ITRM20100214A1 - COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR THE ACQUISITION OF SHARING AND COMPARISON OF SIGNAL PHOTOS AND RELATED BIOMETRIC DATA OF RESPECTIVE INDIVIDUALS TO IDENTIFY - Google Patents

Description

"Computer system for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots and related biometric data of respective individuals to be identifiedâ €.

The present invention relates to an operating station for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots and related biometric, personal and somatic data of respective individuals to be identified.

A modern photo-signaling system must allow the rapid and automatic acquisition of a photo of a person, in a frontal position and in profile, regardless of the lighting conditions of the environment and the skill of the operator. Furthermore, the same device must be able to acquire additional information, such as fingerprints in electronic format, to be compared with those contained within the Central Identity Register, possibly in real time, in order to allow immediate fingerprints. .

In the current state of the art, from the IT patent 1233261 issued on March 26, 1992, a device for taking mug shots that includes a camera that simultaneously acquires two images of the same subject, typically a front and a side image. . This is possible because in front of the same camera there are two reflecting surfaces, positioned in vertical planes with respect to each other, symmetrical with respect to the axis of the camera; a pair of mirrors send the image of the subject, taken from two different angles, towards the aforementioned reflective surfaces, which project the images towards the lens. In this way the device takes two images of the same subject from different angles, and in particular a front and a side image, reproduced on the same frame.

The aforementioned device, however, represents only a very fast and efficient photo acquisition system, which does not provide for the integration of the same photographs in a broader documentary system, which in turn implements the storage, sharing and comparison. automatic images, in real time, with those present in a central national archive.

The present invention, therefore, has as its main objective that of creating an operating station for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system .

Another objective is that the same computer system can be connected to a large-scale network, which includes a computer in which a protected database resides, where all the aforementioned information is stored, and which can be accessed by the respective remote offices, such as the offices of the Forces of the Order, which can be located throughout the national territory.

Yet another objective is that the aforementioned mug shots are acquired by means of a camera, or other image acquisition device, which simultaneously records two views of the same subject, typically a front view and a side view; and that the camera itself is of the digital and / or analogue type with remote control means, relating for example to: zoom, focus and lighting parameters; automatic passage of the image on a photo-tag; real-time preview of the image to be acquired.

A further objective is that the photographs are acquired in the computer system through a serial interface, and that it is possible to extract and store the characteristics of the person's face, such as the geometric proportions and the characterization of some anatomical parts such as eyes, nose, mouth, and hair, useful for reconstructing an identikit and a description of the somatic characters.

Yet another goal is to integrate into the system a series of devices capable of acquiring, storing and comparing fingerprints or palm prints, and the voice or iris profile of the same person; as well as allowing the analysis and verification of the authenticity of documents, such as identity cards, passports, banknotes, checks and credit cards.

Yet another objective is that the aforementioned protected database includes the archive of the photos reported, the archive of the unknown, and the archive of the identikits.

Therefore, the specific object of the present invention is an operational station for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated in a computer system characterized by the fact of including:

- at least one primary processor comprising means for acquiring, storing, retrieving and communicating information on the network, such information being constituted, for example, by mugshots taken by means of a camera, or other image acquisition device, said camera incorporated in the same station operational;

- at least one secondary computer, said server, comprising means for acquiring said information coming from each primary computer, means for storing said information on a permanent support, means for comparing the information with that contained in a database, and means of sharing the same information on the network;

- at least one computer or telecommunications network, internal, local or geographically extended, which allows the direct or indirect connection of each primary computer with said server, for the purpose of transmitting, sharing and searching for the aforementioned information,

in such a way as to implement a complete process of acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots and biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified.

The present invention will now be described for illustrative but not limitative purposes, with particular reference to the figures of the attached drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an operating station for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots and related biometric, personal and somatic data of respective individuals to be identified;

figure 2 is a front view of a series of mug shots and related biometric data consisting of a voice profile;

figure 3 is a view of a face generated in three dimensions, according to various angles, for the purpose of reconstructing an identikit;

figure 4 is a schematic view of the architecture of an overall computer system, for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mug shots; Figure 5 is a perspective view of an accessory device for analyzing and verifying the authenticity of documents, such as identity cards, passports, banknotes and checks;

figure 6 is a perspective view of an accessory device for acquiring fingerprints;

Figure 7 is a front view of the interface of a software for the acquisition, processing and comparison of fingerprints.

It should be emphasized that in the following, only some of the possible embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated, by way of non-limiting example, it being possible to describe many others on the basis of the particular technical solutions identified.

Figure 1 illustrates an operating station 101 responsible for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots 108 and related biometric, personal and somatic data of respective individuals to be identified.

The. mug shots 108 are taken by means of a camera 119 incorporated in the same operating station 101. In front of the camera 119 there are two reflective surfaces 120, 121, such as to take two simultaneous images of the same subject, at different angles, typically a frontal image 123 and a lateral 122.

