Individual identifying apparatus and method

• US 7,076,087 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2002
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Wakiyama, Kouji
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancuso, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIEW, ALEX KOK SOON
• Application Number:
  US10/179,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20030058492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 382/117, 382/115, 382/116, 340/5.52, 340/5.53, 340/5.8, 340/5.83, 340/5.78, 348/78, 356/71, 902/3, 902/6
• US Class Current: 382/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris

Abstract

While both a forehead and a cheek are made in close contact to an eye position fixing portion, a space defined between a left eye and a pinhole is shielded from extraneous light. When light derived from a room lighting device is entered into a right eye, a diameter of a pupil of the left eye is defined in a self-definition manner due to an interlocking characteristic of a living body, and then, a width of an iris 3 may be secured under stable condition. While infrared light is illuminated from a button lighting device onto this left eye, this illuminated left eye is photographed by an image pick up unit, and then, feature information as to the photographed left eye is compared with registered feature information in an individual identifying unit so as to execute an individual identification operation.

Claims

1. An individual identifying apparatus comprising:

an image pick up unit for photographing one of irides and retinas of a one eye of a person to be identified;

a position fixing unit for fixing a position of said image pick up unit, while extraneous light is shielded, under such a condition that the one eye of the person to be identified is directed opposite to said image pick up unit;

a first lighting unit for emitting photograph-purpose illumination light with respect to the one eye of the person to be photographed inside said position fixing unit;

an individual identifying unit for identifying an individual based upon a picture of the one eye which is photographed by said image pick up unit; and

a state output unit for outputting information corresponding to a pupil diameter of the one eye which is photographed by said image pick up unit,

wherein said individual identifying unit identifies the individual based upon the picture of the one eye photographed by said image pick up unit when the output of said state output unit is reached to a predetermined value,

wherein the image pick up unit is provided within a casing and photographs through a hole on a keypad provided on said casing, and

wherein the position fixing unit surrounds said keypad and protrudes from said casing.

2. An individual identifying apparatus comprising:

an image pick up unit for photographing one of irides and retinas of a one eye of a person to be identified;

a position fixing unit for fixing a position of said image pick up unit, while extraneous light is shielded, under such a condition that the one eye of the person to be identified is directed opposite to said image pick up unit;

a first lighting unit for emitting photograph-purpose illumination light with respect to the one eye of the person to be photographed inside said position fixing unit;

an individual identifying unit for identifying an individual based upon a picture of the one eye which is photographed by said image pick up unit; and

a second lighting unit for emitting illumination light with respect to the other eye of the person outside said position fixing unit to suppress widening of a pupil of the one eye of the person.

3. The individual identifying apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a light amount control unit for changing an amount of the illumination light of said second lighting unit.

4. The individual identifying apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further comprising:

a state output unit for outputting information corresponding to a pupil diameter of the one eye which is photographed by said image pick up unit,

wherein said light amount control unit controls the light amount of said second lighting unit so that the output of said state output unit becomes a predetermined value,

wherein said individual identifying unit identifies the individual based upon the picture of the one eye photographed by said image pick up unit when the output of said state output unit is reached to the predetermined value.

5. The individual identifying apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

a second image pick up unit for photographing the other eye of the person;

a second state output unit for outputting information corresponding to a pupil diameter of the other eye which is photographed by said second image pick up unit; and

a second light amount control unit controls a light amount of said second lighting unit in such a manner that the output of said state output unit becomes a predetermined value,

wherein said individual identifying unit identifies the individual based upon the picture of the one eye photographed by said image pick up unit when the output of said second state output unit is reached to the predetermined value.

6. The individual identifying apparatus as claimed in claim 2, further comprising an intermittent control unit for controlling at least one of the photographing operation by said image pick up unit, the light emitting operation by said first lighting unit, the light emitting operation by said second lighting, and the identifying operation by said individual identifying unit in an intermittent operation manner.

7. An individual identifying method comprising:

an eye position fixing step of fixing a position of image pick up unit, while shielding extraneous light under such a condition that a one eye of a person to be identified is directed opposite to said image pick up unit;

a first lighting step of emitting photograph-purpose illuminating light with respect to the one eye of the person to be identified inside an eye position fixing unit for fixing a position of the one eye;

a second lighting step of illuminating visible light with respect to the other eye of the person to be identified outside the eye position fixing unit to suppress widening of a pupil of the one eye; and

an individual identifying step of identifying an individual based upon a picture of the one eye which is photographed by said image pick up unit under such a condition that the visible light illuminated in said second lighting step is entered into the other eye of the person to be identified.

8. A portable terminal comprising:

a casing;

a key pad provided on said casing;

an image pick up unit provided within said casing to photograph one of irides and retinas of one eye of a person to be identified through a hole provided on said key pad;

a position fixing unit provided to surround said key pad and protrude from said casing to shield extraneous light when the person is directed opposite to said image pick up unit;

a first lighting unit provided in said key pad and emitting illuminating light to photograph one of irides and retinas of the eye of the person;

an individual identifying unit to identify an individual based on a picture of the one eye photographed by said image pick up unit.

9. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a display provided on said casing and outside a region surrounded by said position fixing unit, and said display including a second lighting unit emitting illumination light with respect to the other eye of the person to suppress widening of the pupil of the one eye of the person.

10. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 8, wherein said first lighting unit emits infrared light.