CN112434747A

CN112434747A - Authentication method and system

Info

Publication number: CN112434747A
Application number: CN202011371967.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 徐炎
Original assignee: Alipay Labs Singapore Pte Ltd
Current assignee: Alipay Labs Singapore Pte Ltd
Priority date: 2020-06-24
Filing date: 2020-11-30
Publication date: 2021-03-02
Also published as: SG10202006062YA

Abstract

An authentication method and system are provided. The method comprises the following steps: obtaining a reference image, wherein the reference image is an image of an identification document; obtaining a first image for comparison with the reference image, wherein the first image is an image of the identification document tilted at a first angle; generating a first difference image, wherein the first difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the first image; identifying a region of interest based on the first difference image, wherein the region of interest corresponds to a multi-angle security feature on the identification document; and authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest.

Description

Authentication method and system

Technical Field

This document relates generally, but not exclusively, to authentication methods and systems.

Background

"electronically know your customer (eKYC)" is a digital due diligence process performed by business entities or service providers to verify the identity of their customers to prevent identity fraud. The eKYC process typically includes a series of checks to verify its identity at an initial stage of establishing a relationship with the customer. Many eKYC processes involve potential customers submitting photographs of their official Identification (ID) documents, e.g., identification cards, driver's licenses, passports, and the like. The photograph may then be analyzed to verify the identity of the customer.

In a typical eKYC process, a customer is required to take a picture of his identification document. However, some attackers may use fraudulent identification documents, screenshots of genuine identification documents, or high resolution copies of genuine identification documents in the eKYC process.

Accordingly, there is a need for improving the manner in which identification documents can be authenticated.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments seek to provide an authentication method and system comprising: at least two images of the identification document taken from different angles are obtained and a multi-angle security feature on the identification document is verified. The identification document may be authenticated based on the identification of one or more multi-angle security features on the identification document image.

According to one embodiment, there is provided an authentication method including: obtaining a reference image, wherein the reference image is an image of an identification document; obtaining a first image for comparison with the reference image, wherein the first image is an image of the identification document tilted at a first angle; generating a first difference image, wherein the first difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the first image; identifying a region of interest based on the first difference image, wherein the region of interest corresponds to a multi-angle security feature on the identification document; and authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest.

According to another embodiment, there is provided an authentication system including: the device comprises a reference image obtaining device, a processing device and a processing device, wherein the reference image obtaining device is used for obtaining a reference image, and the reference image is an image of an identification document; the first image obtaining device is used for obtaining a first image which is compared with the reference image, wherein the first image is an image of the identification document inclined at a first angle; a first difference image generation device for generating a first difference image, wherein the first difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the first image; a region-of-interest identification device to identify a region-of-interest based on the first difference image, wherein the region-of-interest corresponds to a multi-angle security feature on the identification document; and an authentication device for authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a computing system comprising: at least one processor; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor that direct the at least one processor to: obtaining a reference image, wherein the reference image is an image of an identification document; obtaining a first image for comparison with the reference image, wherein the first image is an image of the identification document tilted at a first angle; generating a first difference image, wherein the first difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the first image; identifying a region of interest based on the first difference image, wherein the region of interest corresponds to a multi-angle security feature on the identification document; and authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest.

Drawings

The embodiments are provided by way of example only and will be better understood and readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from the following written description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an authentication method according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2, comprising fig. 2A and 2B, is a schematic representation showing an example of an authentication method according to another embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an authentication system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a computer system suitable for performing at least some of the steps of the authentication method.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures, block diagrams, or flowcharts may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help improve understanding of embodiments herein.

Detailed Description

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numbers and characters in the drawings indicate like elements or equivalents.

Some portions of the following description are presented in terms of algorithms and functional or symbolic representations of operations on data within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and functional or symbolic representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. An algorithm is here, and generally, considered to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. These steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities such as electrical, magnetic or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, and as will be apparent from the following, it is appreciated that throughout the present document, discussions utilizing terms such as "receiving," "scanning," "computing," "determining," "replacing," "generating," "initializing," "outputting," or the like, refer to the action and processes of a computer system, or similar electronic device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical quantities within the computer system into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the computer system or other information storage, transmission or display devices.

