Device authentication

• US 8,963,806 B1
• Filed: 10/29/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Starner, Thad Eugene, Johnson, Michael Patrick, Costa, Antonio Bernardo Monteiro
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US13/663,294
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 716/4, 716/19, 382115-124
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/33 using wearable devices, e.g. using a smartwatch or smart-glasses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

A head-mountable device configured to authenticate a wearer is disclosed. The head-mountable device can receive an indication of an eye gesture from at least one proximity sensor in the head-mountable device configured to generate sensor data indicative of light reflected from an eye area. The head-mountable device can capture biometric information indicative of one or more biometric identifiers of a wearer of the head-mountable device responsive to receiving the indication of the eye gesture. The head-mountable device can authenticate the wearer of the head-mountable device based on a comparison of the captured biometric information and a stored biometric profile.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of an eye gesture from at least one proximity sensor in a head-mountable device (HMD) configured to generate sensor data indicative of light reflected from an eye area;

responsive to receiving the indication of the eye gesture, (i) vibrating a bone conduction transducer associated with the HMD near a bony portion of a head of a wearer of the HMD so as to transmit vibrations through the head of the wearer, and (ii) capturing biometric information indicative of a head vibration response pattern of the vibrations transmitted through the head of the wearer of the HMD, wherein the captured biometric information comprises one or more of vibration information from an accelerometer associated with the HMD and acoustic information from a microphone associated with the HMD; and

authenticating the wearer of the HMD based on a comparison of the head vibration response pattern indicated by the captured biometric information and a stored head vibration response profile.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving the indication of the eye gesture includes receiving information characterizing a wink gesture of the wearer, and wherein the authenticating the wearer includes:

comparing the head vibration response pattern indicated by the captured biometric information with the stored head vibration response profile,

comparing the information characterizing the wink gesture with an authorized wink gesture profile, and

determining that the wearer is authorized only if both the head vibration response pattern indicated by the captured biometric information corresponds to the stored head vibration response profile and the information characterizing the wink gesture corresponds to the authorized wink gesture profile.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to authenticating the wearer, causing the HMD to perform a computing action.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the computing action includes unlocking the HMD.

5. A head-mountable device (HMD) comprising:

an eye gesture detection system including at least one light source configured to illuminate an eye area and at least one proximity sensor configured to generate sensor data indicative of light reflected from the eye area;

a head vibration response pattern characterization system including a bone conduction transducer configured to vibrate near a bony portion of a head of a wearer of the HMD so as to transmit vibrations through the head of the wearer, and at least one sensor configured to generate data indicative of a head vibration response pattern of the vibrations transmitted through the head the wearer of the HMD, wherein the at least one sensor comprises one or more of an accelerometer associated with the HMD and configured to generate vibration data and a microphone associated with the HMD and configured to generate acoustic data; and

a controller configured to;

(i) receive an indication of an eye gesture from the eye gesture detection system;

(ii) responsive to receiving the indication of the eye gesture, cause the head vibration response pattern characterization system to;

(a) vibrate the bone conduction transducer so as to transmit vibrations through the head of the wearer, and (b) capture biometric information indicative of the head vibration response pattern of the vibrations transmitted through the head of the wearer of the HMD; and

(iii) authenticate the wearer of the HMD based on a comparison of the head vibration response pattern indicated by the captured biometric information and a stored head vibration response profile.

6. The HMD according to claim 5, wherein the indication of the eye gesture received from the proximity sensor includes information characterizing a wink gesture of the wearer, and wherein the controller is further configured to authenticate the wearer by:

comparing the head vibration response pattern indicated by the captured biometric information with the stored head vibration response profile,

comparing the information characterizing the wink gesture with an authorized wink gesture profile, and

determining that the wearer is authorized only if both the head vibration response pattern indicated by the captured biometric information corresponds to the stored head vibration response profile and the information characterizing the wink gesture corresponds to the authorized wink gesture profile.

7. The HMD according to claim 5, further comprising a display system, and wherein the controller is further configured to, responsive to failing to capture the biometric information via the head vibration response pattern characterization system, display a prompt to facilitate capture of the biometric information on the display system such that the prompt is visible to the wearer.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors in a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving an indication of an eye gesture from at least one proximity sensor in a head-mountable device (HMD) configured to generate sensor data indicative of light reflected from an eye area;

responsive to receiving the indication of the eye gesture, (i) vibrating a bone conduction transducer associated with the HMD near a bony portion of a head of a wearer of the HMD so as to transmit vibrations through the head of the wearer, and (ii) capturing biometric information indicative of a head vibration response pattern of the vibrations transmitted through the head of the wearer of the HMD, wherein the captured biometric information comprises one or more of vibration information from an accelerometer associated with the HMD and acoustic information from a microphone associated with the HMD; and

authenticating the wearer of the HMD based on a comparison of the head vibration response pattern indicated by the captured biometric information and a stored head vibration response profile.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the receiving the indication of the eye gesture includes receiving information characterizing a wink gesture of the wearer, and wherein the authenticating the wearer includes:

comparing the head vibration response pattern indicated by the captured biometric information with the stored head vibration response profile,

comparing the information characterizing the wink gesture with an authorized wink gesture profile, and

determining that the wearer is authorized only if both the head vibration response pattern indicated by the captured biometric information corresponds to the stored head vibration response profile and the information characterizing the wink gesture corresponds to the authorized wink gesture profile.