The 119 camera is of the digital and / or analogue type, and includes automatic remote control means. In fact, in the same operating station 101 there is at least one primary computer 107, which in turn comprises means of acquiring, storing, retrieving and communicating information on the network, such information being constituted, for example, by the mugshots 108 taken by the camera 119.

The primary computer 107 is able to transmit, on the basis of the operation by an operator, a series of control commands for the camera 119, such as for example: automatic management of zoom, focus and lighting parameters ; automatic passage of the image on a photo-tag; real-time preview of the image to be acquired. The transmission of the image can take place through a serial communication line, for example of the USB type, and allows to acquire the photographs 108 taken directly into the memory of the primary computer 107. Once the photographs 108 have been acquired, they can be processed and features of the person's face can be extracted - anthropometric model; geometric proportions of the person's face can be extracted - mathematical model; or, from the same photographs 108, specific parts of the person's face, such as eyes, nose, mouth, hair - model for identikit, can be extracted, or, from the aforementioned photographs 108, a list of descriptive somatic characters of the person can be extracted. person's face, e.g. long face, raised base of nose, short nose, wide-opening eyes, etc. - model of somatic characters, according to the definitions of the Ministry of the Interior.

All these operations are possible thanks to suitable means, eg software modules, belonging to the same primary computer 107, and able to implement the aforementioned functions.

In addition to the devices for acquiring the photographs 108, the operating station 101. may comprise further devices for acquiring other biometric data, such as for example: automatic detection means of the weight and height of the person to be identified; means 110 (Figure 6) for acquiring fingerprints 112 (Figure 7), or handhelds; means for acquiring a voice profile 109 (Figure 2); o means for acquiring an iris profile ..

Further means 113 (Figure 5) can be installed for the analysis and verification of the authenticity of documents, such as, for example, identity cards, passports 114, banknotes, checks and credit cards. These further means 113 may comprise white, infrared, ultraviolet, grazing and backlight lighting apparatuses.

All information, relating to mugshots 108 and respective biometric, personal and somatic data, acquired by primary computers 107 which can be located throughout the national territory, are stored on a secondary computer 102, called server (Figure 4), which includes : means for storing said information on a permanent support, means for comparing the information with that contained in a database, and means for sharing the same information on the network.

The communication can take place thanks to _a IT or telecommunications network, 106, internal, local or geographically extended, which allows the direct or indirect connection of each primary computer 107 with said server 102, for the purpose of transmission, sharing and search for the aforementioned information.

Furthermore, a series of further processors 103, 104, 105, associated with respective remote offices, for example law enforcement offices that can be located throughout the national territory, are also connected, temporarily or permanently, to the aforementioned computer network, or telecommunications, 106, in order to allow in turn to access and retrieve the information contained in the database of the aforementioned server 102.

In particular, the same server 102 includes a relational database and a related management system - Database Management System, suitable for the acquisition, storage and retrieval of information, said information being relative to the so-called archive of the photos reported and including: data personal data, somatic data, modus operandi, photographs, additional photographs, voice, fingerprints, anthropometric data and fingerprint tags.

The same server 102 includes a further relational database and a related management system - Database Management System, suitable for the acquisition, storage and retrieval of information, said information being related to the so-called archive of unknowns and including: environmental data, somatic data, modus operandi, photographs, additional photographs, voice, and anthropometric data.

And again, the same server 102 includes a further relational database and a related management system - Database Management System, suitable for the acquisition, storage and retrieval of information, said information being related to the so-called Identikit archive and including: data environmental, somatic data, modus operandi, photographs and anthropometric data.

All the examples described, therefore, demonstrate that the present invention achieves all the proposed purposes. In particular, it makes it possible to create an operating station for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system.

It also allows that the same computer system can be connected to a large-scale network, and includes a computer in which a protected database resides, where all the aforementioned information is stored, and which can be accessed by the respective remote offices, such as for example, the offices of the Police, which can be located throughout the national territory.

And again, the present invention provides that the aforesaid mug shots are acquired by means of a camera, or other image acquisition device, which simultaneously records two views of the same subject, typically a front view and a side view; and that the camera itself is of the digital and / or analogue type with remote control means, relating for example to: zoom, focus and lighting parameters; automatic passage of the image on a photo-tag; real-time preview of the image from ac

Still according to the invention, the photographs are acquired in the computer system through a serial interface, and it is possible to extract and store the characteristics of the person's face, such as the geometric proportions and the characterization of some anatomical parts such as eyes, nose, mouth. , and hair, useful for reconstructing an identikit and a description of the somatic characters.

Furthermore, a series of devices are integrated into the system capable of acquiring, storing and comparing the fingerprints or handhelds, and the voice or iris profile of the same person, as well as allowing the analysis and verification of the authenticity of documents, such as identity cards, passports, banknotes, checks and credit cards.

Finally, the aforementioned protected database of the present invention comprises the archive of the photos reported, the archive of the unknown persons, and the archive of the identikits.

