Biological object detecting system and fingerprint collating system employing same.

0001The present invention relates to a biological detecting system and a fingerprint collating system employing that biological detecting system, as well as to a fingerprint image input apparatus.

0002The increasing growth and use of information systems has raised a problem of how to maintain the security of such systems. Currently, as one means of identifying a person allowed to use the information system, an ID card is employed, but the ID card is easily lost or stolen. Also, it is relatively simple to obtain a code number of the ID card using known information about the owner of the card. Accordingly, as a substitute for the ID card, use is made of fingerprints, since these are different for each person and do not change during a person's life time, and therefore, various simple individual collating apparatuses for fingerprints and fingerprint collating system have been developed. In the finger­print collating systems, a fingerprint is handled as an image, and therefore, in this kind of system an input apparatus must be provided for converting a detected image of the fingerprint into image data.

0003Figure 32 is a schematic view of a typical arrangement of a fingerprint image input apparatus. In the operation of this apparatus, a finger 70 is placed in contact with a transparent member 71, and the finger is illuminated as indicated by the arrows. Among light scattered from ridges (projecting portions) of a fingerprint, components (indicated by dotted lines) thereof that are totally reflected by interfaces of the transparent member are collected by an optical system 72 to form an image, and a photodetector 73 such as a charge-coupled-device (CCD) is used to obtain an image of the ridge pattern.

0004Nevertheless, a replica having the same irregular pattern as the pattern of a previously registered fingerprint can be produced, and can be used for the fingerprint collation, and thus the system security is not fool-proof. Accordingly, there is a need for a mechanism capable of judging whether the irregular pattern of a sample in contact with the fingerprint image input apparatus originates from a genuine finger (a biological object) or from a replica (a non-biological object), i.e., a biological detecting mechanism is required.

0005An example of a proposed biological detecting system is shown in Fig. 33. This first proposed example is an optical system utilizing a phenomenon that an amount of light transmitted through a human body will be changed by a pulsation of the human body. Namely, the transparency to light of a finger 80 under a red light from a light source 81 is changed in the same cycle as that of the pulsation of the human body, and this cycle of change of the transparency is detected by a photodetector 82 to determine whether or not the sample is a biological object.

0006Another system (second proposed example) is shown in Fig. 34. This is an electrical system utilizing a difference between the resistance value of a finger and the resistance value of a replica. On a surface (a hatched portion), with which contact is made by a finger, are arranged transparent electrodes 91 and 92 for measuring a resistance value of the finger and the measured value is compared with a preset resistance value of a replica to determine whether or not the finger is a biological object. In this case, a finger­print image input apparatus receives an image of the fingerprint to be compared and judged, together with images of the electrode patterns.

0007According to the first proposed example, a time of several seconds or more is needed to detect the pulsation, and therefore, to perform a biological detection, the finger must be kept in contact with the fingerprint image input apparatus for the time necessary to detect the pulsation. This is disadvantageous in that, if the contact by a sample is broken before that time has elapsed, it is impossible to determine whether or not the sample is a biological object.

0008The second proposed requires only a short time for carrying out the biological detection, but the electrode patterns may disturb an image of the finger­print. Therefore, although the biological detection can be carried out without hindrance, it may be difficult to carry out the fingerprint collation after the biological detection is effected. Further, the resistance value of a human finger may vary in accordance with a pressure applied and the presence of perspiration on the skin. To cope with this problem, the allowable resistance value must be very large, but if the allowable resistance value is large, a difference between a reference value and the resistance value of the replica becomes smaller, and thus it becomes difficult to carry out the comparison and determination in the biological detection. Also, it would be possible to provide a replica with the same resistance value as a human finger, and thus the security of system could be compromised.

0009Therefore, in view of the above problems , it is desirable to provide a biological detecting system that cannot be influenced by the conditions of a sample and can instantaneously determine whether or not the sample is a biological object.

0010It is also desirable to provide a system for collating a fingerprint by employing such a biological detecting system.

0011The present invention is based on the phenomenon that, when the surface of a sample is irradiated with a spot of light, the condition of a shine of the surface is peculiar to that sample. Namely, if the sample is a biological object (a finger), not only does shine occur at an irradiated portion of the finger shine due to reflection but also at the periphery of the irradiated portion because the irradiated light is propagated and diffused inside the finger and is reflected and scattered in the finger. On the other hand, if the sample is not a biological object (for example, if the sample is a replica made of silicon (Si) based rubber), shine occurs at only a part very close to an irradiated portion, due to reflection and scatter.

0012Therefore, if an irradiated point of a sample is set as an object point of an imaging optical system, the size of the object point varies in accordance with whether or not the sample is a biological object. Also, the size of an image of the sample to be formed varies in accordance with whether or not the sample is a biological object. Therefore, by detecting the size of the image and comparing it with a reference value, it is possible to determine whether or not the sample is a biological object.

0013Therefore, according to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a biological detecting system which comprises, a light source; a condensing optical system for condensing a light beam L₁ from the light source and irradiating the surface of a sample with a spot of light; an imaging optical system for condensing light reflected and scattered by an irradiated portion of the sample and forming an image of the irradiated portion on a predetermined location; and photodetector means arranged at predetermined locations to detect the size of the image of the irradiated portion and output a detection signal indicating the detected size of the image.

0014According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a biological detecting system comprising a light source; a condensing optical system for condensing a light beam from the light source and irradiating the surface of a sample with a spot of light; an imaging optical system for condensing light reflected and scattered by an irradiated portion of the sample and forming an image of the irradiated portion on a predetermined location; and photodetector means arranged at the predetermined location to detect the size of the image of the irradiated portion and to detect whether or not the center of a region of the sample at which the irradiating light beam is reflected and scattered is displaced from the center of the irradiated portion, and output a detection signal J₂ indicating the size of the image and the presence or absence of displacement.

0015If the scattering light is polarized in a predetermined direction, the light intensity of a component in the polarization direction will vary in accordance with whether the sample is a biological object (a finger) or a non-biological object (a replica). Therefore, by comparing and discriminating polarization states based on the light intensity of components in the polarization direction, it is possible to determine whether or not the sample is a biological object.

0016According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a biological detecting system comprising a light source; a polarizing and condensing optical system for linearly polarizing and condensing a light beam from the light source to irradiate the surface of a sample with a spot of light; a condensing and polarizing optical system for condensing light reflected and scattered by an irradiated portion of the sample, and polarizing the condensed light in a predetermined direction; and photodetector means for detecting the intensity of a polarized component of the polarized light and outputting a detection signal J₃ indicating a polarization state based on the detected light intensity of the polarized light. A determination of whether or not the sample is a biological object is made in accordance with the detection signal output from the photodetector means.

0017The present invention also provides a fingerprint collating system comprising a biological detecting system based on any one of the first to third aspects. Here, only when a sample is a finger does the fingerprint collating system convert a pattern of the finger into image data and compare the converted image data with previously registered image data of a fingerprint, to identify the sample.

