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Biometric & Multi-Spectral Imaging

Methode's biometric verification technology is a robust identity management tool that works with every user, every time. It provides completely accurate identification with a reliability not seen in competing technologies. The system is based on proven multi-spectral imaging technology developed by Lumidigm Inc., Methode's biometric technology partner. With this technology, customers can expect complete accuracy, even in the presence of rain, snow, mud, or dirt.

Customer Values

Works for all users all the time
Fast, intuitive method to establish identity
Nothing to carry, lose or remember
Reduced anxiety due to reliable and secure operation

Technology Values

Highly robust and repeatable
Works in extreme harsh environments
Complete solution, including onboard extractor and matcher
Off-the-shelf or custom engineered designs

Technology Fundamentals

Multi-spectral imaging allows Methode's biometric sensors to collect and process images and biometric information in a manner that is more robust, more inclusive and more reliable than all other fingerprint sensors as well as vein sensors.

Conventional fingerprint sensors rely on a contact oriented measurement approach where ridges are in contact and valleys are not in contact with the sensor surface. When contact is interrupted or disturbed, performance degrades rapidly. This can be caused by a variety of real world conditions such as contaminants on the sensor surface, dry fingers, wet fingers, dirty fingers, poor ridge expression, and interaction effects such as variable placement pressure - yet all of these conditions are common.

Multi-spectral imaging applies illumination from multiple angles of incidence and across a broad spectrum and combines this with direct imaging to collect a series of images. These multiple images are combined to reconstruct a high quality finger print from surface as well as subsurface detail and do so in a unique manner that is independent of contact based failure modes.

Applications & Capabilities

Wet Environments

Conventional biometric sensors fail to acquire images in wet and high humidity environments because fluids either fill the valleys of the fingerprint or cause corruption of the acquisition due to physical measurement effects such as capacitance.

COMMON SPECIFICATIONS

Multi-spectral imaging works in wet and high humidity environments because it can see through the moisture and does not rely on firm or consistent contact pressure on the sensor.

Dry Environments

Conventional biometric sensors fail to acquire images in dry and low humidity environments because consistent contact with the sensor platen is not achieved. No contact means no image.

COMMON SPECIFICATIONS

Multi-spectral imaging works in dry and low humidity environments because it does not rely on firm or consistent contact pressure on the sensor.

Dirty Environments

Conventional biometric sensors fail to acquire images in dirty environments because contamination can both fill the valleys of the fingerprint and cross ridges of the finger, generating image artifacts and loss of detail.

COMMON SPECIFICATIONS

Multi-spectral imaging works in dirty environments because multiple illumination angles allow light to penetrate and reflect from the skin structure behind any contamination, allowing artifacts to be removed from the image and restoring lost detail.

Elderly User

Conventional biometric sensors fail to acquire good images on users that have soft collagen or other aging effects on their fingers because ridges and valleys become more compressed, thereby presenting a poorly defined structure and surface.

COMMON SPECIFICATIONS

Multi-spectral imaging is able to identify elderly users with soft ridges, and users who may have finger surface erosion because it is able to rely on the finger substructure that remains intact to generate a high quality image.

Bright Light

Conventional biometric sensors fail to acquire images in bright light because of washout of the image caused by light bleeding under the finger.

COMMON SPECIFICATIONS

Multi-spectral imaging works in bright light because the light must travel through the finger, a much harder task, rather than around it to affect the image.