Biological object detection apparatus

An apparatus for optically detecting a biological object based on changes in the color of a specified surface of the biological object due to a change in the pressure exerted on the biological object, the specified surface further being subject to optical detection of a characteristic pattern, said apparatus comprising:

• a transparent plate for receiving thereon the specified surface of an object to be detected, the plate allowing passage therethrough of projected light and reflected light used for optical detection of the biological element;
• a light source located under said transparent plate for projecting a light beam to be used for personal identification of a characteristic pattern on the specified surface of the object received on the plate and for detection of the object as a biological object;
• and
• light detection means located below said transparent plate for receiving the light projected from said light source and subsequently reflected by the surface of the object, as placed on or pressed onto said transparent plate, and for detecting the characteristic pattern of the specified surface of the placed object and the characteristic of the reflection rate of the received light and for producing respectively corresponding detected pattern and detected reflection rate outputs, said light detection means further comprising means for setting a predetermined first reference level relative to the detected reflection rate output of the light detection means, and means for setting a predetermined second reference level relative to the detected reflection rate output of the light detection means which is lower than the first reference level, the detection of said object on said transparent plate as a biological object being carried out by confirming that, when said object comes into contact with said transparent plate, the detected reflection rate output of said light detection means becomes lower than both the first and second reference levels, and with an elapse of time, the detected reflection rate output of said light detection means is at a level between the first and second reference levels.

An apparatus for optically detecting a biological object based on changes in the color of a surface thereof, produced by different levels of pressure exerted on the biological object, the apparatus comprising:

• a transparent plate having first and second parallel surfaces, extending in a first direction between first and second, opposite ends of the plate, the second surface of the transparent plate receiving thereon a specified surface of a biological object to be detected, the biological object being alternately placed on and pressed onto the second surface of the transparent plate thereby to change the level of pressure exerted thereon and correspondingly to change the color of the specified surface thereof;
• light source means for projecting a light beam, in a second direction substantially transverse to the first direction and in a first sense, onto the first transparent plate surface, the transparent plate transmitting the light beam as thus projected thereon to the second surface thereof and the light beam being reflected from the second surface and transmitted through the transparent plate and emitted from the first surface thereof, substantially in the second direction and in a second, opposite sense, the reflected light beam having different wavelength characteristics corresponding to the different colors of the biological object surface when respectively placed on and pressed onto the second transparent plate surface;
• and
• light detection means for receiving the reflected light beam as emitted from the first surface of the transparent plate and detecting the change in the wavelength characteristics of the reflected and received light beam corresponding to the biological object being, alternatively, placed on and pressed onto the second transparent plate surface, the light detection means further comprising means for setting a predetermined first reference level relative to the output of the light detection means, and means for setting a predetermined second reference level relative to the output of the light detection means which is lower than the first reference level, the detection of said object on said transparent plate as a biological object being carried out by confirming that, when said object comes into contact with said transparent plate, the output of said light detection means becomes lower than both the first and second reference levels, and with an elapse of time, the output of said light detection means is at a level between the first and second reference levels.

An apparatus for optically detecting a biological object based on the change in the color of a surface thereof, produced by different levels of pressure exerted on the biological object, the apparatus comprising:

• a transparent plate having first and second parallel surfaces, extending in a first direction between first and second, opposite ends of the plate, the second surface of the transparent plate receiving thereon a specified surface of a biological object to be detected, the biological object being alternately placed on and pressed onto the second surface of the transparent plate thereby to change the level of pressure exerted thereon and correspondingly to change the color of the specified surface thereof;
• light source means for projecting a light beam, in a second direction substantially transverse to the first direction and in a first sense, onto the first transparent plate surface, the transparent plate transmitting the light beam as thus projected thereon to the second surface thereof and the light beam being reflected from the second surface and transmitted through the transparent plate and emitted from the first surface thereof, substantially in the second direction and in a second, opposite sense, the reflected light beam having different wavelength characteristics corresponding to the different colors of the biological object surface when respectively placed on and pressed onto the second transparent plate surface;
• and
• light detection means for receiving the reflected light beam as emitted from the first surface of the transparent plate and detecting the change in the wavelength characteristics of the reflected and received light beam corresponding to the biological object being, alternately, placed on and pressed onto the second transparent plate surface, the light detection means further comprising:
• first and second light detection elements, each receiving the reflected light and respectively being responsive to relatively longer and relatively shorter light wavelengths within the spectrum of wavelengths of the light beam projected by the light source means and producing corresponding first and second electrical outputs representative of the intensity of the reflected and received light in the corresponding relatively longer and relatively shorter wavelengths;
• means for setting a first predetermined reference level, lower than the known level of the first electrical output of the first light detection element produced thereby in response to a biological object being placed on the second surface of the transparent plate;
• means for receiving the first electrical output and the first predetermined reference level and producing a first detection output in response to the level of the first electrical output of the first light detection element exceeding the first predetermined reference level;
• means for receiving and comparing the first and second electrical outputs of the respective, first and second light detection elements and producing a second detection output when the level of the second electrical output is substantially equal to the level of the first electrical output;
• and
• third means for receiving the first and second level detection outputs and producing a third detection output in response to the simultaneous and continuing presence of both the aforesaid first and second detection outputs, the third detection output comprising the biological object detection output.

