Biometric device, biometric method, program, and recording medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10052024-B2
Application number	US-201214357001-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 22, 2012
Priority date	Nov 16, 2011
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

Provided is a biometric device which may include a light source unit configured to irradiate an organism with inspection light, a light-collection unit arranged facing a region on a surface of the organism and configured to spatially-integrally collect output light emitted from the region in accordance with the inspection light, and a light-reception unit configured to receive the collected output light.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A biometric device comprising:
at least one light source unit configured to irradiate a region of an organism with inspection light;
a light-collection unit configured to face a surface of the region of the organism and configured to cause output light emitted from the surface of the region to be spatially-integrally collected in accordance with the inspection light; and
at least one light-reception unit configured to receive the output light collected by the light-collection unit,
in which spatially-integrally collecting of the output light emitted from the region involves converging the output light into light having a cross-sectional size smaller than a size of the surface of the region,
in which the light-collection unit is configured to collect the output light emitted from each of a plurality of sub-regions into which the region is divided, and
in which the at least one light-reception unit includes a plurality of light-reception units to respectively receive the output light collected from the plurality of sub-regions by the light-collection unit in a sequential or time division manner such that each of the plurality of light-reception units is configured to correspond to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions and to individually receive the output light emitted from the respective sub-region in the sequential or time division manner.

2. The biometric device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light-collection unit is divided in a first direction, and
wherein the at least one light source unit is arranged corresponding to each of a plurality of sub-irradiated regions into which the region is divided in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

3. The biometric device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one light source unit is arranged corresponding to a given light-reception unit of the plurality of light-reception units, and
wherein the light-collection unit is configured to diffuse the inspection light applied by the light source unit to the organism.

4. The biometric device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the light-collection unit is configured to diffuse the inspection light emitted from each of the plurality of sub-regions, and
wherein the at least one light source unit and the given light-reception unit alternatively perform irradiation of the inspection light and reception of the output light, from each of the sub-regions.

5. The biometric device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an optical member configured to control directionality of light entering the light-collection unit.

6. The biometric device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a lens array having a plurality of light-reception lenses arranged thereon in an array, the plurality of light-reception lenses having depth of field corresponding to depth of a body substance subject to measurement from the surface of the organism, and
wherein the output light entering the light-collection unit is guided by the lens array.

7. The biometric device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an annular casing configured to enable the organism to be inserted thereinto, and
wherein the light-collection unit is arranged along an inner periphery of the casing.

8. The biometric device according to claim 1 , wherein a microprism array is used as the light-collection unit.

9. A biometric method comprising:
irradiating a region of an organism with inspection light;
causing output light emitted from a surface of the region of the organism to be spatially-integrally collected at a light-collection unit in accordance with the inspection light; and
receiving the output light at light-reception unit,
in which spatially-integrally collecting of the output light emitted from the region involves converging the output light into light having a cross-sectional size smaller than a size of the surface of the region,
in which region is divided into a plurality of sub-regions and in which the light-collection unit is configured to collect the output light emitted from each of the plurality of sub-regions, and
in which the light-reception unit includes a plurality of sub-light-reception units to respectively receive the output light collected from the plurality of sub-regions in a sequential or time division manner such that each sub-reception-unit of the plurality of sub-light reception units is configured to correspond to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions and to individually receive the output light emitted from the respective sub-region in the sequential or time division manner.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the program causing a computer included in a biometric device including at least one light source unit, a light-collection unit, and at least one light-reception unit to implement:
a function of controlling the at least one light source unit, and
a function of controlling the at least one light-reception unit,
the at least one light source unit being configured to irradiate a region of an organism with inspection light,
the light-collection unit configured to face a surface of the region of the organism and being configured to cause output light emitted from the surface of the region to be spatially-integrally collected in accordance with the inspection light, and
the at least one light-reception unit being configured to receive the output light collected by the light-collection unit,
in which spatially-integrally collecting of the output light emitted from the region involves converging the output light into light having a cross-sectional size smaller than a size of the surface of the region,
in which the light-collection unit is configured to collect the output light emitted from each of a plurality of sub-regions into which the region is divided, and
in which the at least one light-reception unit includes a plurality of light-reception units to respectively receive the output light collected from the plurality of sub-regions by the light-collection unit in a sequential or time division manner such that each of the plurality of light-reception reception units is configured to correspond to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions and to individually receive the output light emitted from the respective sub-region in the sequential or time division manner.

11. A biometric device comprising:
at least one light source unit configured to irradiate a region of an organism with inspection light;
a light-collection unit configured to face a surface of the region of the organism and configured to cause output light emitted from the surface of the region to be spatially-integrally collected in accordance with the inspection light, in which spatially-integrally collecting of the output light emitted from the region involves converging the output light into light having a cross-sectional size smaller than a size of the surface of the region; and
at least one light-reception unit configured to receive the output light collected by the light-collection unit,
wherein the light-collection unit is configured to collect the output light emitted from each of a plurality of sub-regions into which the region is divided, and
in which the at least one light-reception unit includes a plurality of light-reception units to respectively receive the output light collected from the plurality of sub-regions by the light-collection unit in a sequential or time division manner such that each of the plurality of light-reception units is configured to correspond to a respective sub-region of the plurality of sub-regions and to individually receive the out

Assignees

• Sato Hideo
• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Sato Hideo

Classifications

• G01N21/645

  Specially adapted constructive features of fluorimeters · CPC title

• G01N21/6486

  Measuring fluorescence of biological material, e.g. DNA, RNA, cells (G01N21/6428 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N2021/6463

  Optics · CPC title

• A61B5/1455

  using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters · CPC title

• G01N21/359

  using near infrared light · CPC title