0018The first and second aspects mentioned in the above utilize a phenomenon whereby, when the surface of a sample is irradiated with a spot of light, a shine of the surface is peculiar to that sample. Based on this concept, the size of an image of the sample is detected, or it is determined whether or not the center of a region of the sample where reflection and scattering occur is displaced from the center of an irradiated portion of the sample, and thus it is determined whether the sample is a biological object (a genuine finger) or a non-biological object (a replica). The third aspect utilizes a phenomenon whereby, when the surface of a sample is irradiated with linearly polarized light, polarization characteristics of light reflected and scattered by the surface are essentially different, depending on whether the sample is a human finger or a replica. Namely, based on the light intensity of polarization directional components, polarization states are compared with a reference value to determine whether or not the sample is a biological object.

0019As described above, the biological detecting system of the invention can instantaneously determine whether or not a sample is a biological object, without being influenced by conditions of the sample (such as perspiration, pressure applied, and a time for which the sample is in contact with a detecting system).

0020The present invention also embraces a fingerprint image input apparatus utilizing the same phenomenon.

0021Reference is made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings in which:- <ul id="ul0001" list-style="none"><li>Fig. 1 is a view showing the principle of a biological detecting system according to a first aspect of the present invention;</li><li>Fig. 2 is a view showing the principle of a biological detecting system according to a second aspect of the present invention;</li><li>Fig. 3 is a view showing the principle of a biological detecting system according to a third aspect of the present invention;</li><li>Figs. 4A to 4C are views showing an embodiment according to the first aspect shown in Fig. 1, wherein Fig. 4A is a top view, Fig. 4B a view taken along an arrow B, and Fig. 4C a view taken along an arrow C;</li><li>Fig. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a typical example of the arrangement of a photodetector of Fig. 4;</li><li>Figs. 6A to 6F are views explaining the principle of the biological detection used in the embodiment of Fig. 4;</li><li>Fig. 7 is a view showing the relationship between an output level of the photodetector of Fig. 5 and the determination levels of biological and non-­biological objects;</li><li>Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the process of the biological detecting and fingerprint collating operations in a fingerprint collating system to which the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 is applied;</li><li>Fig. 9 is a view showing an embodiment according to the second aspect of the present invention shown in Fig. 2;</li><li>Fig. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a typical example of the photodetectors and comparator circuit shown in Fig. 9;</li><li>Figs. 11A to 11D are views explaining the principle of the biological detection used in the embodiment of Fig. 9;</li><li>Fig. 12 is a view showing an embodiment according to the third aspect of the present invention shown in Fig. 3;</li><li>Fig. 13 is a view explaining the principle of the biological detection used in the embodiment of Fig. 12;</li><li>Fig. 14 is a view showing a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 12;</li><li>Fig. 15 is a view explaining the principle of a fingerprint input apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;</li><li>Fig. 16 is a view showing a more concrete embodiment of the apparatus of Fig. 15;</li><li>Figs. 17 and 18 are views explaining the two ways of using a grating lens, respectively;</li><li>Fig. 19 is a view showing a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 16;</li><li>Fig. 20 is a view showing a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 19;</li><li>Fig. 21 is a schematic view of a biological discriminating system according to an embodiment of the present invention;</li><li>Fig. 22 is a graph showing the relationship between the diameter of spots of light and reflection tendency values;</li><li>Fig. 23 is a schematic view of a biological discriminating system according to another embodiment of the present invention;</li><li>Fig. 24 is a view showing the relationships between the linear light P and a finger;</li><li>Figs. 25A and 25B are views showing a principle of a fingerprint image input apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;</li><li>Fig. 26 is a block diagram of a fingerprint image input apparatus shown in Figs. 25A and 25B;</li><li>Fig. 27 is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 26;</li><li>Fig. 28 is an explanatory view of a photodetector (CCD) used in the apparatus shown in Fig. 26;</li><li>Fig. 29 is a schematic view of shapes of video signal outputs of lines A and B shown in Fig. 28;</li><li>Fig. 30 is a view similar to Fig. 26 according to another embodiment of the present invention;</li><li>Fig. 31 is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 30;</li><li>Fig. 32 is a side schematic view of the arrangement of a typical fingerprint image input apparatus;</li><li>Fig. 33 is a view explaining a biological detecting system according to a prior proposal;</li><li>Fig. 34 is a view explaining a biological detecting system according to another prior proposal; and</li><li>Fig. 35 is a view explaining problems of the prior proposed systems.</li></ul>

0022Figure 1 shows a principle of a biological detecting system according to the first aspect of the present invention, which comprises a light source 1 and a condensing optical system 2 for condensing a light beam L₁ from the light source and irradiating the surface of a sample 5 to be detected with a spot of light. The detecting system also comprises an imaging optical system 3 for condensing light L₂ reflected and scattered by an irradiated portion of the sample 5 and forming an image of the irradiated portion at a predetermined location and photodetector means 4 arranged at the predetermined location to detect the size of the image of the irradiated portion and output a detection signal J₁ indicating the detected size of the image. A determination of whether or not the sample is a biological object is made in accordance with the detection signal output from the photodetector means.

0023When the surface of a sample 5 is obliquely irradiated with a spot of light, and if the sample 5 is a genuine finger, the irradiated light is diffused inside the finger so that the center of a region of the finger from which the irradiated light is reflected and scattered is displaced from the center of an irradiated portion of the finger. Conversely, if the sample is a replica, the irradiated light is not propagated and diffused inside the replica, and thus the displacement does not occur.

0024Therefore, by detecting the size of an image of the sample and the presence or absence of displacement, it can be determined whether or not the sample is a biological object.

0025Accordingly, the second aspect of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 2, provides a biological detecting system comprising a light source 1, a condensing optical system 2 for condensing a light beam L₁ from the light source and irradiating the surface of a sample 5 to be detected with a spot of light, an imaging optical system 3 for condensing light L₂′ reflected and scattered by an irradiated portion of the sample 5 and forming an image of the irradiated portion on a predetermined location, and photodetector means 4A arranged at a predetermined location to detect the size of the image of the irradiated portion and to determine whether or not the center C₁ of a region R of the sample at which the irradiated light beam is reflected and scattered is displaced from the center C₂ of the irradiated portion, and output a detection signal J₂ indicating the size of the image and the presence or absence of displacement. A determination of whether or not the sample is a biological object is made in accordance with the detection signal output from the photodetector means.

0026In addition, when a spot of light is linearly polarized to irradiate the surface of a sample, the irradiated light is reflected by the sample, and if the sample is a finger, the irradiated light is also reflected and scattered inside the finger to provide scattering light having components with various polarization directions.

