JP4752703B2 - Biometric authentication device and electronic device equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a biometric authentication device and a technical field regarding an electronic device including the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a technical field for facilitating authentication of a plurality of fingers that are to be authenticated while reducing the size.

  Various information processing apparatuses such as personal computers include a biometric authentication apparatus having a finger as an authentication target (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  By using the biometric authentication device, it is possible to protect personal information and execute convenient functions, for example, release a screen saver.

  As a biometric authentication device, there is a type that performs finger vein pattern authentication in addition to a type that performs fingerprint authentication.

  As a biometric authentication device for authenticating a finger vein pattern, as shown in FIG. 6, an imaging camera b and a light source c for irradiating near-infrared light are built in a housing a, Some have a prism d that bends the optical axis of the photographing camera b.

  In such a biometric authentication device x, a finger e, which is an object to be authenticated, is placed on the surface of the housing a so that the abdominal surface f faces the prism d. When the finger e is placed on the surface of the housing a, near infrared light is emitted from the light source c located on the lower side toward the finger e, and the vein pattern of the finger e can be photographed. A vein pattern is imaged from the abdominal surface f side by the imaging camera b through the prism d positioned on the side (left side) of the finger e. When the vein pattern is photographed, the vein pattern registered in advance is collated, and the authentication operation is performed by collating the photographed vein pattern with the feature points of the registered vein pattern.

  By the way, in the biometric authentication apparatus, it is also possible to arrange the photographing camera just below the part where the finger is placed, similarly to the light source.

  However, since the biometric authentication device requires a certain shooting range when shooting with the shooting camera, a distance of at least about 35 mm is required between the shooting camera and the finger in relation to the diffusion angle. It is said. Therefore, when the photographing camera is arranged directly below the part where the finger is placed, the space between the upper surface of the housing and the photographing camera is required to be 35 mm or more, and the electronic device becomes thicker, and biometric authentication is required. It is not possible to reduce the thickness of the electronic device on which the device is mounted.

  Therefore, as described above, the photographing camera is arranged at a position other than directly below the part where the finger is placed, and a necessary thickness between the photographing camera and the finger is ensured by using a prism to ensure thinness. I try to secure the distance.

JP 2006-11711 A

  However, as described above, when placing the finger e, which is an object to be authenticated, on the surface of the housing a so that the abdominal surface f faces the prism d, the little finger positioned at the lowest position when attempting to place the finger e e1 can be easily placed on the surface of the housing a, but the other fingers, that is, the ring finger e2, the middle finger e3, and the index finger e4 are obstructed by the other adjacent fingers and obstruct the surface of the housing a. There is a problem that it is difficult to place on.

  Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a biometric authentication apparatus and an electronic apparatus equipped with the same that overcome the above-described problems and facilitate the authentication of a plurality of fingers that are to be authenticated while reducing the size. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the biometric authentication device of the present invention is formed of a material that transmits near-infrared light, and is supported by the casing so as to be pivotable. A surface of the opening / closing lid provided with a lid, a camera for photographing a finger vein pattern through the opening / closing lid disposed in the placement recess, and a light source arranged in the placement recess to irradiate the finger with near infrared light Is formed as a finger placement surface on which the finger is placed in a state where the longitudinal direction of the finger is aligned with the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the opening / closing lid, and the abdomen is brought into contact with the finger placement surface, The biometric authentication is performed when the placement recess is opened by placing and opening and closing the lid.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an electronic device provided with the biometric authentication device of the present invention is formed of a housing having an arrangement recess and a material that transmits near infrared light, and is rotatably supported by the housing. An opening / closing lid that opens and closes the placement recess formed in the housing, a photographing camera that is placed in the placement recess and photographs a finger vein pattern through the opening / closing lid, and a near-infrared light disposed in the placement recess A light source for irradiating light, and forming the surface of the opening / closing lid as a finger placement surface on which the finger is placed in a state where the longitudinal direction of the finger is aligned with the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the opening / closing lid, Biometric authentication is performed when the abdominal surface is brought into contact with the finger placement surface, the finger is placed, the opening / closing lid is rotated, and the placement recess is opened.

