Device for contactless acquisition of biometric data from skin area

Abstract

The invention relates to a device 1000 for contactless acquisition of biometric data from a skin region. For example, one sensor optic 120 of the image acquisition unit 100 or one emitter optic 220 of the illumination unit 200 is offset such that the focal planes 135, 235 of the image acquisition unit 100 and the illumination unit 200 substantially completely overlap. Therefore, for example, the area of a light sensor 115 of an image acquisition unit 100 or the area of a light emitter 215 of an illumination unit 200 can be used to the maximum, thereby leading to a significant improvement in the acquisition quality of biological characteristics of a hand, in particular of a finger. In addition, the compactness of the device 1000 can be further enhanced, for example by beam folding using the reflective optical element 700.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a device for contactless collection of biometric data from a skin area. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid spread of epidemics and infectious diseases, it has become increasingly important to obtain biometric data from people in a contactless manner, for example, when collecting fingerprints, without touching any surface.

[0003] In the prior art, several so-called fingerprint scanners are known, such as US 2009 / 046 331 A1 or US 2012 / 076 369 A1, which are used to obtain fingerprints in a contactless manner, for example by using a camera as an image acquisition unit and one or more light sources or projectors as an illumination unit.

[0004] A problem often encountered with such systems is the need for such systems to be compact while maintaining a high quality of the captured fingerprints, particularly, for example, when such systems are used for government purposes, requirements which are significantly higher than those required in the private or commercial sectors.

[0005] In order to make the system compact, attempts are usually made to place the camera and projector as close as possible inside the device and coordinate the overlap of the depth of field of the camera and projector by using the Scheimpflug arrangement. However, this structure will cause image distortion, thereby reducing the quality of the collected fingerprint image to a certain extent.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies and based on the above-mentioned prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide an improved device for contactlessly collecting biometric data from the skin area, which can improve the quality of the acquired fingerprint while maintaining a compact structure. Summary of the invention

[0007] The invention relates to a device for contactless collection of biometric data from a skin area.

[0008] In particular, to achieve the above object, a device for contactless collection of biometric data from a skin area is proposed as described in claim 1. The dependent claims relate to some examples of preferred embodiments.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, in some embodiments, a device for contactlessly collecting biometric data from a skin area is proposed, the device comprising: at least one image acquisition unit, the unit comprising a light sensor and a sensor optical device arranged upstream of the light beam path, and configured to contactlessly collect image data from the illuminated skin area; and at least one lighting unit, the unit comprising a light emitter and an emitter optical device arranged downstream of the light beam path, and configured to illuminate the skin area collected by the image acquisition unit, wherein the sensor optical device is arranged to be offset relative to the light sensor along the optical principal plane of the sensor optical device, or the emitter optical device is arranged to be offset relative to the light emitter along the optical principal plane of the emitter optical device, in this way, the focal plane portion of the image acquisition unit and the focal plane portion of the lighting unit have the maximum possible overlap with each other.

[0010] It is advantageously recognized that in a device for contactless capture of biometric data, by providing an offset of the sensor optics and / or the emitter optics, the quantity and quality of the captured biometric features can be improved, since the focal plane of the image capture unit and the focal plane of the illumination unit can be significantly better superimposed / overlapped and no distortion is caused when the image capture unit captures the biometric features, thereby avoiding the use of a Scheimpflug arrangement.

[0011] It is also advantageously recognized that when illuminating a skin area using structured light, three-dimensional data of the skin area, in particular biometric features of a hand or finger, such as papillary ridges or valleys of a valley structure of the skin area, can be advantageously generated.

[0012] Furthermore, it has been advantageously recognized that a shift in the sensor optics and / or a shift in the transmitter optics can result in reflective optical elements being arranged within the device, since the image acquisition unit and the illumination unit can be moved further away from one another.

[0013] Furthermore, it is advantageously recognized that the reflective optical element can fold the light beam path of the image acquisition unit and / or the lighting unit, allowing the device to be designed to be more compact while still maintaining a working distance that is beneficial for the image acquisition unit and the lighting unit to capture biometric features, even if this distance exceeds the external dimensions of the device itself.

[0014] In summary, the recognized advantages can provide a more compact device while significantly improving the image quality or data quality of the acquired biometric data to support contactless biometric acquisition.

[0015] In some preferred embodiments, the offset of the sensor optical device relative to the light sensor or the offset of the emitter optical device relative to the light emitter can be selected so that the overlap of the focal plane parts of the image acquisition unit and the illumination unit is at least 80%, in particular greater than 95%, relative to the maximum possible overlap of the focal plane parts of the image acquisition unit and the illumination unit.

[0016] In some preferred embodiments, the offset of the sensor optics relative to the light sensor may be between <150% and >50%, in particular between <110% and >90%, or the offset of the emitter optics relative to the light emitter may be between <60% and >40%.

