JP2012238186A - Portable storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a portable storage device capable of surely preventing unauthorized authentication success using a user's fingerprint and heart rate when authenticating whether or not a storage area can be accessed.
A housing includes a groove serving as a guide for stably placing a finger when placing a finger of a user. The groove 16 is arranged so that the direction of the user's finger is oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing 11. A fingerprint reading unit 13, a light projecting unit 14, and a light receiving unit 15 are disposed on the inner side surface of the groove 16. Thereby, only when the finger is correctly placed on the fingerprint reading unit 13, the light projecting unit 14, and the light receiving unit 15, fingerprint authentication can be performed and the heart rate can be detected. When the fingerprint authentication is successful and it is determined that the detected heart rate is within the predetermined range, access to the flash memory 24 is permitted.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable storage device, and more particularly to a portable storage device that authenticates whether a storage area can be accessed based on a user's fingerprint and heart rate.

  In recent years, while information terminals such as computers are being carried, the use of carrying only necessary information and data and performing necessary processing on a visited computer has also spread. As a small storage device that carries such data, for example, there is a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory. However, such a small storage device such as a USB memory is unprotected for data protection from a third party.

  Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique for restricting access to data stored in a USB memory by fingerprint authentication.

  In addition to fingerprint authentication, it is also possible to measure biometric information and restrict access to data stored in the USB memory using the biometric information. For example, Patent Document 2 proposes a technique related to a biological information measuring device provided with a USB connection terminal.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a fingerprint collation apparatus (see FIG. 3 of Patent Document 3) that reads a fingerprint with a fingerprint reader and measures a heartbeat pattern with a single pressure sensor. Patent Document 3 describes that a single pressure sensor 6 is disposed below a finger rest portion 5a that is recessed in the front surface of the fingerprint reader 5 (see paragraph [0012] of FIG. 3 and FIG. 3). Has been.

  Patent Document 4 discloses a pulse oximeter including a fingerprint reader. In Patent Literature 4, whether the fingerprint reader 270 is outside the lower portion 150 of the pulse oximeter 100 (see paragraph [0020] of FIG. 2 in Patent Literature 4, FIG. 2), outside the upper portion 110, or upper portion. It is described that it is arranged on the side surface of the lower part (see paragraph [0020] of Patent Document 4). As another example, a sweep-type fingerprint reader 270 is disposed on the upper surface of the upper cover 350 of the lower portion 360 of the pulse oximeter 300 (see paragraph [0026] of FIG. 3 and FIG. 3). It is described.

JP 2009-251988 A JP 2007-117641 A JP 2002-056383 A JP 2010-535594 A

  In the technology of Patent Document 1, authentication is successful when a malicious third party causes the touchpad 13 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) to read a pseudo fingerprint artificially made of silicon or the like. There was a problem.

  Further, even if the technique of Patent Document 1 and the technique of Patent Document 2 are combined, there is still a problem that authentication with a pseudo fingerprint cannot be prevented. Specifically, a malicious third party causes a pseudo-fingerprint to be read with the touch pad 13 of Patent Document 1, and at the same time, the light reflection type measurement mechanism 207 (see FIG. 17) of Patent Document 2 is used by the third party. By placing his / her finger, authentication with a pseudo-fingerprint succeeds.

  Further, in Patent Document 3, a single pressure sensor 6 is arranged at the lower part of the finger placement part 5a recessed in the front surface of the fingerprint reader 5, so that a pseudo fingerprint that covers only the tip of the finger is prepared. By placing the finger with the pseudo fingerprint on the finger placement unit 5a, the authentication with the pseudo fingerprint is successful. Similarly, in Patent Document 4, the fingerprint reader 270 can read a pseudo fingerprint.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and its purpose is to perform unauthorized authentication success using a user's fingerprint and heart rate when authenticating whether a storage area can be accessed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable storage device capable of reliably preventing the occurrence of the problem.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the first invention provides a housing, a terminal disposed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the housing, connected in parallel with an electronic device, and a surface of the housing. A groove portion arranged so that the orientation of the user's finger is oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing, and a fingerprint reading portion arranged on the inner side surface of the groove portion for reading the fingerprint of the user's finger And a heart rate detection unit that is disposed on the inner side surface of the groove and detects the heart rate of the user, a storage unit that stores predetermined data in the housing, and the fingerprint reading unit An authentication unit for authenticating a user's fingerprint; and when the authentication unit determines that the fingerprint is authenticated and the heart rate of the user detected by the heart rate detection unit is within a predetermined range, Control means for permitting access to the storage means, It is portable storage device according to claim. According to the first invention, it is possible to prevent unauthorized authentication success with a pseudo fingerprint artificially made of silicon or the like.

