AUTHENTICATION DEVICE FOR AUTHENTICATING A PERSON

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an authentication device for authenticating a person.

[0002] Document US 8,326,004 B2 discloses a credit card incorporating a fingerprint recognition device. The fingerprint recognition device includes an infrared light source and an image sensor that uses reflected infrared light to capture a fingerprint pattern and compares the captured fingerprint pattern with a reference fingerprint pattern.

[0003] The patent application DE 10 2008 039643 A1 describes a method and a device for interferometric measurement of three-dimensional biometric features in skin.

[0004] Patent application US 2010 / 0168585 A1 describes an authentication device which irradiates a fingertip with near-infrared laser light and records a laser speckle pattern obtained by reflection from the subcutaneous tissue using an image sensor.

[0005] The publication "Information technology - Biometric System-on-Card - Part 1: Core requirements", ISO / IEC 17839-1, July 2014 (2014-07), pages 1-6, Geneva, Switzerland, describes a portable, card-sized device with features for biometric acquisition, data processing, storage, and biometric comparison. The physical and logical integration of the sensor and signal processing into the card enables biometric comparison to take place directly on the card.

[0006] The publication BARUN VV ET AL: "Absorption spectra and light penetration depth of normal and pathologically altered human skin", JOURNAL OF APPLIED SPECTROSCOPY, Vol. 74, No. 3, May 2007 (2007-05), pages 430-439, DOI: 10.1007 / S10812-007-0071-2 deals with the penetration of light into human skin and the resulting absorption spectra.

[0007] The publication "KLAUS HINSCH: "Lasergranulation"; Physik in unserer Zeit / 23. Jahrg. 1992 / Nr. 2, VCH Verlagsgesellschaft mbH" deals with laser granulation.

[0008] An identification document, such as an ID card or smart card, is often assigned to a person and can be used to authenticate that person. This association of the identification document with the person can be based on knowledge, possession, or being. For example, the identification document may contain a biometric reference feature of the person, which is compared to a biometric feature of the person using an authentication device. The authentication device can be an external device that reads the biometric reference feature from the identification document, or it can be a device integrated into the identification document itself.

[0009] Furthermore, the authentication device can include a sensor for capturing the person's biometric characteristic. For example, the person's biometric characteristic is a fingerprint, and the sensor is a fingerprint sensor, in particular a capacitive or thermal semiconductor sensor. Such semiconductor sensors output a signal that is often interpreted as an image.

[0010] Elements that can be used to distinguish fingers, such as minutiae, can be extracted from the image.

[0011] If the authentication device is integrated into the identification document, the document is often comparatively thick due to the semiconductor sensor used. For example, the identification document is often manufactured in a card format according to the ISO 7810 ID-T standard. This can be perceived as inconvenient.

[0012] Furthermore, capacitive or thermal semiconductor sensors often have a comparatively low resolution. This can reduce the performance of the authentication device, particularly with regard to achievable biometric false matches and false dismatches, as well as the detection of attacks on the system using suitable artifacts such as dummies and severed fingers (presentation attack detection).

[0013] It is therefore the object of the present invention to create an authentication device which has more compact geometric dimensions and an improved recognition rate.

[0014] This task is solved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments are the subject of the dependent patent claims, the description, and the drawings.

[0015] According to a first aspect, the invention relates to an authentication device for authenticating a person, comprising: a light source configured to illuminate a skin area of ​​the person with light in a predetermined wavelength range, in which the light at least partially penetrates the skin area; a detector for detecting an image of the skin area in the predetermined wavelength range; and a processor for authenticating the person based on the detected image. This achieves the advantage that the authentication device can have particularly compact dimensions.

[0016] Authentication of a person authenticates the individual. This authentication can include identifying the person and / or verifying their identity.

[0017] The authentication device can be integrated into an identification document, such as an ID card or a smart card, or it can form an identification document, such as an ID card or a smart card.

[0018] The identification document can be one of the following: a personal identification document, such as an identity card, passport, access control card, authorization card, company ID card, tax stamp or ticket, birth certificate, driver's license or vehicle registration document, or a means of payment, such as a bank card or credit card. The identification document can also include an electronically readable circuit, such as an RFID chip. The identification document can be single- or multi-layered and / or paper- and / or plastic-based. The identification document can be constructed from plastic-based films that are joined together to form a card body by gluing and / or laminating, with the films preferably having similar material properties.

[0019] Furthermore, the authentication device can be a component of a computer, laptop, mobile phone, or smartphone. For example, the authentication device is a component of an access control system.

[0020] The illumination source can be a laser or a laser diode to generate the illumination light. The predetermined wavelength range is in the near-infrared (NIR) range. For example, the laser is designed to emit light with a wavelength in the range of 780 nm to 3000 nm.

