The Best Fingerprint Recognition Hardware?

[Mr OC]

Hello.

I am trying to create a LabView VI wihch will acquire and process a fingerprint image.

I have difficulty choosing the best suited hardware for the acquisition.

Throughout the research process, I found some infomation on the microsoft fingerprint reader.

However, I was wondering if the fingerprint acquisition would be possible with other kinds of hardware, such as webcam or different fingerprint reader with easier approach.

Thank you.

OC

[Robert_Eastlund · Accepted solution]

Dear OC,

A monochrome camera and monochromatic light source would be preferrable to a color web camera for assembling a fingerprint scanner.  The real trick is the optics that are used not the camera.  There is a document describing the various techniques used to image fingerprints located at http://ewkmmc.tuwien.ac.at/wkmp/fileadmin/user_upload/lehre/rp/ss2007/gr1_SFF.pdf.  Note: the platen of the FTIR scanners are often coated with silicone.

However, there are off the shelf fingerprint scanners that can be integrated with the NI products, for example http://www.solkey.com/Technology%20Vendors/Cross%20Match/Verifier/CMT_verifier_300_RS170.htm.  Here, the RS-170 video ouput from the scanner can be acquired via an NI PCI-1405 framegrabber.

-Robert Eastlund

[Mr OC]

Dear Mr.Eastlund,

     Thank you for the helpful advice, and for the references. I would be experimenting with a monochromatic system which consists of a usb webcam that has been set up for IR detection and makes use of LEDs to illuminate the area of interest (fingerprint). Hopefully this can get us a 'good enough' image that we can work with.

Thank you,

OC