The heart rate detection unit includes a light projecting unit that emits infrared light, and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the light projecting unit that has passed through the user's finger, and the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit Are arranged opposite to each other with the fingerprint reading unit sandwiched in the longitudinal direction of the casing.
Thereby, fingerprint authentication can be performed and the heart rate can be detected only when the finger is correctly placed on the fingerprint reading unit, the light projecting unit, and the light receiving unit. In particular, it is possible to prevent unauthorized authentication success even for a pseudo fingerprint that covers only the tip of the finger.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a portable storage device that can reliably prevent unauthorized authentication success by using a user's fingerprint and heart rate when authenticating whether or not to access a storage area. .

It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance of the USB memory to which this invention is applied. It is sectional drawing of the AA line of FIG. It is a figure which shows the electric current waveform produced | generated based on the reflected light which the light-receiving part detected. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of a USB memory. It is a flowchart explaining the authentication process of a USB memory user.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiments of the present invention]
FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are diagrams showing an external configuration example of a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a USB memory, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

  The USB memory 1 includes a flat rectangular housing 11, a USB connector (terminal) 12 disposed at one end of the housing 11, a fingerprint reading unit 13 disposed on the surface of the housing 11, and a fingerprint reading unit 13. A light projecting unit 14 and a light receiving unit 15 that are disposed to face each other in the longitudinal direction of the housing 11 are provided.

  The USB connector 12 has a function of communicating with a USB port of an electronic device such as a computer (not shown) by inserting and removing in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the housing 11 in accordance with the USB standard. The fingerprint reading unit 13 reads the fingerprint of the placed user's finger and supplies the read fingerprint image data to the fingerprint authentication unit 22 (FIG. 4).

  The light projecting unit 14 is a light source including a light emitting diode (LED) that emits infrared light, for example. The light receiving unit 15 includes a photoelectric conversion element that generates a current according to the intensity of the received light, and receives the reflected light of the light projecting unit 14 that has passed through the finger. The light projecting unit 14 and the light receiving unit 14 function as a reflective photoreflector, and measure a user's heart rate.

  Generally, hemoglobin in the bloodstream has a characteristic of absorbing infrared light. Therefore, the infrared light emitted from the light projecting unit 14 is transmitted through the fingertip, and hemoglobin absorbs the infrared light. And since the reflected light of the light projection part 14 changes with blood flow volume, the electric current value which the light-receiving part 14 produces | generates also changes like the electric current waveform shown in FIG. The heart rate can be measured by detecting the change in the current value. The vertical axis in FIG. 3 indicates a current value generated based on the reflected light detected by the light receiving unit 14, and the horizontal axis indicates time.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 1 and FIG. The case 11 has a groove 16 that serves as a guide (guide) for stably placing the finger when placing the user's finger. The groove 16 is arranged so that the direction of the user's finger is oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing 11. A fingerprint reading unit 13, a light projecting unit 14, and a light receiving unit 15 are disposed on the inner side surface of the groove 16.

  That is, the groove portion 16 functions as a guide for placing the finger for fingerprint authentication on the fingerprint reading portion 13 on the inner side surface, so that the bulge of the finger can be stably formed in the groove portion 16 as shown in FIG. It can be placed and read a fingerprint. Further, the groove portion 16 functions as a guide for placing a finger for detecting a heart rate on the light projecting portion 14 and the light receiving portion 15 so that the fingertip can be stably placed on the groove portion 16. The heart rate can be detected.

  As described above, according to the configuration of the USB memory 1 of the present invention, when the user's finger is placed on the groove portion 16, the fingertip always comes into contact with the fingerprint reading portion 13 and the projection is performed. The light part 14 and the light receiving part 15 are brought into contact with each other. That is, only when the finger is correctly placed on the fingerprint reading unit 13, the light projecting unit 14, and the light receiving unit 15, fingerprint authentication can be performed and the heart rate can be detected. Accordingly, a malicious third party can cause the fingerprint reading unit 13 to read a pseudo fingerprint artificially made of silicon or the like, and at the same time place his / her fingers on the light projecting unit 14 and the light receiving unit 15. This makes it difficult to prevent unauthorized authentication success.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the USB memory 1.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the USB memory 1 includes a USB host controller 21 that controls driving of the USB memory 1, a fingerprint authentication unit 22 that performs authentication of fingerprint image data read by the fingerprint reading unit 13, and a light receiving unit 15. A heart rate measurement unit 23 that measures the heart rate based on the current value and a flash memory 24 that functions as a storage area for storing various data.

  The USB host controller 21 controls the USB connector 12, the fingerprint authentication unit 22, the heart rate measurement unit 23, and the flash memory 24. For example, the USB host controller 21 determines that the fingerprint authentication is successful from the authentication result supplied from the fingerprint authentication unit 22, and the heart rate is within a predetermined range from the measurement result supplied from the heart rate measurement unit 23. If it is determined that there is, access to the flash memory 24 is permitted.