[0017] In some preferred embodiments, the sensor optics may be arranged offset relative to the light sensor along a main plane of the sensor optics, and the emitter optics may be arranged offset relative to the light emitter along a main plane of the emitter optics.

[0018] In some preferred embodiments, the offset of the sensor optics relative to the light sensor and the offset of the emitter optics relative to the light emitter may both be >25%.

[0019] In some preferred embodiments, the device may also have a system area equipped with various units of the device and a collection area for contactlessly collecting image data of the skin area to be collected, wherein the system area and the collection area are separated from each other by a common interface.

[0020] In some preferred embodiments, the focal plane portion of the image acquisition unit and / or the illumination unit may be arranged in the acquisition area, wherein the beam path of the image acquisition unit and / or the beam path of the illumination unit is folded for contactless acquisition of the skin area in the focal plane portion with the aid of the reflective optical element, so that a working distance of the sensor optical device and / or the emitter optical device to the corresponding focal plane portion is greater than one of the external dimensions of the depth, width and height of the system area of ​​the device.

[0021] In some preferred embodiments, the reflective optical element may include a plurality of mirrors and / or a plurality of prisms.

[0022] In some preferred embodiments, the acquisition area having the focal plane portion of the image acquisition unit and the illumination unit is in a form such that the skin area to be acquired is located within the depth of field of the focal plane portion of the image acquisition unit and the illumination unit.

[0023] In some preferred embodiments, the skin area to be captured may include an area of ​​a human hand, in particular a palm and fingers, and the capture area may be formed so that the image capture unit can capture several fingers simultaneously.

[0024] In some preferred embodiments, the acquisition area may be in a form such that four fingers, particularly the index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger, or two thumbs, or the entire palm, or the entire inner side of the hand may be simultaneously acquired by the image acquisition unit.

[0025] In some preferred embodiments, the lighting unit may illuminate the skin area with structured light.

[0026] In some preferred embodiments, the device may be configured to generate 3D data of the skin area, in particular as a 3D point cloud, based on image data of the skin area acquired by at least one image acquisition unit using structured light illumination.

[0027] In some preferred embodiments, the light emitter can emit light with a wavelength between 400 nm and 550 nm, particularly preferably between 450 nm and 500 nm.

[0028] In some preferred embodiments, the outer dimensions of the system area of ​​the device in depth, width and height are a maximum of 8 inches, preferably <180 mm, and particularly preferably <160 mm.

[0029] In some preferred embodiments, the outer dimensions of the device including the system area and the collection area are a maximum of 8 inches in depth, width and height, preferably <180 mm, and particularly preferably <160 mm.

[0030] Further aspects and advantages thereof described in the accompanying drawings, as well as advantages of more specific implementation options of the above-mentioned aspects and features, will be elaborated in detail in the following description and explanation, but should not be limited thereto in any way. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 An exemplary arrangement of an image acquisition unit and an illumination unit is shown, for example, whose depths of field / focal planes may overlap.

[0032] Figure 2 An example of an image acquisition unit and an illumination unit with crossed focal planes (see FIG. (a) ) and an example of a Scheimpflug arrangement (see FIG. (b) ) are shown, wherein the depths of field / focal planes can overlap.

[0033] Figure 3An embodiment of a device for contactless collection of biometric data from a skin area is shown, wherein, for example, the sensor optics are displaced / offset relative to the camera and the emitter optics are displaced / offset relative to the projector along their respective optical principal planes.

[0034] Figure 4 Shown is, for example, a shift in the illuminated part of the focal plane of the lighting unit caused by a shift in the emitter optics of a projector.

[0035] Figure 5 Examples of the differences between an image acquired with the aid of a Scheimpflug arrangement (see FIG. (b)) and an image acquired with the aid of an offset of the sensor optics of the image acquisition unit (see FIG. (c)) are shown compared to an image acquired with the aid of a sensor optics and / or emitter optics arranged symmetrically with respect to the light sensor and / or light emitter (see FIG. (a)).

[0036] Figure 6 An example of an embodiment of a device having an image acquisition unit, an illumination unit and a computing unit is shown, in which a plurality of beam paths are folded by means of reflective optics.

[0037] Figure 7 A further example of advantages with regard to the required space is shown of an offset of the sensor optics relative to the camera and / or of the emitter optics relative to the projector.

[0038] Figure 8 A further example of an advantage related to ease of use is shown of an offset of the sensor optics relative to the camera and / or an offset of the emitter optics relative to the projector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The same or similar elements in the drawings may be represented by the same reference numerals, but may also be represented by different reference numerals sometimes.

[0040] It should be emphasized that the present invention is by no means limited to the embodiments and their features described below, but also includes modifications to the embodiments, in particular those modifications covered by the features of the examples within the scope of protection of the independent claims, or by a combination or partial combination of one or more features of the examples.

[0041] Figure 1 An exemplary arrangement of an image acquisition unit 100 and an illumination unit 200 is shown, for example, whose depths of field / focal planes 135 / 235 may overlap.