Also disclosed herein are apparatuses for performing the operations of the methods. Such apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or may comprise a computer or other device selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. The algorithms and displays presented herein are not inherently related to any particular computer or other apparatus. Various machines may be used with programs in accordance with the teachings herein. Alternatively, the construction of a more specialized apparatus for carrying out the required method steps may be appropriate. The structure of a computer adapted to perform the various methods/processes described herein will appear from the description below.

Further, a computer program is implicitly disclosed herein, since it is clear to a person skilled in the art that the individual steps of the methods described herein can be implemented by computer code. The computer program is not intended to be limited to any particular programming language and implementation thereof. It will be appreciated that a variety of programming languages and code therefor may be used to implement the teachings of the disclosure contained herein. Moreover, the computer program is not intended to be limited to any particular control flow. There are many other variations of computer programs that may use different control flows.

Furthermore, one or more steps of a computer program may be executed in parallel rather than sequentially. Such a computer program may be stored on any computer readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include a storage device such as a magnetic or optical disk, a memory chip, or other storage device suitable for interfacing with a computer. The computer readable media may also include hard-wired media such as those exemplified in the internet systems, or wireless media such as those exemplified in the GSM mobile phone system, as well as other wireless systems such as bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi. When loaded and executed on such a computer, effectively creates means for implementing the steps of the preferred method.

"electronically know your customer (eKYC)" is a digital due diligence process performed by business entities or service providers to verify the identity of their customers to prevent identity fraud. Authentication may be considered a form of fraud detection in which the user's legitimacy is verified and a potential fraudster may be detected before fraud is carried out. Effective authentication can enhance the data security of the system, thereby protecting the digital data from unauthorized users.

In a typical eKYC process, a customer is required to take a picture of his Identification (ID) document (e.g., identification card, driver's license, passport, etc.). However, some attackers may use a replica of the identification document in the eKYC process. The copy of the identification document may include a screen shot of a genuine identification document, a high resolution copy of a genuine identification document, or a counterfeit identification document.

In authentic identification documents, security features are often incorporated to reduce the risk of counterfeiting or other forms of fraud. Multi-angle security features such as holograms, multiple laser images, kineprints and optically variable inks are widely used as important security features in identification documents. The multi-angle security feature may display different colors and/or images when viewed from different angles. Some types of identification documents may have only one multi-angle security feature, while some types of identification documents may have more than one multi-angle security feature. The imitation of identification documents is generally not able to imitate the multi-angle security features of real identification documents. Thus, the multi-angle security feature of verifying identification documents may be used to detect attacks of counterfeits using identification documents.

Current identification document anti-fraud methods/systems may require a user to take a picture of his identification document. Because the angle and/or light source is unchanged, the multi-angle security feature on the identification document may not be visible on the captured image. Thus, by verifying the multi-angle security feature on the identification document based on only one captured image, the accuracy of authenticating the identification document may be low.

Embodiments described herein may relate to an eKYC process that includes two general processes: a user registration process and a user authentication process. In the user registration process, the user may be required to take a picture of his identification document from different angles to submit it as a user registration image. The captured image may include an identification document image and a background image. According to one embodiment, a user may be required to take at least two photographs from different angles for their identification document to be submitted as a user registration image.

As described above, replicas of identification documents typically do not replicate the multi-angle security features of authentic identification documents. Current anti-fraud methods for identification documents may not fully exploit the multi-angle security features on identification documents to detect attacks using counterfeit identification documents.

To reduce the success rate of attacks using imitations of identification documents, an authentication method and/or system may be implemented that involves obtaining at least two images of an identification document taken from different angles and verifying a multi-angle security feature on the identification document. The identification document may be authenticated based on the identification of one or more multi-angle security features on the identification document image.

The techniques described herein produce one or more technical effects. The authentication method and system can reduce the success rate of attacks on eKYC processing by obtaining at least two identification document images and verifying multi-angle security features on the identification documents based on the at least two identification document images. If the multi-angle security feature is not recognized on the identification document image, the identification document may be determined to be a replica of the identification document.

