A personal authentication system of this invention has a card reader, in
which a bar code reading device for reading a two-dimensional barcode
containing personal data, a CMOS image sensor for producing face data by
photographing the face of a person, and a fingerprint reading device for
producing fingerprint data by reading the fingerprint of the person are
assembled as one unit. A personal computer performs a projection
transform and a brightness correction to the barcode read by the card
reader for acquiring accurate data. Then, the personal data, the face
data, and the fingerprint data are compared with database for
authenticating the person. Therefore, this invention achieves more
accurate personal authentication and leads to improved security.