0027A biological detecting system according to a third aspect of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 3, comprises a light source 1; a polarizing and condensing optical system 2A for linearly polarizing and condensing a light beam L₁ from the light source 1 to irradiate the surface of a sample 5 to be detected with a spot of light; a condensing and polarizing optical system 3A for condensing light L₂˝ reflected and scattered by an irradiated portion of the sample and polarizing the condensed light in a predetermined direction; and a photodetector means 4B for detecting the intensity of a polarized component of the polarized light L₃ and outputting a detective signal J₃ indicating a polarization state based on the detected light intensity of the polarized light. A determination of whether or not the sample is a biological object is made in accordance with the detection signal output from the photodetector means.

0028Figures 4A and 4B show an embodiment according to the first aspect (Fig. 1) of the present invention, wherein Figure 4A is a top view, Fig. 4B is a side view taken along an arrow B of Fig. 4A to show an imaging optical system for forming the image of a fingerprint, and Fig. 4C is a side view taken along an arrow C of Fig. 4A to show an optical system for detecting a biological object according to this embodiment. The system shown in Figs. 4A - 4C constitutes part of a fingerprint image input apparatus of a fingerprint collating (checking or verifying) system.

0029In Figs. 4A - 4C, 10 represents a finger (a genuine finger or a replica made of silicon based rubber) as a sample; 11 a light emitting diode (LED) employed as a finger irradiating light source used to form an image of the fingerprint; 12 a charge-coupled-device (CCD) employed as a fingerprint image detecting element for generating an electric signal indicating the image of a fingerprint in response to light corresponding to the image of the fingerprint; 13 a semiconductor laser (or LED) employed as a light source for detecting a biological object; and 14 a photodetector having a light receiving area divided into a plurality of regions. An output of the photodetector 14 is represented by V_L.

0030Further, 20 denotes a transparent light guiding board having four diagonal cut faces 21 to 24, cut diagonally in a cross-sectional direction. A lens 21a is adhered to the diagonal cut face 21 to focus a light beam from the semiconductor laser 13, and a lens 22a is adhered to the diagonal cut face 22 to focus a light beam emitted from the light guiding board 20 onto a light receiving face of the photodetector 14. The diagonal cut faces 21 and 22 are cut on opposite sides of the light guiding board 20 such that a light beam focused by the lens 21a is totally and repeatedly reflected in the light guiding board 20, reflected and scattered by a portion at which the finger 10 is in contact with the light guiding board 20, and passed through the lens 22a to finally reach the light receiving face of the photodetector 14. The diagonal cut face 24 forms a mirror face, and an opening diaphragm portion 25 is formed on one side face of the light guiding board 20 facing the diagonal cut face 24. A lens 26 is adhered to the opening diaphragm portion 25 to focus a light beam emitted from the light guiding board 20 onto a light receiving face of the CCD 12, and in this case, the diagonal cut face 24 is shaped such that a light beam emitted from the light source (LED) 11 and reflected and scattered by the finger 10 is totally reflected by the bottom face of the light guiding board 20 and reflected by the mirror face 24, to be made incident on the light receiving face of the CCD 12 through an opening of the opening diaphragm portion 25 and the lens 26.

0031Figure 5 shows an example of the photodetector shown in Fig. 4.

0032The photodetector 14 comprises a light receiving element having a light receiving face 14a divided into three light receiving regions P₁ , P₂ , and P₃; an operational amplifier 15 having a gain of k (constant) for operating (amplifying) a total of optical outputs S₁ and S₃ corresponding to amounts of light received by the light receiving side regions P₁ and P₃; and an operational amplifier 16 for operating (outputting) a difference between an output of the operational amplifier 15 and an optical output S₂ corresponding to an amount of light received by the light receiving central region P₂. The constant k is a coefficient for correcting a difference between (S₁ + S₃) and S₂. Therefore, an output V_L of the photodetector 14 is expressed as "k (S₁ + S₃) - S₂".

0033In the figure, a hatched portion 17 indicates an image of the finger 10, which image is obtained by a light beam emitted from the semiconductor laser 13. The light beam is irradiated on the finger 10 and is reflected and scattered by the finger 10 to form the image on the light receiving face 14a of the photo­detector.

0034The operation (biological detection) of the embodiment of Fig. 4 will be explained with reference to Fig. 6.

0035Figure 6A shows a typical fingerprint of a genuine finger, Fig. 6B shows a typical fingerprint of a replica, Fig. 6C is a light intensity distribution diagram taken along a line A-A′ of an irradiated portion of Fig. 6A, Fig. 6D is a light intensity distribution diagram taken along a line B-B′ of an irradiated portion of Fig. 6B, Fig. 6E shows a typical image appearing on the light receiving face 14a of the photodetector of Fig. 6A, and Fig. 6F shows a typical image appearing on the light receiving face 14a of the photodetector of Fig. 6B.

0036If the finger 10 is genuine, shine occurs not only at the irradiated portion of the finger due to reflection, but also at the periphery of the irradiated portion, because the irradiated light is propagated and diffused inside the finger and is reflected and scattered in the finger, as described before. Namely, as indicated by a broken line F in Fig. 6C, a flare occurs, and as a result, portions of the image appearing on the light receiving face 14a of the photodetector that extend over the light receiving side-regions P₁ and P₃ as indicated by a hatched portion in Fig. 6E, will increase, and accordingly, the photodetector 14 will provides an output V_L that extends toward a positive (+) side (Fig. 5).

0037If the finger 10 is a replica, however, shine will occur at only a portion thereat quite close to the irradiated portion, due to reflection and scattering; i.e., flare does not occur, and as a result an incidence ratio on the light receiving region P₂ of an image appearing on the light receiving face 14a of the photodetector will increase, as shown in Fig. 6F, and therefore an output V_L of the photodetector 14 is reduced and moved toward a negative (-) side.

0038In this embodiment, a gap between the photo­detector 14 and the light guiding board 20, the positional relationships of the respective components, and the sizes of the respective light receiving regions P₁, P₂ , and P₃ of the photodetector 14 are set such that the output V_L of the photodetector 14 will be positive when the sample is a genuine finger but will be negative when the sample is a replica (Fig. 7).

0039As described above, the embodiment of Fig. 4 can instantaneously determine, based on the positive or negative state of the signal V_L output from the photodetector 14, whether the finger 10 is a genuine finger (a biological object) or a replica (a non-­biological object).

0040According to the embodiment of Fig. 4, light is obliquely irradiated on a contacting face of the finger, and light obliquely reflected by the finger is detected, but a half mirror, for example, may be employed instead to make light incident from just below the contacting face of the finger and detect light reflected by the finger toward just below the finger.

0041The biological detecting system explained above can be assembled in a fingerprint image input apparatus of a fingerprint collating system. The operation processes of the biological detection and fingerprint collation in a fingerprint collating system employing the embodiment shown in Fig. 4 will be explained with reference to Fig. 8.

0042First, in step 31, an initial setting is made, i.e., the semiconductor laser (LD) 13 for detecting a biological object is turned ON. Then, the semiconductor laser 13 emits a light beam which passes through the lens 21a and is made incident on the light guiding board 20. This light beam is totally and repeatedly reflected, passed through the lens 22a, and focused on the light receiving face 14a of the photodetector 14. A light path shown in Fig. 4(A) extending from the semiconductor laser 13 to the photodetector 14 is only an example, and it will be apparent to a person skilled in the art that many light paths other than the above-­mentioned light path can be adopted.