In addition, the authentication method and system may provide greater accuracy in authenticating the identification document. In particular, by obtaining at least two identification document images (e.g., a reference image of an identification document and an image of an identification document tilted at an angle) and comparing the images, one or more multi-angle security features on the identification document may be accurately viewed and/or identified. In this way, the authentic identification document can be accurately determined.

As described above, in the user registration process of the eKYC process, a user may be required to take a picture of his identification document from different angles to submit as a user registration image. The captured image may include an identification document image and a background image. An image processing method and/or system may be implemented on the captured image to remove the background image and align (align) the identification document image. The alignment of the identification document image may be based on one or more corner points (corner points) of the identification document image. For example, the four corners of the aligned identification document image may correspond to the four corners of a rectangle or square.

For example, the identification document image may be based on a resolution of "x" by "y" (e.g., a resolution of 400 by 300; 400 x 300, where "x" is 300 and "y" is 400) and may be associated with one or more corner points. Input signals associated with the captured images may be communicated to a database to process the captured images by way of a predictive process. The prediction process may be based on a convolutional neural network. Information about the corners of the identification document image can be predicted. The detection signal corresponding to the prediction information about the corner may be received by the apparatus for processing (e.g., perspective transformation-based processing) to generate an output signal that may correspond to the processed captured image.

The processed captured image may be associated with the processed identification document image. In addition, the above background image can be greatly reduced/eliminated compared to the photographed image. The processed identification document image may be associated with one or more corner points. Information about the corner points of the processed identification document image may be derived/obtained/determined from, for example, perspective transformation-based processing with respect to the corner points of the identification document image. Thus, an aligned identification document image may be obtained.

Fig. 1 is a flowchart 100 illustrating an example of an authentication method according to an embodiment. In step 102, a reference image is obtained. The reference image is an image of an identification document. At step 104, a first image is obtained for comparison with a reference image. The first image is an image of the identification document tilted at a first angle. At step 106, a first difference image is generated. The first difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the first image. At step 108, one or more regions of interest are identified based on the first difference image. The region of interest corresponds to one or more multi-angle security features on the identification document. At step 110, the identification document is authenticated based on the identification of the region of interest.

To obtain the reference image, the user may be required to take a picture of his identification document while the identification document is tilted between-10 and 10 degrees relative to the tilt axis. The tilt axis may correspond to the width of the identification document or the height of the identification document. For example, a user may place their identification document on a flat surface, such as a desktop, and take a picture of the flat view of the identification document. The captured image may include an identification document image and a background image. An image processing method and/or system may be implemented on the captured image to remove the background image and align the identification document image. The aligned identification document image may be resized to obtain a reference image. For example, the size of the aligned identification document image may be adjusted to 300 × 200, where 300 represents the width of the reference image and 200 represents the height of the reference image.

To obtain a first image for comparison with a reference image, the user may be required to take another picture of his identification document when the identification document is tilted by a first angle relative to the tilt axis. The captured image may include an identification document image and a background image. An image processing method and/or system may be implemented on the captured image to remove the background image and align the identification document image. The size of the aligned identification document image may be adjusted to obtain a first image that is compared to the reference image. For example, the size of the aligned identification document image may also be adjusted to 300 × 200, where 300 represents the width of the first image and 200 represents the height of the first image.

As described above, and with reference to fig. 1, at step 108, a region of interest is identified based on the first difference image. The region of interest corresponds to a multi-angle security feature on the identification document. In some cases, there may be one region of interest identified based on the first difference image. In some other cases, there may be more than one region of interest identified based on the first difference image. There may also be situations where no region of interest is identified based on the first difference image. For the case where one or more regions of interest are identified based on the first difference image, each region of interest may correspond to one or more multi-angle security features. For example, the identified region of interest may comprise two holograms.

According to one embodiment, the authentication method may further comprise obtaining a second image for comparison with the reference image. The second image may be an image of the identification document tilted at a second angle. The authentication method may further include generating a second difference image. The second difference image may be based on a comparison between the reference image and the second image. Further, the authentication method may include identifying one or more additional regions of interest based on the second difference image. The additional regions of interest may correspond to one or more additional multi-angle security features on the identification document. The authentication method may further comprise authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest and the additional region of interest. In this way, the robustness of the authentication method can be improved.

