WO2015117674A1

WO2015117674A1 - Method for unlocking a mobile communication device and a device thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2015117674A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/052488
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jacob Lerenius; Hakan LUNDKVIST; Patrik Dai Javad
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2014-02-07
Filing date: 2014-02-07
Publication date: 2015-08-13
Anticipated expiration: 2016-08-07

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for unlocking a mobile communication device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving at least one image of a user's ear from a camera unit of said mobile communication device; obtaining one or more first biometric identifiers from said at least one image of the ear; comparing the one or more first biometric identifiers with one or more stored second biometric identifiers; and unlocking said mobile communication device if the one or more first biometric identifiers match the one or more second biometric identifiers. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a mobile communication device, a computer program, and a computer program product thereof.

Description

METHOD FOR UNLOCKING A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE AND A

DEVICE THEREOF

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a method for unlocking a mobile communication device. Furthermore, the invention also relates to a corresponding mobile communication device, a computer program, and a computer program product thereof.

Background

There are many studied methods of identifying people e.g. by using different biometric information such as Iris scan, fingerprints, face characteristics, ear characteristics etc. Many times, these technologies come from crime investigation or access security systems.

When using a mobile phone that can be in a locked and an unlocked state a similar problem is found: how to identify the correct user or users of the mobile phone so as to provide its data or functions. Current methods in the art for unlocking mobile phones are e.g. PIN codes, passwords, graphical patterns, face recognition, and fingerprints. The two latter are examples of so called biometric identification methods. PIN codes and passwords consist of a phrase or series of letters/numbers that are entered into the device using an input device, such as a keyboard. However, the drawbacks with PIN codes and passwords are that someone else can see what is being typed and access the device. The method can also be very slow if the password or code is long. Further, the number of combinations is almost infinite but in many cases, when a user selects a common or a short PIN code or password, the method is not secure.

Face recognition on the other hand has the drawback that users may feel uncomfortable placing the phone in front of their face and waiting for a picture to be taken since this is not a very discrete method. This method is generally secure, but as a face appearance changes a lot over time and depending on mood and accessories (such as glasses) this method is not as secure when being relaxed to work well across these limitations. Fingerprints is a very secure method for identification of users but is considered personal and often associated with criminal investigations. There is also a rather large risk that someone has an accident that may change the appearance of the finger temporarily or permanent, such as a cut or a burn on the finger.

Summary

An objective of the present invention is to provide a solution which mitigates or solves the drawbacks and problems of prior art solutions. Another objective is to provide a discrete solution to the problem of unlocking a mobile communication device.

According to a first aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved by a method for unlocking a mobile communication device, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at least one image of a user's ear from a camera unit of said mobile communication device;

obtaining one or more first biometric identifiers from said at least one image of the ear; comparing the one or more first biometric identifiers with one or more stored second biometric identifiers; and

unlocking said mobile communication device if the one or more first biometric identifiers match the one or more second biometric identifiers.

According to an embodiment of the method, the method further comprises the step of using the one or more first biometric identifiers for accessing stored information in said mobile device, such as documents and security information.

According to another embodiment of the method, the method further comprises the step of using the one or more first biometric identifiers for accessing one or more program applications in said mobile communication device. According to yet another embodiment of the method, the method further comprises the step of using the one or more first biometric identifiers for authentication of different types of calls with different price rates or to different recipients. According to yet another embodiment of the method, the method further comprises the step of using the one or more first biometric identifiers for validating mobile payments.

According to yet another embodiment of the method, the second biometric identifiers are stored in a memory of said mobile communication device.

According to yet another embodiment of the method, the one or more first biometric identifiers are obtained from ear characteristics.

According to yet another embodiment of the method, the step of unlocking involves unlocking said mobile communication device if the one or more first biometric identifiers match the one or more second biometric identifiers, and if a further security check is fulfilled relating to any in the group comprising: PIN code, graphical pattern, iris scan, fingerprints, and face recognition. According to yet another embodiment of the method, the step of receiving involves receiving at least one image of the user's right ear and at least one image of the user's left ear; and the step of obtaining involves obtaining one or more first biometric identifiers from the at least one image of the user's right ear and the at least one image of the user's left ear. According to yet another embodiment of the method, said mobile communication device is a communication device arranged for providing phone calls: mobile phone, tablet and phablet.

