Patent ID: 7298874

Claim:
A method of processing an image of an eye, the method comprising: providing data representing an image of an eye comprising an image of an iris of the eye, the iris image being defined between inner and outer boundaries, the eye image comprising a plurality of pixels, the eye image data comprising location information and image information for each pixel of the eye image; providing location information of the inner boundary of the iris image, wherein a first inner boundary pixel and a second inner boundary pixel are located at different points on the inner boundary; finding a first outer boundary pixel located on a first imaginary line extending from the first inner boundary pixel, wherein a pixel located on the first imaginary line is determined to be the first outer boundary pixel when the difference of the image information between the pixel and its neighboring pixel which are located on the first imaginary line becomes the maximum among differences of the image information between two neighboring pixels located on the first imaginary line; finding a second outer boundary pixel located on a second imaginary line extending from the second inner boundary pixel, wherein a pixel located on the second imaginary line is determined to be the second outer boundary pixel when the difference of the image information between the pixel and its neighboring pixel which are located on the second imaginary line becomes the maximum among differences of the image information between two neighboring pixels located on the second imaginary line; and using at least one of the first outer boundary pixel and the second outer boundary pixel for further processing.