Personal authentication device

• US 7,245,745 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2003
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Miyatake, Takafumi, Miura, Naoto, Nagasaka, Akio, Kashimura, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): LAROSE, COLIN M
• Application Number:
  US10/617,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20040184641A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/124, 382125-127, 250/341.1, 250/341.7, 250/341.8, 340/5.52, 340/5.53, 340/5.82, 340/5.83, 356/51, 396/15, 902/3
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/00 Pattern recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/145 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/37 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voice recognition

Abstract

A compact authentication device that prevents user from feeling pressure and is strong against external light, when capturing an image of a finger blood vessel pattern with transmitted light. The device includes a guidance part for determining the finger position, a light source disposed on at least one side of the guidance part to emit light to be transmitted though the finger, an image capture part for capturing the transmitted light, a shading unit for limiting an irradiation region of the light, a finger thickness measuring unit, a unit for controlling a light amount of the light source based on a result of the measurement, a unit for recording registered image patterns of the finger, a unit for collating a captured image pattern from the image capture part with the registered patterns, and a unit for controlling different processing according to the collation result.

Claims

1. A personal identification apparatus comprising:

two light sources to irradiate light to a finger from two sides of the finger;

a single image capture unit to capture the light from the light sources transmitted through the finger; and

a processing unit to cause the two light sources to irradiate the light alternately, and cause said single image capture unit to capture a plurality of images at a timing of the irradiation of the light sources,

wherein the processing unit extracts a feature of a vein pattern of the finger from the plurality of images captured by said single image capture unit due to said light irradiated by said two light sources and executes personal identification using the extracted feature.

2. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the processing unit extracts the feature of the vein pattern from unsaturated regions of the plurality of images which have saturated regions.

3. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the light sources irradiate the light so as to cause the saturated region in the images captured by the single capture unit.

4. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a guide part for receiving the finger for causing the finger to arc along a length of the finger.

5. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a measuring unit for measuring finger thickness,

wherein the processing unit controls an amount of the light from the light sources based on a result of the measuring.

6. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a switch located at a position corresponding to placement of a tip of the finger,

wherein the processing unit initiates the personal identification when the switch is pressed by the finger tip.

7. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the single image capture unit and each of the two light sources are not opposite each other in a coaxial form.

8. A personal identification apparatus comprising:

a light source part to irradiate a finger with light from first and second sides of the finger;

an image capture unit to capture images by the light transmitted through the finger; and

a processing unit to cause the light to alternately irradiate the first side and the second side, and to cause the image capture unit to capture a plurality of images generated using the light from the light source part that irradiates the first and second sides of the finger at a timing of the irradiation of the light source part,

wherein the image capture unit and the light source part are not opposite each other in a coaxial form, and

the processing unit extracts a feature of a vein pattern of the finger using the images captured due to the light irradiated from the first side and the second side for personal identification.

9. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the captured images have a saturated region due to the light irradiated from the first side and the second side, and the processing unit extracts the feature of the vein pattern from a region of the images captured which is not saturated.

10. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a guide part for receiving the finger for causing the finger to arc along a length of the finger.

11. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a measuring unit for measuring finger thickness,

wherein the processing unit controls an amount of the light from the light source part based on a result of the measuring.

12. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising:

a switch located at a position corresponding to placement of a tip of the finger,

wherein the processing unit initiates the personal identification when the switch is pressed.

13. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the first and second sides of the finger correspond to right and left sides of the finger.

14. The personal identification apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a single said image capture unit to capture images by the light transmitted through the finger.

15. A personal identification method comprising:

irradiating light to a finger from two light sources disposed on two sides of the finger alternately;

capturing a plurality of images by the light from the light sources transmitted through the finger at a timing of the irradiation with an image capture unit;

extracting a feature of a vein pattern of the finger from the plurality of captured images generated using said light irradiated by said two light sources; and

executing personal identification using the feature of the vein pattern extracted from the plurality of images, wherein

each of the two light sources and the image capture unit are not opposite each other in a coaxial form.

16. The personal identification method according to claim 15, further including the step of:

extracting the feature of the vein pattern from unsaturated regions of the plurality of images which have saturated regions.

17. The personal identification method according to claim 15, further including the steps of:

measuring finger thickness; and

controlling an amount of the light from the light sources based on a result of the measuring.

18. The personal identification method according to claim 15, further including the step of:

initiating the personal identification when a switch located at a position corresponding to a tip of the finger is pressed.

19. The personal identification method according to claim 15, further including the step of:

placing the finger in a guide part causing the finger to arc along a length of the finger.

20. The personal identification method according to claim 15, further comprising a single said image capture unit to capture images by the light transmitted through the finger.

21. A personal identification method comprising:

irradiating a finger alternately from first and second sides of the finger with light;

capturing images by the light transmitted through the finger a plurality of times at a timing of the irradiation by a single image capture unit; and

extracting a feature of a vein pattern of the finger using the images captured by said single image capture unit due to the light irradiated from the first side and the second side.

22. The personal identification method according to claim 21, further comprising the step:

wherein the feature of the vein pattern is extracted from an unsaturated region of the images, having a saturated region, captured by the light irradiated from the first side and the second side.

23. The personal identification method according to claim 21, further comprising:

executing personal identification using the extracted feature of the vein pattern.

24. The personal identification method according to claim 21, further comprising:

measuring finger thickness; and

controlling an amount of the light for irradiation based on a result of the measuring.

25. The personal identification method according to claim 21, further including the step of:

initiating the identification when a switch located at a position corresponding to a tip of the finger is pressed.

26. The personal identification method according to claim 21, further including the step of:

placing the finger in a guide part causing the finger to arc along a length of the finger.

27. The personal identification method according to claim 21, wherein the step of irradiating the finger comprises irradiating right and left sides of the finger.