3D Facial Authentication via Depth Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional user authentication methods, such as password entry and facial recognition, are inadequate as they can be easily compromised, with facial recognition being susceptible to spoofing by two-dimensional images, and do not provide user-friendly or secure authentication, especially on portable devices.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an image-inclusive authentication system that captures video information to verify a user's presence as a physical being by analyzing motions, using infrared and thermal imaging, and combining multiple image analysis techniques to differentiate between a living person and a representation, thereby enhancing security and user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If facial recognition software is used for user authentication, then user authentication capability is improved, but security is worsened because the system can be spoofed by holding a picture of the user in front of the camera
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional image analysis to three-dimensional depth mapping by using structured light projection and time-of-flight measurement. The system projects infrared light patterns and measures the time for light to travel to the user's face and back, creating accurate 3D depth maps that reveal facial geometry, making spoofing with 2D photographs ineffective.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameters from simple 2D pixel intensity values to 3D spatial coordinates and depth information. By measuring the time of flight of light and analyzing the geometric structure of facial features in three dimensions, the system obtains parameters that cannot be replicated by flat images, thereby improving security while maintaining ease of use.
2Reliability
If password entry is used for user authentication, then security is improved compared to no authentication, but ease of operation is worsened due to difficulty of accurate selection on small touchscreen elements and requirement to turn away from friends or co-workers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical interaction of typing passwords on small touchscreen keyboards with a contactless optical recognition system. The user simply positions their face within the camera's field of view, and the system automatically captures the 3D facial map for authentication, eliminating the need for precise finger movements and the social awkwardness of typing passwords in public.
3Ease of operation
If passwords are stored on devices to avoid manual re-entry, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened because another person having access to that device can impersonate the user
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses 3D depth mapping to capture the geometric structure of the user's face, which cannot be replicated by storing flat password data. Even if someone gains access to the device, they cannot impersonate the user by presenting a 2D photograph or video, as the system requires live 3D facial geometry verification for authentication.
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
This approach provides a more secure and user-friendly authentication method that is difficult to spoof, allowing users to authenticate without physical interaction and offering enhanced security by confirming the presence of a living person, thus improving the overall user experience and security on computing devices.
Implementation Method 1
an imaging element for capturing image information about a user of the device... determine a location of the user's eyes in the image information... based on reflected infrared radiation from the user's eyes
Data Source
AI summary
A user can be authenticated to a mobile computing device using an authentication process that recognizes the user and verifies that an actual human being is attempting to be authenticated, in order to minimize the ability of another person to spoof the authentication process. A model of a user can be generated and stored in the cloud, enabling that model to be synchronized across various devices. A user accessing one of these devices can have infrared image information captured, which can be used with a facial recognition process, to recognize the user, and with a human verification process, to verify that the facial information corresponds to a human user. Various approaches such as visual analysis and thermal imaging can be used to verify that the human user being recognized is interactive with the device.