Nec Corporation

Ko Asai

Koichiro Morita

Yukio Hoshino

Yoshitake Tsuji

An identification system for identifying authorized personnel compares a streaked pattern of a fingerprint of an individual with selected fingerprint patterns stored in memory of all authorized personnel in order to determine if the individual is included among the authorized personnel. The streaked pattern is compared with the fingerprint patterns stored in memory on the basis of characteristics between a reference point of a fingerprint and its relationship to other selected points of the fingerprint.

Identification system employing verification of fingerprints

An image input device for optically sensing a fingerprint or like pattern to convert it to an electrical signal is disclosed. A guide is provided on a contact surface, or reflective surface, of a prism to orient the lengthwise direction of the pattern of an object parallel to a ridge, which is defined by an incidence surface and a wayout surface of the prism.

Image input device

In an image input device for carrying out a preliminary operation prior to identification of an object placed on an input surface. The preliminary operation is for indicating a start time instant of the identification. Responsive to a succession of image signals extracted from the input surface, a timing controller produces partial image signals selected from the image signal succession in correspondence to positions which are unidimensionally or bidimensionally distributed on the input surface. Alternatively, the preliminary operation is for detecting whether the object is true or false. In this event, grey level comparison may be made as regards selected ones of the image signals that are in correspondence to preselected positions of the input surface. Variation of the image signals may be monitored at two different time instants. A false input can be avoided by changing luminous intensities of the image signals with time or by projecting a specific pattern onto the input surface to detect the specific pattern.

Image input device for processing a fingerprint prior to identification

In a pre-processing system (45) for pre-processing a succession of image signals which are extracted from an object on an input surface and which are representative of a ridge pattern of the object, a center position of the ridge pattern is determined with reference to the image signal succession and is compared with a center zone of the input surface so as to decide whether or not the center position is placed at the center zone. The center position can be decided by monitoring occurrence of runs along each scanning line and by detecting a maximum one of the numbers of runs. Alternatively, the center position may be decided by monitoring ridges extended in a preselected direction with respect to the scanning lines and by detecting a maximum one of the numbers of the ridges extended in the preselected direction. The pre-processing system may detect whether the object is true or false by monitoring the image signal succession.

Pre-processing system for pre-processing an image signal succession

A fingerprint input device for reading images of a fingerprint from a surface of a finger includes a base plate, an optical scanner, a rotary member, a first cleaning member, a switch, a detector and a control member. The optical member scans the finger-impressing surface to read the fingerprint. The rotary member has a first portion and a second, window portion. The first cleaning member is provided at the bottom of the first portion of the rotary member for wiping the finger-impressing surface by rotation thereof. The switch means is operated when the fingerprint input device is to be utilized, and the detector is operative for detecting release of the finger from the finger-impressing surface. The controller is responsive to outputs of the switch and the detector for controlling rotation of the rotary member to both expose the finger-impressing surface and to clean and cover same.

Fingerprint input device equipped with a cleaner for finger-impressing

A character sectioning apparatus for segmenting character stream images into individual characters utilizes the projection distribution obtained through a series of character strain images. The apparatus includes means for identifying the character lumps and blank spaces from the projection distribution, means for estimating the character pitch, means responsive to the projection distribution and the character pitch for setting segmentation candidate sections each having a plurality of segmentation candidate positions, means for calculating a distance measurement between each of the segmentation candidate positions within the segmentation candidate sections and segmentation candidate positions within adjacent segmentation candidate sections, means for calculation an appreciation standard and means for selecting an optimum segmentation candidate for each of the plurality of segmentation candidate sections. The appreciation standard is selected as a function of the distance measurements for segmentation candidate positions in each of the plurality of segmentation candidate sections. Each optimum segmentation candidate position minimizes the appreciation standard for the respective segmentation candidate section.

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Tokyo, Japan

Ko Asai