[0042] This shows, by way of example, how the beam path 130 of the image acquisition unit 100 applied by the camera 110 and the sensor optics 120 (e.g. as a lens of the camera 110 ) overlaps in the region of the respective focal planes 135 and 235 with the beam path 230 formed by the projector 210 and the emitter optics 220 (e.g. as a lens of the projector 210 ) (see cross-hatched area).

[0043] The beam path 130 (with an optical axis 132 ) of the image acquisition unit 100 may be applied by means of an optical system, for example comprising the light sensor 115 of the camera 110 and a lens / lens system 125 (with corresponding optical main planes 125 a ) of the sensor optics 120 .

[0044] Similarly, the same applies to the beam path 230 (having an optical axis 232) of the lighting unit 200, wherein the beam path 230 may be formed by an optical system, e.g. consisting of a light emitter 215 of a projector 210 and a lens / lens system 225 (having a corresponding optical principal plane 225a) of the emitter optical device 220.

[0045] For example, the sharpness plane / focal plane 135 of the image recording unit 100 and the depth of field / focal plane of the illumination unit 235 can be limited to the respective sections 137, 237 due to the respective beam paths 130, 230, which are substantially influenced by the light sensor 115 and the sensor optics 120 and / or the light emitter 215 and the emitter optics 220, respectively, and the focal planes 135, 235 limited to these sections 137, 237 can now, for example, be superimposed or overlapped in certain areas. In addition, each focal plane 135, 235 has a respective depth of field 135a, 235a (see arrows in the obliquely shaded areas of the focal planes 135, 235), in which, for example, an object can be captured substantially sharply by the camera 110, or a structure projected by the projector 210 (for example in the case of structured light) can be imaged sharply onto the object.

[0046] exist Figure 1 In the illustrated representation of the exemplary interaction between the camera 110 and the projector 210, it can be seen that some of the focal planes 135, 235 overlap (shown by cross-hatching), but a significant portion of the focal planes 135, 235 do not overlap, so blind spots occur in these areas where fingerprints cannot be collected / captured because in these blind spots, either only the projector 210 illuminates or only the camera 110 collects images.

[0047] For example, this may result in that certain areas of the optical sensor 115 of the camera 110 cannot be used to acquire a fingerprint. At the same time, this may result in that the area of ​​the optical sensor 115 used must have a correspondingly high resolution (a correspondingly large number of pixels of the optical sensor 115) in order to ensure the highest possible quality (with a correspondingly high level of detail) of the recorded fingerprint (particularly, for example, for governmental purposes), since only a relatively small part of the total area of ​​the optical sensor 115 can be used to capture biometric features.

[0048] In addition, for example, the area of ​​the light emitter 215 of the projector 210 cannot be fully utilized, so due to the limitation of the available lighting area, it is impossible to simultaneously capture as large an area of ​​the hand or finger as possible to collect biometric data, which may lead to insufficient efficiency in biometric data collection.

[0049] Based on the example of the focal plane 135, 235 superposition problem, a contactless fingerprint acquisition system (fingerprint scanner), for example, can adopt a Scheimpflug arrangement of the image acquisition unit 100 and the illumination unit 200, as follows Figure 2 Show and describe.

[0050] Figure 2 An example of an image acquisition unit 100 and an illumination unit 200 with crossed focal planes 135 , 235 (see FIG. (a) ) and an example of a Scheimpflug arrangement (see FIG. (b) ) are shown, wherein the depths of field / focal planes 135 , 235 can overlap.

[0051] and Figure 1 In contrast to the exemplary arrangement of the image acquisition unit 100 and the illumination unit 200 shown, a Scheimpflug arrangement can now be used (see Figure 2 (b)) in an attempt to maximize the overlapping area of ​​(portions 137, 237 of) focal planes 135, 235.

[0052] The image acquisition unit 100 and the illumination unit 200 are initially aligned convergently with respect to the measurement region / measurement volume. However, this results in the focal planes 135, 235 initially crossing / intersecting at a certain angle (see Figure 2 (a)), the possible measurement area for acquiring the fingerprint is initially even smaller (see also the cross-hatched area here).

[0053] To solve this problem, the sensor optics 120 and the transmitter optics 220 are now tilted according to the "Scheimpflug" principle so that coplanarity is achieved in the two focal planes 135, 235 (see Figure 2 For example, compared to Figure 1In the exemplary arrangement shown, this can increase the superposition / overlap between the portions 137 , 237 of the focal planes 135 , 235 .

[0054] Furthermore, the Scheimpflug arrangement may potentially make better use of the area of ​​the light sensor 115 and the light emitter 215 .

[0055] However, a major problem that may arise from the Scheimpflug arrangement is that the depth plane image in the image acquisition unit 100 may be perspectively distorted; multiple converging lines may appear in the acquired / captured image (see Figure 5 The measurement area in the camera may be geometrically distorted, so an attempt can be made to compensate for this by, for example, using a higher resolution light sensor 115 (light sensor 115 with an increased number of pixels) in order to achieve a minimum resolution suitable for the respective application in all image areas (e.g. in the private or commercial sector, or in the case of significantly higher requirements in the government sector).

