WO2009126741A2 - Biometric device - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods and devices are provided for obtaining biometric information.

Description

BlOMETRIC DEVICE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U S Provisional Application No 61/043,650, filed April 9, 2008, entitled "Biometπc Device," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In current biometπc applications there is a lack of stealthy, light weight, rapid, mobile, ins recognition cameras For example, there are many solutions geared toward taking images of other individual's eyes in order to perform ins recognition However, these solutions only address the issue of at whom the camera is aimed, and disregards who is behind the camera (receiver) There are also self-use ins recognition solutions, typically for physical access, that are too bulky to be fully mobile Other self use ins recognition systems that incorporate a fixed focal length lens require either a sound (i e someone's voice) directing the subject where to move, which is not stealthy, or a bright light indicating the proper distance, which is not always intuitive Furthermore, some fixed focal length cameras require the subject to lean up against or press the head against a bar requiring contact and the spread of germs and bacteria Therefore, there remains a need for ins recognition technology for contact-less which easily captures subject and receiver ins images

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In one aspect of the invention a iris recognition or capture device is provided which is contact-less and can capture a subject and/or receiver's ins images In various embodiments, a device of the invention is contact-less, stealthy, light weight, rapid, mobile camera capable of easily capturing subject and receiver "self-use" iris images This single device can be incorporated into access control applications as well as be applied to mobile collection applications

[0004] In a second aspect of the invention a device is a dual capability ins acquisition device

[0005] In a third aspect of the invention methods are provided for identifying an individual using biometπc information obtained using a device of the invention

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

[0006] All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims A better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which

[0008] Figure 1 is a representation of one embodiment of the present invention, including different components which can comprise an ins recogniti on/image capture device

[0009] Figure 2 is a representation of self-use of an ins image capture function of a device of the present invention

[0010] Figure 3 is a representation of the use of a device of the present invention for ins recognition of an individual

[0011] Figure 4 is a representation of two devices of the present invention joined to create a double eye system DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] In various aspects of the invention generally, an ins recognition capture device is provided which has improved characteristics over previously developed devices In one aspect, a single camera device can be incorporated into access control applications as well as be applied to mobile collection applications

[0013] In one embodiment, an ins recognition camera that is intuitive, contactless, stealthy, light weight, rapid, and mobile, capable of easily capturing subject and receiver ins images Furthermore, a device of the invention can be used in a 'self-use' mode Therefore, in one embodiment, a device is in a self-use mode, which provides visual feedback in the form of a video sequence In a further embodiment, the device is a camera which is capable of automatic environmental white balancing, and standalone ins recognition, as well as connectivity to physical devices via USB or

FireWire

[0014] In one aspect of the invention, a ins recognition/capture device comprises computer executable logic for analysis of images captured from a subject(s) ins Examples of such computer executable logic and which are capable of use with a device of the invention are disclosed in U S provisional application 60/968,271 and PCT/US08/074404

In one embodiment, a device of the invention is capable of extracting and determining the identity of an individual In a further embodiment, a device of the invention can screen a large population of individuals and identify a single individual, where for example, a population screened is 10, 50, 100, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000, 100,000 or more subjects

[0015] In a further embodiment, a device of the invention determines the quality of ins images processed by the ins recognition algorithm (e g , 60/968,871 ) in order to capture sufficient data

[0016] In one embodiment, the camera sensor will be small, with a near infrared sensing spectrum and a fixed focal length lens with a focal range of 2 feet, Figure 1 Camera sensors that may used, are commercially available In a further embodiment, two small, cell phone sized, liquid crystal display (LCD) displays will be placed back to back

Alternatively, a single transparent organic light emitting diode (OLED) display can be used In one embodiment, a camera is placed directly in the center of one side of the LCD display Furthermore, real-time video from the camera is replayed to both sides of the LCD display In addition, a near infrared LED illuminator, matching the sensors spectral response, is positioned around the camera in order to illuminate the eye Once the image is taken a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) will generate a template and match or distribute the image

[0017] In another aspect of the invention, for self-use the receiver looks directly at the camera in the center of the screen (Figure 2), while the receiver's ins video is displayed on the LCD screen around the camera The camera and the video sequence on the LCD screen are oriented so that the pupil of the displayed eye is at the same position as the camera, i e direct staring indicates the camera overlaps with the pupil directly in the center of the screen Since the camera is approximately 2 feet away from the receivers eye it allows the receivers to see the ins structure displayed on the screen and doesn't cause the subject to prematurely close or partially close the eye obscuring the ins pattern, as is done with cameras that are too close to the eye While the receiver gazes at his ins, the receiver can also do a self assessment of the quality of the image, and align his eye accordingly This self assessment m conjunction with a software quality metric will lead to overall high quality of captured ins data

[0018] In order for the receiver to perform ins recognition on a subject, the receiver simply turns the camera around and looks into the LCD display that is on the backside of the camera as shown in Figure 3 The receiver then aligns the camera with the subject's eye while watching the LCD monitor for good quality The quality algorithm then automatically captures a high quality image and creates the ins template

[0019] Camera LEDs LCD Screen Grip Control Circuitry LCD Screen 1 LCD Screen 2 Camera For areas of operation outside of the laboratory environmental overexposure of the near IR sensor can occur due to sunlight and reflected ambient light Therefore an automatic white balance of the target environment will be implemented that will automatically adjust the gain and exposure of the camera in order to take high quality data The problem of right and left eye is overcome by simply joining two of the handheld cameras together and locking them into place at the center, creating a double eye camera system as shown in figure 4

[0020] In one embodiment, in order to be integrated onto a FPGA, the ins image analysis algorithm is written in a low level format Significant time may also be spent on the integration of the camera sensor into the center of the LCD screen, and positioning of the image displayed on the screen in order to see clear ins structures The automatic white balancing is applied to different lighting conditions with various reflections (i e outdoors, over water, over sand) [0021] In one embodiment, a device of the invention comprises an ins recognition platform that includes a camera with a dual utility for self use and subject use capabilities

[0022] In further embodiments, a device of the invention comprises camera software including automatic environmental exposure balancing, template generation, quality assessment, and template matching capabilities [0023] Therefore, in various embodiments, a device of the invention allows the user to effectively align the eye and assess initial quality in less than 3 seconds, and generate a template and match the ins in less than 1 second in any type of expected environment Anticipated matching performance will be a 0% False Accept Rate (FAR) and above 98% Genuine Accept Rate (GAR)

[0024] In one embodiment, a device provides greater options for biometric collection The device can serve multiple roles and be used for physical access control, logical access control, and easy mobile collection The white balance program enhances or corrects an image thus making iris recognition more effective in multiple types of lighting conditions including sunlight with reflective surfaces (e g sand, water)

Claims

CLAIMS WHAT IS CLAIMED IS

1 A device for capturing an ins image, wherein said device is capable of generating a template and match said ins image in less than about 1 to about 5 seconds

2 The device of claim 1, wherein said template and match is obtained m about 1 second

3 The device of claim 1, further comprising a visual feedback

4 The device of claim 1, further configured to provide automatic white balancing and standalone ins recognition

5 The device of claim 1, further configured to provide a user to effectively align an eye and assess initial image quality in less than 3 seconds

6 The device of claim 1, further comprising at least two LCD displays

7 The device of claim 1, wherein said at least two LCS displays can provide an image in real-time of two different subjects

8 A method of identifying a subject comprising using the device of claims 1-7