Abstract: A fingerprint enhancement system has a platen with a liquid contacting and finger-touching surface. Two collimated interrogating light beams lie below and are opposite sides of the finger-touching surface. The horizontal extensions of the light beams assume an angle of approximately forty-five degrees with the finger longitudinal axis. Side surfaces of the platen are oriented normal to the incident colliminated light beams prior to interrogation. The light beam modulated by the fingerprint passes to a reflecting mirror, imaging means and a scanner below the platen. A polarizing filter lies between the platen and reflecting mirror. A second polarizing filter lies above the platen. A contrast enhancement circuit increases the modulation of the scanned fingerprint signal and automatically adjusts the level of the modulated signal without saturation. Circuit filtering eliminates spurious input signals. Finger position sensing by a light emitting diode and photo transistor is also provided.

Abstract: The technique for optically scanning a finger to produce a fingerprint image involves positioning the finger surface to be optically scanned so that it is exposed and, in particular, is not pressed against a platen. A slit light beam along the length of the forward part of the finger is circumferentially rotated about an axis about the nominal center of the finger. A reflected slit light beam carries modulation information which is focused on a linear array of photo-electric transducers to provide the fingerprint image. The interrogating light is coherent, substantially collimated, light. The plane of the interrogating slit light beam and the plane of the reflected modulated slit light beam are coplanar thereby establishing an illumination plane. The illumination plane is parallel to the axis of the finger and is rotated about that axis during the interrogating scan.

Abstract: A curved cylindrical segment platen has a concave touching surface. An interrogating slit light beam is scanned around the platen to scan a finger held against the touching surface. An optical imaging system images the zone illuminated onto an array of photo-transducers to provide a signal representing the fingerprint. The optical system is rotated around the platen. The axis of the interrogating light beam is substantially normal to the touching surface. The axis of the imaging system is off normal by about 56 degrees, an amount which is greater than a critical angle equal to the maximum angle of refraction in the platen. This critical angle is approximately 41 degrees. The axis of the imaging system is also off normal to the non-touching surface by an angle that is less than this critical angle of 41 degrees and thus less than the angle of total internal reflection. As a consequence, the image at the photo-transducers provides a completely dark valley zone and a sharply contrasting light image ridge zone.

Abstract: A fingerprint processing apparatus is capable of generating a roll fingerprint image on a flat plane without distorting the image of the fingerprint. The apparatus includes a source of an interrogating light beam, optical scanning equipment, an array of photoelectric transducers, lenses, and electrical scanning equipment. A cylindrical-segment platen is provided having an upper surface with an anti-reflective coating which receives, positions and supports a finger, and a lower surface which receives and transmits the interrogating light beam. A finger positioned on the upper platen surface modulates the interrogating light beam to provide a reflected light beam having fingerprint information. A motor rotates the light source, optical scanning equipment, array, lenses, and an element of the electrical scanning equipment. The axis of rotation of the optical scanning equipment is substantially the same as the axis of the upper surface of the platen.

Abstract: A pair of wire positioning guides having spaced-apart parallel edges define a channel within which a wire is confined. A pair of wire engaging rollers are rotatably disposed along the channel on opposite sides of the guides. The rotational axes of the rollers define an acute angle with respect to the channel. Rotational movement of the rollers is thus interlocked with linear movement of the wire.