SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR NON-CONTACT BIOMETRIC SENSING

• US 20110190636A1
• Filed: 02/04/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Voth, Mitchell D., Sjoholm, Paul F., Spurgeon, Donald Allen, Saint Clair, Jonathan Martin, Anderson, Tyler M., Soreide, David C., Ray, Gary A., Higgins, Robert P.
• Granted Patent: US 8,483,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/473
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/015 By temperature mapping of body part
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1114 Tracking parts of the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1126 using a particular sensing technique

Abstract

A non-contact biometric sensing device is described. The device includes a processing device, a user interface communicatively coupled to the processing device, a display communicatively coupled to the processing device, a laser doppler vibrometer sensor communicatively coupled to the processing device, and an infrared camera communicatively coupled to the processing device. The processing device is programmed to utilize mechanical motion data received from the laser doppler vibrometer sensor and thermal distributions data from the infrared camera to calculate biometric data, when signals originating from the laser doppler vibrometer sensor and the infrared camera are reflected back towards the device from a target.

Claims

1. A non-contact biometric sensing device comprising:

a processing device;

a user interface communicatively coupled to said processing device;

a display communicatively coupled to said processing device;

a laser doppler vibrometer sensor communicatively coupled to said processing device; and

an infrared camera communicatively coupled to said processing device, said processing device programmed to utilize mechanical motion data received from said laser doppler vibrometer sensor and thermal distributions data from said infrared camera to calculate biometric data, when signals originating from said laser doppler vibrometer sensor and said infrared camera are reflected back towards said device from a target.

2. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of ranging lasers each configured to emanate a visible beam for use as an aiming device for said sensing device.

3. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 2 wherein signals from said laser doppler vibrometer sensor and said infrared camera are configured to emanate from a position between the visible beams of said ranging lasers.

4. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 2 further comprising a visible camera communicatively coupled to said processing device, said processing device programmed to utilize data received from said visible camera, including the tracking of beams from said ranging lasers, to remove the hand motion associated with a user of said sensing device from the data received from said laser doppler vibrometer sensor and said infrared camera.

5. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 4 wherein said processing device is programmed to determine a change in the X and Y directions between an image sensed by said visible camera and a stored reference image previously sensed by said visible camera, said processing device further programmed to continually adjust positioning of mirrors associated with said laser doppler vibrometer sensor, based on the changes in the X and Y directions, to provide a stabilized laser beam from said laser doppler vibrometer sensor.

6. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 1 further comprising at least one gyroscope communicatively coupled to said processing device, said processing device programmed to utilize data received from said gyroscopes to remove the hand motion associated with a user of said sensing device from the data received from said laser doppler vibrometer sensor and said infrared camera.

7. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 6 wherein said gyroscopes are configured to output a pitch rate and a yaw rate that is associated with user handling of said sensing device, said processing device programmed with an algorithm which uses sensed angular rate data to estimate higher-frequency angular pointing errors and said processing device is programmed to continually adjust positioning of mirrors associated with said laser doppler vibrometer sensor, to remove the hand motion associated with a user of said sensing device.

8. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 2 further comprising a visible camera communicatively coupled to said processing device, and a gyroscope communicatively coupled to said processing device, said processing device programmed to utilize data from said gyroscope to cancel-out higher frequency platform rotations sensed by said gyroscope, said processing device programmed to utilize data from said visible camera to compensate for lower frequency rotations and X/Y translations.

9. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 2 wherein said processing device is programmed to utilize a distance, at a target location, between the laser beams emanating from said ranging lasers and sensed by said visible camera to determine a range to the target.

10. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of ranging lasers each configured to emanate a visible beam for use as an aiming device for said sensing device; and

a visible camera communicatively coupled to said processing device, said laser doppler vibrometer sensor, said infrared camera, and said visible camera comprising lenses associated with an autofocus function, said processing device programmed with the autofocus function, the autofocus function based on a range to a target as measured using the visible beams from said ranging lasers.

11. A method for sensing biometric parameters associated with an object without contacting the object, said method comprising

directing a plurality of visible laser beams, emanating from a sensing device, onto the object to provide an aiming function;

causing a signal from a laser doppler vibrometer sensor, the signal emanating from the sensing device, to impinge the object in the vicinity of the visible laser beams;

receiving infrared data from the object at an infrared camera associated with the sensing device, the infrared data in the vicinity of the visible laser beams; and

utilizing mechanical motion data associated with the object as sensed by the laser doppler vibrometer sensor and thermal distribution data as sensed by the infrared camera to calculate biometric data associated with the object.

12. The method according to claim 11 further comprising:

determining a distance between the visible laser beams at the object; and

using the determined distance to generate a distance between the object and the sensing device.

13. The method according to claim 12 wherein determining a distance between the visible laser beams at the object comprises using an image received by a visible light camera to determine the distance between the laser beams.

14. The method according to claim 12 further comprising using the determined distance from the object to focus the laser doppler vibrometer sensor, the infrared camera, and a visible light camera.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein focusing the laser doppler vibrometer sensor, the infrared camera, and the visible light camera comprises operating respective linear translators to move a lens associated with each of the laser doppler vibrometer sensor, the infrared camera, and the visible light camera.

16. The method according to claim 11 further comprising using a fine steering mirror to stabilize laser beams emanating from and received by at least one of the laser doppler vibrometer sensor and a ranging laser that is the source of the visible laser beams.

17. The method according to claim 11 further comprising utilizing data from a gyroscope within the sensing device to remove higher frequency rotations of the sensing device from the mechanical motion data and the thermal distribution data.

18. The method according to claim 11 further comprising utilizing data from a visible camera to remove motion of the sensing device from the mechanical motion data and the thermal distribution data.

19. A non-contact biometric sensing device comprising:

a plurality of ranging lasers each configured to emanate a visible laser beam, the ranging lasers oriented such that the visible laser beams converge at a point distant from said sensing device, the laser beams operable in aiming said sensing device at a target object;

a laser doppler vibrometer sensor configured to sense mechanical motion associated with the target object;

an infrared camera configured to sense thermal distribution data associated with the target object; and

a visible light camera operable to obtain an image of the target object that includes the visible laser beams, said sensing device programmed to determine a distance to the target object based upon a distance between the visible beams and further operable to use the determined distance to the target to focus said laser doppler vibrometer sensor, said infrared camera and said visible light camera on the target object.

20. The non-contact biometric sensing device according to claim 19 further comprising a gyroscope, said sensing device programmed to utilize data from said gyroscope and image data from said visible light camera to remove effects of movement of said sensing device from data associated with said laser doppler vibrometer sensor and said infrared camera.