Individual identification device

• US 20050148876A1
• Filed: 02/01/2005
• Published: 07/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Goto, Makoto, Aoki, Takahiro, Watanabe, Masaki, Endoh, Toshio
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,239 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/454
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1171 based on the shapes or appearances of their bodies or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/14 Vascular patterns
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/145 Sensors therefor

Abstract

In order to provide an individual identification device for enabling good blood-vessel imaging even in a noncontact way and using an identifying method suitable for noncontact imaging, the device comprises an imaging device for imaging blood vessels of a hand of the user in a noncontact way including a position/direction/shape instructing unit for instructing the user to hold up his hand, one or more irradiating units for irradiating the hand with near infrared radiation, and one or more imaging units for producing an image by near infrared radiation; a blood-vessel image extracting unit for extracting the blood-vessel image from the produced image; a blood-vessel image storage unit for storing the hand blood-vessel image of each user; and an identifying unit for identifying the user by comparing the extracted blood-vessel image with the registered blood-vessel image.

Claims

1. An individual identification device which uses an image of blood vessels of a hand to perform individual identification, comprising:

an imaging device which can image blood vessels of a hand without coming into contact with the hand, comprising;

a position/direction/shape instructing unit for instructing a user to hold up his hand;

one or more irradiating units for irradiating the hand with near infrared radiation; and

one or more imaging units for producing an image by the near infrared radiation;

a blood-vessel image extraction unit for extracting a blood-vessel image from the produced image by said one or more imaging units;

a blood-vessel image storage unit for storing the registered hand blood-vessel image of each user; and

an identification unit for identifying the user by comparing the extracted blood-vessel image with the registered blood-vessel image.

2. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

a plate which makes near infrared radiation transmit on the plane toward which the user holds up his hand and which reinforces the intensity of the imaging device is used.

3. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging device is mounted on a mounting stand which can adjust the plane toward which the user holds up his hand to any arbitrary angle.

4. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

a hand print is stuck on the plane toward which the user of the imaging device holds up his hand.

5. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging device comprises a plurality of imaging units;

and

the blood-vessel image extraction unit extracts a blood-vessel image from a combined image of the images photographed by a plurality of imaging units.

6. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

a transparent plate or a half mirror toward which the user holds up his hand is installed in front of the imaging device.

7. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging device is housed in the hole of the individual identification device.

8. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging device is housed along the groove provided in the individual identification device.

9. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging device is equipped with a split-curtain type intercepting plate which intercepts external light from one or more imaging units when the user holds up his hand.

10. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging device comprises a plurality of irradiating units;

and

said identification device comprises a control unit for controlling the radiation of near infrared radiation by a plurality of irradiating units according to the incoming of external light other than near infrared radiation into one or more imaging devices.

11. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

as the position/direction/shape instructing unit, a unit in which the plane toward which the user holds up his hand is flat and which indicates the proper position and direction of the hand by means of a figure is used.

12. The individual identification device according to claim 1, comprising:

a hand position and/or direction detection unit for detecting the position and/or direction of a hand from an image of the hand each time a blood-vessel image is extracted, and a correction unit for correcting the extracted blood-vessel image according to the detected position and/or direction of the hand and giving the corrected image to the identification unit when the correction result is appropriate, and when the correction result is inappropriate, the position/direction/shape instructing unit notifies the user to that effect.

13. The individual identification device according to claim 1, comprising:

a detection unit for detecting the position and/or direction of a hand from the photographed image of the hand each time a blood-vessel image is detected;

a judgement unit for judging whether the detected position and/or direction of the hand is appropriate; and

a notification unit for notifying the user that the position and/or the direction of the hand is inappropriate when the position and/or the direction of the hand is inappropriate.

14. The individual identification device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a judgement unit for judging whether a hand is held up on the plane on which the user should hold up his hand; and

an identification control unit for making the identification unit identify an individual when the hand is judged to be held up on said plane.

15. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

the imaging device comprises a plurality of imaging units, and the plurality of imaging devices image a plurality of parts of a hand at the same time.

16. The individual identification device according to claim 1, wherein

one or more imaging units image a plurality of parts of a hand in order.

17. The individual identification device according to claim 1, comprising:

a plurality of imaging units;

a calculation unit for calculating a three-dimensional shape of a hand from the images of a hand photographed by a plurality of imaging units; and

a correction unit for correcting the extracted blood-vessel image according to the calculation result and giving the corrected blood-vessel image to the identification unit.

18. An individual identification device, wherein the device which performs individual identification by detecting an image of blood vessels of a hand, comprising:

an imaging device which can image blood vessels of a hand without coming into contact with the hand by holding a compact and portable pen type imaging device, and which has one or more irradiating units for irradiating the hand with near infrared radiation, and one or more imaging units for producing an image by near infrared radiation;

a blood-vessel image extraction unit for extracting a blood-vessel image from an image produced by one or more imaging devices;

a blood-vessel image storage unit for storing a registered blood-vessel image of each user; and

an identification unit for comparing the registered blood-vessel image with the extracted blood-vessel image to perform individual identification.

19. A computer readable portable type storage medium which is used by a computer which performs individual identification by detecting an image of blood vessels of a hand stores a program which directs the computer to execute:

a step for instructing the user how to hold his hand;

a step for receiving the input of the user'"'"'s hand blood-vessel image by near infrared radiation;

a step for extracting the user'"'"'s hand blood-vessel image;

a step for detecting the position and/or direction of the hand;

a step for correcting the blood-vessel image according to the detected-position and/or direction of the hand;

a step for comparing the registered blood-vessel image with the corrected blood-vessel image to perform individual identification.

20. An individual identification device which uses an image of blood vessels of a hand to perform individual identification, comprising:

an imaging device which can image blood vessels of a hand without coming into contact with the hand, comprising;

position/direction/shape instructing means for instructing a user to hold up his hand;

one or more irradiating means for irradiating the hand with near infrared radiation; and

one or more imaging means for producing an image by the near infrared radiation;

blood-vessel image extraction means for extracting a blood-vessel image from the produced image by said one or more imaging units;

blood-vessel image storage means for storing the registered hand blood-vessel image of each user; and

identification means for identifying the user by comparing the extracted blood-vessel image with the registered blood-vessel image.