DISTRIBUTED BIOMETRIC ACCESS CONTROL APPARATUS AND METHOD

An access control apparatus and method. Enrollment is conducted at a centralized server and enrollment data, such as identification data is downloaded to plural local access units at respective entrances to a restricted area. The local access units then collect data of a person upon an attempted entry in to the area and compare the data with downloaded enrollment data to determine if the person is authorized for access. If the person is authorized, an access control device is operated to open a door, gate, or the like of the entrance. The enrollment data can be biometric data and the same type or different type of biometric data can be collected at the local access units. If a different type of data is collected at the local access units and is correlated to data stored on the local access unit, data of the same type as the downloaded data is collected and compared to the downloaded data for access control. The enrollment data can be non environmentally affected data, such as fingerprint parameter data and the different type of data can be environmentally affected data, such as facial parameter data.