The present method can be executed in a mobile communication device as programming instructions of a computer program stored in a computer readable medium.

According to a second aspect of the invention, the above mentioned and other objectives are achieved with a mobile communication device arranged for mobile communication in a wireless communication system, the mobile communication device further being arranged to be in a locked state and an unlocked state; the mobile communication device comprising a processor arranged to:

receive at least one image of a user's ear from a camera unit of said mobile communication device;

obtain one or more first biometric identifiers from said at least one image of the ear by process said at least one image;

compare the one or more first biometric identifiers with one or more stored second biometric identifiers; and

unlock said mobile communication device in the locked state if the one or more first biometric identifiers match the one or more second biometric identifiers.

The present mobile communication device corresponds to the different methods in the mobile communication device according to the invention which means that the mobile communication device can be modified, mutatis mutandis, according to all embodiments of the method according to the present invention.

The present invention provides a solution which increases security without violating privacy and integrity as prior art biometric methods. Further, the invention provides a discreet way for authentication rather than PIN codes, passwords or other biometric identifiers known in the art. The invention also uses biometric information that does not change as much over time and depending on the mood of the user which is beneficial when unlocking mobile communication devices.

Moreover, the present invention provides a very discrete solution to the problem of unlocking a mobile communication device in the locked states as placing the device close to the ear for ear recognition is not considered unusual since these types of devices are used for making mobile telephone calls.

Further applications and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.

Brief Description of the Drawings The appended drawings are intended to clarify and explain different embodiments of the present invention, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a method and a mobile communication device according to the present invention;

- Fig. 2 illustrates examples of unique identifiers obtained from an image of the ear characteristics; and

Fig. 3 illustrates an alternative mobile communication device according to the present invention. Detailed Description of the Invention

In a mobile communication device, such as a mobile phone, there are a lot of personal information, such as contact information, messages, emails, files and even passwords and business secrets. Keeping the information safe has always been a problem and even though a method is considered safe it may be too complex to use to that a user actually misuses it to overcome the problem. One such example is the rules applied to PIN codes and passwords, e.g. a long password or a password including both letters and numbers. In this case a user may use a really simple password such as "123abc" or "00000000" to speed up the process and the security is very low. To make it easier for users of mobile communication devices to maintain a high security measure for unlocking the phone or accessing certain parts of the phone, biometrics can be used which combine simplicity and security.

For example, the ear biometrics can be obtained by analysing the physical appearance and form of the ear. This bio metric information can be used to identify a user. Previous research even shows that the ear is a more secure way of identification than the face. For example, the ear does not change much depending on mood or age. Further, there are a lot of so called unique identifiers in the ear which is easy to capture with the camera unit of a mobile communication device.

Therefore, the present invention relates to a method for unlocking a mobile communication device which is in a locked state. When the device is in the locked state an input interface is often provided such as a screen and/or a keyboard for the user to input authentication information. For the user to be able to access the device a security check has to be made as described above with e.g. PIN codes or graphical patterns. The idea with the present invention is to use ear biometrics of the user in this respect. Hence, with reference to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 the present method comprises the steps of:

• Receiving at least one image of a user's ear from a camera unit of a mobile communication device. This is shown in Fig. 1 in which one or more images are taken of the user's ear by the camera unit of the mobile communication device and sent to a processing unit of the device, i.e. a processor;

• Obtaining one or more first biometric identifiers from said at least one image of the ear. The processor receives the image(s) and "extracts" biometric identifiers from the image using known methods analysing methods;

• Comparing the one or more first biometric identifiers with one or more stored second biometric identifiers. The processor, after obtaining the first biometric identifiers, compares these with corresponding second biometric identifiers which e.g. can be stored in a memory of the mobile communication device as illustrated in Fig. 1; and

• Unlocking said mobile communication device if the one or more first biometric identifiers match the one or more second biometric identifiers. If the first biometric and second identifiers match each other the mobile communication device is unlocked. This can e.g. be achieved by the processor sending a control signal to other units of the device so that the user has access to the mobile communication device.

The matching may relate to the fact that the first and second biometric identifiers are identical or match to a certain degree depending on the security level required. Different algorithms for matching are well known in the art.

