Biometric image pickup apparatus

• US 8,233,149 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2008
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kishima, Koichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Toatley, Gregory J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Underwood, Jarreas C
• Application Number:
  US12/218,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20090036783A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 356432-448, 356450-458
• US Class Current: 356/432
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• 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 biometric image pickup apparatus includes: a light source section selectively switching between light of a first wavelength region with a high transmittance through a living organism and light of a second wavelength region with a lower transmittance through the living organism than light of the first wavelength region to apply the light of the first wavelength region and the light of the second wavelength region to the living organism; an image pickup lens section condensing light from the living organism; an image pickup device obtaining first image pickup data of the living organism on the basis of the light of the first wavelength region in light condensed by the image pickup lens, and obtaining second image pickup data on the basis of the light of the second wavelength region in the light condensed by the image pickup lens.

Claims

1. A biometric image pickup apparatus comprising:

a light source section including a light source configured to receive a driving signal from a light source driving section, wherein the driving signal when received causes the light source to selectively switch between outputting a first light of a first wavelength region with a high transmittance through a living organism to image a vein pattern of the living organism and second light of a second wavelength region with a lower transmittance through the living organism than the first light of the first wavelength region to apply the first light of the first wavelength region and the second light of the second wavelength region to the living organism, wherein the light source section further includes a liquid crystal device selectively switchable between transmission and blocking of light from the light source;

an image pickup lens section configured to condense transmitted light from the living organism;

an image pickup device configured to obtain first image pickup data of the living organism on the basis of the light of the first wavelength region in the transmitted light condensed by the image pickup lens section and second image pickup data on the basis of the light of the second wavelength region in the transmitted light condensed by the image pickup lens section, wherein the first image pickup data comprises vein pattern information and at least one source of noise and the second image pickup data comprises the at least one source of noise, wherein the at least one source of noise comprises stray light generated from a source outside of the living organism other than the light source in the light source section and light reflected at or near an incident surface of the living organism; and

an image processing section configured to determine difference image data between the first image pickup data and the second image pickup data obtained by the image pickup device, wherein the difference image data excludes, at least in part, the at least one source of noise.

2. The biometric image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the first wavelength region is a wavelength region from 700 nm to 1200 nm inclusive.

3. The biometric image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the second wavelength region is a wavelength region smaller than 700 nm or larger than 1200 nm.

4. The biometric image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detection section where the living organism is placed,

wherein the light source section is arranged on the same side as a side where the image pickup device is arranged with respect to the detection section.

5. The biometric image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image pickup device includes an image pickup region in which a plurality of image pickup cells are formed, and a non-image pickup region in which the image pickup cells are not formed, and

the light source section is arranged in the non-image pickup region of the image pickup device.

6. The biometric image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the difference image data obtained by the image processing section is image data about veins of the living organism.

7. The biometric image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an authentication section performing the authentication of the living organism on the basis of the difference image data obtained by the image processing section.

8. The biometric image pickup apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one source of noise comprises sunlight.