0043In step 32, the sample, i.e., the finger 10, is positioned at a predetermined point on the light guiding board 20, and in step 33, it is determined whether the output level V_L of the photodetector is positive or negative, by a fingerprint collating apparatus (not shown) that determines the output level V_L of the photodetector 14. If the output level V_L of the photodetector is negative, it is determined in step 34 that the sample is a non-biological object (a replica) and the following fingerprint collation processes are not executed. Namely, the process flow is terminated (END).

0044If the output level V_L of the photodetector is positive, at step 35 the fingerprint collating system determines that the sample is a biological object (a genuine finger) and outputs a control signal indicating that determination to a fingerprint image input apparatus (the biological detecting apparatus). The biological detecting apparatus receives the control signal, and in step 36 turns ON the fingerprint collating LED 11, and light emitted from the LED 11 is passed through the orthogonal cut face 23 and made incident on the light guiding board 20. This light is reflected by a contacting face of the finger and totally reflected by the bottom face of the light guiding board 20, as indicated by a broken line of Fig. 4B, and then the light is reflected by the mirror face 24 and propagated in the light guiding board 20. The light is then passed through the opening of the opening diaphragm portion 25 and the lens 26 and focused on the light receiving face of the CCD 12. In Fig. 4A, a light path from the LED 11 to the CCD 12 is only an example, and light paths other than this light path can be used.

0045In step 37, the fingerprint image input apparatus picks up a fingerprint image formed on the CCD 12 and converts that fingerprint image into image data, and in step 38, the fingerprint collating apparatus compares the image data with previously registered image data of a fingerprint, to identify the fingerprint. Then in the final step 39, the system is controlled according to a result of the fingerprint collation. For example, in a system for controlling the entry of personnel into a computer room, if the fingerprint of a person is found to be not authentic, the system prohibits the entry of that person to the computer room.

0046If the fingerprint collating LED 11 is turned ON in step 36, this may cause noise affecting the biological detecting system. Therefore, the light emission for the biological detection and the light emission for fingerprint collation are preferably carried out in time series, but the biological detection (steps 31 to 33 and 35), fingerprint illumination (step 36), and fingerprint image picking up (step 37) must be carried out within a short time of, for example, several 10 ms. This will prevent an illegal action such as replacement of a finger with a replica after completion of the biological detection.

0047Figure 9 shows an embodiment according to the second aspect (Fig. 2) of the present invention.

0048In Fig. 9, 40 denotes a finger (a genuine finger or a replica) as a sample; 41 a semiconductor laser (or LED) as a light source for detecting a biological object; 42 a condensing optical system (a lens) for condensing a light beam from the light source 41 and irradiating the surface of the finger 40 with a spot of light; 44 an imaging optical system (a lens) for condensing light reflected and scattered by the surface of the finger and forming an image of an irradiated portion of the finger at a predetermined location; 45a and 45b photodetectors disposed at predetermined positions; and 46 a comparator circuit. The comparator circuit 46 responds to optical outputs Sa and Sb corresponding to amounts of light made incident on the respective light receiving faces Pa and Pb (Fig. 10) of the photodetectors 45a and 45b, compares the optical outputs with a reference value, for a collation thereof, and outputs a detection signal V_L1 indicating whether the finger 40 is a genuine finger or a replica.

0049In Fig. 9, among paths of light reflected by a contacting portion of the finger to the respective light receiving faces of the photodetectors 45a and 45b, a light path indicated by a continuous line is that formed when the finger 40 is a non-biological object (a replica). Further, a region R of the finger 40 indicated by a broken line is a region at which the irradiated light is reflected and scattered due to a propagation and diffusion of the irradiated light in the finger, and this region appears only when the finger 40 is a biological object (a genuine finger). Therefore, in such a case, the center of the region R is displaced from the center of an original irradiated portion, and accordingly, paths of light reflected by the finger contacting portion to the light receiving faces of the respective photodetectors 45a and 45b will expand relatively in the cross sectional direction, as indicated by broken lines.

0050Figure 10 shows typical examples of the photo­detectors and comparator circuit shown in Fig. 9.

0051In Fig. 10, the photodetector 45a outputs an optical output Sa corresponding to an amount of light made incident on the light receiving face Pa, and this output Sa is input to a comparator 46a. The comparator 46a compares a level of the input signal Sa with a predetermined level Vth₁ , and outputs a signal "1" if Sa>Vth₁ is satisfied, or if Sa≦Vth₁ is satisfied, outputs a signal "0". Similarly, a comparator 46b compares the level of an optical output Sb that corresponds to an amount of light made incident on the light receiving face Pb of the photodetector 45b with the predetermined level Vth₂ , and if Sb>Vth₂ is satisfied, outputs a signal of "1", or if Sb≦Vth₂ is satisfied, outputs a signal "0". The outputs of the respective comparators are input to an AND gate 47.

0052Only when the amounts of light detected by the photodetectors 45a and 45b exceed the predetermined level (Vth₁ , Vth₂), does the AND gate 47 output the detection signal V_L1 as "1"; in all other cases, the detection signal V_L1 is output as "0".

0053A hatched portion 48 in the figure shows a typical image formed on the light receiving faces Pa and Pb of the respective photodetectors by the irradiated light reflected and scattered by the finger 40.

0054The operation (biological detection) of the embodiment shown in Fig. 9 will be explained with reference to Fig. 11.

0055Figure 11A shows the positional relationships of the image of a genuine finger and the light receiving faces, Fig. 11B shows the positional relationships of the image of a replica and the light receiving faces, Fig. 11C shows the relationship between the output levels Sa and Sb of the respective photodetectors of Fig. 11A and the threshold levels Vth₁ , Vth₂ , and Fig. 11D shows the relationship between the output levels Sa and Sb of the respective photodetectors of Fig. 11B and the threshold levels Vth₁ , Vth₂. The time t₀ of Fig. 11C or 11D is the time at which the finger 40 touches a predetermined position on the light guiding board 44.

0056If the finger 40 is a genuine finger, the region R occurs in the finger 40 as described above, and therefore, a region at which light is reflected and scattered by the surface of the finger expands relatively as indicated by a broken line in Fig. 9. Accordingly, the image 48 shown in Fig. 11A extends over the light receiving faces Pa and Pb of the respective photodetectors, and therefore, the photodetectors 45a and 45b output the optical outputs Sa and Sb each having a certain level. In this case, if the levels of the optical outputs Sa and Sb are higher than the predetermined levels Vth₁, Vth₂ , the outputs of the comparators 46a and 46b of Fig. 10 are "1", and thus the AND gate 47 outputs a detection signal V_L1 as "1" to indicate the detection of a biological object.