When the user holds the mobile communication device on the side of the head and in front of the camera unit image(s) can be obtained and sent/transferred to the processor of the device for image processing and analysing. Different unique first identifiers can obtained from the image of the human ear and there are several methods available in prior art on how to convert the physical appearance of the ear based on the ear characteristics into so called biometric identifiers. Fig. 2 illustrates how biometric identifiers can be obtained from an image of a user's ear in which the different ear characteristics is analysed. Reference characteristics are used to obtain biometric identifiers from the user's ear(s).

These biometric identifiers are stored as references when the security feature relating to locking of the device (or any other functions such as file access) is set up. The next time a user is being identified, the obtained first identifiers are compared with the stored second reference biometric identifiers to determine if there is a match or not. Several references may be used to increase the chances of a correct match or to identify several different people or both ears (right and left ears) of the user. It is preferred that the second biometric identifiers are stored in the memory of the mobile communication device for fast access and processing, but the information about the second identifiers can also be stored in a remote location (e.g. remote server) and sent to the mobile communication device on request. If the information is stored in a remote location the present security solution can be used in multiple mobile communication devices.

The present invention presents a new way to unlock a mobile communication device by providing a secure way to bind the user of a mobile communication device with its unique biometric identifiers obtained using one or more images of the ear of the user. According to an embodiment of the invention both ears of the user is used for unlocking the mobile communication device. This means that images of both the right and left ears is used when obtaining the first biometric identifiers and using them for unlocking. This embodiment provides an improved security level compared to the method using only one ear. According to other preferred embodiments of the invention, the one or more first biometric identifiers can be used for other purposes than unlocking the device. Also for these embodiments the first biometric identifiers are compared with corresponding second biometric identifiers for deciding if the first biometric identifiers are match/valid, i.e. are correct.

According to a first aspect the one or more first biometric identifiers are used for accessing stored information in the mobile device, such as documents and security information. That is, a similar prompt to the one shown when unlocking the device will be shown to the user if a request to such protected information in the device is requested. When the user is granted access, the information will be accessible for the user.

According to a second aspect the one or more first biometric identifiers are used for accessing one or more program applications in the mobile communication device. When a user tries to access an application that is categorised as protected, a confirmation is done to verify the access. This is done in a similar way as when unlocking the device and if there is a biometric match, the user is granted access to the application. According to a third aspect the one or more first biometric identifiers are used for authentication of different types of calls with different price rates or to certain recipients. When a user tries to dial some protected numbers or a family of numbers, the user will be prompted to prove his or her identity by matching the biometrics of the ear. Moreover, this can be implemented by a company or organizational policy to make sure the caller is the intended caller. In case of a remote identification, the biometric information may be stored in either the device or in the company or organization's servers. Two users may also pair their devices to make sure the other person calling is the intended person and no one else. In this case, the biometric data may be stored in the other device or in a third device such as a server. According to a fourth aspect the one or more first biometric identifiers are used for validating mobile payments. When the mobile payment is set up, the user can select the present method of identification as the "identification of choice" and then granting permission for the payment by comparing the ear biometrics with the data stored on the device. It may also be a solution to store the biometric information on a server on the mobile payment network.

It should be realised that all above aspects can be used together with the use of identification of biometrics deriving from one ear or two ears e.g. depending on the security level needed.

However, for even more improved security levels one or more of known prior art methods for unlocking can be used together with the present invention. It is realised that the security process takes longer time but will have higher security level. Examples of known methods are PIN codes, graphical patterns, iris scanning, fingerprints, and face recognition. According to yet another embodiment of the invention more than one user are allowed to unlock the mobile communication device. This e.g. allows for different people to log into the same device on a multiuser system such as Google Android 4.3+, etc. In this way, the system knows not only is a user is allowed to access the device, but also who it is and log the person into the correct multiuser environment. This is beneficial in a multiuser environment where multiple users share the same device. In a family, a child should for example not be able to access everything. Another example is a company where several employees share one device.

Moreover, as understood by the person skilled in the art, any method according to the present invention may also be implemented in a computer program, having code means, which when run by processing means causes the processing means to execute the steps of the method. The computer program is included in a computer readable medium of a computer program product. The computer readable medium may comprises of essentially any memory, such as a ROM (Read-Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), an EPROM (Erasable PROM), a Flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), or a hard disk drive.