[0056] However, for the same reasons, the illumination of the illumination unit 200 may also be negatively affected, for example, resulting in uneven illumination of the measurement area / measurement volume, for example, the measurement object may be too strongly illuminated from the sides (causing shadows at certain points on the surface of the object to be captured) and, for example, in the case of structured light projected onto a finger / hand, distortions of the projected structure may result.

[0057] In order to solve this problem and thereby advantageously maximize the overlapping parts 137, 237 of the focal planes 135, 235, as well as the use area of ​​the optical sensor 115 of the image acquisition unit 100, and the use area of ​​the light emitter 215 of the lighting unit 200, a device 1000 for contactlessly collecting biometric data from a skin area is now provided and will be described in detail below.

[0058] Figure 3 An embodiment of a device 1000 for contactless acquisition of biometric data from a skin area is shown, wherein, for example, the sensor optics 120 are displaced / offset relative to the camera 110 and the emitter optics 220 are displaced / offset relative to the projector 210 along their respective optical principal planes 125a, 225a.

[0059] The device 1000 exemplarily shown here includes, for example Figure 1As shown, an image acquisition unit 100 includes a camera 110 having a light sensor 115 (for example, a CMOS sensor, but it can also be other types of light sensors), and a sensor optical device 120 having a lens / lens system 125 with an optical principal plane 125a; and an illumination unit 200 includes a projector 210 having a light emitter 215 (for example, for emitting structured light), and an emitter optical device 220 having a lens / lens system 225 with an optical principal plane 225a.

[0060] For example, the sensor optical device 120 (measured along its optical axis 132) can be offset relative to a symmetry line perpendicular to the optically active surface of the optical sensor 115 of the camera 110, the symmetry line being substantially located in the center of the optically active surface of the optical sensor 115, thereby generating an offset (for an explanation of this offset, see Figure 4 This may result in that the available beam path 130 of the light sensor 115 of the camera 110 and, in particular, a portion 137 of the focal plane 135 of the image acquisition unit 100 is shifted / displaced towards a portion 237 of the focal plane 235 of the illumination unit 200 (displaced / displaced along the respective optical main plane 125a).

[0061] Conversely, as an alternative or in addition to the offset of the sensor optics 120 of the image acquisition unit 100, for example, the emitter optics 220 (measured at its optical axis 232) can be arranged offset from a line of symmetry perpendicular to the optically active surface of the light emitter 215 of the projector 210 and substantially in the middle of the optically active surface of the light emitter 215 and thus also have an offset (for a description of the offset, see Figure 4 and the related description). Similar to the image acquisition unit 100, this can result in that a beam path 230 (of the projected light) of the light emitter 215 of the projector 210 is available, in particular a portion 237 of the focal plane 235 of the illumination unit 200 is offset / shifted towards a portion 137 of the focal plane 135 of the image acquisition unit 100 (displaced / shifted along their respective optical main planes 225a).

[0062] Advantageously, the exemplary embodiment explained makes it possible to dispense with any tilting of the lens / lens system 125, 225 of the sensor optics 120 or the emitter optics 220 (e.g. Figure 2) and can also maximize the overlap of two parts 137, 237 of the two focal planes 135, 235 (focal planes 135, 235) that are also essentially aligned parallel to each other, sometimes even reaching an overlap of more than 95% (wherein 100% overlap means that at least one part 137, 237 of the focal plane 135, 235 is completely covered / overlapped by another part 137, 237 of the focal plane 135, 235).

[0063] In particular, the overlap of the two parts 137, 237 of the focal plane 135, 235 can be at least 80% of the maximum possible overlap, preferably at least 85%, and particularly preferably at least 90%, so that the maximum available area of ​​the light sensor 115 of the camera 110 and / or the maximum available area of ​​the light emitter 215 of the projector 210 can be used as much as possible, thereby capturing / collecting biometric features, such as fingerprints and / or features of the entire palm, with the largest possible illumination area (due to improved use of the optically effective surface of the light emitter 215) and the highest possible resolution (number of pixels) of the light sensor 115 within the maximum possible illumination area.

[0064] Due to the offset of the sensor optics 120 and the emitter optics 220 described as an example, the focal planes 135, 235 can be aligned substantially uniformly with one another and thereby they remain substantially parallel to one another, which in particular enables a clear 3D acquisition of biometric features such as fingerprints with a high level of detail in all areas of the portions 137, 237 of the focal planes 135, 235, for example as a 3D point cloud.