As mentioned, the additional region of interest may correspond to an additional multi-angle security feature on the identification document. In some cases, there may be one additional region of interest identified based on the second difference image. In some other cases, there may be more than one additional region of interest identified based on the second difference image. There may also be situations where no additional regions of interest are identified based on the second difference image. For the case where one or more additional regions of interest are identified based on the second difference image, each additional region of interest may correspond to one or more additional multi-angle security features. For example, the identified additional region of interest may comprise two additional holograms.

The reference image may be an image of the identification document tilted between-10 degrees and 10 degrees relative to the tilt axis. The tilt axis may correspond to the width of the identification document or the height of the identification document.

According to one embodiment, the first angle at which the identification document is tilted may be between 15 degrees and 45 degrees relative to the first direction of the tilt axis.

The second angle at which the identification document is tilted may be between 15 degrees and 45 degrees relative to the second direction of the tilt axis. The second direction may be opposite to the first direction.

In some embodiments, the authentication method may further include performing image pre-processing on the first image and/or the second image. The sharpness of the first image and/or the second image may be improved and the accuracy of identifying the region of interest and/or the additional region of interest may be improved. Image pre-processing may be performed using the filter2D function in opencv.

According to one embodiment, the reference image and the first image may be the same size. The comparison between the reference image and the first image to generate the first difference image may be based on a pixel-by-pixel comparison between the reference image and the first image. In some embodiments, the reference image and the second image may be the same size. The comparison between the reference image and the second image to generate the second difference image may be based on a pixel-by-pixel comparison between the reference image and the second image.

The authentication method may further include performing image processing on the first difference image using an image erosion method (image erosion method) or an image dilation method (image dilation method). By using an image erosion method, pixels on the boundary of an object in an image can be removed. In other words, pixels on the boundary of the region of interest identified based on the first difference image may be removed. By using an image dilation method, pixels can be added to the boundary of an object in an image. In other words, pixels may be added to the boundary of the region of interest identified based on the first difference image. Image processing using an image erosion method or an image expansion method may also be performed on the second difference image.

In some implementations, multi-angle security features corresponding to regions of interest identified based on the first difference image can be marked. The one or more multi-angle security features may have a lighter shade than other portions of the first difference image. A center point of each multi-angle security feature may be identified and a distance from the center point to a boundary of the multi-angle security feature may be determined. A shape, such as a circle, may be drawn based on the center point and the distance from the center point to the boundary of the multi-angle security feature. Each drawn shape may indicate a multi-angle security feature. For example, two circles drawn may indicate two multi-angle security features (e.g., two holograms). For better visualization, the shape may be rendered with a color that contrasts with the color present in the first difference image. For example, the shape may be drawn in red. Additional multi-angle security features corresponding to additional regions of interest identified based on the second difference image may be marked in a similar manner.

The authentication method may further include generating a binary image based on the identified region of interest. A first region of the binary image corresponding to the region of interest may be associated with the first pixel values and a second region of the binary image outside the boundary of the first region may be associated with the second pixel values. The first pixel value may be different from the second pixel value. Another binary image based on the identified additional region of interest may be generated in a similar manner.

The size of the generated binary image may be the same as the size of the reference image, the first image and/or the second image. If no region of interest is identified, the binary image may be associated with only the second pixel value. The first pixel value may be 128 and the second pixel value may be 0. As described above, a shape may be drawn that indicates a multi-angle security feature. In some embodiments, the region enclosed by the shape may be associated with a first pixel value and the remaining region of the binary image may be associated with a second pixel value.

According to one embodiment, the one or more multi-angle security features on the identification document may be one or more holograms. An additional multi-angle security feature on the identification document may also be a hologram.

In some embodiments, a video of the identification document tilted at different angles may be captured. The authentication method may be implemented on video.

