoof detection, e.g. liveness detection

Abstract

A multispectral sensor is provided with an illumination source and a digital imaging system. The illumination source is disposed to provide light at multiple wavelengths to an object. The digital imaging system is disposed to receive light scattered from the object and has a digital array of light detectors and a color filter array. The color filter array has a multiple distributed filter elements, each of which is adapted to transmit light of one of a limited number of specified narrowband wavelength ranges. The color filter array is disposed to filter the light scattered from the object prior to encountering the digital array of light detectors.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A sensor comprising:

an illumination source disposed to provide light to an object; and

an imaging system disposed to receive light scattered from the object,

wherein;

the imaging system is configured to perform a biometric analysis of the object when the object comprises a skin site of an individual; and

the imaging system is configured to read a barcode from the object when the object comprises the barcode.

19. The sensor recited in claim 18 wherein:

the illumination source provides light to the object at a plurality of wavelengths; and

the biometric analysis comprises a multispectral biometric analysis.

20. The sensor recited in claim 19 wherein the imagining system comprises:

an array of light detectors; and

a color filter array having a plurality of distributed filter elements, each filter element being adapted to transmit light of one of a limited number of specified narrowband wavelength ranges, the color filter array being disposed to filter the light scattered from the object prior to encountering the array of light detectors.

21. The sensor recited in claim 20 wherein the filter elements are distributed according to a Bayer pattern.

22. The sensor recited in claim 18 further comprising:

a first polarizer disposed to polarize the light provided by the illumination source; and

a second polarized disposed to polarize the light scattered from the object.

23. The sensor recited in claim 18 wherein the first and second polarizers are in a substantially crossed configuration.

24. The sensor recited in claim 18 wherein the imaging system is further configured to initiate a service in response to reading the barcode.

25. The sensor recited in claim 18 wherein the imaging system is further configured to generate an audit trail for the object in response to reading the barcode.

26. The sensor recited in claim 18 wherein the imaging system is configured to scan printed matter from the object when the object comprises the printed matter.

27. The sensor recited in claim 26 wherein:

the printed matter comprises text; and

the imaging system is further configured to convert the scanned printed matter to an interpretable form using optical-character-recognition techniques.

28. The sensor recited in claim 18 wherein:

the illumination source is comprised by an illumination system; and

the illumination system is configured to generate an image in response to receiving light scattered from the object.

29. The sensor recited in claim 18 wherein the imaging system comprises a focusing mechanism providing an adjustable focus to image the object.

30. A portable electronic device comprising the sensor recited in claim 18.

31. The portable electronic device recited in claim 30 wherein the portable electronic device comprises a cellular telephone.

32. A method comprising:

illuminating an object with light, the object comprising a barcode;

receiving light scattered from the object;

reading the barcode from the object with the received light scattered from the object;

illuminating a skin site of an individual with light;

receiving light scattered from the skin site; and

performing a biometric analysis of the skin site from the received light scattered from the skin site.

33. The method recited in claim 32 wherein:

illuminating the skin site of the individual comprises illuminating the skin site of the individual at a plurality of wavelengths; and

performing the biometric analysis comprises performing a multispectral biometric analysis of the skin site.

34. The method recited in claim 32 further comprising initiating a service in response to reading the barcode.

35. The method recited in claim 32 wherein illuminating the skin of the individual and illuminating the object with light are perform in close temporal proximity.

36. The method recited in claim 32 further comprising generating an audit trail for the object in response to reading the barcode.

37. The method recited in claim 32 further comprising:

illuminating a second object with light, the second object comprising printed matter;

receiving light scattered from the second object; and

generating an image of the printed matter from the second object with the received light scattered from the second object.

38. The method recited in claim 37 wherein the printed matter comprises text, the method further comprising converted the image of the printed matter to an interpretable form using optical-character-recognition techniques.

39. A multispectral sensor comprising:

a plurality of illumination sources disposed to provide light at different incident angles to an object having a barcode, wherein the plurality of illumination sources comprise illumination sources at a plurality of different wavelengths;

an imaging system disposed to receive light scattered from the object, the imaging system comprising;

an array of light detectors; and

an arrangement to separately direct light at the plurality of different wavelengths to the light detectors,

wherein the imaging system is configured to read the barcode by generating a plurality of images of the object at the different wavelengths separately for the different incident angles.

40. The multispectral sensor recited in claim 39 wherein the arrangement comprises a color filter array having a plurality of distributed filter elements, each filter element being adapted to transmit light at one of a limited number of specified narrowband ranges, the color filter array being disposed to filter the light scattered from the object prior to encountering the array of light detectors.

41. The multispectral sensor recited in claim 40 wherein the filter elements are distributed according to a Bayer pattern.

42. The multispectral sensor recited in claim 39 wherein the imaging system is further configured to initiate a service in response to reading the barcode.

43. The multispectral sensor recited in claim 39 wherein the imaging system is further configured to generate an audit trail for the object in response to reading the barcode.

44. A method of reading a barcode from an object, the method comprising:

illuminating the object with light at different angles and at different wavelengths;

receiving light scattered from the object; and

generating a plurality of images of the object at the different wavelengths separately for the different incident angles.

45. The method recited in claim 44 further comprising initiating a service in response to reading the barcode.

46. The method recited in claim 44 further comprising generating an audit trail for the object in response to reading the barcode.