Method and apparatus for checking a person's identity, where a system of coordinates, constant to the fingerprint, is the reference
OwnerOla Svedin, Helmuth Kristeninventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses used for checking a person's identity by means of specific features, so-called minutiae points. The invention is based on the idea of using a fingerprint-constant reference coordinate system so as to make it possible to compare the absolute coordinates for one feature at a time when checking the person's identity. The location of the fingerprint-constant reference coordinate system is determined by means of alignment information which may consist of, for instance, alignment features and one or more partial areas of an image of a reference fingerprint.
Claims24
A method for use in checking a person's identity, comprising
- finding, in a current image of a fingerprint of the person, current features of at least one predetermined type,
- determining how the current image is oriented in a fingerprint-constant reference coordinate system, in which absolute coordinates have previously been determined for reference features, with which the current features are to be compared for checking the person's identity, and
- determining absolute coordinates for the location of the current features in the fingerprint-constant reference coordinate system.
A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the current image is recorded by means of a sensor on which a finger is placeable in different positions.
A method for use in checking a person's identity, which method is carried out in a verifying unit, comprising
- receiving from a processing unit absolute coordinates for the location of current features in a current image of a fingerprint from the person, the absolute coordinates being coordinates in a fingerprint-constant reference coordinate system, in which absolute coordinates for reference features, which are stored in the verifying unit, have been determined;
- and
- comparing the absolute coordinates for the current features with the absolute coordinates for the reference features.
A method for recording reference fingerprint data for a person, comprising
- finding, in an image of the person's fingerprint, features of at least one predetermined type and determining absolute coordinates for these;
- determining alignment information;
- and
- in a verifying unit storing the absolute coordinates for the features as private reference fingerprint data which is not allowed to be read from the verifying unit, and alignment information as public reference fingerprint data which is allowed to be read from the verifying unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.