Fig. 2, comprising fig. 2A and 2B, is a schematic representation 200 showing an example of an authentication method according to another embodiment. As described above, in the user registration process of the eKYC process, a user may be required to take a picture of his identification document from different angles to submit it as a user registration image. The captured image may include an identification document image and a background image. As shown in fig. 2A, the captured image 202 of the identification document may be obtained at an inclination of between-10 degrees and 10 degrees relative to the height of the identification document. The captured image 202 may include an identification document image 204 and a background image 206. As shown in position 1 of FIG. 2B, the captured image 202 may be an untilted image of the identification document (i.e., 0 degrees in height relative to the identification document).

As described above, an image processing method and/or system may be implemented on the captured image 202 to remove the background image 206 and align the identification document image 204. The size of the aligned identification document image may be adjusted to 300 x 200 to obtain the reference image 208, where 300 represents the width of the reference image and 200 represents the height of the reference image.

When the height of the identification document relative to the identification document is tilted 15 to 45 degrees away from the image capture device 216, the user may be required to take another picture of his identification document. As shown in position 2 of FIGS. 2A and 2B, the user may tilt the right edge of the identification document away from the image capture device 216 while holding the left edge of the identification document in place.

The captured image 202' may include an identification document image 204' and a background image 206 '. Similar to the manner in which the reference image 208 is obtained, an image processing method and/or system may be implemented on the captured image 202' to remove the background image 206' and align the identification document image 204 '. The size of the aligned identification document image may also be adjusted to 300 x 200 to obtain the first image 208' for comparison with the reference image 208. Thus, the reference image 208 and the first image 208' have the same size of 300 × 200.

In the case where the reference image 208 and the first image 208' have the same size, the first difference image 210 may be generated based on a pixel-by-pixel comparison between the images. Image processing using an image erosion method or an image expansion method may be performed on the first difference image 210. As shown in fig. 2, a region of interest 212 having two holograms can be identified. The portion of the first difference image 210 corresponding to the hologram may have a lighter chromaticity than other portions of the first difference image 210. A center point of each hologram may be identified and a radius from the center point to a boundary of each hologram may be determined. A circle may be drawn based on the center point and the radius to indicate the hologram. For better visualization, a circle may be drawn in red.

A binary image 214 may be generated based on the identified region of interest 212. A region enclosed by the drawn circle may be associated with the pixel value 128, and the remaining region of the binary image 214 may be associated with the pixel value 0.

To increase the robustness of the authentication method and/or system, the user may be further required to take additional photographs of his identification document when the height of the identification document relative to the identification document is tilted between 15 degrees and 45 degrees towards the image capture device 216. As shown in position 3 of fig. 2A and 2B, the user may tilt the left edge of the identification document away from the image capture device 216 while holding the right edge of the identification document in place.

The captured image 202 "may include an identification document image 204" and a background image 206 ". Similar to the manner in which the reference image 208 is obtained, an image processing method and/or system may be implemented on the captured image 202 "to remove the background image 206" and align the identification document image 204 ". The size of the aligned identification document image may also be adjusted to 300 x 200 to obtain a second image 208 "for comparison with the reference image 208. In this way, the reference image 208 and the second image 208 ″ may have the same size of 300 × 200.

In the case where the reference image 208 and the second image 208 "have the same size, a second difference image 210' may be generated based on a pixel-by-pixel comparison between the images. Image processing using an image erosion method or an image expansion method may be performed on the second difference image 210'. As shown in fig. 2, a region of interest 212' having a hologram can be identified. The portion of the second difference image 210 'corresponding to the hologram may have a lighter chromaticity than other portions of the second difference image 210'. A center point of the hologram may be identified and a radius from the center point to a boundary of the hologram may be determined. A circle may be drawn based on the center point and the radius to indicate the hologram. For better visualization, a circle may be drawn in red.

A binary image 214 'may be generated based on the identified region of interest 212'. A region enclosed by the drawn circle may be associated with the pixel value 128 and the remaining region of the binary image 214' may be associated with the pixel value 0.

As shown in fig. 2, a region having a pixel value of 128 corresponding to the hologram can be observed in the binary images 214 and 214'. It can be determined that the identification document is authentic.

To increase the robustness of the authentication method, regions with a pixel value of 128 observed in the binary images 214, 214' may be compared. If there is a difference between the regions, it can be determined that the identification document is authentic. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the locations of the regions on the binary image 214, 214' may be different and the identification document may be determined to be authentic.

