Multibiometric multispectral imager

• US 7,899,217 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Issued: 03/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HID Global Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Lumidign Incorporated
• Inventors: Uludag, Umut, Nixon, Kristin A., Ennis, Matthew S., Rowe, Robert K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Strege; John B
• Application Number:
  US11/779,998
• Publication Number:
  US 20080192988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,321 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/116, 382/124, 340/5.53, 340/5.83
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/256 of results relating to different input data, e.g. multimodal recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/811 the classifiers operating on different input data, e.g. multi-modal recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1324 by using geometrical optics, e.g. using prisms G06V40/1312 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1341 Sensing with light passing through the finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns

Abstract

A skin site of an individual is illuminated and light scattered from the skin site under multispectral conditions is received. The light includes light scattered from tissue beneath a surface of the skin site. Multiple biometric modalities are derived from the received light. The biometric modalities are fused into a combined biometric modality that is analyzed to perform a biometric function.

Claims

1. A method of performing a biometric function, the method comprising:

illuminating a skin site of an individual;

receiving light scattered from the skin site under multispectral conditions, the light including light scattered from tissue beneath a surface of the skin site;

deriving a plurality of biometric modalities from the received light, wherein at least two of the biometric modalities represent different portions of the skin site;

fusing the plurality of biometric modalities into a combined biometric modality; and

analyzing the combined biometric modality to perform the biometric function.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the skin site comprises a hand of the individual.

3. The method recited in claim 2 wherein the skin site comprises a palm of the hand and at least one fingertip of the hand.

4. The method recited in claim 2 wherein at least one of the biometric modalities comprises a palmprint of the hand.

5. The method recited in claim 2 wherein at least one of the biometric modalities comprises a fingerprint of a finger of the hand.

6. The method recited in claim 2 wherein at least one of the biometric modalities comprises a shape of the hand.

7. The method recited in claim 2 wherein at least one of the biometric modalities comprises a chromatic texture of the hand.

8. The method recited in claim 2 wherein deriving the plurality of biometric modalities comprises:

converting raw color image data into a grayscale image;

segmenting the grayscale image into foreground and background portions; and

localizing a fingertip of the hand by generating a one-dimensional projection of the segmented grayscale image.

9. The method recited in claim 1 wherein illuminating the skin site and receiving light scattered from the skin site are performed while the skin site is in at least partial contact with a platen.

10. The method recited in claim 1 wherein analyzing the combined biometric modality comprises analyzing the combined biometric modality to determine an identity of the individual or to verify the identity of the individual.

11. The method recited in claim 1 wherein analyzing the combined biometric modality comprises analyzing the combined biometric modality to verify that the skin site is living tissue.

12. The method recited in claim 1 wherein analyzing the combined biometric modality comprises analyzing the combined biometric modality to estimate a demographic or anthropometric characteristic of the individual.

13. The method recited in claim 1 wherein:

illuminating the skin site comprises polarizing incident light with a first polarization;

receiving light scattered from the skin site comprises polarizing received light with a second polarization;

the first and second polarizations are substantially crossed relative to each other.

27. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the different portions of the skin site overlap.

14. A biometric sensor comprising:

an illumination subsystem disposed to illuminate a skin site of an individual;

a detection subsystem disposed to receive light scattered from the skin site under multispectral conditions, the light including light scattered from tissue beneath a surface of the skin site; and

a computational unit interfaced with the detection subsystem and having;

instructions for deriving a plurality of biometric modalities from the received light, wherein at least two of the biometric modalities represent different portions of the skin site;

instructions for fusing the plurality of biometric modalities into a combined biometric modality; and

instructions for analyzing the combined biometric modality to perform a biometric function.

15. The method recited in claim 14 wherein the skin site comprises a hand of the individual.

16. The method recited in claim 15 wherein the skin comprises a palm of the hand and at least one fingertip of the hand.

17. The biometric sensor recited in claim 15 wherein at least one of the biometric modalities comprises a palmprint of the hand.

18. The biometric sensor recited in claim 15 wherein at least one of the biometric modalities comprises a fingerprint of a finger of the hand.

19. The biometric sensor recited in claim 15 wherein at least one of the biometric modalities comprises a shape of the hand.

20. The biometric sensor recited in claim 15 wherein at least one of the biometric modalities comprises a chromatic texture of the hand.

21. The biometric sensor recited in claim 15 wherein the instructions for deriving the plurality of biometric modalities comprise:

instructions for converting raw color image data into a grayscale image;

instructions for segmenting the grayscale image into foreground and background portions; and

instructions for localizing a fingertip of the by generating a one-dimensional projection of the segmented grayscale image.

22. The biometric sensor recited in claim 14 further comprising a platen in contact with the skin site.

23. The biometric sensor recited in claim 14 wherein the instructions for analyzing the combined biometric modality comprise instructions for analyzing the combined biometric modality to determine an identity of the individual or to verify the identity of the individual.

24. The biometric sensor recited in claim 14 wherein the instructions for analyzing the combined biometric modality comprise instructions for analyzing the combined biometric modality to verify that the skin site is living tissue.

25. The biometric sensor recited in claim 14 wherein the instructions for analyzing the combined biometric modality comprise instructions for analyzing the combined biometric modality to estimate a demographic or anthropometric characteristic of the individual.

26. The biometric sensor recited in claim 14 further comprising:

a first polarizer disposed to polarize light incident on the skin site with a first polarization;

a second polarizer disposed to polarize light scattered from the skin site with a second polarization,

wherein the first and second polarizations are substantially crossed relative to each other.

28. The biometric sensor recited in claim 14 wherein the different portions of the skin site overlap.