Multimodal ocular biometric system

• US 8,391,567 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2011
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Morphotrust USA Incorporated (Advent International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Identix, Inc. (Advent International Corporation)
• Inventors: Friedman, Marc D., Casaverde, Pablo, Yansen, Don, McNerney, Tim, Tosa, Yasunari, Usher, David, Accomando, Nicholas A., Muller, David, Heacock, Greg, Marshall, John
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAWAN, SHEELA C
• Application Number:
  US13/196,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20110285836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/118, 382/116, 382/124, 382/117, 713/186, 713/182, 713/185, 713/150, 713/168, 713/176, 351/200, 351/205, 351/221, 351/206, 351/209, 340/5.1, 340/5.2, 340/5.52, 340/5.8, 340/5.81, 340/5.82, 340/5.83, 340/5.53, 356/71, 356/479, 600/506, 600/300, 600/481, 600/504, 707/999.006, 707/999.003, 726/26, 348/78, 902/2
• US Class Current: 382/117
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/1216 for diagnostics of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/14 Arrangements specially adapted for eye photography apparatus or arrangements for taking photographs per se G03B
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A multimodal biometric identification system captures and processes images of both the iris and the retina for biometric identification. Another multimodal ocular system captures and processes images of the iris and/or the from both eyes of a subject. Biometrics based on data provided by these systems are more accurate and robust than using biometrics that include data from only the iris or only the retina from a single eye. An exemplary embodiment emits photons to the iris and the retina of both eyes, an iris image sensor that captures an image of the iris when the iris reflects the emitted light, a retina image sensor that captures an image of the retina when the retina reflects the emitted light, and a controller that controls the iris and the retina illumination sources, where the captured image of the iris and the captured image of the retina contain biometric data.

Claims

1. A system for biometric identification, the system comprising:

a housing;

at least one user window on a first side of the housing, the at least one user window adapted to accommodate two eyes of a user positioned on the first side of the housing at the same time;

at least one opposing window on a second side of the housing, the at least one opposing window aligned with the at least one user window, wherein transmission of images of objects external to the housing occurs between the at least one user window and the at least one opposing window;

at least one illumination source in the housing emitting photons through the at least one user window to be reflected from each of the two eyes; and

at least two image sensors in the housing for capturing respective images according to the photons reflected from a corresponding one of the two eyes, the image captured from the corresponding one of the two eyes having biometric identification data.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one user window comprises two user windows, and two exit pupils correspond respectively with the two user windows and are configured to be visually fused by a vergence of the user when the two eyes are aligned with respect to the user windows for image capture by the at least one image sensor.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the two eyes includes a right eye and a left eye of the user.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the two eyes includes a right eye and a left eye of the user, and the at least one image sensor captures at least one of an iris image and a retina image from each of the right eye and the left eye.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one illumination source includes a near-infrared illumination source.

6. The system according to claim 5, further comprising at least one beamsplitter in the housing adapted to direct near-infrared illumination reflected from the each of the two eyes to the at least one image sensor and to direct visible light to the at least one opposing window.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one illumination source includes a white light illumination source to close down a pupil of at least one eye of the two eyes and to illuminate the at least one eye and provide an image of the at least one eye to the at least one opposing window.

8. The system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a horizontal diffraction grating and a vertical diffraction grating at the at least one user window.

9. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a semitransparent target in the housing to provide a further visual indicator for alignment of each of the two eyes.

10. The system according to claim 1, further configured to accommodate a user wearing eyeglasses.

11. The system according to claim 1, further configured to capture images of the two eyes simultaneously.

12. A method of using a system for biometric identification including:

a housing;

at least one user window on a first side of the housing, the at least one user window adapted to accommodate two eyes of a user positioned on a first side of the housing at the same time;

at least one opposing window on a second side of the housing, the at least one opposing window aligned with the at least one user window, wherein transmission of images of objects external to the housing occurs between the at least one user window and the at least one opposing window;

at least one illumination source in the housing for emitting photons through the at least one user window to be reflected from each of the two eyes; and

at least two image sensors in the housing for capturing respective images according to the photons reflected from a corresponding one of the two eyes, the image captured from the corresponding one of the two eyes having biometric identification data,

the method comprising;

positioning the user at the first side of the housing;

viewing, while positioned at the second side of the housing, at least one eye of the two eyes of the user through the at least one opposing window and the at least one user window;

aligning the at least one eye of the user with the at least one user window;

illuminating, with photons, the at least one eye with the at least one illumination source; and

and capturing the image according to the photons reflected from the at least one eye.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the two eyes includes a right eye and a left eye of the user, and the at least one image sensor captures at least one of an iris image and a retina image from each of the right eye and the left eye.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the capture of the image of each of the two eyes is achieved simultaneously.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the capture of the image of each of the two eyes is carried out without reconfiguring the system.

16. A method of using a system for biometric identification including:

a housing;

at least one user window on a first side of the housing, the at least one user window adapted to accommodate two eyes of a user positioned on a first side of the housing at the same time;

at least one opposing window on a second side of the housing, the at least one opposing window aligned with the at least one user window, wherein transmission of images of objects external to the housing occur between the at least one user window and the at least one opposing window;

at least two illumination sources in the housing for emitting photons through the at least one user window to be reflected from a corresponding one of the two eyes; and

at least one image sensor in the housing for capturing images according to the photons reflected from each of the two eyes, the image captured from each of the two eyes having biometric identification data,

the method comprising;

viewing with each of the two eyes, while positioned at the first side of the housing, a target object through the at least one user window and the at least one opposing window;

aligning each of the two eyes with the at least one user window;

illuminating, with photons, a corresponding one of the two eyes with the at least two illumination sources; and

and capturing the images of each of the two eyes according to the photons reflected from each of the two eyes.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the two eyes includes a right eye and a left eye of the user, and the at least one image sensor captures at least one of an iris image and a retina image from each of the right eye and the left eye.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the capture of the image of each of the two eyes is achieved simultaneously.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the capture of the image of each of the two eyes is carried out while keeping the system positioned at the eyes.

20. A system for biometric identification, the system comprising:

a housing;

at least one user window on a first side of the housing, the at least one user window adapted to accommodate two eyes of a user positioned on the first side of the housing at the same time;

at least one opposing window on a second side of the housing, the at least one opposing window aligned with the at least one user window, wherein transmission of images of objects external to the housing occurs between the at least one user window and the at least one opposing window;

at least two illumination sources in the housing emitting photons through the at least one user window to be reflected from a corresponding one of the two eyes; and

at least one image sensor in the housing for capturing images according to the photons reflected from each of the two eyes, the image captured from each one of the two eyes having biometric identification data.