Detecting apparatus, input apparatus, pointing device, individual identification apparatus, and recording medium

• US 6,657,614 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2000
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Kensuke, Yasukawa, Kaoru, Sugino, Hajime, Shimizu, Tadashi, Sakai, Katsura
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar, Srilakshmi K.
• Application Number:
  US09/551,648
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• Field of Search: 29/254.2, 178/18.05, 345/173, 345/175, 345/168, 340/407.2, 340/407.1, 382/115, 341/22, 708/142
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0336 Mouse integrated fingerprint sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2227/028 Key stroke
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/032 Anti-tamper

Abstract

The present invention provides a detection apparatus, an input apparatus, an individual identification apparatus, and a recording medium that utilize information about users'"'"' bodies which disables the fraud of impersonating authorized users and is extremely difficult to forge and is obtained without giving the users a sense of inhibitions, without restraining their bodies during use, and independent of their mental states and health. A FIFO memory outputs, as one set of features, a total of 60 voltage values, which are broken down as 20 voltage values sampled every 12.5 ms (80 Hz) before the instant when timing is inputted at the peak position of an amplitude waveform signal generated by one click operation, 39 voltage values sampled every 12.5 ms after the instant, and a voltage value at the peak, and a CPU calculates a feature vector and a feature matrix for individual registration, stores them as personal data in a RAM, and identifies one set of features newly inputted, based on the personal data stored in the RAM.

Claims

1. A detecting apparatus, comprising:

a pressed member having a side being pressed with a finger; and

a detector which detects at least one of a first feature reflecting a change of a contact state between the finger and the side and a second feature reflecting a change of a pressing state with the finger against the side, wherein the first and second features represent at least one of a contact area, an irregularity in the contact area, a finger shape, a finger electrical conductivity, a contact force, a contact resistance, a side position with respect to at least one of time, movement speed and finger elasticity.

2. The detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the feature reflecting the change of the contact state is at least one of a contact area changing with time between the finger and the side when the side is pressed, a shape of the contact area, which changes with time, when the side is pressed, and an undulation change with time on a surface of the finger when the side is pressed, and

the feature reflecting the change of the pressing state is at least one of a pressing force changing with time when the side is pressed, a pressing amount changing with time given to the side when the side is pressed, a change in stress occurring inside of the side when the side is pressed, a change of the speed of finger movement for pressing the side, and a change of a finger position when the side is pressed.

3. The detecting apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the feature reflecting the change of the contact state between the finger and the side, and the feature reflecting the change of the pressing state with the finger against the side is detected by using at least one of electricity, magnetism, light, and pressure.

4. The detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressed member comprises a sensing member whose electrical resistance changes in accordance with the change of the contact area between the finger and the side.

5. The detecting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the pressed member includes a measurement unit comprising an electrode group including at least two electrodes that are formed on the side so that they are electrically disconnected from each other, and are conducted through the finger when the finger contacts the side, and

the detector includes a detection unit that detects voltage changes in the measurement unit.

6. The detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electrodes are selected from at least one of minute electrodes, linear electrodes, ring electrodes, and circular electrodes.

7. The detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electrode group comprises an electrode disposed on the side and one or more electrodes disposed so as to surround the electrode.

8. The detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the electrode group comprises a circular electrode provided on the side and a ring electrode whose inside circumferential shape is elliptic, provided so as to surround the circular electrode, wherein the center of the elliptic inside circumferential shape of the ring electrode is off the center of the circular electrode.

9. The detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the area covered by the entire electrode group is larger than the area of the pressed side that is in contact with the finger.

10. The detecting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the measurement unit comprises an electrode protection layer on the electrode group, which keeps the electrode group disconnected when no pressing force is applied, and brings the electrode group into conduction in accordance with the contact state of the finger when pressing force is applied.

11. The detecting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a measurement unit, disposed on the pressed member, having one ore more non-insulation layers each including at least one resistance layer and two conductive layers sandwiching the non-insulation layer; and

a detection unit provided in the detector, which detects a change of electrical resistance of the measurement unit.

12. The detecting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the pressed member has elasticity.

13. The detecting apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the side of the pressed member has a knurled surface that changes in the contact area with the finger in accordance with the change of the pressing force.

14. The detecting apparatus according to claim 11,

wherein at least one of the non-insulation layers is a fluid layer.

15. The detecting apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the non-insulating layer comprises at least two resistance layers whose contact resistance changes in accordance with the change of contact pressure.

16. The detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressed member comprises a sensing member whose capacitance changes in accordance with the change of the contact area between the finger and the side.

