PERSONAL VERIFICATION DEVICE

• US 20120028710A1
• Filed: 04/23/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsumi Electric Co., Ltd. (MinebeaMitsumi Inc.)
• Inventors: Hirabayashi, Shinji, Tatsumi, Naoki, Furukawa, Kenichi, Nagasaka, Minenori, Sakanushi, Yoshihiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,479,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints

Abstract

Provided is a personal verification device capable of easily performing personal verification of a user. In the device, under the condition that a user grasps a case (110) of a game controller (10), a vibration control unit (152) causes a vibration motor (120) arranged inside of the case (110) to vibrate in different patterns. A triaxial acceleration sensor (140) detects vibration generated by the vibration motor (120) which vibrates in the different patterns, and a storage unit (153) stores a plurality of pieces of measurement data obtained by the detection for each of the users. A determination unit (154) performs the personal verification by comparing and collating the data in the storage unit (153) with the measurement data obtained by vibrating the vibration motor (120) under the condition that the user grasps the case (110).

Claims

1. A personal authentication apparatus comprising:

a vibration source provided inside a housing;

a vibration control section for vibrating the vibration source in a different pattern when a user grips the housing;

a multiaxial sensor for detecting a plurality of vibrations in n-dimensional directions;

a storage section for storing per user a plurality of measurement data obtained with the multiaxial sensor detecting a vibration of the vibration source in the different pattern; and

a determination section for comparing measurement data obtained through vibrating the vibration source when the user grips the housing with the measurement data in the storage section to perform personal authentication.

2. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said vibration control section is arranged to switch a voltage supplied to the vibration source to vibrate the vibration source in the different pattern.

3. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said multiaxial sensor is formed of a triaxial sensor for amplifying a value of data of an axis having a small amount of vibration at a time of data acquisition or measurement.

4. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said storage section is arranged to store a plurality of history data of past measurement data;

and said determination section is arranged to determine that a user of data with a highest degree of similarity to measurement data among the history data is a same person.

5. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said storage section is arranged to store the history data and average-value data obtained from the history data;

and said determination section is arranged to determine that a user corresponding to data with a highest degree of similarity to measurement data among the history data and the average-value data is a same person.

6. A personal authentication apparatus comprising:

a vibration source provided inside a housing of a game controller;

a vibration control section for vibrating the vibration source in a different pattern when a user grips the housing;

a triaxial acceleration sensor for detecting a plurality of vibrations in three-dimensional directions;

a storage section for storing per user history data of a plurality of occasions of a plurality of measurement data obtained with the triaxial acceleration sensor detecting a vibration of the vibration source at a different voltage; and

a determination section for comparing measurement data obtained through vibrating the vibration source when the user grips the housing with data in the storage section to perform personal authentication,

wherein said determination section determines that a user of history data with a highest degree of similarity to measurement data among the history data is a candidate of a same person.

7. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said determination section is arranged to determine the user as the candidate of the same person to be sequentially presented per person.

8. A personal authentication apparatus comprising:

a vibration source provided inside a housing;

a vibration control section for vibrating the vibration source to continuously change a frequency of the vibration source when a user grips the housing;

a multiaxial vibration detection section for detecting a vibration of the vibration source;

an extraction section for extracting frequency components from a plurality of measurement data detected and obtained with the multiaxial vibration detection section per frequency of the vibration source changing continuously;

a processing section for processing and outputting each of the frequency components;

a storage section for storing the frequency components thus processed per user; and

a determination section for comparing the frequency component extracted from measurement data obtained through vibrating the vibration source when the user grips the housing with the frequency component stored in the storage section to perform personal authentication.

9. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said multiaxial vibration detection section comprises a triaxial acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in three axial directions, and a gyrosensor for detecting rotation about each axis of the triaxial acceleration sensor.

10. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said processing section is arranged to perform weighting per frequency component.

11. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said processing section is arranged to extract a peak value of the frequency component.

12. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said storage section is arranged to store a plurality of personal data associated with the frequency components thus processed per user, and said determination section is arranged to determine that a user of data with a highest degree of similarity to the frequency component among the frequency components stored in personal data is a same person.

13. A personal authentication apparatus comprising:

a vibration source provided inside a housing of a game controller;

a vibration control section for vibrating the vibration source to continuously change a frequency of the vibration source when a user grips the housing;

a multiaxial vibration detection section for detecting a vibration of the vibration source;

an extraction section for extracting frequency components from a plurality of measurement data detected and obtained with the multiaxial vibration detection section per frequency of the vibration source changing continuously;

a processing section for processing and outputting each of the frequency components;

a storage section for storing the frequency components thus processed per user; and

a determination section for comparing the frequency component extracted from measurement data obtained through vibrating the vibration source when the user grips the housing with the frequency component stored in the storage section to perform personal authentication,

wherein said determination section determines that a user associated with a frequency component having a highest degree of similarity to a current frequency component among the frequency components is a candidate of a same person.

14. The personal authentication apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said determination section is arranged to determine the user as the candidate of the same person to be sequentially presented per person.

15. A program for enabling a computer, in which a vibration source and a triaxial acceleration sensor that detects a plurality of vibrations in three-dimensional directions and a communication section are installed inside a housing, capable of communicating with a game controller to function as:

a vibration control section for vibrating the vibration source in a different pattern when a user grips the housing;

a storage section for storing per user a plurality of measurement data detected and obtained with the triaxial acceleration sensor through vibrating the vibration source in a different pattern; and

a determination section for comparing measurement data obtained through vibrating the vibration source when the user grips the housing with data in the storage section to perform personal authentication.