[0021] The skin area of ​​the person can be assigned to a finger of that person. For example, the skin area is a section of a fingertip of the person's finger.

[0022] The detector may include an optical sensor, in particular a Charge-Coupled Device (CCD) detector, for detecting the detection image, which is designed to detect illuminating light reflected, refracted and / or scattered on and / or in the skin area.

[0023] The processor is designed to compare a detected speckle pattern with a reference speckle pattern of a person using pattern matching in order to authenticate the person. This pattern matching can involve comparing image features such as corners, edges, relative distances, positions, and / or orientations. If the pattern and the reference pattern match with sufficient accuracy, the person can be authenticated. The reference pattern can also be stored in the authentication device's memory or in external memory, particularly in the memory of an identification document.

[0024] Furthermore, the processor can be configured to read the reference pattern from the authentication device's memory. The authentication device can also have a communication interface for reading the reference pattern from external memory via a communication network. For example, the communication interface is a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface, and the communication network is an RFID communication network.

[0025] The authentication device is equipped with a positioning unit for positioning the person's skin area. This offers the advantage of capturing a detection image of a predetermined skin area. The positioning unit can be designed to be foldable.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the skin area of ​​the person is assigned to a finger of the person, and the positioning device is a finger rest. This achieves the advantage that a detection image of an easily accessible skin area of ​​the person can be detected.

[0027] The predetermined wavelength range is in the near-infrared wavelength range. This offers the advantage that even subcutaneous structures of the skin can be analyzed.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the light source is designed to illuminate the skin area along a predetermined illumination path or along a plurality of predetermined illumination paths. This achieves the advantage that the detection image can be captured reproducibly.

[0029] The light source incorporates an infrared laser or an infrared laser diode to generate the illumination light. This offers the advantage of illuminating the skin area using coherent radiation.

[0030] The detector is designed to detect a speckle pattern in the detection image in order to authenticate the person. This offers the advantage that the person can be efficiently authenticated through pattern comparison.

[0031] The processor is trained to compare the detected pattern with a reference speckle pattern to authenticate the person. This achieves the advantage of efficient person authentication.

[0032] According to one embodiment, the reference pattern is assigned to the person or a reference person. This achieves the advantage that the person can be uniquely authenticated.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the detector has a plurality of detection elements, and the processor is configured to assign at least one region of the detection image to one or more detection elements in order to obtain information about the location of that region. This achieves the advantage that spatial and / or phase information about the speckles can be determined using the detector.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the detector is a line detector, a lens array detector, or a CCD detector. This achieves the advantage that the detector can have particularly compact geometric dimensions.

[0035] The authentication device is a card-based authentication device and comprises a card body, in particular a plastic card body, in which the light source, the detector, and the processor are integrated. This offers the advantage that the authentication device can be integrated into an identification document particularly easily.

[0036] According to a second aspect, the invention relates to a method for authenticating a person, comprising: illuminating a skin area of ​​the person with an illumination light in a predetermined wavelength range, in which the illumination light penetrates at least partially into the skin area; detecting a detection image of the skin area in the predetermined wavelength range; and authenticating the person based on the detection image. This achieves the advantage of increasing the recognition rate when identifying the person.

[0037] The method can be carried out using the authentication device according to the invention. Further features of the method arise directly from the features of the authentication device according to the invention.

[0038] According to one embodiment, the person's skin area is illuminated along a predetermined illumination path or along a plurality of predetermined illumination paths. This achieves the advantage that the detection image can be captured reproducibly.

[0039] According to a third aspect, the invention relates to the use of the authentication device according to the invention to distinguish a dummy from a person. The dummy can be a thin-layered replica of a skin area made of wood glue or gelatin. Furthermore, the dummy can be an object that has a fundamentally different structure than a skin area. For example, the object is made of alginate, gelatin, and / or rubber.

[0040] The invention can be implemented in hardware and / or software.

[0041] Further examples of implementation are explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a schematic representation of an authentication device; Fig. 2 a schematic diagram of a method for authenticating a person; and Fig. 3 a schematic representation of an arrangement for carrying out the method for authenticating the person.

[0042] Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an authentication device 100. The authentication device 100 has a light source 101, a detector 103 and a processor 105.

[0043] The authentication device 100 for authenticating a person has a light source 101, which is configured to illuminate a skin area of ​​the person with an illumination light in a predetermined wavelength range, in which the illumination light penetrates at least partially into the skin area; the detector 103 for detecting a detection image of the skin area in the predetermined wavelength range; and the processor 105 for authenticating the person on the basis of the detection image.

[0044] Authentication of a person authenticates the individual. This authentication can include identifying the person and / or verifying their identity.

[0045] The authentication device 100 can be integrated into an identification document, such as an ID card or a smart card, or can form an identification document, such as an ID card or a smart card.

