Methods and systems for authenticating users

• US 8,064,645 B1
• Filed: 08/08/2011
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corporation DAON Technology
• Original Assignee: Daon Holdings Limited
• Inventors: Sezille, Nicolas Jacques Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns; Andrew W
• Application Number:
  US13/204,882
• Time in Patent Office: 106 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/117, 382/118, 382/124, 382/294, 382/296, 382/298, 340/5.82, 340/5.83
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/245 by locating a pattern; Special marks for positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1365 Matching; Classification

Abstract

A method of authenticating users is provided that includes capturing biometric authentication data of a user and processing the captured biometric data into an image. Moreover, the method includes determining a region of interest of the image and a gray scale image from the image, determining an optimum transformation parameter set within the region of interest, and aligning the gray scale image with an enrollment gray scale image generated during enrollment of the user using results of the optimum transformation parameter set determination. Furthermore, the method includes extracting biometric feature data from the gray scale image and verifying an identity of the user with extracted biometric feature data included in a region of agreement.

Claims

1. A method of calculating a transformation comprising:

capturing biometric authentication data of a user and processing the captured biometric authentication data into an image with a communications device, and communicating the captured biometric authentication data to an authentication system;

determining a region of interest of the image and generating a gray scale image from the image;

rotating the gray scale image through a series of angles and scaling the gray scale image through a series of scale factors, such that the gray scale image is rotated and scaled through a plurality of rotation angle and scale factor combinations;

comparing a patch area against biometric data of the gray scale image encompassed by the patch area at a plurality of positions on the gray scale image;

calculating a correlation score between the patch area and the gray scale image at each position on the gray scale image;

determining a best correlation score from the correlation scores;

determining an optimum area of the gray scale image corresponding to the best correlation score; and

calculating a transformation from parameters associated with the optimum area.

2. A method of calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 1, said capturing operation comprising capturing at least palm biometric authentication data of the user.

3. A method of calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 1, further comprising determining the patch area during enrollment to be within an enrollment region of interest, the patch area representing a copy of a portion of biometric data captured during enrollment.

4. A method of calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

capturing biometric data from a user during enrollment;

calculating coordinates of a center of gravity of the captured enrollment biometric data; and

positioning the patch area on the center of gravity such that a center of the patch area is coincident with the center of gravity.

5. A method of calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 1, said determining a region of interest operation comprising:

determining a best fit line for coordinate points of the captured biometric authentication data;

determining coordinates of two points on the best fit line and a distance between the two points;

determining the coordinates of a midpoint between the two points; and

determining a first vector parallel to the best fit line and a second vector normal to the best fit line.

6. A method of calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 5, further comprising determining coordinates of each corner of the region of interest according to the equation P_i=MP+a₁Dv₁+b₁Dv₂, where:

P, designates each corner of the region of interest;

MP designates the coordinates of the midpoint;

D designates the distance between the two points;

v₁ designates the first vector;

v₂ designates the second vector; and

a₁ and b₁ designate coefficients.

7. A system for calculating a transformation comprising:

an authentication system including an authentication database, said authentication system being configured to communicate with devices and to store within said authentication database authentication data for a plurality of users; and

a device configured to communicate with at least said authentication system and to capture authentication data, said authentication system being further configured to

determine a region of interest of authentication data captured by said device,

generate a gray scale image from the captured authentication data,

rotate and scale the gray scale image such that the gray scale image is rotated and scaled through a plurality of rotation and scale factor combinations,

compare a patch area against biometric data of the gray scale image encompassed by the patch area at a plurality of positions on the gray scale image,

calculate a correlation score between the patch area and the gray scale image at each position on the gray scale image,

determine a best correlation score of the correlation scores,

determine an optimum area of the gray scale image corresponding to the best correlation score, and

calculate a transformation from parameters associated with the optimum area.

8. A system for calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 7, said authentication system being further configured to determine the optimum area to be a matching area of the gray scale image that corresponds to the patch area at the best correlation score.

9. A system for calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 7, said authentication system being further configured to determine an optimum transformation parameter set corresponding to the best correlation score.

10. A system for calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 7, the transformation parameter set comprising an optimum rotation angle, a optimum scale factor and the coordinates of the optimum area.

11. A system for calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 7, wherein said device is one of the following:

a smart phone;

a television;

a tablet computer;

a desktop computer;

a laptop; and

a personal digital assistant.

12. A system for calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 7, the captured authentication data being palm biometric data.

13. A system for calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 7, the patch area having a rectangular or circular shape.

14. A system for calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 7, said authentication system being further configured to determine the region of interest by constructing the region of interest as an enrollment region of interest according to the equation P_i=MP+a₁Dv₁+b₁Dv₂, where:

P, designates each corner of the region of interest;

MP designates the coordinates of the midpoint;

D designates the distance between the two points;

v₁ designates the first vector;

v₂ designates the second vector; and

a₁ and b₁ designate coefficients.

15. A system for calculating a transformation in accordance with claim 7, said authentication system being further configured to position the patch area at an area of the captured authentication data having a higher density of biometric features than other areas of the captured authentication data.

16. A system for authenticating a user in accordance with claim 7, said authentication system being further configured to:

construct the region of interest in accordance with a first coordinate system;

include a second coordinate system in the region of interest; and

calculate coordinates of a center of gravity of the captured authentication data in accordance with the second coordinate system.

17. A computer program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium included in an authentication computer system for calculating a transformation, the computer program for causing the authentication computer system to execute at least the following:

communicating a captured biometric authentication data image from a device to an authentication system;

determining an authentication region of interest of the captured biometric authentication data image and generating a gray scale image from the captured biometric authentication data image;

rotating the gray scale image through a series of angles and scaling the gray scale image through a series of scale factors, such that the gray scale image is rotated and scaled through a plurality of rotation angle and scale factor combinations;

applying a patch area against the gray scale image, the patch area representing a copy of a portion of biometric data captured from the user during enrollment;

calculating a correlation score between the patch area and the gray scale image at a plurality of positions on the gray scale image;

determining a best correlation score, the best correlation score indicating the best correlation between the patch area and a corresponding matching area of the gray scale image;

determining that the corresponding matching area is an optimum area of the gray scale image; and

calculating a transformation from parameters associated with the optimum area.

18. A computer program recorded on a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium in accordance with claim 17, the computer program for causing the authentication computer system to execute said applying operation by causing the authentication computer system to execute comparing the patch area against biometric data of the gray scale image encompassed by the patch area at a plurality of positions on the gray scale image.