  The fingerprint authentication unit 22 performs fingerprint authentication by comparing the fingerprint image data supplied from the fingerprint reading unit 13 with previously registered fingerprint image data (fingerprint image data of a user permitted to access). The fingerprint authentication unit 22 supplies the authentication result to the USB host controller 21.

  The heart rate measuring unit 23 controls the light projecting unit 14 and the light receiving unit 15 and measures the heart rate of the user based on the current value (FIG. 3) supplied from the light receiving unit 15. The heart rate measuring unit 23 supplies the heart rate as a measurement result to the USB host controller 21.

  The flash memory 24 stores predetermined data input via the USB connector 12.

  Next, the USB memory user authentication process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S1, the user attaches the USB connector 12 of the USB memory 1 to the USB port of the computer. In step S <b> 2, the user places his / her finger on the groove 16 of the USB memory 1.

  In step S <b> 3, the fingerprint reading unit 13 of the USB memory 1 reads the fingerprint of the finger placed on the groove 16 and supplies fingerprint image data to the fingerprint authentication unit 22. The fingerprint authentication unit 22 performs fingerprint authentication by comparing the fingerprint image data supplied from the fingerprint reading unit 13 with the fingerprint image data registered in advance.

  In step S <b> 4, the light receiving unit 15 of the USB memory 1 receives the reflected infrared light emitted from the light projecting unit 14, generates a current according to the intensity of the received light, and supplies the current to the heart rate measuring unit 23. To do. The heart rate measuring unit 23 calculates (measures) the heart rate of the user based on the current value (FIG. 3) supplied from the light receiving unit 15.

  In step S5, the USB host controller 21 determines that the fingerprints match from the authentication result in step S3, and the heart rate calculated in step S4 is within a predetermined range (for example, 60 to 80). ), The process proceeds to step S6. The heart rate determination range is, for example, an average value when a person is at rest.

  In step S <b> 6, the USB host controller 21 permits access to the flash memory 24. In step S7, the computer recognizes the USB memory 1 connected to the USB port.

  If the USB host controller 21 determines in step S5 that the fingerprints do not match from the authentication result in step S3 or the heart rate calculated in step S4 is not within the predetermined range, step Proceed to S8. In step S <b> 8, the USB host controller 21 executes error processing and does not permit access to the flash memory 24.

[Effects of the embodiment of the invention]
1. It is possible to prevent unauthorized authentication success with artificial fingerprints artificially made of silicon or the like.

  2. Since the reflection type photo reflector is used as the module for measuring the heart rate of the user, it can be realized at low cost.

  3. It can be used for personal authentication at the time of access with a specific account or server access, or can be used for personal authentication at the time of ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) transactions.

[Modification]
1. In step S5 of FIG. 4, when the USB host controller 21 of the USB memory 1 has succeeded in fingerprint authentication and determines that the measured heart rate of the user is within a predetermined range, Although access is permitted (step S6), the present invention is not limited to this. For example, access to the flash memory 24 is not permitted unless the heart rate is within a predetermined range and the heart rate is kept constant. It may be.

  2. Access to the flash memory 24 of the USB memory 1 may be restricted according to the measured heart rate.

  The preferred embodiment of the portable storage device according to the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea disclosed in the present application, and these naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. Understood.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ......... USB memory 11 ......... Case 12 ......... USB connector 13 ......... Fingerprint reading part 14 ......... Light emitting part 15 ......... Light receiving part 16 ......... Groove part 21 ......... USB host controller 22 ………… Fingerprint authentication unit 23 ……… Heart rate measurement unit 24 ……… Flash memory

Claims (2)

A housing,
A terminal disposed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the housing, connected in parallel with an electronic device; and
A groove portion disposed on the surface of the housing such that the orientation of the user's finger is oriented parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing;
A fingerprint reading unit that is disposed on the inner side surface of the groove and reads a fingerprint of the user's finger;
A heart rate detector that is disposed on the inner side surface of the groove and detects the heart rate of the user;
Storage means for storing predetermined data in the housing;
Authentication means for authenticating the fingerprint of the user read by the fingerprint reading unit;
Control means for permitting access to the storage means when the fingerprint is authenticated by the authentication means and the heart rate of the user detected by the heart rate detection unit is within a predetermined range; ,
A portable storage device comprising: The heart rate detection unit includes a light projecting unit that emits infrared light, and a light receiving unit that receives reflected light of the light projecting unit that has passed through the user's finger,
The portable storage device according to claim 1, wherein the light projecting unit and the light receiving unit are arranged to face each other with the fingerprint reading unit interposed therebetween in a longitudinal direction of the housing.

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