Method for analyzing stored image details

• US 4,468,807 A
• Filed: 07/13/1981
• Issued: 08/28/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1980
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Palmguard Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palmguard Incorporated
• Inventors: Moulton, Clifford H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boudreau, Leo H.
• Application Number:
  US06/282,866
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 382/2, 382/21, 340/825.3, 340/825.31, 340/825.32, 340/825.33, 340/825.34
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/36 Applying a local operator, i.e. means to operate on image points situated in the vicinity of a given point; Non-linear local filtering operations, e.g. median filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/257 electronically G07C9/26 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for analyzing stored image details for identification purposes is disclosed in which slopes are abstracted from an image to provide three-dimensional recognition information as abstractions. Data representing light levels of an image are stored in a picture memory device, which is analyzed in a predetermined manner to select absolute illumination magnitudes between fixed locations of the image. This information is directly related to the slope between the locations. Steeper slopes and their corresponding locations are stored as recognition data in a learn mode. These abstractions are compared and several are permanently stored. In an access mode, the previously-obtained information is utilized to verify with current data, and depending upon the degree of correlation therebetween, an indication of recognition is either verified or rejected. If current data is better than any of the permanently-stored data, the permanently-stored data is replaced by the current data to update the permanently-stored data.

Claims

1. A method of recording the characteristics of the palm of a person, comprising the steps of:

positioning the person'"'"'s palm in relation to a palm-positioning means;

scanning the palm by the use of scanning means to produce an image of the person'"'"'s palm;

producing abstractions based on calculations and representative of the person'"'"'s palm;

temporarily storing said abstractions;

processing more than one of said abstractions to determine if the abstractions are acceptable in comparison to each other; and

permanently storing more than one of said acceptable abstractions.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein at least four of said abstractions are permanently stored.

3. A method of periodically updating permanently-stored abstractions formed from images of a person'"'"'s palm, comprising the steps of:

positioning the person'"'"'s palm in a palm-positioning device;

scanning the palm by the use of scanning means to produce an image of the person'"'"'s palm;

retrieving multiple abstraction files of the person'"'"'s palm from storage;

conducting a comparison test of the palm image against said abstraction files until a sufficiently accurate match therebetween is obtained;

periodically inspecting the historic performance of the stored abstraction files to determine the least accurate thereof;

producing a new abstraction file from the sufficiently accurate image; and

replacing the least accurate stored abstraction file with said new abstraction file.