  Therefore, in the biometric authentication device of the present invention, the near-infrared light is irradiated from the light source to the abdominal surface of the finger that is in contact with the finger placement surface when the open / close lid is rotated, and the open / close lid is used by the photographing camera. The vein pattern of the finger is photographed through

  The biometric authentication device according to the present invention uses a finger as an object to be authenticated, a surface on the side where the fingernail is positioned, a surface on the side where the fingerprint is positioned as an abdominal surface, and a surface between the back and the abdominal surface as a side surface. A biometric authentication device that performs biometric authentication by photographing a finger from the abdominal surface side, and is formed of a material that transmits near-infrared light and is rotatably supported by the housing and formed on the housing An opening / closing lid that opens and closes the concave portion, a photographing camera that is disposed in the arrangement concave portion and photographs a finger vein pattern through the opening / closing lid, and a light source that is disposed in the arrangement concave portion and irradiates the finger with near infrared light The surface of the open / close lid is formed as a finger placement surface on which the finger is placed in a state where the longitudinal direction of the finger is aligned with the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the open / close lid, and the abdominal surface is formed on the finger placement surface. Biometric authentication is performed when the finger is placed on contact and the opening / closing lid is rotated to open the placement recess. Characterized in that the so that.

  Accordingly, biometric authentication is performed by rotating the open / close lid by bringing the abdominal surface into contact with the finger placement surface a of the open / close lid, so that a finger adjacent to the finger placement base portion can be secured while ensuring miniaturization. Can be placed easily without obstructing.

  In the invention described in claim 2, the housing recess is formed by a bottom wall and a peripheral wall continuous to the periphery of the bottom wall, and near infrared light is applied to the side surface of the finger on the peripheral wall. Since the irradiating light source is arranged, so-called reflection / scattering biometric authentication can be easily performed by irradiating and scattering near infrared light toward the side surface of the finger and taking a picture with the photographing camera from the abdominal side.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the operation switch is operated by the opening / closing lid to operate the photographing camera and the light source when the opening / closing lid is rotated to open the arrangement recess in the arrangement recess of the casing. Therefore, the photographing camera and the light source are operated only when necessary, so that power consumption can be reduced.

  In the invention described in claim 4, since the surface of the opening / closing lid and the surface of the housing are located on the same plane in a state where the arrangement concave portion is closed by the opening / closing lid, good usability Can be ensured and downsizing can be achieved.

  An electronic apparatus provided with the biometric authentication device of the present invention uses a finger as an authentication target, a surface on the side where the fingernail is located, a back surface, a surface on the side where a fingerprint is located, and a portion between the back surface and the abdominal surface. An electronic device having a biometric authentication device that performs biometric authentication by photographing a finger from the abdominal surface when the surface is a side surface, and is formed of a housing having an arrangement recess and a material that transmits near infrared light And an opening / closing lid that is rotatably supported by the housing and that opens and closes a placement recess formed in the housing, a photographing camera that is placed in the placement recess and photographs a finger vein pattern via the opening / closing lid, and a placement recess And a light source that irradiates the finger with near-infrared light, and the finger is placed on the surface of the opening / closing lid in a state where the longitudinal direction of the finger is aligned with the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the opening / closing lid The finger placement surface is formed, and the abdomen is brought into contact with the finger placement surface so that the finger is placed and opened. The lid is characterized in that as biometric authentication is performed when the placement recess is opened is rotated.

  Accordingly, biometric authentication is performed by rotating the open / close lid by bringing the abdominal surface into contact with the finger placement surface a of the open / close lid, so that a finger adjacent to the finger placement base portion can be secured while ensuring miniaturization. Can be placed easily without obstructing.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The best mode described below is applied when the biometric authentication apparatus of the present invention is mounted on an information processing apparatus (notebook type personal computer). The scope of application of the biometric authentication device of the present invention is not limited to the biometric authentication device mounted on the information processing device, and is widely applied to biometric authentication devices mounted on various other electronic devices that may require personal authentication. In addition, the application range of the electronic device provided with the biometric authentication device of the present invention is not limited to the information processing device, and can be widely applied to various other electronic devices that may require personal authentication. .

