Abstract: A biometric image capturing apparatus includes an irradiating unit configured to irradiate a subject with light, a camera configured to capture an image of the subject, a polarizing unit which is disposed on an optical path between the irradiating unit and the camera, and configured to allow passage of light in a first polarization direction and light in a second polarization direction, a processor configured to perform computation using a first image captured by the camera according to the light in the first polarization direction that has passed through the polarizing unit and a second image captured by the camera according to the light in the second polarization direction that has passed through the polarizing unit, and to determine whether the subject is a biological body according to a result of the computation performed by the computing unit.

Abstract: A method includes acquiring, from a touch panel, a contact position of a manipulating body and contact information that indicates a degree to which the manipulating body is in contact at the contact position, acquiring, from a camera, a plurality of images captured while the manipulating body is in contact with a plurality of mutually different positions on the touch panel due to manipulations with the manipulating body, creating variation information that indicates a variation in contact information, according to a plurality of contact information corresponding to the plurality of contact positions, and deciding, according to the variation information, suitability of the plurality of images in the biometric authentication to be executed using the plurality of images.

Abstract: An illumination device includes M light sources provided on a surface of a substrate, a diffraction optical element configured to diffract light from the M light sources to irradiate N illuminating areas into which an illuminating region is segmented, and a control unit. The control unit turns on L=M/N light sources of each of first through Nth light source groups during first through Nth time intervals, respectively, and successively irradiates the light from the on L light sources of the first through Nth light source groups in time division onto first through N illuminating areas forming the illuminating region, where M and N are natural numbers greater than or equal to 2, and L is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

Abstract: A biometric imaging device includes a processor that outputs an instruction of an operation position on an input device, in response to detection of a first input to the input device, and a camera that captures a biometric image after the detection of the first input.

Abstract: A terminal apparatus includes an information input device that detects a coordinate value of an input operation position touched by a user, a biometric sensor that captures a capture area of a palm of the user at a time of an input operation to the information input device, to generate biometric data, and a processor. The processor performs a process including matching the biometric data to a corresponding portion of registered biometric data registered in advance and read based on the coordinate value, to compute a similarity of the biometric data to the corresponding portion.

Abstract: A device includes an illumination device that casts light of a prescribed polarization direction on a scattering body, a camera that picks up images of the scattering body at a plurality of different polarization angles, and a processor that executes a process of generating and outputting an inner layer image, of an inner layer of an inside of the scattering body, in response to a depth from a surface of the scattering body on the basis of the images of the scattering body picked up at the plurality of different polarization angles.

Abstract: A biometric authentication device includes: a function module which executes a predetermined function; a biometric information acquisition unit which acquires biometric information of a user; a distance measurement unit which measures a distance to the user to output a measured value of the distance; a storage unit which stores data representing biometric information of a registrant; a biometric authentication unit which compares the acquired biometric information of the user with the biometric information of the registrant and authenticates the user when the biometric information of the user matches the biometric information of the registrant; a determination unit which determines whether or not to allow use of the predetermined function according to a temporal change of the measured value of the distance after the user has been authenticated; and a function control unit which controls enabling and disabling of the function module based on a determination result of the determination unit.

Abstract: An illumination apparatus is disclosed, which includes a light source configured to generate light for an illumination area to be illuminated, and a diffraction grating element provided between the illumination area and the light source, and including a plurality of diffraction gratings arranged in a two dimensional array. A distribution of grating intervals of the diffraction gratings in the diffraction grating element has a characteristic such that a center region, along a predetermined line in a plane of the two dimensional array, has a greater grating interval than an end region.

Abstract: A biometric authentication device includes a photographing unit configured to photograph a biological body and acquire biological body information; an authentication unit configured to match registered biological body information that is registered in advance with the biological body information and perform authentication; a posture determination unit configured to determine steadiness of a posture of the biological body based on history of posture information relevant to the posture of the biological body when photographed; and an update determination unit configured to determine to update the registered biological body information when the posture determination unit determines that the posture of the biological body is steady.

Abstract: An imaging device that generates a taken image of an object in an image area by taking an image of each line structuring the image area, includes: an inclination estimate unit that estimates an inclination of the object based on a portion of the taken image corresponding to a first line and a portion of the taken image corresponding to a second line; an image estimate unit that estimates an image of the object to be generated when the image is taken having an inclination estimated by the inclination estimate unit, based on the inclination; and a correction process unit that corrects the taken image based on a result of a comparison between the taken image and the image estimated by the image estimated unit.

