Design and Implementation of a Long Range Iris Recognition System

Iris recognition is widely regarded as one of the most unique methods for subject identification. The practical application of iris recognition is primarily limited by constraints imposed on subjects to enable the collection of images of sufficient quality for recognition. This paper introduces the Iris-at-a-Distance (IAAD) system. The IAAD system is a prototype that illustrates the feasibility of iris recognition at a distance of 30 meters. The system uses a wide-field-of-view camera to locate a subject via face and eye detection. A narrow-field-of-view camera, attached to an 8-inch telescope, is then pointed to the first detected eye. Images taken from the iris acquisition camera are then processed for identification. This system acquires iris images from a subject within the capture volume in an average of four seconds.