Eye Liveness Detection Using Reflectance and Vascular Metrics

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Solution Overview

Problem

Biometric authentication systems face challenges in distinguishing between live and spoofed eye images, particularly in preventing physical attacks using props or images, as existing methods lack effective liveness detection mechanisms.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method and system that utilizes liveness metrics, such as reflectance, behavioral responses to stimuli, and vascular patterns in the white of the eye to differentiate between live and spoofed images, employing a trained function approximator to determine a liveness score for authentication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If traditional biometric authentication methods are used, then authentication speed is improved, but vulnerability to spoofing attacks increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication speedVSAvoidresistance to spoofing attacks
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary liveness detection analysis on captured eye images before completing the authentication process. Multiple liveness metrics (reflectance, vascular patterns, behavioral responses) are calculated in advance to determine whether the eye is live or spoofed, preventing unauthorized access before it can occur.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary liveness detection mechanism that acts as a mediator between the biometric capture and authentication decision. This intermediary layer analyzes multiple liveness metrics to verify the authenticity of the eye image, adding a protective layer without significantly slowing down the overall authentication process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If multiple liveness metrics are calculated to improve spoof detection, then authentication security is improved, but computational complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespoof detection accuracyVSAvoidcomputational complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The liveness detection process is segmented into multiple independent metric calculations (reflectance metric, vascular pattern metric, behavioral response metric) that can be computed separately and then combined. This segmentation allows for optimized computation of each individual metric while maintaining overall detection accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes parameters by using a trained function approximator to determine a composite liveness score from multiple liveness metrics. This function approximator optimizes the weighting and combination of different metrics, reducing computational complexity while maintaining or improving spoof detection accuracy compared to simple threshold-based methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Effectively discriminates between live and spoofed eye images, enhancing the security of biometric authentication by accurately determining the likelihood of a live eye, thereby preventing unauthorized access.

Implementation Method 1

an illumination device configured to illuminate a subject during a portion of the image acquisition process... a sensor configured to capture images of the subject... timing and quality of the reflection of the flash pulse on the subject's eye is analyzed

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight reflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentEP2883189B1Spoof detection for biometric authentication
Publication Date: 2021.02.17 EYEVERIFY INC
  • EP2883189B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2883189B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2883189B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

This specification describes technologies relating to biometric authentication based on images of the eye. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include obtaining images of a subject including a view of an eye. The methods may further include determining a behavioral metric based on detected movement of the eye as the eye appears in a plurality of the images, determining a spatial metric based on a distance from a sensor to a landmark that appears in a plurality of the images each having a different respective focus distance, and determining a reflectance metric based on detected changes in surface glare or specular reflection patterns on a surface of the eye. The methods may further include determining a score based on the behavioral, spatial, and reflectance metrics and rejecting or accepting the one or more images based on the score.