[0046] The identification document can be one of the following: a personal identification document, such as an identity card, passport, access control card, authorization card, company ID card, tax stamp or ticket, birth certificate, driver's license or vehicle registration document, or a means of payment, such as a bank card or credit card. The identification document can also include an electronically readable circuit, such as an RFID chip. The identification document can be single- or multi-layered and / or paper- and / or plastic-based. The identification document can be constructed from plastic-based films that are joined together to form a card body by gluing and / or laminating, with the films preferably having similar material properties.

[0047] Furthermore, the authentication device 100 can be a component of a computer, laptop, mobile phone, or smartphone. For example, the authentication device 100 is a component of an access control system.

[0048] The illumination source 101 can include a laser or a laser diode to generate the illumination light. The predetermined wavelength range is a wavelength range in the near-infrared (NIR) spectrum. For example, the laser is designed to emit light with a wavelength in the range of 780 nm to 3000 nm. The skin area of ​​the person can be assigned to a finger of the person. For example, the skin area is a section of a fingertip of the person's finger.

[0049] The detector 103 can include an optical sensor, in particular a charge-coupled device (CCD) detector, for detecting the detection image, which is designed to detect illuminating light reflected, refracted and / or scattered on and / or in the skin area.

[0050] The processor 105 is configured to detect a speckle pattern in the detection image and to compare the detected pattern with a reference pattern of the person by means of pattern matching in order to authenticate the person. This pattern matching can involve comparing image features such as corners, edges, relative distances, positions, and / or orientations. If the pattern and the reference pattern match with sufficient accuracy, the person can be authenticated. The reference pattern can also be stored in a memory of the authentication device 100 or in an external memory, in particular in the memory of an identification document.

[0051] Furthermore, the processor 105 can be configured to read the reference pattern from the memory of the authentication device 100. The authentication device 100 can also have a communication interface for reading the reference pattern from the external memory via a communication network. For example, the communication interface is a radio frequency identification (RFID) interface, and the communication network is an RFID communication network. According to one embodiment, the authentication device 100 can be configured to detect attempted operation with objects other than a living finger (presentation attack detection).

[0052] According to another embodiment, one or more fingers can be recognized by means of the authentication device 100.

[0053] The authentication device 100 has a positioning device which, according to one embodiment, has the form of a finger rest. Since the detection image detected by the detector 103 can be very location-sensitive, a precisely predetermined path along the skin area is preferably traced by means of the illumination source 101, similar to a laser. Such precise positioning can be achieved by using a finger positioning aid. Furthermore, several adjacent paths can be detected by means of the illumination source 101 and the detector 103.

[0054] According to a further embodiment, the authentication device 100 can be implemented in a particularly small form, since even a very small area of ​​the skin on a fingertip, measuring only a few square millimeters, can contain enough features to distinguish the finger from other fingers. Furthermore, the authentication device 100 can provide good "presentation attack detection." The authentication device 100 can also function as a sensor. According to another embodiment, a path on the skin, particularly on a finger, can be illuminated by means of the light source 101, such as a laser, and the speckles generated at various points along this path can be measured by means of the detector 103 to classify the skin area.

[0055] The authentication device 100 forms a card.

[0056] According to a further embodiment, the detector 103 and the illumination source 101 can be located on the surface of the authentication device 100. The detector 103 can be an optical sensor or a CCD detector with a lens array. Furthermore, the illumination source 101 can be a laser diode or a light-emitting diode (LED) oriented to illuminate a surface area of ​​skin, in particular a finger of the person. The authentication device 100 can also have a fold-out positioning aid, which ensures that the skin area is always positioned precisely and guided over the sensor in the same manner.

[0057] According to another embodiment, the illumination source 101 can be formed by an NIR laser diode and / or the detector 103 can be formed by an optical sensor.

[0058] According to another embodiment, the authentication device 100 can form a wavefront fingerprint sensor, particularly for smart cards.

[0059] Fig. 2 Figure 200 shows a schematic diagram of procedure 200 for authenticating a person. Procedure 200 comprises steps 201 to 205.

[0060] Method 200 for authenticating a person comprises the following steps: illuminating 201 a skin area of ​​the person with an illumination light in a predetermined wavelength range, in which the illumination light penetrates at least partially into the skin area; detecting 203 a detection image of the skin area in the predetermined wavelength range; and authenticating 205 the person based on the detection image. Method 200 can be carried out using the authentication device 100.

[0061] According to one embodiment, method 200 can be used to evaluate the shape of a small section of skin, such as a fingertip, with a high degree of detail. Unlike previously known methods, which analyze singular minutiae, method 200 analyzes the shape of the surface of the skin or fingertip itself and, to a certain extent, also the subcutaneous structure of the skin or fingertip, thus significantly increasing the achievable precision of method 200.

