Long distance multimodal biometric system and method

• US 8,433,103 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2006
• 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, McNerney, Tim, Tosa, Yasunari, Usher, David, Muller, David, Bashir, Faisal, Hitchcock, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatnagar, Anand
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARK, SOO JIN
• Application Number:
  US11/898,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20080069411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,059 Days
• Field of Search: 382116-118
• US Class Current: 382/116
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/166 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

A system for multimodal biometric identification has a first imaging system that detects one or more subjects in a first field of view, including a targeted subject having a first biometric characteristic and a second biometric characteristic; a second imaging system that captures a first image of the first biometric characteristic according to first photons, where the first biometric characteristic is positioned in a second field of view smaller than the first field of view, and the first image includes first data for biometric identification; a third imaging system that captures a second image of the second biometric characteristic according to second photons, where the second biometric characteristic is positioned in a third field of view which is smaller than the first and second fields of view, and the second image includes second data for biometric identification. At least one active illumination source emits the second photons.

Claims

1. A multimodal biometric identification system, comprising:

a first imaging system that detects one or more subjects in a first field of view, the one or more subjects including a targeted subject having a first biometric characteristic including a face and a second biometric characteristic including at least one iris corresponding to an eye of the targeted subject, wherein the first imaging system only receives passive illumination photons reflected from the one or more subjects to detect the first biometric characteristic, the passive illumination photons being generated by a source external to the multimodal biometric identification system and having at least one of a visible wavelength, a near-infrared wavelength, and an infrared wavelength;

a second imaging system that captures a first image of the first biometric characteristic according to first photons reflecting from the first biometric characteristic, the first biometric characteristic being positioned in a second field of view which is smaller than the first field of view, and the first image including first data for biometric identification;

a third imaging system that captures a second image of the second biometric characteristic according to second photons reflecting from the second biometric characteristic, the second biometric characteristic being positioned in a third field of view which is smaller than the first and second fields of view, and the second image including second data for biometric identification;

at least one active illumination source that emits the second photons to be reflected from the second biometric characteristic, the at least one active illumination source further configured to reduce, via a filter, visible illumination from the at least one active illumination source; and

a controller that operates the first imaging system, the second imaging system, the third imaging system, and the at least one illumination source according to programmed instructions, the controller comprising at least one of;

one or more independent sub-controllers and one or more interdependent sub-controllers wherein the controller does not control the source external to the multimodal biometric identification system, the controller being configured to receive the first and second data for biometric identification and to biometrically identify the targeted subject by processing both the first and second data in combination, wherein the controller is further configured to align the second field of view according to the first biometric characteristic.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the multimodal biometric identification system provides no feedback to the one or more subjects.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines a face position for the face according to the second field of view, the controller determines the third field of view according to the position of the face, and the controller determines an iris position for the at least one iris according to the third field of view.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second photons have at least one of a near-infrared wavelength and a visible wavelength.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one active illumination source further emits the first photons to be reflected from the first biometric characteristic, and the first photons have at least one of a visible wavelength, a near-infrared wavelength, and an infrared wavelength.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first photons to be reflected from the first biometric characteristic are passive illumination photons generated by an external illumination source and have at least one of a visible wavelength, a near-infrared wavelength, and an infrared wavelength.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller tracks, with the first imaging system, the one or more subjects in the first field of view.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the first field of view provides a continuous 360-degree view, and the first imaging system comprises a plurality of cameras configured to provide the continuous 360-degree view.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller determines a position of the second field of view according to image data corresponding to the one or more subjects detected by the first imaging system.

10. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a pan-tilt unit that aligns at least one of the first imaging system, the second imaging system, the third imaging system, and the at least one illumination system with the targeted subject.

11. The system according to 1, wherein the one or more subjects are positioned between approximately six meters and approximately fifty meters from at least one of the first imaging system, the second imaging system and the third imaging system, and wherein the third imaging system further includes:

a zooming telescope lens having an aperture of approximately fifty centimeters to approximately one-hundred centimeters.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein the filter is a notch filter.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to align the third field of view according to the second biometric characteristic.