0057If the finger 40 is a replica, however, the region at which light is reflected and scattered by the surface of the finger is relatively focused as indicated by a continuous line shown in Fig. 9, and therefore, the image 48 is formed on the light receiving face Pb of one of the photodetectors as shown in Fig. 11B. The light receiving face of the other photodetector receives only a little light, i.e., a flare of the light focused on the light receiving face Pb, and therefore, the photodetector 45b outputs an optical output Sb having a certain level, and the photodetector 45a outputs an optical output Sa having a very low level. In this case, if the predetermined levels Vth₁ , Vth₂ are set such that the level Vth₂ is lower than the level of the optical output Sb and the level Vth₁ is higher than the level of the optical output Sa, the detection signal V_L1 output from the AND gate of Fig. 10 will be "0", and accordingly, it is determined that the finger 40 is a replica.

0058In the embodiment of Fig. 9, the image 48 is formed in such a manner that it extends over both the light receiving faces of the respective photodetectors when the sample is a genuine finger, and extends over only one of the light receiving faces when the sample is a replica. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the photodetector 45b determines that the finger 40 (a genuine finger or a replica) is in contact with the light guiding board 43, and the photodetector 45a determines whether or not it is a biological object.

0059As described above, according to the embodiment of Fig. 9, whether the signal V_L1 output from the comparator circuit 46 is 1 or 0 enables and instan­taneous determination of whether the finger 40 is a genuine finger (a biological object) or a replica (a non-biological object). Similar to the system of Fig. 4, the system of Fig. 9 can be assembled in a fingerprint image input apparatus of a fingerprint collating system.

0060The embodiment of Fig. 9 uses two photodetectors 45a and 45b arranged adjacent to each other, but a solid type photodetector having a light receiving face divided into two regions each separately providing an optical output corresponding to an amount of light received by the corresponding region can be employed instead.

0061Figure 12 shows an embodiment according to the third aspect (Fig. 3) of the present invention.

0062In Fig. 12, 50 denotes a finger (a genuine finger or a replica) as a sample; 51 a light source for a biological detection, such as a semiconductor laser and LED; 52 a polarizing plate which can be omitted if the light source 51 is a semiconductor laser), for linearly polarizing (in a direction parallel to the surface of the paper, according to the shown embodiment) a light beam from the light source 51; 53 a condensing optical system (a lens) for condensing the light beam from the light source 51 and irradiating the surface of the finger 50 with a spot of light; 54 a transparent light guiding board; and 55 an optical system (a lens) for condensing light reflected and scattered by the surface of the finger irradiated with the light beam.

0063Further, 56a denotes a beam splitter for dividing scattered light made incident on the lens 55 into two light beams while maintaining the polarization direction of the scattered light as it is; 56b a mirror for reflecting the light beam reflected by the beam splitter 56a in a direction orthogonal to the direction of incidence thereof; 57a a polarizing plate for polarizing the scattered light passed through the beam splitter 56a in a predetermined direction (vertical to the paper, according to the shown embodiment); 57b a polarizing plate for polarizing the scattered light reflected by the mirror 56b in a direction vertical to the polarization direction of the polarizing plate 57a (a direction parallel to the surface of the paper, according to the shown embodiment, i.e., the same direction as the polarization direction of the scattered light made incident on the lens 55); 58a a photodetector for detecting the light intensity of the polarized light polarized by the polarizing plate 57a and outputting an optical output Sa′ corresponding to the light intensity; 58b a photodetector for detecting the light intensity of the polarized light polarized by the polarizing plate 57b and outputting an optical output Sb′ corresponding to the light intensity; and 59 a comparator circuit. The comparator circuit 59 calculates a ratio of the optical outputs Sa′ and Sb′ output from the photo­detectors 58a and 58b, compares the ratio (Sa′/Sb′) with a predetermined value X₀ , and outputs a detection signal V_L2 indicating whether the finger 50 is a genuine finger or a replica.

0064The operation (biological detection) of the embodiment of Fig. 12 will be explained with reference to Fig. 13.

0065Figure 13 shows a comparison of the characteristics of polarized light scattered from a genuine finger and from a replica. The abscissa of the figure represents an angle between the linear polarization direction of irradiated light and the polarization direction of the polarizing plate, and the ordinate of the figure represents a value derived by normalizing outputs of the photodetectors with maximum outputs. Figure 13 shows that the light scattered from the genuine finger provides a better preservation of the polarization direction of the irradiated light than does the light scattered from the replica. Namely, as shown by the example, the genuine finger preserves 40% to 50% of the polarization direction of light from a light source, but the replica preserves only up to 20% of the same. Therefore, after the comparator circuit 59 provides a ratio of the optical outputs Sa′ and Sb′ from the photodetectors 58a and 58b, a difference will be observed between the polarization disturbing characteristics of the genuine finger and of the replica.

0066As shown in Fig. 13, when an angle of rotation of the polarizing plate is 90°, a difference between normalized outputs of the photodetectors for the replica (indicated by a continuous line) and for the genuine finger (indicated by a broken line) will be a maximum value, and if the predetermined value X₀ is set within a range of this difference, whether or not the finger 50 is genuine can be determined by comparing the ratio (Sa′/Sb′) calculated by the comparator circuit 59 with the predetermined value X₀ , and by using the polarization disturbance characteristics; i.e., taking the polarization characteristics into account, the embodiment sets a difference between polarization directions of the polarizing plates 57a and 57b at 90°. Similar to the systems shown in Figs. 4 and 9, the system shown in Fig. 12 can be assembled in a fingerprint image input apparatus of a fingerprint collation system.

0067Figure 14 shows the arrangement of a modification of the embodiment of Fig. 12.

0068Instead of the beam splitter 56a, mirror 56b, and polarizing plates 57a and 57b shown in Fig. 12, this modification employs a Wollaston prism 60 to form a polarizing optical system in which the number of optical parts, and thus the size of the system, is reduced. The other arrangements and operation are the same as those of the embodiment shown in Fig. 12, and thus an explanation thereof will be omitted.

0069Although the respective embodiments are described as contact type fingerprint image input systems (biological detecting systems) employing light guiding boards, the invention also can be applied to non-contact type systems that do not employ the light guiding boards.

0070As described above, according to the present invention, the surface of a sample is irradiated with a spot of light or linearly polarized light, and the shine occurring at the surface or the polarization charac­teristics of light scattered from an irradiated portion of the sample provide phenomena peculiar to the sample. The invention utilizes this phenomena or characteristics peculiar to the material used to instantaneously determine whether or not the sample is a biological object, without being influenced by the conditions of the sample; namely, as this invention utilizes characteristics peculiar to certain materials, the invention can improve the security of systems against forged fingerprints.

0071Further, the present invention can detect a biological object within a short time, and thus a time needed by an identification apparatus to carry out the fingerprint collation can be shortened.

0072Furthermore, the invention can be assembled in both contact type and non-contact type fingerprint collation systems.

