APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CAPTURING SKIN TEXTURE BIOMETRIC IN ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20090074255A1
• Filed: 09/18/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Holm, Paige
• Application Number:
  US11/857,087
• Publication Number:
  US 20090074255A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/115
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/54 relating to texture
• 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 40/1318 using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing

Abstract

A method is provided for enabling a function on an electronic device (110, 210, 410) comprising a touch input device (112, 116, 212, 218, 312, 424, 432) including a plurality of pixels having a surface (316) for providing radiated energy having one or more spectral bands, and a plurality of photosensors (340), at least one each of the photosensors (340) being incorporated within each of the pixels. The method comprises, during functional (normal) use of the electronic device by a user, sensing (512) a portion of a touch input device (112, 116, 212, 218, 312, 424, 432) touched by the user'"'"'s skin, applying (514) radiant energy to the skin from only that portion of the touch input device (112, 116, 212, 218, 312, 424, 432) touched, and collecting (516), by the plurality of photosensors (340), radiant energy reflected from the skin. The collected radiant energy is converted (624) into data and a function of the electronic device (112, 116, 212, 218, 312, 424, 432) is enabled (530) when the data corresponds to a reference sample.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a function on an electronic device comprising a touch input device including a plurality of pixels having a surface for providing radiated energy, and a plurality of photosensors, each of the pixels being associated with a sensor, the method comprising:

during functional use of the electronic device by a user;

touching skin of the user against a portion of the surface of the touch input device;

sensing that portion of the touch input device that is touched by the user'"'"'s skin;

applying radiant energy toward the skin from only that portion of the touch input device touched by the skin;

collecting radiant energy reflected from the skin by at least a portion of the plurality of photosensors;

converting the collected radiant energy into data; and

enabling the function when the data corresponds to a reference sample.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying an image by the touch input device not touched by the skin.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the touch input device comprises one of a push button or a touch screen.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the user'"'"'s skin comprises a portion of one of a finger, an ear, a face, and a lip.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the applying step comprises applying radiant energy including a plurality of spectral bands.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prior to functional use of the electronic device;

touching skin of the user against the surface of the touch input device;

applying radiant energy generated by the touch input device to the user'"'"'s skin;

collecting, by the plurality of photosensors, radiant energy reflected from the skin;

converting the collected radiant energy into data; and

storing the data as the reference sample.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the applying radiant energy generated by the touch input device to the user'"'"'s skin step comprises applying radiant energy to the user'"'"'s skin to first and second locations on the user'"'"'s body to provide a first reference sample and a second reference sample, respectively.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the applying radiant energy steps comprises optimizing at least one of the spatial, spectral, and brightness of the radiant energy.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the steps prior to functional use are repeated during functional use to provide an updated known sample, and wherein the enabling step comprises enabling the feature when the reflected radiant energy corresponds to one of the first or second reference sample.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein the applying radiant energy steps comprises applying radiant energy having a plurality of multiple spectral bands, and the collecting steps comprise collecting reflected multiple spectral bands for determining the skin texture.

11. The method of claim 6 wherein the applying and collecting steps comprise applying and collecting a broadband spectral range.

12. A method for enabling a feature on an electronic device, comprising:

sensing skin by a portion of a touch input screen;

illuminating the skin with radiated energy emitted from only the portion of the touch input screen;

receiving scattered radiation back from the skin;

estimating active characteristics from the received scattered radiation;

comparing the active characteristics with reference characteristics; and

enabling a function of the electronic device if the comparison of the active characteristics and the reference characteristics are within a defined range of values.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the illuminating step comprises illuminating with a plurality of spectral bands.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the illuminating step comprises illuminating with a plurality of spectral bands.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

performing initializing steps to determine the defined range of values, comprising;

touching skin against the touch input device;

illuminating the skin with radiated energy emitted from the touch input screen;

receiving scattered radiation back from the skin;

estimating reference characteristics from the received scattered radiation; and

storing the reference characteristics.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the illuminating steps comprise illuminating with a plurality of spectral bands, and the receiving steps comprise receiving scattered multiple spectral bands for determining the skin texture.

17. A method for capturing skin texture characteristics to enable an electronic device, comprising:

touching skin of a user of the electronic device against a portion of a touch input display screen, the touch input display screen capable of being illuminated;

surreptitiously performing the steps comprising;

illuminating the skin from only that portion touched;

receiving reflected illumination from the skin by the touch input display; and

enabling a function of the electronic device if characteristics of the reflected illumination match stored reference characteristics.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the illuminating step comprises illuminating with a plurality of spectral bands.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

prior to touching skin against a portion of the touch input display screen;

touching skin of the user against the surface of the touch input device;

illuminating the skin;

receiving reflected illumination from the skin by the touch input display; and

converting the collected radiant energy into reference characteristics; and

storing the reference characteristics.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the illuminating steps comprises illuminating with a plurality of spectral bands, and the receiving steps comprise receiving reflected multiple spectral bands for determining the skin texture.