The term "configured" is used herein in connection with systems, devices, and computer program components. For a system of one or more computers configured to perform a particular operation or action, it is meant that the system has installed thereon software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof that in operation causes the system to perform the operation or action. For one or more computer programs configured to perform specific operations or actions, it is meant that the one or more programs include instructions, which when executed by a data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the operations or actions. By dedicated logic circuitry configured to perform a particular operation or action is meant that the circuitry has electronic logic to perform the operation or action.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram 300 illustrating an example of an authentication system according to an embodiment. The authentication system includes a reference image obtaining device 302 for obtaining a reference image. The reference image is an image of an identification document. The authentication system further comprises a first image obtaining device 304 for obtaining a first image for comparison with the reference image. The first image is an image of the identification document tilted at a first angle. The authentication system further comprises a first difference image generation device 306 for generating a first difference image. The first difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the first image. Furthermore, the authentication system comprises a region of interest identification device 308 for identifying one or more regions of interest based on the first difference image. The region of interest corresponds to one or more multi-angle security features on the identification document. The authentication system further comprises an authentication device 310 for authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest.

First image acquisition device 304 may be the same device as reference image acquisition device 302 or a different device. Reference image acquisition device 302 may include an image capture device (e.g., a camera of a mobile phone) and a processor for executing software routines associated with an image processing method and/or system. The same processor or a different processor may be used to execute software routines to perform image resizing. The first image acquisition device 304 may include the same image capture device or a different image capture device, and the same processor or a different processor, to execute software routines associated with the image processing method and/or system. The same processor or a different processor may be used to execute software routines to perform image resizing. Each of the first delta image generation device 306, the region of interest identification device 308, and the authentication device 310 may be implemented using the same processor or different processors to execute different sets of software routines to generate a first delta image, identify a region of interest based on the first delta image, and authenticate an identification document based on the identification of the region of interest, respectively.

According to one embodiment, the authentication system may further comprise a second image obtaining device for obtaining a second image for comparison with the reference image. The second image may be an image of the identification document tilted at a second angle. The authentication system may further include a second difference image generation device for generating a second difference image. The second difference image may be based on a comparison between the reference image and the second image. Furthermore, the authentication system may comprise an additional region of interest identification device for identifying one or more additional regions of interest based on the second difference image. The additional regions of interest may correspond to one or more additional multi-angle security features on the identification document. The authentication system may further comprise an authentication device for authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest and the additional region of interest.

The second image acquisition device may be the same or different device as the reference image acquisition device 302 and/or the first image acquisition device 304. The second difference image generation device may be the same device as the first difference image generation device 306 or a different device. The additional region of interest identification device may be the same device as the region of interest identification device 308 or a different device. The authentication device that authenticates the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest and the additional region of interest may be the same device or a different device than the authentication device 310 that authenticates the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest.

The first angle at which the identification document is tilted may be between 15 degrees and 45 degrees relative to the first direction of the tilt axis.

According to one embodiment, the reference image and the first image may be the same size. The first difference image generating device may comprise a comparing device for performing a pixel-by-pixel comparison between the reference image and the first image to generate the first difference image.

The authentication system may further include an image processing device for performing image processing on the first difference image using an image erosion method or an image dilation method.

Further, the authentication system may comprise a binary image generating device for generating a binary image based on the identified region of interest. A first region of the binary image corresponding to the region of interest may be associated with the first pixel values and a second region of the binary image outside the boundary of the first region may be associated with the second pixel values. The first pixel value may be different from the second pixel value.

According to one embodiment, the multi-angle security feature on the identification document may be one or more holograms.

According to one embodiment, a computing system for authenticating an identification document is provided. The computing system includes at least one processor. The computing system also includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor that instruct the at least one processor to obtain the reference image. The reference image is an image of an identification document. The programming instructions also instruct the at least one processor to obtain a first image for comparison with a reference image. The first image is an image of the identification document tilted at a first angle. Further, the programming instructions direct the at least one processor to generate a first difference image. The first difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the first image. The programming instructions also instruct the at least one processor to identify a region of interest based on the first difference image. The region of interest corresponds to a multi-angle security feature on the identification document. The programming instructions also instruct the at least one processor to authenticate the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest.