  In the following description, it is assumed that the front, rear, up, down, left, and right directions are shown as viewed from the user when the electronic apparatus (information processing apparatus) is used. Therefore, the user side is the front. In addition, the front and rear, up and down, left and right directions shown below are for convenience of explanation, and the implementation of the present invention is not limited to these directions.

  The electronic device (information processing apparatus) 1 includes a display 2 and an apparatus body 3 (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

  The display 2 includes a display casing 4 that is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body 3 and is formed in a horizontally long flat and substantially rectangular shape, and a display panel 5 that is assembled to the display casing 4. ing.

  The apparatus main body 3 is configured by arranging necessary parts inside and outside the housing 6. The apparatus main body 3 is provided with a keyboard 7 having a plurality of operation keys. In the housing 6, for example, an arrangement recess 6 a opened upward is formed at a position near the right end at the front end.

  The upper surface of the apparatus main body 3 is provided as a palm rest 3a on the front end side where a user's hand is placed.

  In the electronic device 1, for example, a biometric authentication device 8 is mounted on the right end side portion of the palm rest 3a.

  The biometric authentication device 8 includes an opening / closing lid 9, a photographing camera 10, and a light source 11 (see FIG. 3). The biometric authentication device 8 is a device that performs finger vein pattern authentication.

  The opening / closing lid 9 is formed of a material that transmits near-infrared light, for example, in a rectangular plate shape that is long in one direction, and is rotatably supported by the housing 6. The opening / closing lid 9 has, for example, a central portion in the longitudinal direction (left-right direction) as a rotation fulcrum, and opens and closes the arrangement recess 6a by rotating. In a state where the opening / closing lid 9 closes the arrangement recess 6a, the upper surface of the opening / closing lid 9 and the upper surface of the housing 6 are located on the same plane (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

  The surface (upper surface) of the opening / closing lid 9 is formed as a finger placement surface 9a on which a user's finger is placed.

  The opening / closing lid 9 may be configured to be manually opened or closed, or may be configured to be opened / closed when an opening / closing button is provided on the housing 6 and the opening / closing button is operated. Can be set.

  The arrangement | positioning recessed part 6a formed in the housing | casing 6 is formed of the peripheral wall 13 which continues to the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 12 and this bottom wall 12, for example (refer FIG.3 and FIG.4). The peripheral wall 13 includes a front surface portion 13a facing rearward, a rear surface portion 13b facing frontward, a left surface portion 13c facing rightward, and an inclined surface portion 13d facing diagonally upward to the left, and the right side edges of the front surface portion 13a and the rear surface portion 13b are inclined. It is continuous with the surface portion 13d.

  The photographing camera 10 is arranged on the inclined surface portion 13d of the arrangement recess 6a, and extends in a direction in which the optical axis S faces obliquely upward to the left.

  For example, a light emitting diode (LED) that emits near infrared light is used as the light source 11. The light source 11 is arrange | positioned at the front-surface part 13a or the rear surface part 13b of the arrangement | positioning recessed part 6a, and the output direction is made into back or front.

  The operation switch 14 is arrange | positioned at the left end part, for example in the bottom face wall 12 of the arrangement | positioning recessed part 6a. The operation switch 14 is a switch for operating the photographing camera 10 and the light source 11.

  When performing biometric authentication using the biometric authentication device 8 configured as described above, the user places the finger 100 on the finger placement surface 9 a that is the surface of the open / close lid 9 and rotates the open / close lid 9. To open the arrangement recess 6a (see FIG. 5). At this time, the user brings the abdominal surface 101 into contact with the finger placement surface 9 a in a state where the longitudinal direction of the finger 100 coincides with the longitudinal direction of the opening / closing lid 9. The finger 100 is placed on the finger placement surface 9a so that the tip is located on the left side.

  The user rotates the open / close lid 9 by pushing the tip of the finger 100 downward. When the opening / closing lid 9 is rotated by the finger 100, the finger 100 is inclined downwardly with the rotation of the opening / closing lid 9. Therefore, the finger 100 has the abdominal surface 101 facing diagonally downward to the right, the back surface 102 that is the nail side surface facing diagonally upward to the left, and the side surfaces 103 and 103 that are portions between the abdominal surface 101 and the back surface 102 are facing left and right. State. At this time, a distance of 35 mm or more is secured between the finger 100 and the photographing camera 10.

