Biometric system with photoacoustic imaging

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017323131-A1
Application number	US-201615149046-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 6, 2016
Priority date	May 6, 2016
Publication date	Nov 9, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A biometric system may include an ultrasonic sensor array, a light source system and a control system. Some implementations may include an ultrasonic transmitter. The control system may be capable of controlling the light source system to emit light and of receiving signals from the ultrasonic sensor array corresponding to acoustic waves emitted from portions of a target object in response to being illuminated with the light emitted by the light source system. The control system may be capable of performing a user authentication process that is based, at least in part, on the signals from the ultrasonic sensor array.

First claim

1 . A biometric system, comprising:
a substrate; an ultrasonic sensor array on, or proximate, the substrate; a light source system; and a control system capable of:
controlling the light source system to emit light;
receiving signals from the ultrasonic sensor array corresponding to acoustic waves emitted from portions of a target object, said emissions due to the target object being illuminated with light emitted by the light source system; and
performing a user authentication process that is based, at least in part, on the signals from the ultrasonic sensor array.

2 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is capable of selecting a wavelength of the light emitted by the light source system.

3 . The biometric system of claim 2 , wherein the control system is capable of selecting the wavelength and a light intensity associated with the selected wavelength to illuminate portions of the target object.

4 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is capable of selecting an acquisition time delay to receive acoustic wave emissions at a corresponding distance from the ultrasonic sensor array.

5 . The biometric system of claim 1 , further comprising an ultrasonic transmitter.

6 . The biometric system of claim 5 , wherein the control system is capable of controlling the ultrasonic transmitter to obtain fingerprint image data via the ultrasonic sensor array and wherein the authentication process involves evaluating the fingerprint image data.

7 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the light emitted by the light source system is transmitted through the substrate.

8 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the light source system includes one or more laser diodes or light-emitting diodes.

9 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the light source system includes at least one infrared, optical, red, green, blue, white or ultraviolet light-emitting diode or at least one infrared, optical, red, green, blue or ultraviolet laser diode.

10 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the light source system is capable of emitting a light pulse with a pulse width less than about 100 nanoseconds.

11 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the light source system is capable of emitting a plurality of light pulses at a pulse frequency between about 1 MHz and about 100 MHz.

12 . The biometric system of claim 11 , wherein the pulse frequency of the plurality of light pulses corresponds to an acoustic resonant frequency of the ultrasonic sensor array and the substrate.

13 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further capable of comparing, for the purpose of user authentication, attribute information obtained from received image data, based on the signals from the ultrasonic sensor array, with stored attribute information obtained from image data that has previously been received from an authorized user.

14 . The biometric system of claim 13 , wherein the attribute information obtained from the received image data and the stored attribute information includes attribute information corresponding to at least one of sub-epidermal features, muscle tissue features or bone tissue features.

15 . The biometric system of claim 14 , wherein the attribute information obtained from the received image data and the stored attribute information includes attribute information corresponding to sub-epidermal features and wherein the sub-epidermal features include one or more features from a list of features consisting of features of the dermis, features of the subcutis, blood vessel features, lymph vessel features, sweat gland features, hair follicle features, hair papilla features and fat lobule features.

16 . The biometric system of claim 13 , wherein the attribute information obtained from the received image data and the stored attribute information includes information regarding fingerprint minutia.

17 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further capable of, for the purpose of user authentication:
obtaining ultrasonic image data via insonification of the target object with ultrasonic waves from an ultrasonic transmitter; and obtaining ultrasonic image data via illumination of the target object with light emitted from the light source system.

18 . The biometric system of claim 17 , wherein the ultrasonic image data obtained via insonification of the target object includes fingerprint image data and wherein the ultrasonic image data obtained via illumination of the target object includes vascular image data.

19 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the target object is a finger or a finger-like object.

20 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the target object is positioned on a surface of the ultrasonic sensor array or positioned on a surface of a platen that is acoustically coupled to the ultrasonic sensor array.

21 . The biometric system of claim 1 , wherein the control system is further configured to make a liveness determination of the target object based on the received signals.

22 . A mobile device that includes the biometric system of claim 1 .

23 . A biometric system, comprising:
a substrate; an ultrasonic sensor array on, or proximate, the substrate; a light source system; and control means for:
controlling the light source system to emit light;
receiving signals from the ultrasonic sensor array corresponding to acoustic waves emitted from portions of a target object, said emissions due to the target object being illuminated with light emitted by the light source system; and
performing a user authentication process that is based, at least in part, on the signals from the ultrasonic sensor array.

24 . The biometric system of claim 23 , wherein the control means includes means for selecting a wavelength of the light emitted by the light source system.

25 . The biometric system of claim 23 , wherein the control means includes means for selecting the wavelength and a light intensity associated with the selected wavelength to illuminate portions of the target object.

26 . The biometric system of claim 23 , wherein the control means includes means for selecting an acquisition time delay to receive acoustic wave emissions at a corresponding distance from the ultrasonic sensor array.

27 . The biometric system of claim 23 , further comprising an ultrasonic transmitter.

28 . The biometric system of claim 27 , wherein the user authentication process involves:
ultrasonic image data obtained via insonification of the target object with ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transmitter; and ultrasonic image data obtained via illumination of the target object with light emitted from the light source system.

29 . A biometric authentication method, comprising:
controlling a light source system to emit light; receiving signals from an ultrasonic sensor array corresponding to acoustic waves emitted from portions of a target object in response to being illuminated with light emitted by the light source system; and performing a user authentication process that is based, at least in part, on the signals from the ultrasonic sensor array.

30 . The method of claim 29 , further comprising obtaining ultrasonic image data via insonification of the target object with ultrasonic wav

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Lu Yipeng
• Burns David William

Classifications

• G06V40/1306 Primary

  non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing · CPC title

• G06V40/1312 Primary

  direct reading, e.g. contactless acquisition · CPC title

• G06K2009/00932

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/0002 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06K9/00885

  Physics · mapped topic