[0062] Fig. 3Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an arrangement 300 for carrying out the method 200 for authenticating the person. The representation shows a finger 301 of the person, which is illuminated by light 303 from the light source 101 (not shown). The light 303 can be light emitted by a laser, in particular a NIR laser. Furthermore, light rays 305 are shown, which represent light reflected, refracted, and / or scattered by and / or in a skin area of ​​the finger 301. The arrangement 300 also includes a detector 103 for detecting speckles 307 formed by the light rays 305. The detector 103 can be a CCD detector. The speckles 307 can be or form speckle patterns, light granulations, or laser granulations.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the finger 301 can be illuminated at a specific location using the illumination light 303, in particular by means of a laser. The wavelength of the illumination light 303 or the laser is selected such that the illumination light 303 easily penetrates the skin of the finger 301, i.e., in the near-infrared range. The light rays reflected, refracted, and / or scattered by the finger 301 are detected by the detector 103, for example, a CCD sensor. For this purpose, spatial and phase information can be used, in particular information about where the speckles 307 land on the detector 103. Due to the wavelength of the illumination light 303 used, it is possible to "see" approximately one millimeter below the surface of the finger 301.This makes it possible to identify dummies, such as thin-layer replicas made of wood glue or gelatin, as well as objects that have fundamentally different structures than Finger 301, for example alginate, gelatin or rubber. Reference symbol list

[0064] 100 Authentication device 101 Light source 103 Detector 105 Processor 200Procedure 201Illuminate 203Detect 205Authenticate 300 Arrangement 301 Finger 303 Illumination light 305 Light beam 307 Speckle

Claims

1. Authentication device (100) for authenticating a person, comprising: an illumination source (101), which is configured to illuminate a skin area of the person with an illumination light (303) in a predetermined wavelength range, in which the illumination light (303) at least partially penetrates the skin area, wherein the predetermined wavelength range is a wavelength range in the infrared; a detector (103) for detecting a detection image of the skin area in the predetermined wavelength range; and a processor (105) for authenticating the person based on the detection image, wherein the detector (103) is configured to detect a pattern in the detection image to authenticate the person, wherein the processor (105) is configured to compare the detected pattern with a reference pattern to authenticate the person, wherein the authentication device (100) is a card authentication device and comprises a card body in which the illumination source (101), the detector (103) and the processor (105) are integrated; characterized in that the predetermined wavelength range is a wavelength range in the near infrared, the authentication device (100) has a positioning device for positioning the skin area of the person, the detected pattern is a speckle pattern and the reference pattern is a reference speckle pattern.

2. Authentication device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the skin area of the person is associated with a finger (301) of the person, and wherein the positioning device is a finger rest.

3. Authentication device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the illumination source (101) is configured to illuminate the skin area along a predetermined illumination path or along a plurality of predetermined illumination paths, wherein the predetermined illumination path or the plurality of predetermined illumination paths comprises one path or a plurality of paths on the skin area.

4. Authentication device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the illumination source (101) comprises an infrared laser or an infrared laser diode for generating the illumination light (303).

5. Authentication device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the reference pattern is assigned to the person.

6. Authentication device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the detector (103) has a plurality of detection elements, and wherein the processor (105) is designed to assign at least one area of the detection image to one or more detection elements in order to obtain information about a location of the area of the detection image.

7. Authentication device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the detector (103) is a line detector, a lens array detector or a CCD detector.

8. Authentication device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the card body comprises a plastic card body, in which the illumination source (101), the detector (103) and the processor (105) are integrated.

9. Method (200) for authenticating a person with a card authentication device comprising a card body in which an illumination source (101), a detector (103) and a processor (105) are integrated, comprising: positioning a skin area of the person using the positioning device; illuminating (201) the skin area of the person with an illuminating light (303) in a predetermined wavelength range in which the illuminating light (303) at least partially penetrates the skin area, wherein the predetermined wavelength range is a wavelength range in the infrared; detecting (203) a detection image of the skin area in the predetermined wavelength range; and authenticating (205) the person based on the detection image, wherein a pattern is detected in the detection image to authenticate the person, wherein the detected pattern is compared with a reference pattern to authenticate the person, characterized in that the card authentication device further comprises a positioning device for positioning the skin area of the person, the predetermined wavelength range is a wavelength range in the near infrared, the detected pattern is a speckle pattern and the reference pattern is a reference speckle pattern.

10. Method (200) of claim 9, wherein the skin area of the person is illuminated along a predetermined illumination path or along a plurality of predetermined illumination paths, wherein the predetermined illumination path or the plurality of predetermined illumination paths comprises one path or a plurality of paths on the skin area.

11. Use of the authentication device (100) according to one of claims 1 to 8 to distinguish a dummy from a person.