[0065] The embodiment described as an example with an offset of the sensor optics 120 and the emitter optics 220 can provide an optimal overlap of the portion 237 as the illumination area and the portion 137 as the observation area of ​​the measurement area / measurement volume. The light sensor 115 of the camera 110 and the light emitter 215 of the projector 210 therefore do not need more pixels (resolution) than is absolutely necessary, since in the best case no blind spots occur when the portions 137, 237 overlap.

[0066] For an exemplary configuration of the lighting unit 200, for example, the light emitter 215 of the projector 210 can emit light with a wavelength between 400nm and 550nm, particularly preferably between 450nm and 500nm, and project it onto a skin area to be collected (such as a finger or palm).

[0067] In addition, the light projected by the projector 210 can form structured light, thereby projecting a predetermined pattern / structure onto the biometric feature to be collected, for example, so that the biometric features of the hand or finger, such as the mastoid ridges of the skin area or the valley lines of the valley structure, can be more efficiently recognized by the image acquisition unit 100 and facilitate the generation of 3D data therefrom (for example, as a 3D point cloud).

[0068] For an exemplary configuration of the image acquisition unit 100, the optical sensor 115 can be in the form of, for example, a CMOS sensor (or APS) or a CCD sensor and have a resolution of 300,000 pixels (for example, for very small objects to be recorded such as fingertips) to 500,000 pixels (for example, for very large objects such as entire hands).

[0069] At this time, please note that Figure 3 The lenses 125, 225 or lens systems 125, 225 shown are only examples and should not be construed as limiting designs. The lenses 125, 225 / lens systems 125, 225 can be various types of lenses, such as converging or diverging lenses or combinations thereof, and thus, for example, can include an aperture or no aperture, and can include multiple filters or no filters.

[0070] It should also be noted at this point that the beam paths 132, 232 shown in the figures are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting. Depending on the specific configuration of the sensor optics 120 or the emitter optics 220, the beam paths 132, 232 may have different routes.

[0071] Figure 4 A shift of the illuminated portion 237 of the focal plane 235 of the lighting unit 200 caused by a shift of the emitter optics 220 of the projector 210 is shown by way of example.

[0072] The offset is defined as the relative percentage shift of the illumination area (portion 237) generated by the illumination unit 200 relative to the area size, shown in this example by the dimensions L1 and L2.

[0073] For example, if the original projected illumination area is offset by ±50% along dimension L2, as Figure 4 As shown in the example in , portion 237 is offset along its dimension L2 by half (±50%) of its dimension L2.

[0074] Of course, the offset may also be an offset along the dimension L1 (as shown in the example, ±25% of the dimension L1 along the dimension L1), or a superimposed offset of the two dimensions L1 and L2.

[0075] The example shown here relates to an offset of the lighting unit 200 , wherein the offset can also be applied analogously to the image acquisition unit 100 .

[0076] In addition, the offset can also be defined as the ratio of the lateral displacement of the corresponding optical device (sensor optical device 120 or emitter optical device 220) to the corresponding chip length of the optical sensor 115 or the optical emitter 215 in the displacement direction (for example, along the optical main plane 125a of the sensor optical device 120 or along the optical main plane 225a of the emitter optical device 220).

[0077] For example, in device 1000 , the offset of sensor optics 120 relative to light sensor 115 may be between <150% and >50%, preferably between <130% and >70%, particularly preferably between <110% and >90%.

[0078] Alternatively or additionally, for example in the device 1000, the offset of the emitter optics 220 relative to the light emitter 215 may be between <60% and >40%, preferably about 50%.

[0079] Furthermore, for example, the offset of the sensor optics 120 relative to the light sensor 115 and the offset of the emitter optics 220 relative to the light emitter 215 may each be greater than 25%.

[0080] All of these exemplary embodiments, with the sensor optics 120 offset relative to the light sensor 115 or the emitter optics 220 offset relative to the light emitter 215, can result in an optimized or best overlap of the illumination area (portion 237) of the illumination unit 200 and the measurement area (portion 137) that can be captured by the image acquisition unit 100 within their respective depths of field 135a, 235a.

[0081] Figure 5 Shown by way of example are the differences between an image acquired with the aid of a Scheimpflug arrangement and an image acquired with the aid of an offset of sensor optics 120 of image acquisition unit 100 compared to an image acquired with sensor optics 120 and / or emitter optics 220 arranged symmetrically with respect to light sensor 115 and / or light emitter 215 .

[0082] exist Figure 5 The shaded area in the diagram (a) of FIG. 1 can be regarded as an example image that the camera would acquire if the sensor optical device 120 and / or the emitter optical device 220 had neither a Scheimpflug arrangement nor an offset, but the sensor optical device 120 and / or the emitter optical device 220 were arranged symmetrically relative to the light sensor 115 and / or the light emitter 215. As can be seen, the shaded area in the diagram (a) is a rectangle having vertical sides and horizontal upper and lower edges.

[0083] In contrast, Figure 5 In the diagram (b), a camera 110 using a Scheimpflug arrangement now reproduces the image (see also Figure 2 ,In figure (b)), it can be seen very clearly how the original shaded rectangle is distorted and becomes more like a trapezoid, with the upper part of the image being narrower (hence distorted) and the lower part having a normal width compared to the original image.