17. The detecting apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the pressed member includes a measurement unit comprising:

an elastic dielectric layer;

a first conductive layer provided at a pressed position changing in accordance with a finger pressing state, on the surface of which the dielectric layer is provided; and

a second conductive layer provided at a position other than the pressed position, where a hand contacts when a finger presses, and

the detector includes a detection unit that detects capacitance of the measurement unit.

18. The detecting apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the pressed member includes a measurement unit comprising:

an elastic dielectric layer; and

two conductive layers stacked on the side with the dielectric layer sandwiched therebetween, and

the detector includes a detection unit that detects capacitance of the measurement unit.

19. The detecting apparatus according to claim 18, wherein one of the conductive layers that contacts the finger is elastic.

20. The detecting apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the dielectric layer is fluid.

21. The detecting apparatus according to claim 18, wherein, among the two conductive layers, the conductive layer contacting the finger is divided into plural portions, and the detection unit detects capacitance of each of the plural divided portions of the conductive layer in association with its position.

22. The detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressed member comprises a sensing member which changes in an amount of transmitting light in accordance with changes of a contact area between the finger and the side.

23. The detecting apparatus according to claim 22, wherein

the pressed member further comprises a measured unit made of a light-permeable material,

the detecting apparatus further comprises an illuminating part that illuminates the measured unit from the side being pressed, and

the detector comprises a detection unit that detects reflected light from the measured unit.

24. The detecting apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the measured unit comprises a prism.

25. The detecting apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the measured unit comprises a semitransparent layer at least one side of which has a rough surface that causes light scattering.

26. The detecting apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the semitransparent layer has elasticity.

27. The detecting apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the measured unit further comprises a transparent, elastic layer, provided below the semitransparent layer, which has a refractive index almost equal to that of the semitransparent layer.

28. The detecting apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the measured unit further comprises at least one of a colored layer and a total reflection mirror layer that deforms in accordance with a finger pressing state.

29. The detecting apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the measured unit comprises a porous layer made of an elastic, light permeable material.

30. The detecting apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the porous layer contains a liquid that has a refractive index almost equal to that of the porous layer.

31. The detecting apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the measured unit further comprises a colored layer or a mirror layer that deforms in accordance with a finger pressing state.

32. The detecting apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the measured unit comprises a first porous layer made of a light permeable material and a second porous layer having plural pores, provided on the first porous layer, and one of the first and second porous layers holds a liquid and at least one of the layers is elastic.

33. The detecting apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the liquid has a refractive index almost equal to that of the first porous layer.

34. The detecting apparatus according to claim 32, wherein there is a relation of α

>

β

, where α

is the contact angle between the liquid and the layer holding the liquid and β

is the contact angle between the liquid and the other layer not holding the liquid.

35. The detecting apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the contact angle α

between the liquid and the layer holding the liquid is 90 degrees or larger and the contact angle β

between the liquid and the layer not holding the liquid is 90 degrees or smaller.

36. The detecting apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the measured unit further comprises a colored layer or a mirror layer that deforms in accordance with a finger pressing state.

37. The detecting apparatus according to claim 32, wherein the liquid is a colored liquid.

38. The detecting apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the measured unit comprises:

a flat plate material to form the side being pressed;

a viscous fluid provided below the flat plate material; and

a holding unit holding the viscous fluid within a space formed between the viscous fluid and the flat plate material, the space having a volume larger than that of the viscous fluid.

39. The detecting apparatus according to claim 38, wherein at least one of the side of the flat plate which is in contact with the viscous fluid and the side of the holding unit which is in contact with the viscous fluid has a rough surface that scatters light.

40. The detecting apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the viscous fluid is a colored fluid or a colored gel material.

41. The detecting apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the flat plate material is elastic.

42. The detecting apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the flat plate material comprises a colored layer or a mirror layer that deforms in accordance with a finger pressing state.

43. The detecting apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the flat plate material is colored.

44. The detecting apparatus according to claim 38, wherein the refractive index of the viscous fluid is almost equal to that of the flat plate material or the holding unit.

45. The detecting apparatus according to claim 38, wherein both the contact angle between the flat plate material and the viscous fluid and the contact angle between the viscous fluid and the holding unit are approximately 90 degrees or larger.

46. The detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressed member comprises a member which detects changes of applied pressure.

47. The detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressed member comprises a member which detects a finger speed.

48. The detecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressed member comprises a member which detects a change in spatial movement of the finger.

49. An input apparatus comprising a detecting apparatus recited in claim 1.

50. A pointing device having an indication unit that gives indications to a connected equipment when pressing force is applied with a finger, the indication unit being provided with a detector of the detecting apparatus recited in claim 1.