Biometrics authentication system

• US 8,270,679 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Gakuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Claire X
• Assistant Examiner(s): VANCHY JR, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US12/078,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20080253620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,631 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1312 direct reading, e.g. contactless acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns

Abstract

A biometrics authentication system includes: a light source applying light to a living organism; a microlens array section condensing light from the living organism, and including a plurality of microlenses each having a different refractive power; an image pickup device obtaining image pickup data of the living organism on the basis of the light condensed by the microlens array section; a rotation angle determining section determining the rotation angle of the living organism on the basis of the image pickup data of the living organism; a three-dimensional information producing section producing three-dimensional information of the living organism on the basis of the image pickup data of the living organism; and an authentication section performing authentication on the basis of the rotation angle determined by the rotation angle determining section and the three-dimensional information produced in the three-dimensional information producing section.

Claims

1. A biometrics authentication system comprising:

a light source configured to apply light to a living organism;

a microlens array section configured to condense light received from the living organism, the microlens array section including a plurality of microlenses, each microlens of the plurality of microlenses having a different refractive power;

an image pickup device configured to obtain image pickup data of the living organism based on light condensed by the microlens array section;

a rotation angle determining section configured to determine a rotation angle of the living organism based on the image pickup data of the living organism;

a three-dimensional information producing section configured to produce three-dimensional information of the living organism based on the image pickup data of the living organism; and

an authentication section that performs authentication based on the rotation angle determined by the rotation angle determining section and the three-dimensional information produced by the three-dimensional information producing section.

2. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 1, wherein

the rotation angle determining section is configured to determine the rotation angle of the living organism on the basis of image pickup data of a surface of the living organism.

3. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 2, wherein

the rotation angle determining section is configured to determine the rotation angle of the living organism on the basis of a position of a core of a fingerprint.

4. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 3, wherein

the three-dimensional information producing section is configured to produce three-dimensional information of a vein pattern of the living organism.

5. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a pattern storing section storing a three-dimensional authentication pattern of the living organism.

6. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 5, wherein

the authentication section obtains a partial authentication pattern according to the rotation angle from the three-dimensional authentication pattern, and performs authentication by comparing the partial authentication pattern with the three-dimensional information.

7. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a voltage supplying section supplying a voltage to the plurality of microlenses.

8. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 7, wherein

the microlenses change their refractive powers according to the voltage supplied from the voltage supplying section.

9. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of microlenses each include:

a first substrate facing a second substrate;

a first electrode formed on the first substrate and a second electrode formed on the second substrate, the voltage from the voltage supplying section being applied to the first or second electrode; and

a liquid crystal layer arranged between the pair of electrodes.

10. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 9, wherein

a surface of the first electrode has a plurality of concave curved surfaces formed in a matrix for forming a first microlens surface in the liquid crystal layer.

11. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 10, wherein

a surface of the second electrode has a plurality of concave curved surfaces formed in a matrix for forming a second microlens surface in the liquid crystal layer.

12. The biometrics authentication system according to claim 10, wherein

a refractive index of the liquid crystal layer is configured to change based on the voltage supplied from the voltage supplying section.