[0084] As mentioned previously, in order to achieve a required minimum quality (minimum resolution) of the object captured in the image, it may be necessary, for example, to use a higher resolution light sensor 115 to reproduce the distorted areas of the image (and thus the distorted objects captured in the image) at the required resolution, whereas in the undistorted areas a simpler (lower resolution) light sensor 115 may suffice. This may also result in a correspondingly higher cost for the device due to the choice of the Scheimpflu arrangement.

[0085] In further comparison, we can Figure 5 As can be seen in the diagram (c) of FIG. 1 , the image captured by an offset sensor optical device 120 is substantially the same as the original image. There is no distortion from the image acquisition unit 100. Likewise, there will be no distortion or shadow effects or uneven illumination from the illumination unit 200 in the projection structure.

[0086] Figure 6 An example of an embodiment of a device 1000 having an image acquisition unit 100 , an illumination unit 200 and a computing unit 300 is shown, wherein the beam paths 132 , 232 are folded by means of a reflective optical system 700 / reflective optical element 700 .

[0087] The device 1000 shown here as an example is divided into a system area 500 and a collection area 600, which can be separated from each other by a common interface, such as an optically transparent element 820 (such as a glass plate 820). However, the interface can also be a part of the housing 800, or a combination of the housing 800 and the optically transparent element 820, or the collection area 600 is separated from the system area 500, but not separated in any physical form.

[0088] also, Figure 6 The device 1000 shown as an example in FIG. 1 may have a camera 110 with a sensor optical device 120 and a projector 210 with an emitter optical device 220, wherein the sensor optical device 120 is arranged offset from the camera 110 and the emitter optical device 220 is arranged offset from the projector 210, such as Figure 3As shown, for example, both the image acquisition unit 100 and the illumination unit 200 have an offset. At this point, it has been pointed out that only one of the image acquisition unit 100 and the illumination unit 200 may have an offset.

[0089] The beam path 132 of the image acquisition unit 100 and the beam path 232 of the illumination unit 200 are each deflected / folded by the reflective optical element 700 within the housing 800, for example before they reach the common focal plane 135, 235. For example, the beam paths 132, 232 pass through an optically transparent element 820, for example in the form of a glass plate 820, before reaching or forming the common focal plane 135, 235.

[0090] At this point it should be noted that the optically transparent element 820 is not necessarily present but can be omitted or replaced by another element. The optically transparent element 820 / glass plate 820 can advantageously be used to protect, for example, the image acquisition unit 100, the lighting unit 200 and / or the computing unit 300 located in the system region 500 from contamination, damage and / or contact.

[0091] The reflective optical element 700 may be in the form of, for example, a mirror and / or a beam deflecting prism, or a combination of these elements (mirror / prism).

[0092] As shown in the example, the image acquisition unit 100, the illumination unit 200, the computing unit 300 and the reflective optical element 700 are provided / arranged in the system area 500 of the device 1000. The common focal planes 135, 235 of the image acquisition unit 100 and the illumination unit 200 are located outside the system area 500 and within the acquisition area 600, for example.

[0093] The two areas (collection area 600 and system area 500) can, for example, have a relatively compact design because the reflective optical element 700 folds / deflects the beam paths 132, 232 so that the desired working distance (the distance between the sensor optical device 120 or the emitter optical device 220 and the focal plane 135, 235 along the corresponding beam path 132, 232) corresponds to, for example, approximately twice the diameter (or diagonal) of the portion 137, 237 of the focal plane 135, 235 (for example, a working distance of approximately 200 mm for a diameter / diagonal of approximately 100 mm for the portion 137, 237), but the outer dimensions of the depth T500, width B500 and height H500 of the system area 500 are, for example, each at most 8", preferably less than 180 mm, and particularly preferably less than 160 mm.

[0094] A sufficiently large working distance may be particularly advantageous to avoid any obstruction of the biometric feature (e.g. the valleys of a fingerprint or a valley structure of a papilla) when capturing the biometric feature. Thus, for example, it may be advantageous not to direct one or more beam paths 132, 232 from the camera 110 or the projector 210 directly to the object to be captured (e.g. a palm or a finger).

[0095] The folding / deflecting of beam paths 132 , 232 by means of reflective optical element 700 may advantageously be supported or realized, for example, by offsetting sensor optics 120 relative to camera 110 and / or by offsetting emitter optics 220 relative to projector 210 .

[0096] Advantageously, by offsetting the sensor optics 120 relative to the camera 110 and / or by offsetting the emitter optics 220 relative to the projector 210, at least one reflective optical device 700 can be positioned in the respective beam path 132, 232 without covering the other beam path 132, 232 (or even only partially), since with the same overlap in the focal planes 135, 235 the camera 110 and the projector 210 can be moved further apart.