The present invention has been described by way of illustration, but not of limitation, according to some preferred embodiments, but it is to be understood that any variations and / or modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without thereby departing from the relative scope of protection, as defined by the attached claims.

Claims (10)

CLAIMS 1. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated in a computer system (100) characterized by the fact of comprehend: at least one primary computer (107) comprising means for acquiring, storing, retrieving and communicating information on the network, such information being constituted, for example, by mugshots (108) taken by means of a camera (119), or other image acquisition, called camera, (119) incorporated in the same operating station (101); - at least one secondary computer (102), said server, comprising means for acquiring said information coming from each primary computer (107), means for storing said information on a permanent support, means for comparing the information with that contained in the internal database, and means of sharing the same information on the network; - at least one computer or telecommunications network, (106), internal, local or geographically extended, which allows the direct or indirect connection of each primary computer (107) with said server (102), for the purpose of transmission, sharing and search for the aforementioned information, in such a way as to implement a complete process of acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified. 2. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system (100), according to previous claim, characterized by the fact that it further comprises: - a series of further processors (103), (104), (105), associated with respective remote offices, for example offices of the Forces of the Order which can be located throughout the national territory, including means for accessing and retrieving the information contained within the dqti bank of the aforementioned server (102), being such additional processors (103), (104), (105) connected, temporarily or permanently, to the aforementioned network computer science, or telecommunications, (106). 3. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system (100), according to one or more than the previous claims, characterized by the fact that: - said operating station (101) comprises a device for taking mug shots (108), which in turn comprises a camera (119) in front of which two reflecting surfaces (121), (122) are arranged such as to take two images simultaneous images of the same subject, according to different angles, typically a front image (123) and a side image (122); - said operating station (101) comprises means for automatic detection of the weight and height of the person to be identified. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system (100), according to one or more of the previous claims, characterized in that: the aforementioned camera (119) is of the digital and / or analogue type and comprises remote control means, based on operation by an operator, so that said primary processor (107) is able to transmit a series of control commands, such as: automatic management of zoom, focus and lighting parameters; automatic passage of the image on a photo-tag; real-time preview of the image to be acquired, and in such a way that the transmission takes place _ via a serial communication line, for example USB, and <'> allows to acquire the photographs (108) taken, directly into the memory primary processor (107); ^ - said primary processor (107) further comprises: means for extracting, from the aforementioned photographs (108), the characteristics of the person's face - anthropometric model; the means of extracting, from the aforementioned photographs (108), the geometric proportions of the person's face - mathematical model; of the means of extraction, from the aforementioned photographs (108), of specific parts of the person's face, such as eyes, nose, mouth, hair - model for identikit-, of the means of extraction, from the aforementioned photographs (108), of a list of somatic characters describing the person's face, e.g. elongated face, raised nose base, short nose, wide-opening eyes, etc. - model of somatic characters, according to the definitions of the Ministry of the Interior. 5. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated in a computer system (100), characterized by the fact to further understand: - a device (110), installed in the aforementioned operating station (101), for the acquisition of fingerprints (112) or handhelds, the storage of the same (112) in a local or remote database, the comparison with other footprints present in the archive, and the association of the same footprints (112) to the identity of a person. 6. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system (100), according to a or . more than the preceding claims, characterized by the fact of further understanding: - a device, installed in the aforementioned operating station (101), for the acquisition of a voice profile (109), and / or a device for the acquisition of an iris profile, the storage of the aforementioned profiles in a local or remote database, the comparison with the others in the archive, and the association of the voice profile (109) and / or the iris to the identity of a person. 7. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system (100), characterized by made to further understand: - a device (113), installed in the aforementioned operating station (101), for the analysis and verification of the authenticity of documents, such as identity cards, passports (114), banknotes, checks and credit cards , comprising white, infrared, ultraviolet, grazing and backlight illumination means. 8. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system (100), according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact of further understanding: - a relational database and a related management system - Database Management System, suitable for the acquisition, storage and retrieval of information, said information being relative to the so-called archive of photos and including: personal data, somatic data, modus operandi, photographs, additional photographs, voice, fingerprints, anthropometric data and fingerprint tags. 9. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system (100), according to one or more than the preceding claims, characterized by the fact of further understanding: - a relational database and a related management system - Database Management System, suitable for the acquisition, storage and retrieval of information, said information being related to the so-called archive of the unknown and including: environmental data, somatic data, modus operandi, photographs, additional photographs, voice, and anthropometric data. 10. Operational station (101) for the acquisition, sharing and comparison of mugshots (108) and related biometric, personal and somatic data, of respective individuals to be identified, integrated into a computer system (100), according to a or more of the preceding claims, characterized by the fact of further understanding: - a relational database and a related management system - Database Management System, suitable for the acquisition, storage and retrieval of information, said information being related to the so-called identikit archive and including: environmental data, somatic data, modus operandi, photographs and anthropometric data.