Line Scanner for Biometric Applications

Fingerprints are the most common biometric measure taken, and in recent years electronic fingerprint scanning has become commonplace. Although contactless fingerprinting methods are used, it is more common that the fingerprint is taken by pressing the finger against a computer scanner. In the current study, the advantages of the contactless technique are combined with the very promising attributes of line scanning. Line scanner views each portion of the finger perpendicularly, therefore removing the projection errors of conventional flat scanning. The three dimensional image of a finger is recorded in pixel-thick lines by scanning the camera around the finger. The final image captures an uncoiled view of the finger. Emerging technology for biometric identification is based on storing the blood vessel map in the finger. We developed a system where line scanning of finger ridges in conventional light is taken as the camera goes clockwise around a finger and in the Infrared light the image of blood vessels is recorded as the camera goes back to its initial position. Line scanning also opens a new possibility in face recognition where the comparison of major anthropometric lines would help to immunize the recognition system against benign cosmetics as well as intentional efforts to defeat such systems through the use of make-up or plastic surgery.