Surface texture reading access checking system

• US 4,677,435 A
• Filed: 07/16/1985
• Issued: 06/30/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1984
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: Euratom Communaute Europeenne de L'Energie Atomique, Promotech Association Pour La Promotion de La Technologie
• Original Assignee: Association Pour La Promotion de La Technologie, Communaute Europeene de L'Energie Atomique
• Inventors: Causse D'Agraives, Bertrand, Jamar, Patrick, Mathieu, Janny
• Primary Examiner(s): YUSKO, DONALD
• Application Number:
  US06/755,582
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.31, 340/825.34, 340/825.33, 235/382.5, 235/375, 235/380, 235/382, 235/448
• US Class Current: 340/5.67
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00658 operated by passive electrical keys
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/086 by passive credit-cards adapted therefor, e.g. constructive particularities to avoid counterfeiting, e.g. by inclusion of a physical or chemical security-layer for security documents G07D7/00; for the reading of record-carriers in general G06K7/00; for the design of coded credit-cards G06K19/10

Abstract

Surface texture reading access checking system. The identification information attached to each support object serving as a key is constituted by the texture of a surface portion of said object. A reader reads this information and communicates it to the processing means, which carry out a comparison between the signal read and recorded signals. Application to the production of locks or access checking means for data processing, telematic, banking and similar systems.

Claims

1. An access control system comprising:

plural authorized support objects each having a relief surface texture;

a reception block able to receive said support objects;

a contact transducer provided in said reception block, said transducer being able to translate the relief surface texture into an electrical signal;

a random access memory having plural memory locations, said random access memory being able to be connected to said transducer when an authorized support object is introduced into said reception block and to receive and store in one of said memory locations the corresponding electrical signal delivered by the transducer;

a comparison circuit connected between the memory and the transducer, said comparison circuit determining the degree of coincidence between the signal supplied by the transducer when a random support object is introduced into the reception block and each of said signals stored in the memory locations of the memory; and

a circuit connected to said comparison circuit and supplying, when a predetermined degree of coincidence is adequate, a signal initiating an access control action.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein each support object has the form of a key with a head which can be manually grasped and a body having at least one planar part which carries the surface portion whose texture is to be read.

3. A control system according to claim 2, wherein the key body is metallic.

4. A control system according to claim 3, wherein the key body is made from an alloy.

5. A control system according to claim 1, wherein each support object is in the form of a card, whereof one surface part is used for a texture reading.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein the reader comprises a support object reception block, a piezoelectric point placed on an arm, a means for the relative displacement of the arm and the support object along a surface portion thereof.

7. A system according to claim 6, wherein the arm is connected to a displacement means which is moved when the support abuts in the reception block.

8. A system according to claim 7, wherein the arm displacement means is a clockwork mechanism connected to an arming arm, whereof one end is displaced by the introduction of the support object into the reception block.

9. A system according to claim 7, wherein the arm displacement means is an electric motor.

10. A system according to claim 6, wherein the piezoelectric point is stationary and support object texture reading takes place during the introduction of the same into the reception block.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein the reader comprises an analog-digital converter, the signal supplied by the reader then being digital.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit comprises a microprocessor.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the microprocessor performs a correlation between the signal read and the reference signals.