The following description of computing system/computing device 400 is provided by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting.

As shown in fig. 4, the exemplary computing device 400 includes a processor 404 for executing software routines. Although a single processor is shown for clarity, computing device 400 may also include a multi-processor system. The processor 404 is connected to a communication infrastructure 406 to communicate with other components of the computing device 400. The communication infrastructure 406 may include, for example, a communication bus, a crossbar, or a network.

Computing device 400 also includes a main memory 408, such as Random Access Memory (RAM), and a secondary memory 410. The secondary memory 410 may include, for example, a hard disk drive 412 and/or a removable storage drive 414, and the removable storage drive 414 may include a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, etc. The removable storage drive 414 reads from and/or writes to a removable storage unit 418 in a well known manner. Removable storage unit 418 may comprise a magnetic tape, an optical disk, etc. which is read by and written to by removable storage drive 414. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art, the removable storage unit 418 includes a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein computer-executable program code instructions and/or data.

In alternative embodiments, secondary memory 410 may additionally or alternatively include other similar means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computing device 400. Such devices may include, for example, a removable storage unit 422 and an interface 420. Examples of removable storage unit 422 and interface 420 include a removable storage chip (e.g., an EPROM, or PROM) and associated socket, and other removable storage units 422 and interfaces 420 that allow software and data to be transferred from removable storage unit 422 to computer system 400.

Computing device 400 also includes at least one communication interface 424. Communications interface 424 allows software and data to be transferred between computing device 400 and external devices via a communications path 426. In various embodiments, communication interface 424 allows data to be transferred between computing device 400 and a data communication network, such as a public or private data communication network. The communication interface 424 may be used to exchange data between different computing devices 400, which computing devices 400 form part of an interconnected computer network. Examples of communication interface 424 may include a modem, a network interface (such as an ethernet card), a communication port, an antenna with associated circuitry, and the like. The communication interface 424 may be wired or may be wireless. Software and data transferred via communications interface 424 are in the form of signals which may be electrical, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals capable of being received by communications interface 424. These signals are provided to communications interface via communications path 426.

Optionally, the computing device 400 further comprises: a display interface 402 that performs operations for presenting images to an associated display 430; and an audio interface 432 that performs operations for playing audio content via associated speakers 434.

As used herein, the term "computer program product" may refer, in part, to removable storage unit 418, removable storage unit 422, a hard disk installed in hard disk drive 412, or a carrier wave carrying software to communication interface 424 through communication path 426 (wireless link or cable). Computer-readable storage media refers to any non-transitory tangible storage medium that provides recorded instructions and/or data to computing device 400 for execution and/or processing. Examples of such storage media include floppy disks, magnetic tapes, CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu-ray (Blu-ray)^TM) An optical disk, hard drive, ROM or integrated circuit, USB memory, magneto-optical disk, or computer readable card such as a PCMCIA card, whether internal or external to computing device 400. Examples of transitory or non-tangible computer-readable transmission media that may also participate in providing software, applications, instructions, and/or data to computing device 400 include radio or infrared transmission channels and network connections to another computer or networked device, as well as the internet or ethernet, etc., including information recorded on email transmissions and websites and the like.

Computer programs (also called computer program code) are stored in the main memory 408 and/or the secondary memory 410. Computer programs may also be received via communications interface 424. Such computer programs, when executed, enable computing device 400 to perform one or more features of embodiments discussed herein. In various embodiments, the computer programs, when executed, enable the processor 404 to perform the features of the embodiments described above. Accordingly, such computer programs represent controllers of the computer system 400.

The software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computing device 400 using removable storage drive 414, hard drive 412, or interface 420. Alternatively, the computer program product may be downloaded to computer system 400 over communications path 426. The software, when executed by the processor 404, causes the computing device 400 to perform the functions of the embodiments described herein.

