Sensor identification

• US 9,224,030 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2014
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Du, Eliza Yingzi, Schneider, John Keith, Ganti, Suryaprakash
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, BRIAN Q
• Application Number:
  US14/462,338
• Publication Number:
  US 20150199552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/22 Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30168 Image quality inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/50 by performing operations within image blocks; by using histograms, e.g. histogram of oriented gradients [HoG]; by summing image-intensity values; Projection analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/507 Summing image-intensity values; Histogram projection analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/80 Recognising image objects characterised by unique random patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/90 Identifying an image sensor based on its output data
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 2201/00 Indexing scheme relating to image or video recognition or understanding
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing

Abstract

Techniques described here use variations in the sensor to generate an identifier for the sensor. Each sensor may be comprised of sub-sensing units, called pixels that may demonstrate variation in their sensing capability from one pixel to another. Embodiments of the invention, describe a method for using the relative variance of each pixel (relative to the whole sensor or/and a portion of the sensor) in generating an identifier for the sensor. In one embodiment, the method may obtain information associated with a plurality of pixels from a sensor, detect variations in the information associated for each of the pixels from a subset of the plurality of pixels and generate an identifier for the sensor using the detected variations in the information associated with each of the pixels from the subset of plurality of pixels.

Claims

1. A method for generating an identifier for a sensor, comprising:

accessing, by a computing device, sensed information for each pixel from a plurality of pixels of the sensor for an at least one sensing environment;

determining, by the computing device, a first variance representing a variation in the sensed information for a first subset of the plurality of pixels using the sensed information for each pixel from the first subset of the plurality of pixels of the sensor;

determining, by the computing device, a second variance representing a variation in the sensed information for a second subset of the plurality of pixels using the sensed information for each pixel from the second subset of the plurality of pixels of the sensor, wherein the first subset of the plurality of pixels is different from the second subset of the plurality of pixels;

determining, by the computing device, a pixel identifier value for each pixel from a third subset of the plurality of pixels by comparing the sensed information for each pixel from the third subset of the plurality of pixels with the first variance and the second variance; and

generating, by the computing device, the identifier using the pixel identifier values for each of the plurality of pixels from the third subset of the plurality of pixels.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels from the third subset also belong to the first subset and the second subset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels from the second subset also belong to the first subset.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the pixel identifier value for each pixel from the third subset of the plurality of pixels by receiving the sensed information for a plurality of sensing environments.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensing environment is one or more of sensing configurations comprising the bias current enabled, bias current disabled, bias current shifted, tone burst enabled, and tone burst disabled.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the identifier value comprises concatenating the pixel identifier values for the plurality of pixels from the third subset of the plurality of pixels.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels belonging to the second subset is received by the computing device coupled to the sensor from a remote device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an image sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a one-time sensor identifier.

12. A device for generating an identifier for a sensor, comprising:

the sensor coupled to the device, the sensor comprising a plurality of pixels configured to sense information;

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

receive the sensed information for each pixel from the plurality of pixels of the sensor for an at least one sensing environment;

determine a first variance representing a variation in the sensed information for a first subset of the plurality of pixels using the sensed information for each pixel from the first subset of the plurality of pixels of the sensor;

determine a second variance representing a variation in the sensed information for a second subset of the plurality of pixels using the sensed information for each pixel from the second subset of the plurality of pixels of the sensor, wherein the first subset of the plurality of pixels is different from the second subset of the plurality of pixels;

determine a pixel identifier value for each pixel from a third subset of the plurality of pixels by comparing the sensed information for each pixel from the third subset of the plurality of pixels with the first variance and the second variance; and

generate the identifier using the pixel identifier values for each of the plurality of pixels from the third subset of the plurality of pixels.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of pixels from the third subset also belong to the first subset and the second subset.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of pixels from the second subset also belong to the first subset.

15. The device of claim 12, further comprising determining the pixel identifier value for each pixel from the third subset of the plurality of pixels by receiving the sensed information for a plurality of sensing environments.

16. The device of claim 12, wherein the at least one sensing environment is one or more of sensing configurations comprising the bias current enabled, bias current disabled, bias current shifted, tone burst enabled, and tone burst disabled.

17. The device of claim 12, wherein generating the identifier value comprises concatenating the pixel identifier values for the plurality of pixels from the third subset of the plurality of pixels.

18. The device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of pixels belonging to the second subset is received by the device coupled to the sensor from a remote device.

19. The device of claim 12, wherein the sensor is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

20. The device of claim 12, wherein the identifier is a one-time sensor identifier.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions executable by a processor, the instructions comprising instructions to:

receive sensed information for each pixel from a plurality of pixels of a sensor for an at least one sensing environment;

determine a first variance representing a variation in the sensed information for a first subset of the plurality of pixels using the sensed information for each pixel from the first subset of the plurality of pixels of the sensor;

determine a second variance representing a variation in the sensed information for a second subset of the plurality of pixels using the sensed information for each pixel from the second subset of the plurality of pixels of the sensor, wherein the first subset of the plurality of pixels is different from the second subset of the plurality of pixels;

determine a pixel identifier value for each pixel from a third subset of the plurality of pixels by comparing the sensed information for each pixel from the third subset of the plurality of pixels with the first variance and the second variance; and

generate the identifier using the pixel identifier values for each of the plurality of pixels from the third subset of the plurality of pixels.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the plurality of pixels from the third subset also belong to the first subset and the second subset.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the plurality of pixels from the second subset also belong to the first subset.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising determining the pixel identifier value for each pixel from the third subset of the plurality of pixels by receiving the sensed information for a plurality of sensing environments.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the plurality of pixels belonging to the second subset is received by the device coupled to the sensor from a remote device.

26. An apparatus for generating an identifier for a sensor, comprising:

means for accessing, by a computing device, sensed information for each pixel from a plurality of pixels of the sensor for an at least one sensing environment;

means for determining, by the computing device, a first variance representing a variation in the sensed information for a first subset of the plurality of pixels using the sensed information for each pixel from the first subset of the plurality of pixels of the sensor;

means for determining, by the computing device, a second variance representing a variation in the sensed information for a second subset of the plurality of pixels using the sensed information for each pixel from the second subset of the plurality of pixels of the sensor, wherein the first subset of the plurality of pixels is different from the second subset of the plurality of pixels;

means for determining, by the computing device, a pixel identifier value for each pixel from a third subset of the plurality of pixels by comparing the sensed information for each pixel from the third subset of the plurality of pixels with the first variance and the second variance; and

means for generating, by the computing device, the identifier using the pixel identifier values for each of the plurality of pixels from the third subset of the plurality of pixels.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising means for determining the pixel identifier value for each pixel from the third subset of the plurality of pixels by receiving the sensed information for a plurality of sensing environments.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein generating the identifier value comprises means for concatenating the pixel identifier values for the plurality of pixels from the third subset of the plurality of pixels.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the plurality of pixels belonging to the second subset is received by the computing device coupled to the sensor from a remote device.

30. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the identifier is a one-time sensor identifier.