Biometric acoustic writing system and method for identifying individuals and recognizing handwriting by using biometric data

• US 7,729,520 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2003
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SemsoTec GmbH
• Original Assignee: Fachhochschule Regensburg
• Inventors: Kempf, Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan; Sheela C
• Application Number:
  US10/526,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/124, 382/184, 382/119, 382/311, 382/115, 382/181, 382/187, 382/309, 713/180, 713/186, 713/176, 713/193, 713/182, 713/194, 713/189, 713/150, 713/168, 401/195, 178/19.01, 178/18.09, 178/18.03, 178/18.01, 705/76, 340/5.1, 340/5.2, 340/825, 340/5.4, 340/5.52, 340/5.51, 235/386, 235/375, 345/179, 345/156, 346/139.R, 726/34
• US Class Current: 382/119
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/30 Writer recognition; Reading and verifying signatures

Abstract

Biometric writing system having a pen housing (3) for carrying out hand-guided movements on a substrate (4) at least one microphone (5), which is integrated in a housing (3), for acoustic recording of sound signals which are caused by the hand-guided movements; and a data processing unit (ii) for calculation of biometric data as a function of the recorded sound signals.

Claims

1. Biometric, acoustic writing system having:

(a) a pen housing for making hand-guided movements on a substrate;

(b) at least one microphone, which is integrated in the pen housing, for acoustic recording of sound signals which are caused by the hand-guided movements;

characterized by (c) having a data processing unit to calculate biometric data for personal identification as a function of sound signals that are recorded by said microphone from the hand-guided movements.

2. Biometric, acoustic writing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the data processing unit is also provided for obtaining biometric features and for reconstruction of handwritten characters and texts from the recorded sound signals.

3. Biometric, acoustic writing system according to claim 1, characterized in that a pen is provided in the pen housing, the substrate is a fixed writing substrate which has a specific pronounced surface roughness and hardness, the hand-guided movement is a writing movement and the pen, when placed on the substrate, is capable of creating friction on the substrate during the hand-guided writing movement, thereby producing an acoustic writing noise, which is capable of being transmitted to the microphone, as a structure-borne sound signal via the pen and as an airborne sound signal via surrounding air.

4. Biometric acoustic writing system according to claim 3, characterized in that the microphone is mechanically coupled to the pen in order to transmit the structure-borne sound signal.

5. Biometric, acoustic writing system according to claim 3, characterized in that the microphone is mechanically coupled to a sound body, which is connected to the pen, in order to transmit the structure-borne sound signal.

6. Biometric, acoustic writing system according to claim 5, characterized in that the sound body is in the form of a resonator for specific natural frequencies.

7. Biometric, acoustic writing system according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the housing opening is open, the microphone acoustically records the internal and external writing noise which is caused by the hand-guided writing movement as a structure-borne and airborne sound signal or acoustically records a speech signal which originates from a person or both.

8. Biometric, acoustic writing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the microphone is arranged in an air bearing sound chamber, which is provided in the pen housing with the air bearing sound chamber being in a form of a resonator for specific natural frequencies.

9. Biometric, acoustic writing system according to claim 8, characterized in that an interchangeable pen refill with an ink filling is provided as a pen in the pen housing, and the microphone and the resonator are surrounded by sound insulation, which is intended to attenuate environmental noise and passes sound signals only via the writing refill.

10. Biometric, acoustic writing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the writing substrate is composed of any desired paper.

11. Biometric, acoustic writing system according to claim 1, characterized in that a pen is provided in the pen housing, and a pressure sensor device is additionally provided, which records a static writing pressure and a dynamic writing pressure in at least one spatial direction of the pen when the pen is placed on the substrate and hand-guided.

12. Biometric writing system according to claim 11, characterized in that the pressure sensor device comprises piezoelectric sensors, piezoresistive sensors, force-sensitive resistances, magnetic sensors, or a combination thereof.

13. Biometric writing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the data processing unit is integrated in the pen housing or in an external receiving unit.

14. Biometric writing system according to claim 1, characterized in that a scrambling unit (17) is provided in the pen housing (3) in order to scramble reference data.

15. Biometric writing system according to claim 1, characterized in that a data memory is provided for storage of biometric reference data, and of data for handwritten characters, texts and spoken speech.

16. Biometric writing system according to claim 15, characterized in that the biometric reference data is calculated by the data processing unit from sound signal data which is recorded while writing and speaking at least one word, from optical movement data, from mechanical oscillation and pressure data, and from inclination data, and is stored in a reference data memory.

17. Biometric writing system according claim 16, characterized in that the data processing unit is integrated with a local computer having a computer data processing unit, and the data processing unit and the computer data processing unit compare the calculated current biometric data with the stored biometric reference data in order to verify and identify it.

18. Biometric writing system according to claim 17, characterized in that the data processing unit and the computer data processing unit produce a personal identification indication signal, a personal verification indication signal, or a combination thereof when the current biometric data largely matches the stored reference data.

19. Biometric writing system according to claim 18, characterized in that the data processing unit and the computer data processing unit identify the current biometric data as a stolen copy of the stored reference data, and produce a warning signal, if the current biometric data completely matches the stored biometric reference data.

20. Biometric writing system according to claim 16, characterized in that single characters which are currently being written are reconstructed by means of the stored biometric reference data for a person who has been identified or verified via the handwritten input.