Methods and systems for estimation of personal characteristics from biometric measurements

• US 7,263,213 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2004
• Issued: 08/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HID Global Corporation (Assa Abloy AB)
• Original Assignee: Lumidigm Incorporated (Assa Abloy AB)
• Inventors: Rowe, Robert K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehta; Bhavesh M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Strege; John B
• Application Number:
  US11/009,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20050185847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/124, 340/5.53, 340/5.83
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for estimating a personal characteristic of an individual. A biometric data measurement is collected from the individual. The personal characteristic is determined by applying an algorithmic relationship between biometric data measurements and values of the personal characteristic derived from application of a multivariate algorithm to previous measurements.

Claims

1. A method for estimating a continuous personal characteristic of an individual, the method comprising:

collecting a spatio-spectral biometric data measurement from the individual; and

determining the continuous personal characteristic of the individual by applying an algorithmic relationship between spatio-spectral biometric data measurements and values of the continuous personal characteristic derived from application of an algorithm to a plurality of spatio-spectral biometric data measurements and corresponding collected personal-characteristic values.

2. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the spatio-spectral biometric data measurement and the plurality of spatio-spectral biometric data measurements comprise dermatoglyphic measurements.

3. The method recited in claim 1 wherein collecting the spatio-spectral biometric data measurement comprises:

illuminating a skin site of the individual with light;

receiving light scattered from the skin site; and

deriving a spatio-spectral multispectral image from the received light.

4. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the continuous personal characteristic is selected from the group consisting of age, weight, body-mass index, race, ethnicity, and work classification.

5. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising:

collecting the plurality of spatio-spectral biometric data measurements and the corresponding personal-characteristic values; and

applying the algorithm to the plurality of spatio-spectral biometric data measurements and corresponding personal-characteristic values to derive the algorithmic relationship.

6. The method recited in claim 1 further comprising determining a second personal characteristic of the individual by applying a second algorithmic relationship between spatio-spectral biometric data measurements and values of the second personal characteristic derived from application of a second algorithm to the plurality of spatio-spectral biometric data measurements and corresponding collected second personal-characteristic values.

7. The method recited in claim 1 wherein the algorithm comprises a multivariate algorithm.

8. A method for estimating a personal characteristic of an individual, the method comprising:

illuminating a skin site of the individual with light;

receiving light scattered from the skin site;

deriving a spatio-spectral multispectral image from the received light; and

determining the personal characteristic of the individual by applying an algorithmic relationship between spatio-spectral multispectral images and values of the personal characteristic derived from application of an algorithm to a plurality of spatio-spectral multispectral images and corresponding collected personal-characteristic values.

9. The method recited in claim 8 wherein the personal characteristic is a binary personal characteristic.

10. The method recited in claim 8 wherein the personal characteristic is a continuous personal characteristic.

11. The method recited in claim 8 wherein illuminating the skin site comprises:

generating the light at a plurality of discrete wavelengths as a plurality of quasimonochromatic beams; and

directing the generated light to the skin site.

12. The method recited in claim 8 wherein illuminating the skin site comprises:

generating a broadband beam of light;

filtering the broadband beam to provide light at a plurality of discrete wavelengths; and

directing the filtered broadband beam to the skin site.

13. The method recited in claim 8 wherein:

illuminating the skin site comprises polarizing the light with a first polarization; and

receiving the light comprises polarizing the received light with a second polarization that is substantially crossed relative to the first polarization.

14. The method recited in claim 8 further comprising:

collecting the plurality of spatio-spectral multispectral images and the corresponding personal-characteristic values; and

applying the algorithm to the plurality of spatio-spectral multispectral images and corresponding personal-characteristic values to derive the algorithmic relationship.

15. The method recited in claim 8 further comprising determining a second personal characteristic of the individual by applying a second algorithmic relationship between spatio-spectral multispectral images and values of the second personal characteristic derived from application of a second algorithm to the plurality of spatio-spectral multispectral images and corresponding collected second personal-characteristic values.

16. The method recited in claim 8 wherein the algorithm is a multivariate algorithm.

17. A method for estimating a personal characteristic of an individual, the method comprising:

collecting a spatio-spectral biometric data measurement from the individual; and

determining the personal characteristic of the individual by applying an algorithmic relationship between spatio-spectral biometric data measurements and values of the personal characteristic derived from application of a multivariate algorithm to a plurality of spatio-spectral biometric data measurements and corresponding collected personal-characteristic values.

18. The method recited in claim 17 wherein the spatio-spectral biometric data measurement and the plurality of spatio-spectral biometric data measurements comprise dermatoglyphic measurements.

19. The method recited in claim 17 wherein collecting the spatio-spectral biometric data measurement comprises:

illuminating a skin site of the individual with light;

receiving light scattered from the skin site; and

deriving a spatio-spectral multispectral image from the received light.

20. A sensor system comprising:

an illumination subsystem disposed to provide light to a skin site of an individual;

a detection subsystem disposed to receive light scattered from the skin site; and

a computational unit interfaced with the detection subsystem and having;

instructions to derive a spatio-spectral multispectral image from the received light; and

instructions to determine a personal characteristic of the individual by applying an algorithmic relationship between spatio-spectral multispectral images and values of the personal characteristic derived from application of an algorithm to a plurality of spatio-spectral multispectral images and corresponding collected personal-characteristic values.

21. The sensor system recited in claim 20 wherein the illumination subsystem comprises:

a light source that provides the light at a plurality of discrete wavelengths; and

illumination optics to direct the light to the skin site.

22. The sensor system recited in claim 21 wherein the illumination system further comprises a scanner mechanism to scan the light in a specified pattern.

23. The sensor system recited in claim 21 wherein the light source comprises a plurality of quasimonochromatic light sources.

24. The sensor system recited in claim 20 wherein the illumination subsystem comprises:

a broadband light source; and

a filter disposed to filter light emitted from the broadband source.

25. The sensor system recited in claim 20 wherein the detection subsystem comprises:

a light detector; and

detection optics to direct the received light to the light detector.

26. The sensor system recited in claim 20 wherein:

the illumination subsystem comprises a first polarizer disposed to encounter the provided light;

the detection subsystem comprises a second polarizer disposed to encounter the received light; and

the first and second polarizers are substantially crossed relative to each other.

27. The sensor system recited in claim 20 wherein the computational unit further has instructions to determine a second characteristic of the individual by applying a second algorithmic relationship between spatio-spectral multispectral images and values of the second personal characteristic derived from application of a second algorithm to the plurality of spatio-spectral multispectral images and corresponding collected second personal-characteristic values.