It should be understood that the embodiment of fig. 4 is given by way of example only. Thus, in some embodiments, one or more features of computing device 400 may be omitted. Also, in some embodiments, one or more features of computing device 400 may be combined together. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more features of computing device 400 may be separated into one or more components.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations and/or modifications may be made to the embodiments. The described embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. An authentication method, comprising:

obtaining a reference image, wherein the reference image is an image of an identification document;

obtaining a first image for comparison with the reference image, wherein the first image is an image of the identification document tilted at a first angle;

generating a first difference image, wherein the first difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the first image;

identifying a region of interest based on the first difference image, wherein the region of interest corresponds to a multi-angle security feature on the identification document; and

authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining a second image for comparison with the reference image, wherein the second image is an image of the identification document tilted at a second angle;

generating a second difference image, wherein the second difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the second image;

identifying an additional region of interest based on the second difference image, wherein the additional region of interest corresponds to an additional multi-angle security feature on the identification document; and

authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest and the additional region of interest.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein,

the reference image is an image of the identification document tilted between-10 degrees and 10 degrees relative to the tilt axis, and

the tilt axis corresponds to a width of the identification document or a height of the identification document.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first angle at which the identification document is tilted is between 15 degrees and 45 degrees relative to the first direction of the tilt axis.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second angle at which the identification document is tilted is between 15 degrees and 45 degrees relative to a second direction of the tilt axis, and the second direction is opposite the first direction.

6. The method of any preceding claim, wherein:

the reference image and the first image are the same size; and

comparing between the reference image and the first image to generate the first difference image is based on a pixel-by-pixel comparison between the reference image and the first image.

7. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

performing image processing on the first difference image using an image erosion method or an image dilation method.

8. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

generating a binary image based on the identified region of interest, wherein a first region of the binary image corresponding to the region of interest is associated with a first pixel value, a second region of the binary image outside a boundary of the first region is associated with a second pixel value, and the first pixel value is different from the second pixel value.

9. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the multi-angle security feature on the identification document is a hologram.

10. An authentication system comprising:

the device comprises a reference image obtaining device, a processing device and a processing device, wherein the reference image obtaining device is used for obtaining a reference image, and the reference image is an image of an identification document;

the first image obtaining device is used for obtaining a first image which is compared with the reference image, wherein the first image is an image of the identification document inclined at a first angle;

a first difference image generation device for generating a first difference image, wherein the first difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the first image;

a region-of-interest identification device to identify a region-of-interest based on the first difference image, wherein the region-of-interest corresponds to a multi-angle security feature on the identification document; and

an authentication device for authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a second image obtaining device for obtaining a second image for comparison with the reference image, wherein the second image is an image of the identification document tilted by a second angle;

a second difference image generation device for generating a second difference image, wherein the second difference image is based on a comparison between the reference image and the second image;

an additional region of interest identification device to identify an additional region of interest based on the second difference image, wherein the additional region of interest corresponds to an additional multi-angle security feature on the identification document; and

an authentication device for authenticating the identification document based on the identification of the region of interest and the additional region of interest.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the reference image is an image of the identification document tilted between-10 degrees and 10 degrees relative to a tilt axis, and the tilt axis corresponds to a width of the identification document or a height of the identification document.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the identification document is tilted at a first angle between 15 degrees and 45 degrees relative to the first direction of the tilt axis.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the identification document is tilted at a second angle between 15 degrees and 45 degrees relative to a second direction of the tilt axis, and the second direction is opposite the first direction.

15. The system of any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein:

the reference image and the first image are the same size; and

the first difference image generating device comprises a comparing device for performing a pixel-by-pixel comparison between the reference image and the first image to generate the first difference image.

16. The system of any of claims 10 to 15, further comprising:

an image processing device for performing image processing on the first difference image using an image erosion method or an image expansion method.

17. The system of any of claims 10 to 16, further comprising:

a binary image generation device for generating a binary image based on the identified region of interest, wherein a first region of the binary image corresponding to the region of interest is associated with a first pixel value, a second region of the binary image outside a boundary of the first region is associated with a second pixel value, and the first pixel value is different from the second pixel value.

18. The system of any of claims 10 to 17, wherein the multi-angle security feature on the identification document is a hologram.

19. A computing system, comprising:

at least one processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the at least one processor and storing programming instructions for execution by the at least one processor that direct the at least one processor to: