TOUCHLESS FINGERPRINTING ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING APPLICATION FOR MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20160078271A1
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Published: 03/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telos Corporation
• Original Assignee: Diamond Fortress Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Hatcher, II, Charles W., Butler, Ryan R., Lucas, William C., Brakefield, Howard Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,672,406 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20132 Image cropping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20182 Noise reduction or smoothing in the temporal domain; Spatio-temporal filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/70 Denoising; Smoothing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/73 Deblurring; Sharpening
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/17 using hand-held instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1312 direct reading, e.g. contactless acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1376 Matching features related to ridge properties or fingerprint texture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/71 Charge-coupled device [CCD] sensors; Charge-transfer registers specially adapted for CCD sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/76 Addressed sensors, e.g. MOS or CMOS sensors

Abstract

This disclosure is of a biometric authentication system and method. The system includes a mobile device having a camera and a screen, and a database. The system is programmed to superimpose on the screen an overlay of a finger over a real-time image seen by the camera, capture an image of a fingerprint of a user with the camera, compare the captured image with an authenticated fingerprint image that is stored in the database, and return a positive result if the compared images match.

Claims

1. A method for biometric authentication of a user comprising the steps of:

a) providing;

a mobile device comprising a camera and a screen; and

a database;

b) superimposing on the screen a translucent overlay of a finger over a real-time image as currently seen through the camera;

c) capturing with the camera an image of a fingerprint of the user;

d) comparing the captured image with an authenticated fingerprint image that is stored in the database; and

e) returning a positive result if the compared images match.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, in step c), the fingerprint image is captured automatically when the mobile device detects that a finger is properly positioned before the camera.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a shape and size of the overlay is determined by a previously-captured image of the user'"'"'s finger.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein in step b) the overlay is placed in the one-third portion of the mobile device screen that is nearest to the camera.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step a) further comprises providing a server external to the mobile device, wherein the server comprises the database;

the method further comprising steps;

f) sending the captured image to the server; and

g) processing on the server the fingerprint image, which processing includes at least one of;

converting the fingerprint image to black-and-white;

reducing noise in the fingerprint image;

reducing blurring of the fingerprint image;

enhancing ridge contours of the fingerprint image; and

compressing the fingerprint image;

wherein step f) occurs after step c) and before step d); and

wherein step g) occurs after step f) and before step d).

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising steps:

h) processing the fingerprint image, which includes at least one of;

converting the fingerprint image to black-and-white;

reducing noise in the fingerprint image;

reducing blurring of the fingerprint image;

enhancing ridge contours of the fingerprint image;

compressing the fingerprint image; and

encrypting the fingerprint image;

i) calculating a time used for the processing of step h); and

j) comparing the calculated time from step i) against a pre-set threshold;

wherein steps h)-j) occur after step c) and before step d); and

wherein step e) returns a negative result if the calculated time from step i) is less than the pre-set threshold compared against in step j).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the authenticated fingerprint image that is stored in the database is a compilation of best portions of multiple authenticated images of the fingerprint of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the database provided in step a) includes multiple authenticated images of the fingerprint of the user taken under different ambient conditions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in step b), the overlay is oriented such that the finger of the overlay is positioned horizontally; and

in step c), at least one of the top and bottom one-third portions of a field of view of the camera are either;

     1) not imaged, or

     2) cropped out after imaging.

10. A biometric authentication system comprising:

a computer comprising a camera and a screen; and

a database;

wherein the system is programmed to;

superimpose on the screen a translucent overlay of a finger over a real-time image seen by the camera;

capture an image of a fingerprint of a user with the camera;

compare the captured image with an authenticated fingerprint image that is stored in the database; and

return a positive result if the compared images match.

11. The biometric authentication system of claim 10 further comprising an Internet-connected server remote from the computer, wherein the server comprises the database.