JP4870188B2 - Information processing apparatus and authentication method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that performs user authentication and an authentication method thereof.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a technique for locking and unlocking a function of a device by user authentication is known to prevent unauthorized use. For example, Patent Document 1 below describes a security system capable of locking and unlocking functions of a mobile phone using an external communication device. In this system, when a call is established between another communication device and the mobile phone and the answering function of the mobile phone is activated, if a predetermined key input operation is performed from the other communication device, The function is locked or unlocked.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-32369

  When a key input is requested for authentication as in Patent Document 1, the user needs to move his / her finger to the key to be pressed, and the operation is complicated. In addition, when a plurality of characters are assigned to one key, such as a mobile phone, it may be necessary to press the key multiple times to input one character. It is troublesome.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides an information processing apparatus and an authentication method capable of authenticating a user with a simple operation.

The information processing apparatus of the present invention is an information processing apparatus including a camera, the pattern of change in the amount of light detected by the camera, a detecting means for detecting a user's tap operation to the casing, it is detected The pattern of change in the amount of light detected by the detection means and the camera is indicated by a repetition pattern of brightness and darkness expressed by a combination of durations of each light state and each dark state . Storage means for storing in advance as pattern information indicating a pattern , wherein the pattern information is information indicating a light / dark repetitive pattern represented by a combination of durations of each light state and each dark state ; An authentication method for collating the pattern of the tap operation detected by the detection means with the pattern information stored in the storage means and authenticating the user when they match. And, equipped with a.

Further, the authentication method of the present invention is an authentication method executed by an information processing apparatus including a camera, and a user's tap operation to the housing of the information processing apparatus is determined according to a pattern of change in the amount of light detected by the camera. A detection step for detecting, wherein the detected tap operation pattern is indicated by a light / dark repetition pattern represented by a combination of durations of each light state and each dark state. and the pattern of the tap operation is stored in the storage unit of the information processing apparatus, collates the pattern information indicating a pattern of the tap operation, a authentication step of authenticating the user if they match, the The storage means stores a light amount change pattern detected by the camera as pattern information, and the pattern information is stored in each bright state and each dark state. Is information indicating the brightness of the repeating pattern represented by a combination of the duration of state, including a authentication step.

  According to such an information processing apparatus and authentication method, user authentication is performed by collating a tap operation performed on the casing of the information processing apparatus with pattern information stored in advance. Thereby, the user can authenticate himself only by tapping a housing | casing. That is, the user can be authenticated by a simple operation.

  According to such an information processing apparatus and authentication method, user authentication is performed by collating a tap operation performed on the housing with a pattern stored in advance, so that the user can be performed with a simple operation. Can be authenticated.

It is a figure which shows the function structure of the mobile telephone which concerns on embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the mobile telephone shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the pattern information which the database shown in FIG. 1 memorize | stores. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation of the mobile phone shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the function structure of the mobile telephone which concerns on a modification. It is a figure which shows the example of the pattern information which the database shown in FIG. 5 memorize | stores.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, the information processing apparatus according to the present invention is applied to a mobile phone. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  First, the function and configuration of the mobile phone 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the mobile phone 1 includes an authentication request unit 11, a camera unit (detection unit) 12, a database (storage unit) 13, an authentication unit (authentication unit) 14, a function control unit 15, and functional components. A display unit 16 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile phone 1 includes a CPU 101 that executes an operating system, application programs, and the like, a main storage unit 102 that includes a ROM and a RAM, an auxiliary storage unit 103 that includes a memory, The communication control unit 104 performs data communication, the display unit 105 includes a liquid crystal monitor, and the operation unit 106 includes input keys. Each function shown in FIG. 1 reads predetermined software on the CPU 101 and the main storage unit 102, operates the communication control unit 104 under the control of the CPU 101, and controls the main storage unit 102 and the auxiliary storage unit 103. This is realized by reading and writing data.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the authentication request unit 11 is a part that requests the camera unit 12 and the display unit 16 to start authentication processing when an event requiring authentication occurs in the mobile phone 1. Here, the events requiring authentication are, for example, power-on of the mobile phone 1, opening operation when the mobile phone 1 is a foldable type, acceptance of a predetermined input, etc., but are not limited thereto. Absent. When such a specific event occurs, the authentication request unit 11 detects the event and outputs an instruction signal for starting the authentication process to the camera unit 12 and the display unit 16.

  The camera unit 12 is a part that detects a user's tap operation on the casing of the mobile phone 1. The camera unit 12 is activated when an instruction signal is input, and starts to detect a user tapping (tapping) the camera unit 12.

  The camera unit 12 detects the presence or absence of a tap operation based on the amount of light detected. That is, a state in which the lens constituting the camera unit 12 is not covered with a finger or the like and a certain amount or more of light can be detected is set to a “bright” state, and the lens is covered with a finger or the like and the light is hardly or hardly detected. The state is set to the “dark” state, and the tap operation is detected based on this repeated pattern of light and darkness (pattern of change in detected light amount). The threshold value for distinguishing between light and dark may be set arbitrarily. For example, a threshold value is set so that light and dark can be identified even in a dark room, or a threshold value is set in consideration of the amount of light detected through the finger when the lens is pressed in a very bright place. It is possible.