Abstract: A biometric authentication apparatus includes a storage unit which stores first shape data representing a shape of biometric information of a registered user's hand with fingers at a first posture and second shape data representing a shape of biometric information of the hand with the fingers at a second posture; a posture specification unit which calculates an index representing a third posture of fingers of a user's hand in a biometric image; a biometric information extraction unit which generates third shape data representing a shape of biometric information of the user's hand in the biometric image; and a correction unit which obtains corrected shape data by correcting the first or the second shape data to cancel a shape difference of the biometric information due to a difference between the third posture and the first or the second posture based on the index for matching.

Abstract: An illumination device includes M light sources provided on a surface of a substrate, a diffraction optical element configured to diffract light from the M light sources to irradiate N illuminating areas into which an illuminating region is segmented, and a control unit. The control unit turns on L=M/N light sources of each of first through Nth light source groups during first through Nth time intervals, respectively, and successively irradiates the light from the on L light sources of the first through Nth light source groups in time division onto first through N illuminating areas forming the illuminating region, where M and N are natural numbers greater than or equal to 2, and L is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

Abstract: An information terminal includes acquiring an image of a first subject that is captured by a first sensor provided on a back surface of a surface on which a screen of the information terminal is disposed, and when displaying the image on the screen, changing a degree of scaling up/down of the image and a position at which the image is displayed in accordance with a position of a second subject that is imaged by a second sensor provided to the information terminal.

Abstract: A biometric authentication apparatus includes: a storage unit which stores representative matching data representing features of biometric information of a registered user and representing conditions of a designated body part of the registered user, each representing one of at least two different portions of a variation range over which the condition of the body part containing the registered user's biometric information varies due to cyclic environmental variations; a biometric information acquiring unit which generates a biometric image representing biometric information of a user; a matching data generating unit which generates, from the biometric image, input matching data that represents the features of the biometric information of the user; a matching unit which matches the input matching data against at least one of the representative matching data; and an authentication judging unit which judges, based on a result of the matching, whether the user is to be authenticated or not.

Abstract: A biometric data detection device includes a biometric authentication sensor electrically connected to a data processing terminal through a connecting member, a housing that houses the biometric authentication sensor, a window portion that acquires biometric data to be authenticated by the biometric authentication sensor and that is formed in the housing, and an attachment member that is rotatably provided at the housing and that renders the housing rotatable in a state in which the housing is attached to the data processing terminal.

Abstract: An image correction apparatus includes a correction amount calculating unit which calculates, in response to a position of a hand on an image, a correction amount for placing the hand to face an imaging unit included in an image acquiring unit for generating the image; and a correcting unit which corrects an estimated coordinate representing a position of a point in a real space corresponding to each pixel included in a region in which the hand is captured in the image in accordance with the correction amount, and projects each of the points after the correction on a corrected image to generate the corrected image.

Abstract: An illumination device includes a light source provided on a surface of a substrate and configured to emit light, and a diffraction optical element having a plurality of diffraction gratings with different pitch and rotating direction, and configured to diffract the light into illumination light that illuminates an illumination region of an illuminating target. The illuminating region is larger than an area occupied by the diffraction optical element and the light source provided on the surface of the substrate.

Abstract: A biometric authentication device includes: a function module which executes a predetermined function; a biometric information acquisition unit which acquires biometric information of a user; a distance measurement unit which measures a distance to the user to output a measured value of the distance; a storage unit which stores data representing biometric information of a registrant; a biometric authentication unit which compares the acquired biometric information of the user with the biometric information of the registrant and authenticates the user when the biometric information of the user matches the biometric information of the registrant; a determination unit which determines whether or not to allow use of the predetermined function according to a temporal change of the measured value of the distance after the user has been authenticated; and a function control unit which controls enabling and disabling of the function module based on a determination result of the determination unit.

Abstract: A biometric authentication apparatus includes a biometric information acquiring unit which captures an image of a first body part of a user carrying biometric information to generate a biometric image representing the biometric information, and a processing unit configured to determine a position of a second body part of the user on a position detection image to determine the user's position relative to a reference position, determine a rotation angle corresponding to the user's position based on a relationship between the user's position relative to the reference position and the rotation angle, rotate registered biometric information of a registered user or the biometric information on the biometric image according to the rotation angle so as to make the direction of the registered biometric information substantially parallel to the direction of the biometric information, and compare the registered biometric information and the biometric information to each other.

Abstract: A biometric authentication device that authenticates a user using biological features of the user, the biometric authentication device includes: an illumination unit configured to illuminate a target which represents the biological features; an image sensor configured to obtain a first captured image by capturing the target illuminated by the illumination unit, and obtain a second captured image by capturing the target not illuminated by the illumination unit; an acquisition unit configured to acquire from a storage unit a mask which has a target area approximating the shape of the target in the first and second captured images obtained by the image sensor; and a detection unit configured to detect light other than illumination light illuminated by the illumination unit based on the mask acquired by the acquisition unit and at least one of the first and second images.