[0097] Furthermore, it is advantageous that Figure 6 The folded beam paths 132, 232 shown are not only folded once, but if necessary are folded multiple times, such as twice or three times, so that the device 1000 can be made more compact.

[0098] In addition, the size of the system area 500 can be further reduced, for example depending on the possible arrangement of the reflective optical elements 700 and / or depending on the number of reflective optical elements 700, so that, for example, the outer dimensions of the depth T500, width B500 and height H500+H600 of the system area 500 including the collection area 600 are each, for example, at most 8 inches, preferably less than 180 mm, and particularly preferably less than 160 mm.

[0099] Furthermore, it is advantageous if the acquisition region 600 having the portion 137 , 237 of the focal plane 135 , 235 of the image acquisition unit 100 and the illumination unit 200 is formed such that the skin area to be acquired can be located within the depth of field 135 a , 235 a of the portion 137 , 237 of the focal plane 135 , 235 of the image acquisition unit 100 and the illumination unit 200 .

[0100] This allows, for example, efficient acquisition of biometric features of skin areas (eg fingerprints and / or palms) in high quality (with a high level of detail), whereby high quality 3D data can subsequently be created for the respective acquired biometric feature.

[0101] In particular, it may be advantageous if the skin area to be captured includes an area of ​​a human hand, in particular a palm and fingers, and the capture area 600 is in a form such that the image capture unit 100 can capture several fingers simultaneously. This can further improve the efficiency of biometric feature capture.

[0102] For example, the acquisition area 600 may be in a form such that the image acquisition unit 100 can simultaneously acquire four fingers, in particular, the index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger, or two thumbs, or the entire palm, or the entire inner side of the hand.

[0103] In addition, for example, the system area 500 may have a computing unit 300 for controlling the image acquisition unit 100 and the lighting unit 200 and processing the acquired biometric data, wherein the computing unit 300 may also be optionally arranged outside the system area 500. For example, the computing unit 300 of the device 1000 may process the acquired biometric data (for example, convert the image data acquired by the image acquisition unit 100 into biometric data of the skin area, for example, into 3D data, in particular into a 3D point cloud), and optionally store it in the storage unit 310, whereby the data may also be stored outside the device 1000.

[0104] Additionally, computing unit 300 may compare processed / computed biometric data with biometric data already stored in storage unit 310 to detect potential matches.

[0105] Figure 7 Further advantages with regard to the required space of an offset of the sensor optics 120 relative to the camera 110 and / or of the emitter optics 220 relative to the projector 210 are shown by way of example.

[0106] Figure 7 The diagram (a) of shows the known arrangement according to Scheimpflug, wherein the image acquisition unit 100 (with camera 110 and sensor optics 120) and the illumination unit 200 (with projector 210 and emitter optics 220) are both tilted convergingly towards each other.

[0107] However, this can result in a required free space (see dashed rectangle around the image acquisition unit 100 and the lighting unit 200) being significantly larger than in an arrangement in which the sensor optics 120 are offset relative to the camera 110 and the emitter optics 220 are offset relative to the projector 210, as shown in diagram (b).

[0108] Or in other words: In addition to the advantages of the already mentioned arrangement of the optical devices 120, 220 offset relative to the camera 110 or the projector 210, advantages in the required space can also be obtained, so that, for example, Figure 6 The device 1000 shown and described may be formed more compactly than a comparable device implementing a Scheimpflug arrangement.

[0109] Figure 8 Another advantage in terms of user comfort of an offset of the sensor optics 120 relative to the camera 110 and / or an offset of the emitter optics 220 relative to the projector 210 is shown by way of example.

[0110] In particular, an offset of the emitter optics 220 relative to the projector 210 may have an advantage over an unoffset of the emitter optics 220. Figure 8 As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the non-offset emitter optical device 220 may result in a user who wants to obtain / needs to collect his biometrics having to be very close to the device 1000 (e.g., Figure 6 2 (shown and described), resulting in him being obscured by the illumination beam projected by projector 210. This is of course very unpleasant for the user, especially since projectors can have very bright and powerful light sources (e.g. light emitter 215).

[0111] On the other hand, Figure 8 As shown in diagram (b) of , the offset of the emitter optical device 220 relative to the projector 210 allows the light beam / light cone emitted by the projector 210 to be directed away from the user, so that the user will not be blinded even if he or she has to get very close to the device.

[0112] It should be noted that the above are only examples or embodiments of the present disclosure and technical advantages described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is by no means limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and their features or combinations thereof, but also includes modifications to the embodiments, especially those modifications covered by the features of the examples within the scope of protection of the independent claims, or by a combination or partial combination of one or more features of the examples.