Furthermore, the present method in the mobile communication device can be implemented and executed in suitable device e.g. as illustrated in Fig. 1. It is realized by the skilled person that the present device may comprise the necessary communication capabilities in the form of e.g., functions, means, units, elements, etc., for executing the methods according to the invention which means that the devices can be modified, mutatis mutandis, according to any method of the present invention. Examples of other such means, units, elements and functions are: memory, encoders, decoders, mapping units, multipliers, interleavers, deinterleavers, modulators, demodulators, inputs, outputs, antennas, amplifiers, DSPs, MSDs, TCM encoder, TCM decoder, etc. which are suitably arranged together.

Especially, the processors of the present devices may comprise, e.g., one or more instances of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a processing unit, a processing circuit, a processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a microprocessor, or other processing logic that may interpret and execute instructions. The expression "processor" may thus represent a processing circuitry comprising a plurality of processing circuits, such as, e.g., any, some or all of the ones mentioned above. The processing circuitry may further perform data processing functions for inputting, outputting, and processing of data comprising data buffering and device control functions, such as call processing control, user interface control, or the like. The present mobile communication device comprises at least one processor which is arranged to execute the method in the mobile communication device according to the present invention. This is illustrated in Fig. 1 as described in the above description. According to this embodiment the processor is arranged to receive at least one image of a user's ear from a camera unit of said mobile communication device; obtain one or more first biometric identifiers from said at least one image of the ear by process said at least one image; compare the one or more first biometric identifiers with one or more stored second biometric identifiers; and unlock said mobile communication device in the locked state if the one or more first biometric identifiers match the one or more second biometric identifiers. Alternatively, according to another embodiment of the invention the present mobile communication device comprises dedicated units for the performance of the present method steps which is illustrated in Fig. 3. The present device according to this alternative comprises: a camera unit for taking one or more images of the ear(s); a receiving unit for receiving the image, an obtaining unit for obtaining the one or more first biometric identifiers from the image; a comparing unit for comparing the first biometric identifiers with the stored second biometric identifiers; and an unlocking unit for unlocking the mobile communication device if the first biometric identifiers match the second biometric identifiers.

The present communication device is arranged for communication in a wireless communication system, such as GSM, UMTS (TD-SCDMA, CDMA2000 and WCDMA), WLAN, LTE, LTE Advanced, and WiMax. The device may have capabilities to provide mobile phone calls. Examples of devices are mobile phones (e.g. UEs), tablets and phablets.

Finally, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but also relates to and incorporates all embodiments within the scope of the appended independent claims.

Claims

1. Method for unlocking a mobile communication device, the method comprising the steps of: receiving at least one image of a user's ear from a camera unit of said mobile communication device;

2. Method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

using the one or more first biometric identifiers for accessing stored information in said mobile communication device, such as documents and security information.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of:

using the one or more first biometric identifiers for accessing one or more program applications in said mobile communication device.

4. Method according to any of claims 1-3, further comprising the step of:

using the one or more first biometric identifiers for authentication of different types of calls with different price rates or to different recipients.

5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of:

using the one or more first biometric identifiers for validating mobile payments.

6. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the second biometric identifiers are stored in a memory of said mobile communication device.

7. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more first biometric identifiers are obtained from ear characteristics.

8. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the step of unlocking involves: unlocking said mobile communication device if the one or more first biometric identifiers match the one or more second biometric identifiers, and if a further security check is fulfilled relating to any in the group comprising: PIN code, graphical pattern, iris scan, fingerprints, and face recognition.

9. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the step of receiving involves: receiving at least one image of the user's right ear and at least one image of the user's left ear; and the step of obtaining involves:

obtaining one or more first biometric identifiers from the at least one image of the user's right ear and the at least one image of the user's left ear.

10. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said mobile communication device is a communication device arranged for providing phone calls, such as mobile phones, tablets and phablets.

11. Computer program, characterised in code means, which when run by processing means causes said processing means to execute said method according to any of claims 1-10.

12. Computer program product comprising a computer readable medium and a computer program according to claim 11 , wherein said computer program is included in the computer readable medium, and comprises of one or more from the group: ROM (Read-Only Memory), PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), Flash memory, EEPROM (Electrically EPROM) and hard disk drive.

13. Mobile communication device arranged for mobile communication in a wireless communication system, the mobile communication device further being arranged to be in a locked state and an unlocked state; the mobile communication device comprising a processor arranged to:

obtain one or more first biometric identifiers from said at least one image of the ear by process said at least one image; compare the one or more first biometric identifiers with one or more stored second biometric identifiers; and