Security identification system and method

• US 7,239,724 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Ronjo Company
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sznba, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns; Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): MACKOWEY, ANTHONY M
• Application Number:
  US11/344,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20060133653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 382115-118, 340/5.2, 340/5.52, 340/5.53, 340/5.81, 340/5.82, 340/5.8, 340/541, 340/573.1, 340/666, 340/5.7
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/04 Babies, e.g. for SIDS detection
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6888 Cabins
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras

Abstract

An identification system (10) of the present invention is used at airport terminals, bus stations, government buildings, and the like. The identification system (10) includes a controller (26), a pair of spaced stations or checkpoints (12, 14) for generating a first reference and a second reference each containing scanning image and weight of the person (P) passing through the first (12) and second (14) spaced stations. The controller (26) includes a comparative software that determines a correlation between the first and second references to identify at least one discrepancy therebetween. As the discrepancy is identified, a distress signal is send by the controller (26) to the second station (14) to alert about the discrepancy being identified. The invention includes a method of identifying the person (P).

Claims

1. An identification system for identifying a person entering a secured area, comprising:

a controller,

an identification device generating a first plurality of pixels as the body of the person is scanned in unison with measuring a first weight of the body of the person at a first location and generating a second plurality of pixels as the body of the person is scanned in unison with measuring a second weight of the body of the person at a second location spaced from said first location and signaling said controller a location of said plurality of the pixels and values of the weight taken at said first and second locations for generating a pair of references, and

a comparator administered by said controller for comparing said pair of references thereby determining a correlation between said plurality of the pixels and said values of the weight taken at said first and second locations for generating a signal in response to discrepancies identified by said comparator between said plurality of the pixels and said values of the weight.

2. The identification system as set forth in claim 1, wherein said identification device is further defined by a first station positioned at said first location and for generating a first plurality of the pixels and measuring a first value of the weight of the person for signaling said controller a location of said first plurality of the pixels said first value of the weight thereby generating one of said references as the person passes through said first station.

3. The identification system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said identification device is further defined by a second station positioned at said second location for generating a second plurality of the pixels and measuring a second value of the weight of the person thereby signaling said controller a location of said second plurality of the pixels and said second value of the weight for generating the other of said references as the person passes through said second station.

4. The identification system as set forth in claim 3, wherein said comparator compares said first plurality of the pixels with said second plurality of the pixels and said first value of the weight with said second value of the weight to determine at least one correlation.

5. The identification system as set forth in claim 2, wherein said first station includes a first camera for scanning the person and a first weight measuring device for measuring weight of the person, said first camera and said first weight measuring device each operatively communicating with said controller.

6. The identification system as set forth in claim 5, wherein said second station includes a second camera for scanning the person and a second weight measuring device for measuring weight of the person, said second camera and said second weight measuring device each operatively communicating with said controller.

7. The identification system as set forth in claim 6, including an alarm device operated by said controller for generating said signal as said discrepancies between said first plurality of the pixels and said second plurality of the pixels or said first value of the weight and said second value of the weight are identified.

8. The identification system as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least one of said first camera and said second camera is a charge-coupled camera.

9. The identification system as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least one of said first camera and said second camera is a high dynamic range camera.

10. The identification system as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least one of said first camera and said second camera is an active pixel camera.

11. The identification system as set forth in claim 6, wherein at least one of said first camera and said second camera is a metal oxide semiconductor camera.

12. An identification system for identifying a person entering a secured area, comprising:

a controller,

a first identification station having a reference imager generating a first three dimensional reference image and a reference weight measuring device generating reference weight of the person entering the secured area each electronically communicating with said controller for signaling said controller said first three dimensional reference image and said reference weight thereby generating a reference data point associated with said first identification station;

a second identification station spaced from said first identification station having a secondary reference imager generating a second image from at least two angles thereby capturing and a secondary weight measuring device generating a secondary weight of the person passing through said secured area each being electronically communicating with said controller for signaling said controller said second image from at least two angles and said secondary weight thereby generating a secondary data point associated with said second identification station, and

said controller indicating an alarm situation if said reference data point is different than said secondary data point as at least one of said first three dimensional image differs from said second image and said reference weight differs from said secondary weight.

13. The identification system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said first identification station includes a first luggage scale for weighing carry on luggage at said first identification station and said second identification includes a second luggage scale for weighing carry on luggage at said second identification station.

14. The identification system as set forth in claim 13, wherein said first and second luggage scales electronically communicate with said controller for transmitting to said controller a reference luggage weight and a secondary luggage weight enabling said controller compare said reference luggage weight to said secondary luggage weight and indicate an alarm situation if said first luggage weight is different than said second luggage weight.

15. The identification system as set forth in claim 12, including a secondary imager for reading a coded bracelet at said first and said second identification stations.

16. The identification system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said controller includes a comparative software adaptable for integrating said reference data point and said secondary reference data point thereby comparing a first plurality of the pixels and said first weight of said reference data point with a second plurality of the pixels and said secondary weight of said secondary reference data point for determining a correlation between said first plurality of the pixels to said second plurality of the pixels and said first weight to said secondary weight thereby identifying at least one discrepancy therebetween for generating a signal as said at least one discrepancy is identified.

17. The identification system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said first station includes a first camera for scanning the person comprising one of a charge coupled camera, a high dynamic camera, and a dynamic range camera.

18. The identification system as set forth in claim 17, wherein said second station includes a second camera for scanning the person comprising one of a charge coupled camera, a high dynamic camera, and a dynamic range camera.

19. The identification system as set forth in claim 12, including an alarm device cooperable with said second station and said controller for generating said alarm signal as said discrepancies are identified.

20. A method of identifying discrepancies between visual image and weight of a person passing through a security system, said method comprising the steps of:

connecting a controller to an identification device of the security system,

generating a first plurality of pixels of the person and signaling the controller a location of the first plurality of pixels as the person passes through the identification device at a first location;

measuring a weight of the person to signal the controller the value of the weight measured as the first plurality of pixels are generated;

generating a second plurality of pixels of the person and signaling the controller a location of the second plurality of pixels as the person passes through the identification device at a second location;

measuring the weight of the person at the second location to signal the controller the value of the weight measured as the second plurality of pixels is generated; and

comparing the first plurality of pixels, the second plurality of pixels and the value of the weight to determine a correlation and generate a signal in response to discrepancies identified by the controller between the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels or the value of the weight taken at the first and the second locations.

21. The method as set forth in claim 20, wherein the step of generating a fist plurality of pixels is further defined by establishing a first station having a first camera for scanning the person and a first weight measuring device for measuring weight of the person.

22. The method as set forth in claim 21, wherein the step of generation a second plurality of pixels is further defined by establishing a second station spaced from the first station and having a second camera for scanning the person and a second weight measuring device for measuring weight of the person.

23. The method as set forth in claim 22, including the step of connecting an alarm device to the second station and the controller to generate the signal as the discrepancies between the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels and the weight taken at the first and the second locations.

24. The method as set forth in claim 23, wherein the step of comparing the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels is further defined by the step of integrating a comparative software to the controller to determine the correlation between the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels and the value of the weight taken at the first and the second locations to generate the signal in response to the discrepancies.

25. The method as set forth in claim 24, wherein the step of comparing the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels is further defined by the step of storing the location of the first plurality of pixels and the second plurality of pixels and the value of the weight taken at the first and the second locations to generate the signal in response if the disc repancies are not identified.