[0113] Reference symbol list

[0114] 100 Image Acquisition Units

[0115] 110 cameras

[0116] 115 Light Sensor

[0117] 120 sensor optics

[0118] 125 Lens / lens system of sensor optics

[0119] 125a Optical principal planes of the lens / lens system of the sensor optics

[0120] 130 Beam path of the image acquisition unit

[0121] 132 Optical axis of the beam path of the image acquisition unit

[0122] 135 Focal plane of the image acquisition unit

[0123] 135a Depth of field in the focal plane of the image acquisition unit

[0124] 137 Focal plane part of the image acquisition unit

[0125] 200 lighting fixtures

[0126] 210 Projector

[0127] 215 optical transmitter

[0128] 220 Transmitter Optics

[0129] 225 Transmitter Optics Lens / Lens System

[0130] 225a Optical principal planes of the lens / lens system of the transmitter optics

[0131] 230 Beam path of lighting device

[0132] 232 Optical axis of the beam path of the lighting device

[0133] 235 Focal plane of the lighting device

[0134] Depth of field in the focal plane of the 235a illuminator

[0135] 237 Focal plane section of the lighting device

[0136] 300 computing units

[0137] 310 Computational unit storage unit

[0138] 500 system area

[0139] 600 Collection Area

[0140] 700 reflective optical elements

[0141] 800 Shell

[0142] 820 Interface between system area and acquisition area / optically transparent element / glass panel

[0143] 1000 devices

[0144] Width of the B500 system area

[0145] H500 system area height

[0146] Depth of the T500 system area

[0147] H600 recording area

Claims

1. Equipment for contactless collection of biometric data from skin areas, comprising: at least one image acquisition unit, which comprises a light sensor and a sensor optical device arranged upstream in the beam path and is configured for contactless acquisition of image data from the irradiated skin area, and at least one illumination unit, comprising a light emitter and an emitter optical device arranged downstream in the light beam path and configured to illuminate the skin area to be acquired by the image acquisition unit, Therein, the sensor optical device is arranged to be offset relative to the light sensor along the optical main plane of the sensor optical device, or the emitter optical device is arranged to be offset relative to the light emitter along the optical main plane of the emitter optical device, so that the focal plane portion of the image acquisition unit and the focal plane portion of the illumination unit have the maximum possible overlap with each other.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The offset of the sensor optics relative to the light sensor or the offset of the emitter optics relative to the light emitter is selected such that an overlap of the focal plane portions of the image acquisition unit and the illumination unit relative to a maximum possible overlap of the focal plane portions of the image acquisition unit and the illumination unit is at least 80%, in particular greater than 95%.

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The offset of the sensor optics relative to the light sensor is between <150% and >50%, in particular between <110% and >90%, or the offset of the emitter optics relative to the light emitter is between <60% and >40%.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The sensor optics are arranged offset relative to the light sensor along a main plane of the sensor optics, and the emitter optics are arranged offset relative to the light emitter along a main plane of the emitter optics.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein: An offset of the sensor optics relative to the light sensor and an offset of the emitter optics relative to the light emitter are > 25%.

6. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The device also has a system region with the individual units of the device and a detection region for contactless detection of image data of the skin region to be detected, wherein the system region and the detection region are separated from each other by a common interface.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein: The focal plane portion of the image acquisition unit and / or the illumination unit is arranged in the acquisition area, wherein the beam path of the image acquisition unit and / or the beam path of the illumination unit is folded for contactless acquisition of the skin area in the focal plane portion by means of the reflective optical element, so that the working distance of the sensor optical device and / or the emitter optical device to the corresponding focal plane portion is greater than one of the external dimensions of the depth, width and height of the system area of ​​the device.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein: The reflective optical element comprises a plurality of mirrors and / or prisms.

9. The device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein: The acquisition area with the focal plane portion of the image acquisition unit and the illumination unit is formed such that the skin area to be acquired is located within the depth of field of the focal plane portion of the image acquisition unit and the illumination unit.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein: The skin area to be captured includes an area of ​​a human hand, in particular a palm and fingers, and the capture area is in the form of capturing a plurality of fingers simultaneously by means of the image capture unit.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein: The acquisition area is in the form of, with the aid of the image acquisition unit, it is possible to: The four fingers, especially the index finger, middle finger, ring finger and little finger, the two thumbs, the entire palm, or the entire inner side of the hand are collected simultaneously.

12. The device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein: The lighting unit illuminates the skin area with structured light.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein: The device is configured to generate 3D data of the skin area, in particular as a 3D point cloud, based on image data of the skin area acquired by at least one image acquisition unit using structured light illumination.

14. The device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein The light emitter emits light having a wavelength between 400 nm and 550 nm, particularly preferably between 450 nm and 500 nm.

15. The device according to any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein: The outer dimensions of the system area of ​​the device in terms of depth, width and height are a maximum of 8 inches, preferably <180 mm, particularly preferably <160 mm.

16. The device according to any one of claims 6 to 11, wherein: The outer dimensions of the device including the system area and the collection area are a maximum of 8 inches in depth, width and height, preferably <180 mm, and particularly preferably <160 mm.

Images