  When the opening / closing lid 9 is rotated, the operation switch 14 is pressed by the left end portion of the opening / closing lid 9, and the photographing camera 10 and the light source 11 are operated. When the light source 11 is operated, near-infrared light is emitted from the light source 11 toward the one side surface 103 of the finger 100, and the near-infrared light is scattered inside the finger 100 so that a vein pattern can be imaged. State. When near-infrared light is emitted from the light source 11, the vein pattern of the user's finger 100 is photographed from the abdominal surface 101 side by the photographing camera 10, and features of the photographed vein pattern and pre-registered vein patterns When the points are collated, an authentication operation is performed by an authentication circuit (not shown) built in the housing 6.

  When the user moves the finger 100 away from the opening / closing lid 9, the opening / closing lid 9 is rotated in the opposite direction to return to the closed position where the arrangement recess 6a is closed. For example, the opening / closing lid 9 may be rotated by its own weight by partially changing the position of the rotation fulcrum of the opening / closing lid 9 or the weight of the opening / closing lid 9. This may be performed by providing a spring that returns the valve to the closed position. When the open / close lid 9 returns to the closed position, the operations of the photographing camera 10 and the light source 11 are stopped.

  As described above, in the electronic device 1, biometric authentication is performed by rotating the opening / closing lid 9 by bringing the abdominal surface 101 into contact with the finger placing surface 9 a of the opening / closing lid 9. Arbitrary fingers 100, 100,..., That is, any of the index finger, the middle finger, the ring finger, and the little finger can be easily placed on 9a without being obstructed.

  In addition, since the photographing camera 10 is arranged at a position laterally away from a portion to be photographed of the finger 100 in an inclined state, it is possible to minimize the thickness of the housing 6 and to reduce the size. The authentication of a plurality of fingers 100, 100,.

  Furthermore, since the light source 11 is arranged on the peripheral wall 13 of the arrangement recess 6a, so-called reflection is performed by irradiating near-infrared light toward the side surface 103 of the finger 100 to scatter and photographing with the photographing camera 10 from the abdominal surface 101 side. Scattering-type biometric authentication can be easily performed.

  Still further, when the opening / closing lid 9 is rotated, the operation switch 14 is operated by the opening / closing lid 9 to operate the photographing camera 10 and the light source 11, so that only when necessary, the photographing camera 10 and The light source 11 is operated, and power consumption can be reduced.

  In addition, since the upper surface of the opening / closing lid 9 and the upper surface of the housing 6 are located on the same plane in a state where the opening / closing lid 9 closes the arrangement recess 6a, a hand is required when using the keyboard 7 of the electronic device 1. There is no projecting portion that comes into contact with each other, and good usability can be ensured, and the electronic device 1 can be downsized.

  The open / close lid 9 is formed of a material that transmits near-infrared light. However, when the vein pattern of the finger 100 is imaged by the imaging camera 10, most of the open / close lid 9 is covered by the finger 100. Therefore, the near-infrared component contained in sunlight etc. is hard to be incident on the photographing camera 10, and an adverse effect on photographing by the photographing camera 10 can be prevented.

  In the above, an example of so-called reflection / scattering type biometric authentication in which near-infrared light is irradiated and scattered toward the side surface 103 of the finger 100 and captured by the imaging camera 10 from the abdominal surface 101 side is shown. The application range of the invention is not limited to the reflection / scattering type biometric authentication, but the so-called reflection type in which the near-infrared light is irradiated and reflected toward the abdominal surface 101 of the finger 100 and is imaged by the imaging camera 10 from the abdominal surface 101 side. The present invention can also be applied to other biometric authentication devices. When applied to a reflection-type biometric authentication device, the light source 11 is disposed in the vicinity of the imaging camera 10 so that the near-infrared light emitted from the light source 11 is applied to the abdominal surface 101 of the finger 100.