An apparatus for optically detecting a biological object based on the change in the color of a surface thereof, produced by different levels of pressure exerted on the biological object, the apparatus comprising:

• a transparent plate having first and second parallel surfaces, extending in a first direction between first and second, opposite ends of the plate, the second surface of the transparent plate receiving thereon a specified surface of a biological object to be detected, the biological object being alternately placed on and pressed onto the second surface of the transparent plate thereby to change the level of pressure exerted thereon and correspondingly to change the color of the specified surface thereof;
• light source means for projecting a light beam, in a second direction substantially transverse to the first direction and in a first sense, onto the first transparent plate surface, the transparent plate transmitting the light beam as thus projected thereon to the second surface thereof and the light beam being reflected from the second surface and transmitted through the transparent plate and emitted from the first surface thereof, substantially in the second direction and in a second, opposite sense, the reflected light beam having different wavelength characteristics corresponding to the different colors of the biological object surface when respectively placed on and pressed onto the second transparent plate surface;
• and
• light detection means for receiving the reflected light beam as emitted from the first surface of the transparent plate and detecting the change in the wavelength characteristics of the reflected and received light beam corresponding to the biological object being, alternately, placed on and pressed onto the second transparent plate surface, the light detection means further comprising:
• means for setting a first predetermined reference level corresponding to the level of reflected light received thereby in the absence of any object being received on the second surface of the transparent plate;
• means for setting a second predetermined reference level relative to the known characteristics of the detected level of the reflected and received light beam when a biological object is alternately placed on or pressed onto the second surface of the transparent plate;
• and
• means for comparing the detected level of the reflected and received light beam with the first and second predetermined reference levels and producing an output indicating the detection of a biological object, when the detected level of the received and reflected light beam, in time sequence, exceeds the first reference level in a first time period, is less than both of the first and second reference levels in a second time period, and is intermediate the first and second reference levels in a third time period.

An apparatus for optically detecting a biological object based on the change in the color of a surface thereof, produced by different levels of pressure exerted on the biological object, the apparatus comprising:

• a transparent plate having first and second parallel surfaces, extending in a first direction between first and second, opposite ends of the plate, the second surface of the transparent plate receiving thereon a specified surface of a biological object to be detected, the biological object being alternately placed on and pressed onto the second surface of the transparent plate thereby to change the level of pressure exerted thereon and correspondingly to change the color of the specified surface thereof;
• light source means for projecting a light beam, in a second direction substantially transverse to the first direction and in a first sense, onto the first transparent plate surface, the transparent plate transmitting the light beam as thus projected thereon to the second surface thereof and the light beam being reflected from the second surface and transmitted through the transparent plate and emitted from the first surface thereof, substantially in the second direction and in a second, opposite sense, the reflected light beam having different wavelength characteristics corresponding to the different colors of the biological object surface when respectively placed on and pressed onto the second transparent plate surface;
• and
• light detection and object identifying means for receiving the light beam as emitted from the first surface of the transparent plate and detecting the change in the wavelength characteristics of the reflected and received light beam corresponding to the biological object being, alternately and in a predetermined sequence, placed on and pressed onto the second transparent plate surface and producing a corresponding output indicating that the object received on the second transparent plate surface is recognized as a biological object, and for identifying the detected and recognized biological object by comparing the image of the biological object as represented by the reflected light beam with a stored image of the known biological object, said light detection means further comprising means for setting a predetermined first reference level relative to the output of the light detection means, and means for setting a predetermined second reference level relative to the output of the light detection means which is lower than the first reference level, the detection of said object on said transparent plate as a biological object being carried out by confirming that, when said object comes into contact with said transparent plate, the output of said light detection means becomes lower than both the first and second reference levels, and with an elapse of time, the output of said light detection means is at a level between the first and second reference levels.

An apparatus for optically detecting a biological object based on changes in the color of a specified surface of the biological object due to a change in the pressure exerted on the biological object, the specified surface further being subject to optical detection of a characteristic pattern, said apparatus comprising:

• a transparent prism for receiving thereon the specified surface of an object to be detected, the prism allowing passage therethrough of projected light and reflected light used for optical detection of the biological element;
• a light source located under said transparent prism for projecting a light beam, used for biological object detection, toward a portion of the specified surface of the object as received on the transparent prism;
• and
• light detection means located below said transparent prism for receiving the light, as projected from said light source and subsequently reflected by the specified surface of the object, when placed on or pressed onto said transparent prism, and for detecting the characteristic of the reflection rate of the received light, the light detection means further comprising means for setting a predetermined first reference level relative to the output of the light detection means, and means for setting a predetermined second reference level relative to the output of the light detection means which is lower than the first reference level, the detection of said object on said transparent prism as a biological object being carried out by confirming that, when said object comes into contact with said transparent prism, the output of said light detection means becomes lower than both the first and second reference levels, and with an elapse of time, the output of said light detection means is at a level between the first and second reference levels.