0073Figure. 15 shows another embodiment of the present invention, which uses a common light source as the light source for the fingerprint image input system and the light source of a beam spot for the biological detecting system, thus simplifying and reducing the weight of a fingerprint input apparatus.

0074According to this embodiment, a single illuminating means generates diverging waves that entirely illuminate a finger in addition to converging waves that partly illuminate the finger with a spot of light, and a grating lens 80 shown in Fig. 15 is employed for this purpose. The grating lens 80 is able to focus diverging waves supplied from a light source (for example, a laser diode LD) 41 at high efficiency. Among diverging light Li incidental to the grating lens 80, a zero-order transmitted light L0 maintains a state of the diverging waves to widely illuminate the whole finger 10, and a first-order diffracted light L1 becomes focused waves to partly illuminate the finger with a spot of light. With this arrangement, the single light source 41 can provide two kinds of light.

0075Figure 16 shows a more concrete embodiment of Fig. 15. The light source 41 is a laser diode, and a transparent light guiding board (transparent body) 63 has a diagonal cut portion 63a on which a grating lens 80 is formed, and the grating lens 80 focuses a laser light Li to provide a focused beam L1, and provides a transmitted light L0 for entirely illuminating a finger. Among light scattered by a fingerprint contacting portion, components that propagate inside the light guiding board 63 due to a total reflection thereof are picked up from a diagonally cut face 63b and guided to an imaging system (lens) 62 to form an image of the finger on a CCD 64.

0076The principle of biological detection will be again described. When a replica made of silicon rubber, etc., is irradiated with a spot of light, light is scattered only in the close vicinity of an irradiated portion of the replica, and the size of an image of the irradiated portion is determined by the size of the irradiated light spot and the magnification of an imaging system. The spot image is formed on a photodetector 67 through a convergent lens system 69. If biological matter (i.e., a finger) is irradiated with light, however, the light penetrates the finger so that the light is scattered over a wide area of the finger, and therefore, the size of spot image formed on the photodetector 67 is larger than that formed by the replica. When the surface of the finger is obliquely irradiated with a spot of light, the center of a light scattering region of the finger is dislocated from that of the replica, and by detecting the size and center position of an spot image obtained from the scattered light, it is possible to carry out a biological detection. The photodetector 67 may be a known divisional detector having a plurality of light receiving regions, or may comprise a plurality of small photodetectors arranged in an array.

0077Figures 17 and 18 show two ways of using the grating lens 80. Figure 17 uses a diverging beam wherein zero-order transmitted light L0 entirely illuminates a finger and first-order diffracted light L1 illuminates a contacting face of the finger with a spot of light. Figure 18 uses a focusing beam in which zero-order transmitted light L0 irradiates a contacting face of a finger with a spot of light and first-order diffracted light L1 entirely illuminates the finger. If a diverging light source such as a semiconductor laser is employed, the case of Fig. 17 is preferable, but a converging lens system 75 may be used to enable an easy change over to converging light.

0078Figures 19 and 20 show two other embodiments of the invention, respectively, wherein in Fig. 19 a light guiding board (transparent body) 63 has a diagonally cut portion 63a, on a part of which a grating lens 80 is formed. Part of the illuminating light (first-order diffracted light L1) is used to irradiated a finger contacting face with a spot of light, and light (hatched portion) that is made incident on the light guiding board 63 through a portion at which the grating lens 80 is not formed entirely illuminates the finger.

0079Contrary to the case of Fig. 19, the case of Fig. 20 uses converging incident light. First-order diffracted light L1 forms diffused illuminating light, and direct incident light L0 that does not pass through a grating lens 80 forms a spot of light. Part of the spot of light is zero-order light transmitted from the grating lens 80.

0080The above-explained grating lenses are used to form a circular small spot of light, but it is possible to change a pattern of the grating lens to form, for example, an oval spot, to improve the detection sensitivity.

0081The grating lens may be formed integrally with the light guiding board, or may be formed separately from the light guiding board and then adhered to the light guiding board.

0082As described above, these embodiments employ a single grating lens for providing a light source for a fingerprint image input apparatus having a biological detecting function. The light source with the grating lens can provide light for entirely illuminating a finger contacting face to form an image of a fingerprint on an image sensor (CCD) and as a spot of light for biological detection for irradiating the finger contacting face. The invention is very effective when forming an illumi­nating system for a biological detection for a fingerprint image input apparatus that has no biological detecting function, without an increase in the volume and weight of the fingerprint image input apparatus.

0083Fig. 21 shows still another embodiment of the present invention.

0084In a total reflection type biological discrim­inating system shown in Fig. 35 , light that irradiates grooves of a fingerprint is totally reflected by the grooves because the grooves form total reflection faces, and as a result, even if the sample is a biological object, it may be erroneously recognized as a replica.

0085Accordingly, the embodiment shown in Fig. 21 provides a biological discriminating system that sets the irradiating width of light so that a capacity for discriminating a replica from a biological subject is enlarged.

0086In Fig. 21, a numeral 90 is a light source (LD), and light from the light source 90 is adjusted to a preferable spread by a condensing optical system (lens) 81. Here, the term preferable spread means that the width of light irradiated on an interface (F) becomes wider than a mean gap between ridges of a fingerprint. The spread adjusted light may be coherent light or gradually focused light. A light D adjusted by the condensing optical system 81 is made incident on a slanting face 92a of a light guiding board (transparent body) a2. The light guiding board 92 is made of transparent material such as glass and placed in air. An incident angle of the light D is such that a perpendicular line of the slanting face 92a coincides with an optical axis of the light D, and therefore, most of the light D passes through the light guiding board 92 and reaches one face 92b of the light guiding board 92. An incident angle of the light with respect to the one face 92b is such that the angle exceeds a critical angle determined by a refractive index of the light guiding board 92 and a refractive index of air, and thus light that enters the one face 92b with an incident angle exceeding the critical angle is totally reflected by the interface (F) between the light guiding board 92 and air. The totally reflected light is totally and repeatedly reflected between the one face 92b and the other face 92c in parallel with the one face 92b, and thus the reflected light moves forward inside the light guiding board 92, is emitted from the light guiding board 12, and is condensed by an imaging optical system 93 to form an image on a photodetector 94.

0087The surface of the finger 10 provides a fingerprint comprising ridges 10a and grooves 10b.

0088Generally, a gap between the ridges 10a varies depending on a pattern and position of the fingerprint, but the gap never exceeds 1 mm; i.e., almost all of the gaps are each smaller than 1 mm. The embodiment sets the width of a spot of light totally reflected by the one face 92b (identical to the interface (F)) to be wider than the gap between the ridges. Namely, if the gap between the ridges is, for example, 1 mm, a concrete value of the width of a spot of light is larger than 1 mm.

0089With this arrangement, the finger 10 is pressed against the one face (detection surface) 92b and a total reflecting face is not formed between the face 92b and the (ridges 10a) of the finger 10, and thus part of the light is propagated along a lower part of skin of the finger 10 and is irregularly reflected thereby. Accordingly, shine occurs at a periphery of a portion of the surface of the finger 10 irradiated with the light, and the shining portion of the finger becomes larger than the portion irradiated with the light.