  Moreover, although the example which made the position of the rotation fulcrum of the opening-and-closing lid 9 the center part in the left-right direction was shown above, the position in the left-right direction of the rotation fulcrum is the inclination angle (inclination of the finger 100). Angle), the direction of the optical axis S of the light source 11, and the like can be arbitrarily set.

  Furthermore, in the above, the example in which the opening / closing lid 9 is supported by the housing 6 in the direction in which the longitudinal direction is the left-right direction is shown, but the longitudinal direction of the opening / closing lid 9 can be arbitrarily set. .

  The specific shapes and structures of the respective parts shown in the above-described best mode are merely examples of the implementation of the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is limited by these. It should not be interpreted in a general way.

FIG. 2 to FIG. 5 show the best mode of the present invention, which is a perspective view of an electronic apparatus. It is a perspective view of the electronic device in a state where the open / close lid is opened and biometric authentication is performed. It is an expanded sectional view of the biometric authentication apparatus in the state where the arrangement | positioning recessed part was obstruct | occluded. It is an expansion perspective view of the biometric authentication apparatus in the state where the arrangement | positioning recessed part was obstruct | occluded. It is an expanded sectional view of a biometrics device in the state where an arrangement crevice was opened. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the conventional biometric authentication apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Electronic device, 6 ... Housing | casing, 6a ... Arrangement | positioning recessed part, 8 ... Biometric authentication apparatus, 9 ... Opening / closing lid, 9a ... Finger mounting surface, 10 ... Camera for imaging | photography, 11 ... Light source, 12 ... Bottom wall, 13 ... Peripheral wall, 14 ... Actuation switch, 100 ... Finger, 101 ... Abdomen, 102 ... Back, 103 ... Side

Claims (5)

When the finger is the object to be authenticated, the surface on the side where the fingernail is located is the back surface, the surface on which the fingerprint is located is the abdominal surface, and the surface between the back surface and the abdominal surface is the side surface. A biometric authentication device that performs biometric authentication by photographing,
An opening / closing lid that is formed of a material that transmits near-infrared light and that is rotatably supported by the casing and that opens and closes an arrangement recess formed in the casing;
A camera for taking a picture of a finger vein pattern arranged through the opening / closing lid disposed in the arrangement recess;
A light source arranged in the arrangement recess and irradiating the finger with near infrared light,
The surface of the open / close lid is formed as a finger placement surface on which the finger is placed in a state where the longitudinal direction of the finger is aligned with the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the open / close lid,
A biometric authentication device is characterized in that biometric authentication is performed when an abdominal surface is brought into contact with the finger placement surface, a finger is placed, an opening / closing lid is rotated, and an arrangement recess is opened. The housing recess is formed by a bottom wall and a peripheral wall continuous to the periphery of the bottom wall,
The biometric authentication device according to claim 1, wherein a light source that irradiates a side surface of a finger with near infrared light is disposed on the peripheral wall. 2. An operation switch for operating a photographing camera and a light source, which is operated by the opening / closing lid when the opening / closing lid is rotated to open the arrangement recess, is disposed in the arrangement recess of the housing. The biometric authentication device described. The biometric authentication device according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the opening / closing lid and the surface of the housing are positioned on the same plane in a state where the arrangement recess is closed by the opening / closing lid. When the finger is the object to be authenticated, the surface on the side where the fingernail is located is the back surface, the surface on which the fingerprint is located is the abdominal surface, and the surface between the back surface and the abdominal surface is the side surface. An electronic device provided with a biometric authentication device that performs biometric authentication by photographing,
A housing having a placement recess;
An opening / closing lid that is formed of a material that transmits near-infrared light and that is rotatably supported by the casing and that opens and closes an arrangement recess formed in the casing;
A camera for taking a picture of a finger vein pattern arranged through the opening / closing lid disposed in the arrangement recess;
A light source arranged in the arrangement recess and irradiating the finger with near infrared light,
The surface of the open / close lid is formed as a finger placement surface on which the finger is placed in a state where the longitudinal direction of the finger is aligned with the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the open / close lid,
A biometric authentication device is provided, wherein biometric authentication is performed when the abdominal surface is brought into contact with the finger placement surface, the finger is placed, the opening / closing lid is rotated, and the placement recess is opened. Electronics.

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