# US 10,244,969 B2 · Method and device for fingerprint authentication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,244,969 B2 - Document ID: US10244969B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/633,117 - Filed: 2017-06-26 - Published: 2018-01-11 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-05 - Assignees: Suprema Inc. - Applicants: Suprema Inc. - Inventors: Kideok Lee; Hochul Shin; Hyeonchang Lee; Jong Man Lee; Bong Seop Song; Jae Won Lee - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10244969B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/1172: using fingerprinting - A61B 5/6826: {Finger} - A61B 5/6898: {Portable consumer electronic devices, e.g. music players, telephones, tablet computers} - A61B 5/7221: {Determining signal validity, reliability or quality (preventing, reducing or removing noise induced by motion artefacts A61B5/7207; noise originating from a therapeutic or surgical apparatus A61B5/7217)} - G06F 18/28: Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. by averaging or distorting; Generating dictionaries - G06V 10/772: Determining representative reference patterns, e.g. averaging or distorting patterns; Generating dictionaries - G06V 40/1365: {Matching; Classification} - G06V 40/1394: {using acquisition arrangements} - G07C 9/00563: {using personal physical data of the operator, e.g. finger prints, retinal images, voicepatterns} - A61B 2503/12: Healthy persons not otherwise provided for, e.g. subjects of a marketing survey - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE ## Abstract A fingerprint authentication method includes a first step of acquiring partial fingerprint measurement data for a part of a fingerprint, and a second step of calculating a matching rate by comparing the partial fingerprint measurement data with reference comparison data selected among a plurality of partial fingerprint registration data, each partial fingerprint registration data corresponding to a part of a fingerprint. The method further includes a third step of determining whether the matching rate is equal to or greater than an authentication threshold and a fourth step of determining, based on a result in the third step, a success of the authentication, or repeating the second and third steps by selecting new reference comparison data based on whether or not the matching rate is equal to or greater than a preset threshold smaller than the authentication threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fingerprint authentication method performed by a fingerprint authentication device, the fingerprint authentication method comprising: acquiring partial fingerprint measurement data measured for authentication, which corresponds to a part of a fingerprint; calculating a matching rate by comparing the partial fingerprint measurement data with reference comparison data selected among a plurality of partial fingerprint registration data stored in advance, each of the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data corresponding to a part of a fingerprint; first determining whether the matching rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined authentication threshold; and second determining, based on a result in said first determining, a success of the authentication to complete the authentication, or repeating said calculating and said first determining by selecting new reference comparison data among the partial fingerprint registration data that have not been selected as the reference comparison data based on whether or not the matching rate is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, which is smaller than the predetermined authentication threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fingerprint authentication method of claim 1, wherein the reference comparison data is selected based on a sum or an average of matching rates which are calculated by matching each of the partial fingerprint registration data with all of the other partial fingerprint registration data or based on the number of matched data when matching each of the partial fingerprint registration data with all of the other partial fingerprint registration data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fingerprint authentication method of claim 1, wherein, in said repeating, if the matching rate is equal to or greater than the preset threshold, one of the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data whose matching rate with the reference comparison data previously used is equal to or greater than a first threshold is selected as the new reference comparison data, and if the matching rate is smaller than the preset threshold, one of the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data whose matching rate with the reference comparison data previously used is smaller than a second threshold is selected as the new reference comparison data. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fingerprint authentication method of claim 1, wherein the second threshold is equal to or smaller than the first threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The fingerprint authentication method of claim 1, wherein the matching rate is calculated based on a similarity between the partial fingerprint measurement data and the reference comparison data or based on a matching area between the partial fingerprint measurement data and the reference comparison data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The fingerprint authentication method of claim 1, further comprising: defining an entire fingerprint area that is formed by arranging all of the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data to overlap common regions therebetween; acquiring, if the matching rate is smaller than the predetermined authentication threshold, a comparison fingerprint area by arranging all of the partial fingerprint registration data that have been selected as the reference comparison data to overlap common regions therebetween; and determining and outputting a failure of the authentication when a ratio of the comparison fingerprint area to the entire fingerprint area is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The fingerprint authentication method of claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data is selected as the reference comparison data depending on a distance from a center of the entire fingerprint area. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium which, when executed by a processor, performs the fingerprint authentication method of claim 1. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, perform the fingerprint authentication method of claim 1. ### Claim 10 A fingerprint authentication device comprising: a data storage unit configured to store a plurality of partial fingerprint registration data, each of which corresponds to a part of a fingerprint; a data input unit configured to receive partial fingerprint measurement data for an authentication, which corresponds to a part of a fingerprint; a control unit configured to perform the authentication by comparing the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data and the partial fingerprint measurement data; and an output unit configured to output a result of the authentication under a control of the control unit, wherein the control unit performs steps of: calculating a matching rate by comparing the partial fingerprint measurement data with reference comparison data selected among the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data; first determining whether the matching rate is equal to or greater than a predetermined authentication threshold; and second determining, based on a result in the step of first determining, a success of the authentication to complete the authentication, or repeating the calculating step and the first determining step by selecting new reference comparison data among the partial fingerprint registration data that have not been selected as the reference comparison data based on whether or not the matching rate is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, which is smaller than the predetermined authentication threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The fingerprint authentication device of claim 10, wherein the control unit is configured to select the reference comparison data based on a sum or an average of matching rates which are calculated by matching each of the partial fingerprint registration data with all of the other partial fingerprint registration data or based on the number of matched data when matching each of the partial fingerprint registration data with all of the other partial fingerprint registration data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The fingerprint authentication device of claim 10, wherein, in the repeating step, if the matching rate is equal to or greater than the preset threshold, one of the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data whose matching rate with the reference comparison data previously used is equal to or greater than a first threshold is selected as the new reference comparison data, and if the matching rate is smaller than the preset threshold, one of the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data whose matching rate with the reference comparison data previously used is smaller than a second threshold is selected as the new reference comparison data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The fingerprint authentication device of claim 12, wherein the second threshold is equal to or smaller than the first threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The fingerprint authentication device of claim 10, wherein the matching rate is calculated based on a similarity between the partial fingerprint measurement data and the reference comparison data or based on a matching area between the partial fingerprint measurement data and the reference comparison data. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The fingerprint authentication device of claim 10, wherein the control unit further performs steps of: defining an entire fingerprint area that is formed by arranging all of the plurality of partial fingerprint registration data to overlap common regions therebetween; acquiring, if the matching rate is smaller than the predetermined authentication threshold, a comparison fingerprint area by arranging all of the partial fingerprint registration data that have been selected as the reference comparison data to overlap common regions therebetween; and determining and outputting a failure of the authentication a ratio of the comparison fingerprint area to the entire fingerprint area is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The fingerprint authentication device of claim 15, wherein one of plurality of the partial fingerprint registration data is selected as the reference comparison data depending on a distance from a center of the entire fingerprint area.