0090If the sample is a replica made of, for example, silicon based rubber, shine occurs only at a close vicinity area of a spot of the replica irradiated with light, so that the shining portion of the replica is smaller than that of the finger, i.e., biological object. Therefore, by observing a difference between the shining areas by the photodetector 94, it is possible to determine whether or not the sample is a biological object.

0091A position of the finger 10 on the light guiding board may vary, and according to this embodiment, the width of a spot of light irradiated on the face 92b (F) is wider than a gap between ridges of a fingerprint, so that even if a position of the finger is displaced, one ridge (projection 10a) is always inside the spot of light. Therefore, shining around the ridge is always correctly observed and the biological discrimination carried out without hindrance and the discrimination improved.

0092Figure 22 is a graph showing the relationship between diameters of light spots and the reflection tendency values. In the graph, the reflection tendency values are expressed by the following equation (1): (Imax - Imin) / (Imax + Imin)      (I), where, Imax is a value corresponding to a maximum value of reflected light quantity, and Imin is a value corresponding to a minimum value of reflected light quantity.

0093Namely, when the reflection tendency value is large, the diameter of a spot of light is less than 1 mm and thus the grooves and ridges of a fingerprint are irradiated with different spots of light. Accordingly, if a finger is displaced even slightly under this state, the quantities of reflected light will greatly vary. On the other hand, if the diameter of a spot of light is larger than 1 mm, the reflection tendency value is small so that quantities of reflected light are not drastically varied. Therefore, by enlarging the diameter of a spot of light to a value greater than 1 mm, a satisfactory reflected light is always obtained from the surface of a finger even if the finger is slightly displaced, to realize an accurate biological discrimination.

0094According to the embodiment, a spot-like irradiating light is emitted to the face 92b (F), and the diameter of the spot is set.

0095Figure. 23 shows another embodiment of the invention, which utilizes linear light for the irradiation, and wherein the width of the irradiated light is set. In Fig. 23, 85 is a light source for emitting linear light, 86 a cylindrical lens, and 88 a light guiding board (transparent body). Linear light P having a length exceeding a gap between the ridges of a finger is irradiated on one face (detection surface) 88a of the light guiding board 88 through the cylindrical lens 86. Numeral 99 is a photodetector portion comprising cylindrical lenses 87 and 89 and a photodetector 83.

0096With this arrangement, a finger as a sample is pressed against the one face 88a of the light guiding board 88 and then, as shown in Fig. 24, the surface of the finger is irradiated with the linear light P. The length of the light P exceeds a gap between ridges of a fingerprint of the finger, so that one or more ridges of the fingerprint are irradiated with the light to carry out the biological discrimination without hindrance. Therefore, this embodiment can provide the same effect as the first embodiment.

0097According to this embodiment, the width of light irradiated on an interface is wider than a gap between ridges of a fingerprint, so that the surface of a finger, i.e., ridges of fingerprint of the finger, are always irradiated with the light. Therefore, shining around the ridges can be always observed, to improve the biological discrimination capacity.

0098Figures 25A and 25B show another embodiment of the present invention in which the biological detection and the image detection are effected by one common optical system. In the arrangement for example, shown in Fig. 9 or 4A-4C, the spot image reflected by the finger 40 or 10 is focused on the photodetector 45b or 12 (CCD) through the lens 44 or 22a. Namely, in the arrangement shown in Fig. 9, the special optical system for the biological detection including the lens 44 and the photodetectors 45a and 45b, etc., is provided in addition to the optical system for detecting the image of the fingerprint (not shown in Fig.9). To reduce the number of the optical elements, the optical system for the biological detection is made common to the optical system for the image detection in Figs. 25A and 25B.

0099In the image detecting optical system shown in Figs. 25A and 25B, the light L1 emitted from the LED 13 is incident upon the finger 10, so that an image of the finger 10 is focused on the CCD 14 through the fingerprint image forming means including the lens 26 and the diaphragm 25, to be detected thereby. This image detecting optical system is also used to perform the biological detection; namely, the light L2 in the form of a beam spot emitted from the laser diode 11 is incident upon the finger 10, so that a spot image reflected by the incident point of the light upon the finger 10 is focused on the CCD 14 through the fingerprint image forming means including the lens 26 and the diaphragm 25, to be detected thereby. The biological detection itself can be effected in various ways (detection of the size or position of the spot image, etc. as mentioned above), and with this arrange­ment, the optical system for the biological detection can be omitted.

0100Figures 26 and 27 show an embodiment which realizes an optical arrangement based on the principle shown in Figs. 25A and 25B.

0101The fingerprint image input device includes a transparent body (transparent light guiding board) 105, a light source (LED) 101 for wholly illuminating the surface of the finger 10, a light source (laser diode) 102 for illuminating the finger 10 with a spot beam L2 to effect the biological detection, and a fingerprint image forming optical system 103 having the lens 131 and the (CCD) 104. The transparent body 105, which is made of a light permeable material such as glass, has a detection surface 151 on which the finger 10 is located, and the lens 131 is made integral with the transparent body 105 through the diaphragm 32 at one end of the transparent body 105. The light (fingerprint image and spot image) is converged onto the image detector 104, such as a CCD. The transparent body 105 is provided on the opposite end thereof with a mirror 152, to reflect the light reflected by the finger 10 toward the lens 131. The diaphragm 132 is a fixed diaphragm used to reduce possible aberration of the lens 131. This construction is substantially similar to that of the previously described embodiments.

0102The image obtained by the photodetector 104 is sent to a collating circuit 108 through an image fetching circuit 7, and to a biological detecting circuit 106. The biological detecting circuit 106 is provided with a designated address output detecting circuit 162 and a video signal output comparing circuit 162, to perform the biological detection.

0103The light source 101 for detecting the image of the fingerprint and the light source 102 for the biological detection are located below and on opposite sides of the transparent body 10, as can be seen in Fig. 27, so that the lower portion of the finger brought into contact with the detection surface 151 is totally illuminated, i.e., light L1 emitted from the light source 101 illuminates the whole surface of the finger 10. On the other hand, light L2 emitted from the light source 102 and converged by the lens 121 in the form of a beam spot is made incident on a point of the finger 10. The light sources 101 and 102 are constructed so that light is not emitted simultaneously thereby onto the finger 10. For example, the spot light is first instantaneously (e.g. less than a few msec.) emitted from the light source 102 to detect whether or not the finger is a genuine biological object, and light L1 is then emitted from the light source 101 to wholly illuminate the finger 10 to detect the fingerprint image, only when a real finger is detected.

0104The following discussion will be directed to the process of inputting the fingerprint image, with reference to Figs. 25A and 26, which process is similar to that of the above-mentioned embodiments.

