Multi-modal biometric database searching methods

• US 9,286,528 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tech5 USA Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Imageware Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Harding, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Vu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Woldermariam, Aklilu
• Application Number:
  US14/254,629
• Publication Number:
  US 20140314283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 699 Days
• Field of Search: 382/115, 382/116, 382/224, 707/723, 707/779, 600/301, 600/509, 600/529
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/70 Multimodal biometrics, e.g. combining information from different biometric modalities

Abstract

The present invention provides techniques for efficient searching of a multi-modal biometric database. Nested searching improves search efficiency by using the results of a previous biometric modality search to limit the search population for subsequent biometric searches. The method can also be used in combinations of non-biometric searches limiting subsequent biometric searches or vice versa.

Claims

1. A multimodal biometric search method implemented on a biometric engine and comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a biometric engine, a first biometric probe of a first biometric modality and a second biometric probe of a second biometric modality, wherein the first biometric modality is any biometric feature that can be digitally analyzed, and the second biometric modality is different from the first biometric modality;

comparing the first biometric probe against a set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality;

identifying a first subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality;

comparing the second biometric probe against a set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality, wherein the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality are limited to biometric templates of the second biometric modality associated with the identified first subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality; and

identifying a second subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of storing the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality in a first template data cache and storing the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality in a second template data cache.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first biometric modality is different than the second biometric modality.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining the set of biometric templates of the first modality based on a demographic data search, wherein each of the set of biometric templates of the first modality is associated with demographic data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of determining the set of biometric templates of the first modality based on a geographic data search, wherein each of the set of biometric templates of the first modality is associated with geographic data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of identifying a first subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality comprises the step of generating a biometric score for each of the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality and determining whether the biometric score exceeds a predetermined threshold score.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of identifying a second subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality comprises the step of generating a biometric score for each of the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality and determining whether the biometric score exceeds a predetermined threshold score.

2. A multimodal biometric search method implemented on a biometric engine and comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a biometric engine, a first biometric probe of a first biometric modality and a second biometric probe of a second biometric modality, wherein the first biometric modality is any biometric feature that can be digitally analyzed, and the second biometric modality is different from the first biometric modality;

comparing the first biometric probe against a set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality;

identifying a first subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality;

comparing the second biometric probe against a set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality, wherein the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality are limited to biometric templates of the second biometric modality associated with the identified first subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality;

identifying a second subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality;

receiving, at the biometric engine, a third biometric probe of a third biometric modality, wherein the third biometric modality is any biometric feature that can be digitally analyzed, and is different from the first and second biometric modality;

comparing the third biometric probe against a set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality, wherein the set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality are limited to biometric templates of the third biometric modality associated with the identified second subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality; and

identifying a third subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality.

9. A multimodal biometric search method implemented on a biometric engine and comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a biometric engine, a first biometric probe of a first biometric modality, a second biometric probe of a second biometric modality, and a third biometric probe of a third biometric modality, wherein the first biometric modality is any biometric feature that can be digitally analyzed, and the second and third biometric modalities are different from the first biometric modality;

comparing the first biometric probe against a set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality;

identifying a first subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality;

comparing the second biometric probe against a set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality, wherein the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality are associated with the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality;

identifying a second subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality;

comparing the third biometric probe against a set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality, wherein the set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality are associated with the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality;

identifying a third subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality; and

identifying a unified set of matching candidates by joining the first subset, second subject, and third subset of matching candidates at intersection points.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the steps of identifying a first subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality, identifying a second subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality, and identifying a third subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality are performed in parallel.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of storing the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality in a first template data cache, storing the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality in a second template data cache, and storing the set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality in a third template data cache.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first, second, and third biometric modalities are different.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of determining the set of biometric templates of the first modality based on a demographic data search, wherein each of the set of biometric templates of the first modality is associated with demographic data.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of determining the set of biometric templates of the first modality based on a geographic data search, wherein each of the set of biometric templates of the first modality is associated with geographic data.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of identifying a first subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality comprises the step of generating a biometric score for each of the set of biometric templates of the first biometric modality and determining whether the biometric score exceeds a predetermined threshold score.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of identifying a second subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality comprises the step of generating a biometric score for each of the set of biometric templates of the second biometric modality and determining whether the biometric score exceeds a predetermined threshold score.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of identifying a third subset of matching candidates from the set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality comprises the step of generating a biometric score for each of the set of biometric templates of the third biometric modality and determining whether the biometric score exceeds a predetermined threshold score.