Fingerprint image processing system capable of simply processing minutiae

• US 5,524,161 A
• Filed: 05/10/1995
• Issued: 06/04/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Kiji, Kazuo, Omori, Ritsuko, Hoshino, Yukio, Suzuki, Isamu, Shibuya, Tatsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): COUSO, YON JUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/437,889
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 382/124, 382/125, 356/71
• US Class Current: 382/125
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1347 Preprocessing; Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

In a fingerprint image processing system for use in processing a fingerprint image prior to identification of a fingerprint, edition or correction is made by adding true minutiae and/or deleting false minutiae from the fingerprint image displayed on an output device to leave only real minutiae and to formulate a minutia list which registers a location of each minutia, a minutia direction, and minutia relations representative of adjacent minutia pairs. Edition of the minutiae may be carried out by handling the minutiae as an image while correction may be made by recognizing the minutiae as data. Ridge numbers between two adjacent ones of the minutiae are included in the minutia relations and may be manually or automatically extracted from the fingerprint image.

Claims

1. A fingerprint minutia correcting system for correcting an input fingerprint image extracted from an object to produce a corrected fingerprint signal representative of a corrected fingerprint image, said input fingerprint image including minutiae and ridges, said fingerprint minutia correction system comprising:

means for extracting said minutiae from said input fingerprint image to produce minutia data signals representative of said minutiae;

means for determining said ridges by using said minutia data signals;

means for calculating an average distance between two adjacent ones of said determined ridges;

display means for visually displaying said minutia data signals on said input fingerprint image;

pointing means operable in cooperation with said display means for indicating specific locations on said display means;

correcting means for correcting said minutia data signals on said displaying means by indicating each location on said display means by the use of said pointing means to leave real minutia data signals together with said fingerprint image on said display means and to obtain said corrected fingerprint image on said display means, said real minutia data signals being representative of real minutiae;

list formulating means for formulating a minutia list in relation to said real minutiae and said determined ridges by the use of said corrected fingerprint image;

means for storing said minutia list as said corrected fingerprint signal;

said list formulating means comprising;

means for automatically indicating an objective one of said real minutiae together with an adjacent one of said real minutiae;

means for detecting locations of said objective and said adjacent ones of the real minutiae;

means for calculating estimated ridge numbers between said objective and said adjacent ones of the real minutiae, using said average distance between two adjacent ones of said determined ridges, after detection of said locations of the objective and the adjacent ones of the real minutiae;

visual display means for displaying said estimated ridge numbers on said displaying means;

correcting means for correcting said estimated ridge numbers into corrected ridge numbers when said estimated ridge numbers are wrong; and

means for successively memorizing the locations and said corrected ridge numbers into said minutia list.

2. A fingerprint minutia correcting system as claimed in claim 1, where said pointing means further comprises means for adding and for deleting minutia on said display means, whereby said input fingerprint image may be modified or corrected.

3. A fingerprint image processing system for processing an input fingerprint image extracted from an object to produce a processed fingerprint image signal representative of a processed fingerprint image, said input fingerprint image including minutiae and ridges, said fingerprint image processing system comprising:

means for determining said ridges by using said minutiae;

means for calculating an average distance between two adjacent ridges;

display means for visually displaying said input fingerprint image;

pointing means operable in cooperation with said display means for indicating specific locations on said display means;

modifying means for modifying said minutiae to leave real minutiae on said display means by indicating each location on said display means by the use of said pointing means and to obtain said processed fingerprint image on said display means;

list formulating means for formulating a minutia list in relation to said real minutiae and said ridges; and

means for storing said minutia list as said processed fingerprint signal;

said list formulating means comprising;

means for automatically indicating an objective one of said real minutiae together with an adjacent one of said real minutiae;

means for detecting locations of said objective and said adjacent ones of the real minutiae;

means for calculating estimated ridge numbers between said objective and said adjacent ones of the real minutiae, using said average distance between two adjacent ones of said determined ridges, after detection of said locations of the objective and the adjacent ones of the real minutiae;

visual display means for displaying said estimated ridge numbers on said displaying means;

modifying means for modifying said estimated ridge numbers into modified ridge numbers; and

means for successively memorizing the locations and said modified ridge numbers into said minutia list.

4. A fingerprint image processing system as in claim 3, where said pointing means further comprises means for adding and for deleting minutia on said display means, whereby said input fingerprint image may be modified or corrected.

5. A fingerprint image processing system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said modifying means comprises:

adding means for adding a supplementary minutia as one of said real minutiae to said input fingerprint image on said display means by indicating the location of said supplementary minutia on said display means by indicating the location of said supplementary minutia on said display means by the use of said point means; and

deleting means for deleting a false one of said minutiae from said input fingerprint image on said display means by the use of said pointing means to leave said real minutiae.

6. A fingerprint minutia editing system for editing a preedition fingerprint image extracted from an object to produce an edited fingerprint signal representative of an edited fingerprint image, said edited fingerprint image including minutiae and ridges, said fingerprint minutia editing system comprising:

means for determining said ridges by using said minutiae;

means for calculating an average distance between two adjacent ridges;

display means for visually displaying said preedition fingerprint image;

pointing means operable in cooperation with said display means for indicating specific locations on said display means;

editing means for editing said preedition fingerprint image on said display means by indicating said minutiae by the use of said pointing means to leave real minutiae on said display means and to obtain said edited fingerprint image on said display means;

list formulating means for formulating a minutia list in relation to said real minutiae and said ridges; and

means for storing said minutia list as said edited fingerprint signal;

said list formulating means comprising;

means for automatically indicating an objective one of said real minutiae together with an adjacent one of said real minutiae;

means for detecting locations of said objective and said adjacent ones of the real minutiae;

means for calculating estimated ridge numbers between said objective and said adjacent ones of the real minutiae, using said average distance between two adjacent ones of said determined ridges, after detection of said locations of the objective and the adjacent ones of the real minutiae;

visual display means for displaying said estimated ridge numbers on said displaying means;

modifying means for modifying said estimated ridge numbers into modified ridge numbers; and

means for successively memorizing the locations and said modified ridge numbers into said minutia list.

7. A fingerprint minutia editing system as claimed in claim 6, where said pointing means further comprises means for adding and for deleting minutia on said display means, whereby said input fingerprint image may be modified or corrected.

8. A fingerprint editing system as claimed in claim 6, wherein said editing means comprises:

adding means for adding a supplementary minutia as one of said real minutiae to said preedition fingerprint image on said display means by indicating the location of said supplementary minutia on said display means by the use of said pointing means;

deleting means for deleting a false one of said minutiae from said preedition fingerprint image on said display means by the use of said pointing means to leave said real minutiae.