FINGERPRINT ENROLLMENT AND MATCHING WITH ORIENTATION SENSOR INPUT

• US 20170076132A1
• Filed: 09/12/2016
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Dos Remedios, Alwyn, Sezan, Muhammed Ibrahim, Sheng, Tao, Burns, David William
• Granted Patent: US 10,146,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/10 Recognition assisted with metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/50 Maintenance of biometric data or enrolment thereof

Abstract

Techniques for associating environmental information with fingerprint images for fingerprint enrollment and matching are presented. The techniques may include capturing, using a fingerprint sensor of a mobile device, one or more images of a fingerprint. The techniques may include analyzing the one or more images to obtain fingerprint information associated with the fingerprint. The techniques may include obtaining, via an orientation sensor of the mobile device, environmental information indicating an orientation of the mobile device associated with the capturing of the one or more images. The techniques may additionally include generating, using the fingerprint information, an enrollment template for the fingerprint. The techniques may include associating the enrollment template with the environmental information. The techniques may include storing the enrollment template and the environmental information in a memory of the device, wherein the stored enrollment template is associated with the environmental information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing, using a fingerprint sensor of a mobile device, one or more images of a fingerprint;

analyzing the one or more images to obtain fingerprint information associated with the fingerprint;

obtaining, via an orientation sensor of the mobile device, environmental information indicating an orientation of the mobile device associated with the capturing of the one or more images;

generating, using the fingerprint information and the environmental information, an enrollment template for the fingerprint; and

storing the enrollment template in a memory of the mobile device, wherein the fingerprint information of the stored enrollment template is associated with the environmental information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental information includes orientation information that indicates an orientation of the mobile device when the one or more images are captured.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the enrollment template comprises storing the enrollment template in a database, wherein enrollment templates stored in the database are indexed by the environmental information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

capturing, using the fingerprint sensor of the mobile device, one or more images of a second fingerprint;

obtaining, via the orientation sensor of the mobile device, environmental information indicating an orientation of the mobile device associated with the capturing of the one or more images of the second fingerprint; and

searching, using the environmental information indicating the orientation of the mobile device associated with the capturing of the one or more images of the second fingerprint, for a stored enrollment template corresponding to the one or more images of the second fingerprint.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental information additionally indicates at least one of:

a temperature;

a location;

a humidity level;

an ambient light level;

or

a time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device includes, for obtaining the environmental information, at least one of an accelerometer, orientation sensor, angular rate sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, location sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, ambient light sensor, camera, microphone, or humidity sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

prompting, by the mobile device, a user to present a finger at an indicated orientation in relation to the mobile device for capturing the one or more images and the environmental information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the fingerprint information is associated with orientation information based on the orientation of the device and the indicated orientation prompted to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

prompting, by the mobile device, a user to orient the mobile device at a preferred orientation for capturing the one or more images and the environmental information.

10. A mobile device, comprising:

a fingerprint sensor;

an orientation sensor;

a memory; and

processing logic configured to;

capture, using the fingerprint sensor, one or more images of a fingerprint;

analyze the one or more images to obtain fingerprint information associated with the fingerprint;

obtain, via the orientation sensor, environmental information indicating an orientation of the mobile device associated with the capturing of the one or more images;

generate, using the fingerprint information and the environmental information, an enrollment template for the fingerprint; and

store, in the memory, the enrollment template, wherein the fingerprint information of the stored enrollment template is associated with the environmental information.

11. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the environmental information includes orientation information that indicates an orientation of the mobile device when the one or more images are captured.

12. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein storing the enrollment template comprises storing the enrollment template in a database, wherein enrollment templates stored in the database are indexed by the environmental information.

13. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the mobile device further includes, for obtaining the environmental information, at least one of an accelerometer, orientation sensor, angular rate sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, location sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, ambient light sensor, camera, microphone, or humidity sensor.

14. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processing logic is further configured to:

display, via a display of the mobile device, a prompt for a user to present a finger at an indicated orientation in relation to the mobile device for capturing the one or more images and the environmental information.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the processing logic is further configured to:

associate the fingerprint information with orientation information based on the orientation of the device and the indicated orientation prompted to the user.

16. The mobile device of claim 10, wherein the processing logic is further configured to:

display, via a display of the mobile device, a prompt for a user to orient the mobile device at a preferred orientation for capturing the one or more images and the environmental information.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions executable by one or more processors, the computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, configures the one or more processors to:

capture, using a fingerprint sensor of a mobile device, one or more images of a fingerprint;

analyze the one or more images to obtain fingerprint information associated with the fingerprint;

obtain, via an orientation sensor of the mobile device, environmental information indicating an orientation of the mobile device associated with the capturing of the one or more images;

generate, using the fingerprint information and the environmental information, an enrollment template for the fingerprint; and

store the enrollment template in a memory of the mobile device, wherein the fingerprint information of the stored enrollment template is associated with the environmental information.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein the environmental information includes orientation information that indicates an orientation of the mobile device when the one or more images are captured.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17, wherein storing the enrollment template includes storing the enrollment template in a database, wherein enrollment templates stored in the database are indexed by the environmental information.

20. A method, comprising:

capturing, using a fingerprint sensor of a mobile device, one or more images of a fingerprint;

obtaining, via an orientation sensor of the mobile device, environmental information indicating an orientation of the mobile device associated with the capturing of the one or more images; and

authenticating a user of the mobile device based on the one or more images and the environmental information.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the environmental information includes orientation information that indicates an orientation of the mobile device when the one or more images are captured.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the authenticating the user of the mobile devices comprises:

determining whether the one or more images correspond to an enrollment template; and

upon determining that the one or more images corresponds to the enrollment template, authenticating the user of the mobile device to access a function of the mobile device.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

upon determining that the one or more images does not correspond to an enrollment template of a plurality of templates, denying the user access to the function of the mobile device.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

selecting the enrollment template from a plurality of enrollment templates each corresponding to different reference environmental information, the selecting based on determining a similarity between the environmental information and the reference environmental information.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the selecting includes determining that reference environmental information corresponding to the enrollment template has a higher degree of similarity to the environmental information than the reference environmental information corresponding to the other enrollment templates of the plurality of enrollment templates.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the environmental information and the reference environmental information additionally contain information indicative of at least one of:

a temperature;

a location;

a humidity level;

an ambient light level;

or

a time.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the information indicative of at least one of a temperature, a location, a humidity level, an ambient light level, or a time is captured when the one or more images are captured.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the determining the similarity is based on a tolerance wherein the tolerance is based upon the environmental information.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

characterizing an environment of the mobile device when the one or more images are captured;

determining whether the characterized environment indicates that the mobile device is located in an environment hostile to accurate fingerprint imaging; and

upon determining that the characterized environment indicates that the mobile device is located in an environment hostile to accurate fingerprint imaging, relaxing the tolerance.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the characterized environment indicating that the mobile device is located in an environment hostile to accurate fingerprint imaging indicates that the mobile device is located with an automobile.