LG patents anti-spoof iris recognition method for smartphones

LG Electronics has been awarded a patent for a forgery-detecting iris authentication method for Android mobile devices which appears to leverage a front-facing camera, according to documents published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

According to Android Headlines the patent, filed in June, describes a technology involving the use of a camera, an illumination sensor, and the display to guide the user’s eye with a path illuminated on the display.

“Although the present invention is suitable for a wide scope of applications, it is particularly suitable for determining a presence or non-presence of a forgery of an iris more efficiently and accurately by differentiating an iris guide method according to external illuminance,” the patent document states.

LG Innotek was previously rumoured to be considering integrating iris recognition using the front-facing camera into its G6 smartphone.

Iris authentication for mobile devices has appeared to be nearing commercialization for some time, with the previously reported announcement from Bank of America that it would launch a pilot program to allow mobile banking clients to log in to the bank’s app using Samsung iris recognition technology.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  iris recognition  |  LG  |  patents  |  smartphones  |  spoof detection