Fingerprint authentication apparatus
View Patent ↗A fingerprint authentication apparatus has a combined visible/infrared light source, which illuminates a finger placed on an optical image sensor with both infrared light and visible light. The optical image sensor has a block with infrared sensitivity and a block within infrared sensitivity, and generates a fingerprint image from light scattered by the finger. The infrared sensitivity of the infrared-sensitive block of the optical image sensor is such that a clear image is obtained from a living organism, and an unclear image is obtained from a replica. If the finger is an actual living finger, the fingerprint images from both blocks are clear, but in the case of a replica, the image from the block having infrared sensitivity is clear, and the image from the block without having infrared sensitivity is unclear. A reference processing section compares the clarity of the fingerprint images from the block with infrared sensitivity and the block without having infrared sensitivity, and if there is a difference therebetween, judges that the finger was a replica. After this is done, an image processing section 14 extracts minutiae from the fingerprint image, and a comparison section compares the fingerprint data with fingerprint in a database.
1. A fingerprint authentication apparatus comprising:
an imaging section comprising a first optical image sensor having infrared sensitivity and a second optical image sensor having sensitivity in the visible light region, said first and second optical image sensors being mutually neighboring whereby obtaining an image of an object to be fingerprint authenticated;
an image processing section, which performs image processing of data obtained from said imaging section so as to obtain the fingerprint image; and
a fingerprint comparison section, which performs a comparison between said fingerprint image and a priorly stored fingerprint image;
wherein a fingerprint image is obtained with said object not in contact with said imaging section.
2. A fingerprint authentication apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second optical image sensors are both selected from a group consisting of a CCD image sensor and a CMOS image sensor, a P-well depth in said first optical image sensor is deeper than that of said second optical image sensor, and a concentration thereof is less than that of said second optical image sensor.
3. A fingerprint authentication apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising means for shining infrared light and visible light onto said object to be fingerprint authenticated.
4. A fingerprint authentication apparatus comprising:
an imaging section comprising a first optical image sensor having infrared sensitivity and a second optical image sensor having sensitivity in the visible light region, said first and second optical image sensors being mutually neighboring whereby obtaining an image of an object to be fingerprint authenticated;
an image processing section, which performs image processing of data obtained from said imaging section so as to obtain the fingerprint image; and
a fingerprint comparison section, which performs a comparison between said fingerprint image and a priorly stored fingerprint image;
wherein said first optical image sensors is selected from a group consisting of a CCD image sensor and a CMOS image sensor each having infrared sensitivity, and wherein said second optical image sensor is formed by providing an infrared-cutting filter on said first optical image sensor.
5. A fingerprint authentication apparatus comprising:
an imaging section comprising a first optical image sensor having infrared sensitivity and a second optical image sensor having sensitivity in the visible light region, said first and second optical image sensors being mutually neighboring whereby obtaining an image of an object to be fingerprint authenticated;
an image processing section, which performs image processing of data obtained from said imaging section as to obtain the fingerprint image; and
a fingerprint comparison section, which performs a comparison between said fingerprint image and a priorly stored fingerprint image;
wherein said first and second optical image sensors are both selected from a group consisting of a CCD image sensor and a CMOS image sensor, a P-well depth in said first optical image sensor is deeper than that of said second optical image sensor, and a concentration thereof is less than that of said second optical image sensor.