Patent ID: 8433103

Claim:
A multimodal biometric identification system, comprising: a first imaging system that detects one or more subjects in a first field of view, the one or more subjects including a targeted subject having a first biometric characteristic including a face and a second biometric characteristic including at least one iris corresponding to an eye of the targeted subject, wherein the first imaging system only receives passive illumination photons reflected from the one or more subjects to detect the first biometric characteristic, the passive illumination photons being generated by a source external to the multimodal biometric identification system and having at least one of a visible wavelength, a near-infrared wavelength, and an infrared wavelength; a second imaging system that captures a first image of the first biometric characteristic according to first photons reflecting from the first biometric characteristic, the first biometric characteristic being positioned in a second field of view which is smaller than the first field of view, and the first image including first data for biometric identification; a third imaging system that captures a second image of the second biometric characteristic according to second photons reflecting from the second biometric characteristic, the second biometric characteristic being positioned in a third field of view which is smaller than the first and second fields of view, and the second image including second data for biometric identification; at least one active illumination source that emits the second photons to be reflected from the second biometric characteristic, the at least one active illumination source further configured to reduce, via a filter, visible illumination from the at least one active illumination source; and a controller that operates the first imaging system, the second imaging system, the third imaging system, and the at least one illumination source according to programmed instructions, the controller comprising at least one of: one or more independent sub-controllers and one or more interdependent sub-controllers wherein the controller does not control the source external to the multimodal biometric identification system, the controller being configured to receive the first and second data for biometric identification and to biometrically identify the targeted subject by processing both the first and second data in combination, wherein the controller is further configured to align the second field of view according to the first biometric characteristic.