0105In the fingerprint image input apparatus of the illustrated embodiment, the light component of the light scattered from the ridges (projecting portion) of the fingerprint that is totally reflected by the critical surface of the transparent body 105 is converged onto the photodetector (CCD) 104 by the lens 131 to form an image of a pattern of the ridges of the fingerprint. Namely, the finger 10 brought into contact with the detection surface 151 of the transparent body 105 is wholly illuminated with light L1 emitted from the light source 101, so that the image of the ridges of the fingerprint can be detected by the photodetector 104.

0106When the finger 10 is pressed onto the detection surface 151 of the transparent body 105, the ridges of the fingerprint come into contact with the detection surface but the grooves (recessed portions) of the fingerprint do not come into contact with the detection surface 151, so that light incident on the finger through the transparent body 105 is reflected by the surface and the inside portion of the finger 10. Namely, since light scattered from the grooves of the fingerprint passes through the air and then enters the transparent body 15, a light component which is totally reflected in and transmitted through the transparent body 105 to the lens 131 does not exist. Nevertheless, the scattered light reflected by the ridges of the fingerprint directly enters the transparent body 105 without passing through the air, so that part of this light meets the total reflection condition in the transparent body 105. As a result, the light which meets the total reflection condition in the transparent body 105 repeats the total reflection therein, and thus reaches the lens 131 through the diaphragm 132. The total reflection light component is focused onto the photodetector 104 by the lens 131 to form an image of the ridge pattern of the fingerprint.

0107The biological detection itself has been discussed.

0108As shown in Fig. 28, which shows the processes in the fingerprint image input apparatus, in the case of a genuine finger, when the beam spot is incident on the surface of the finger 10, not only is the illuminating point of the finger brighter, but also the circum­ferential portion is brighter, since the light is propagated and scattered in the transparent body 105 in the finger 10, as mentioned before. As a result, the spot image detected by the photodetector 104 occupies a relatively large area of the photodetector, as shown by an imaginary line in Fig. 28.

0109Conversely, in the case of a replica, when the beam spot is incident on the finger, only the incident point of the finger and the close vicinity thereof reflect or scatter the incident light and become brighter, and thus the spot image detected by the photodetector 104 occupies a very limited small area of the photodetector 104, as shown by a solid line in Fig. 28.

0110Figure 29 shows the shapes of video signal outputs of the lines A and B shown in Fig. 28.

0111As can be seen from Fig. 29, in the case of a replica, the video signal output changes only at the line A in the close vicinity of the incident point, whereas in the case of a genuine finger, the video signal output changes at both the lines A and B, which also cover the circumferential portion of the incident point. Namely, the spot image obtained by the photodetector 104 is supplied to the biological detecting circuit 106 shown in Fig. 26, so that the designated address outputs corresponding to the lines A and B predetermined by the designated address output detecting circuit 161 can be detected. Thereafter, for example, the designated address outputs of the lines A and B in the spot image are sent to the video signal output comparing circuit 162 to be compared. Namely, as can be seen in Fig. 29, when only the video signal output of the line A varies (i.e., a spot image exists only at the line A), the object is determined to be a replica. Conversely, when the video signal outputs of the lines A and B change (i.e., spot images exist at both the positions of the lines A and B), the object is determined to be a genuine finger.

0112It should be appreciated that the designated address output detected by the designated address output detecting circuit 161 is not limited to the two lines A and B. Furthermore, no restriction is made on the linear scanning of the output of the photodetector 104. That is, it is possible to check whether or not a plurality of linear outputs detected by the photo­detector 104 include a spot image, i.e., whether or not the video signal outputs have changed. Alternatively, it is possible to designate a specific area of the photodetector 104 to check whether or not each picture element (pixel) of that area contains a spot image. Consequently, the subject located on the detecting surface 151 of the transparent body 105 can be discriminated to be a replica or a genuine finger by measuring the size and position, etc., of the image of the incident point detected by the photodetector 104, as mentioned before.

0113The phenomenon whereby, when a spot beam is incident upon a finger the beam penetrates the finger and is dispersed, is peculiar to human beings, and it is impossible to produce a replica having the charac­teristics of the genuine finger as mentioned above, at least by known techniques. Even if a user tries to disassemble the fingerprint image input device of the invention, since neither a special optical system for a biological detection nor a photodetector exist, it is difficult or next to impossible to figure out the biological detecting system incorporated therein, thus resulting in a maintaining of a secure system.

0114Figures 30 and 31 show another embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the light source 101 (laser diode) for detecting the fingerprint image and the light source 102 (laser diode) for the biological detection shown in Fig. 26 are replaced by a light source 101a which emits a red light (R) and a light source 102a which emits a green light (G), respectively. In addition, the photodetector 104 in Fig. 26 is replaced by a color CCD 104a. For the photodetector l04a there is additionally provided an R, G, B separation circuit 109, which separates the colors R, G, and B. Note that the light sources 101a and 102a are provided on opposite sides of the finger and below the transparent body 105, so that the lower surface of the finger 10 located on the detection surface 151 can be illuminated with beams of light from the light sources at one time.

0115The red light R from the light source 101a wholly illuminates the finger 10, so that the light component of the light dispersed from the ridges of the fingerprint totally reflected by the critical surface of the transparent body 105 is converged onto the photodetector 104a by the optical lens 131 to obtain an image representing a pattern of ridges of a fingerprint. Since the image of the ridge pattern of the fingerprint possesses a red color component R, the image signal corresponding to the red color R is separated by the R, G, B separating circuit 109 to be sent to the image fetching circuit 107, and the fingerprint collating process is performed in the collating circuit 108.

0116On the other hand, the green light G from the light source 102a is condensed by the lens 121 to be incident on the finger in the form of a spot beam L2a, to effect the biological detection mentioned above. Namely, the spot image reflected by the illumination point of the light L2a is detected by the photodetector 104a, which is also used as a detector of the image of the fingerprint, through the lens 131. Since the spot image used for the biological detection possesses the green component G, the green image signal in the photodetector 104a is separated by the R, G, B separating circuit 109 to be fed to the designated address output detecting circuit 161 of the biological detecting circuit 106, so that the subject located on the detecting surface 151 can be determined to be a replica or a genuine finger by the signal output comparing circuit 162. Note, obviously the colors of the light emitted from the light sources 101a and 102a are not limited to red R and green G.

0117According to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 30 and 31, since the light beams L1a and L2a for detecting the fingerprint and for the biological detection can be simultaneously emitted from the respective light sources 101a and 102a, a faster detection rate can be obtained in comparison with the embodiment shown in Figs. 26 and 27 in which the light for the biological detection must be emitted immediately before the emission of the light for the detection of a fingerprint image, as mentioned before.

0118With the arrangements shown in Figs. 26 through 31, the biological detection can be effected by the optical system which is used to detect the image of a fingerprint, and accordingly, a smaller number of optical components are needed, to thereby realize a simplified fingerprint image input apparatus. Furthermore, since a special optical system for the biological detection is not provided, it is almost impossible to determine how the system operates, even when disassembled.