14. A method for a multimodal biometric identification system, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying one or more subjects in a first field of view;

selecting a targeted subject from the one or more subjects, the targeted subject having a first biometric characteristic including a face and a second biometric characteristic including at least one iris corresponding to an eye of the targeted subject;

aligning, with a controller associated with the multimodal biometric identification system, a second field of view according to the first biometric characteristic, the second field of view being smaller than the first field of view;

aligning, with the controller, a third field of view according to the second biometric characteristic, the third field of view being smaller than the first field of view and the second field of view;

actively illuminating with second photons the second biometric characteristic, the second photons being filtered with a filter to reduce visible illumination;

receiving, by a first imaging system, only passive illumination photons reflected from the one or more subjects to detect the first biometric characteristic, the passive illumination photons being generated by an ambient source not controlled by the controller and having at least one of a visible wavelength, a near-infrared wavelength, and an infrared wavelength;

capturing, with a second imaging system, a first image of the first biometric characteristic according to first photons, the first image including first data for biometric identification;

capturing, with a third imaging system, a second image of the second biometric characteristic according to the second photons, the second image including second data for biometric identification;

receiving the first and second data for biometric identification by the controller; and

biometrically identifying the targeted subject by processing both the first and second data in combination by the controller.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the multimodal biometric identification system provides no feedback to the one or more subjects.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising determining a position for the face according to the second field of view, and determining an iris position for the at least one iris according to the third field of view.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the second photons have at least one of a near-infrared wavelength and a visible wavelength.

18. The method according to claim 14, further comprising actively illuminating with the first photons the first biometric characteristic, wherein the first photons have at least one of a visible wavelength, a near-infrared wavelength, and an infrared wavelength.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the first photons are passive illumination photons generated by an external illumination source and have at least one of a visible wavelength, a near-infrared wavelength, and an infrared wavelength.

20. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of tracking the one or more subjects in the first field of view.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein the step of identifying one or more subjects in a first field of view comprises identifying one or more subjects in a continuous 360-degree view.

22. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of determining a position of the second field of view according to image data corresponding to the one or more subjects.

23. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the steps of processing the second image and realigning the third field of view according to the processed second image.

24. The method according to claim 14, wherein the step of capturing a first image comprises receiving the first photons from a distance of approximately six meters to approximately fifty meters, or capturing a second image comprises the step of receiving the second photons from a distance of approximately three meters to approximately fifty meters, and wherein the second image is captured according to photons passing through a zooming telescope lens having an aperture of approximately fifty centimeters to approximately one-hundred centimeters.

25. The method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of enrolling the targeted subject or authenticating the targeted subject by matching the first data and the second data.

26. The method according to claim 14, wherein the second photons are filtered with a notch filter.

27. A multimodal biometric identification system comprising:

a first imaging system that detects one or more subjects in a first field of view, the one or more subjects including a targeted subject having a first biometric characteristic including a face and a second biometric characteristic including at least one iris corresponding to an eye of the targeted subject, wherein the first imaging system only receives passive illumination photons reflected from the one or more subjects to detect the first biometric characteristic, the passive illumination photons being generated by a source external to the multimodal biometric identification system and having at least one of a visible wavelength, a near-infrared wavelength, and an infrared wavelength;

a second imaging system that captures a first image of the first biometric characteristic according to first photons reflecting from the first biometric characteristic, the first biometric characteristic being positioned in a second field of view which is smaller than the first field of view, and the first image including first data for biometric identification;

a third imaging system that captures a second image of the second biometric characteristic according to second photons reflecting from the second biometric characteristic, the second biometric characteristic being positioned in a third field of view which is smaller than the first and second fields of view, and the second image including second data for biometric identification, the third imaging system including;

a hyperbolic Cassegrain telescope with a zooming telescope lens having an aperture of approximately fifty centimeters to approximately one-hundred centimeters for providing a resolution of the second image of approximately two line pairs per millimeter to approximately four line pairs per millimeter, and

a pan-tilt unit having at least two high precision axis encoders with resolutions less than approximately two milliarcseconds for aligning the hyperbolic Cassegrain telescope with the third field of view;

at least one active illumination source that emits the second photons to be reflected from the second biometric characteristic, the at least one active illumination source including;

an optical fiber for directing a beam of illumination including the second photons from the at least one active illumination source,

a rotating diffuser configured to rotate at approximately one-thousand rotations per minute for reducing speckle of the directed beam of illumination,

a notch filter configured to reduce visible illumination of the directed beam of illumination, and

a Fresnel lens for collimating the beam of illumination; and

a controller that operates the first imaging system, the second imaging system, the third imaging system, and the at least one illumination source according to programmed instructions, the controller comprising at least one of;

one or more independent sub-controllers and one or more interdependent sub-controllers, wherein the controller does not control the source external to the multimodal biometric identification system, the controller being configured to receive the first and second data for biometric identification and to biometrically identify the targeted subject by processing both the first and second data in combination, wherein the controller is further configured to align the second field of view according to the first biometric characteristic.