  The camera unit 12 measures the duration of each light / dark state, associates the information indicating the light / dark state with the duration, and sequentially outputs the information as detection information to the authentication unit 14. For example, the camera unit 12 outputs detection information indicating that “the bright state has continued for 0.3 seconds” or “the dark state has continued for 0.1 seconds”. If the change in brightness does not occur for a predetermined time or longer (for example, 2 seconds or longer), an end signal indicating the end of the detection process is generated and output to the authentication unit 14.

  The database 13 is a part that stores in advance pattern information indicating a tap operation pattern. The database 13 is, for example, “dark (0.1 seconds) → light (0.3 seconds) → dark (0.1 seconds) → light (0.1 seconds) → dark (0.1 seconds) → light (0. The pattern of the change in light quantity, “1 second) → dark (0.1 seconds) → bright (0.5 seconds) → dark (0.1 seconds)” is stored as pattern information shown in FIG. This pattern information is composed of the input order of detection information to the authentication unit 14 described later, and the light / dark state and duration indicated by the detection information.

  The authentication unit 14 is a part that collates the pattern of the tap operation detected by the camera unit 12 with the pattern information stored in the database 13 and authenticates the user when the two match.

  The authentication unit 14 combines the detection information input until the end signal is received in the order of input and stores it as an input pattern. Subsequently, the authentication unit 14 reads pattern information from the database 13 and determines whether or not the input pattern matches the pattern information. Then, the authentication unit 14 generates a permission signal indicating that the user is permitted if they match, and generates a rejection signal indicating that the user is rejected if they do not match. Subsequently, the authentication unit 14 outputs a permission signal or a rejection signal to the function control unit 15 and the display unit 16.

  The function control unit 15 is a part that locks or unlocks the function of the mobile phone 1 based on the determination result by the authentication unit 14. When the permission signal is input, the function control unit 15 unlocks the mounted function and provides the function to the user. On the other hand, when a rejection signal is input, the function control unit 15 locks the installed function and rejects further user operations.

  The display unit 16 is a part that displays information related to the authentication process. When an instruction signal is input from the authentication request unit 11, the display unit 16 displays information for prompting the user to perform authentication processing (for example, a character string “Please authenticate”). Thereafter, when a permission signal is input from the authentication unit 14, the display unit 16 displays information indicating authentication (for example, a character string “successfully authenticated”), and a rejection signal is input. If it is, information indicating that the authentication has not been performed (for example, a character string “authentication failed”) is displayed.

  Next, the operation of the mobile phone 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 4 and the authentication method according to the present embodiment will be described.

  When the authentication request unit 11 detects an event that requires authentication and requests the start of authentication processing, the display unit 16 displays information for prompting authentication, and the camera unit 12 starts detecting a tap operation (step S11, detection). Step). Subsequently, the authentication unit 14 collates the detected tap action pattern with the pattern information in the database 13 (step S12, authentication step). At this time, if the two match, the authentication unit 14 authenticates (permits) the user (step S13; YES), and thereafter, the lock release processing by the function control unit 15 and the predetermined notification by the display unit 16 are executed ( Step S14). In this case, the user can perform a desired operation.

  On the other hand, if the detected pattern and the pattern information do not match, the authentication unit 14 rejects the user (step S13; NO), and then the lock process by the function control unit 15 and the predetermined notification by the display unit 16 are executed. (Step S15). In this case, the user cannot perform a desired operation and needs to perform authentication processing again.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the user authentication is executed by comparing the tap operation performed on the casing of the mobile phone 1 with the pattern information stored in advance. Thereby, the user can authenticate himself / herself only by tapping the housing without moving the finger to the location of each key as in the case of key input. That is, the user can be authenticated by a simple operation.

  Further, since the authentication process is executed using a combination of the tap interval (duration) and the number of times, the robustness of security can be improved. For example, it is possible to generate a larger number of authentication patterns than when inputting a personal identification number.

  Further, by detecting a tap operation using a camera mounted on almost all mobile phones, authentication by the simple operation as described above can be realized without newly installing a special sensor.

  The present invention has been described in detail based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention can be modified in various ways as described below without departing from the scope of the invention.

  In the above embodiment, the camera unit 12 detects the tap operation. However, the configuration of the detection unit is not limited to this, and the tap operation may be detected by a microphone, for example. Such a modification will be described with reference to FIGS. The mobile phone 2 shown in FIG. 5 includes a microphone unit (detection means) 17 instead of the camera unit 12 in the above embodiment.

  When the instruction signal is input, the microphone unit 17 starts to detect a generation pattern of a sound generated in the tap operation (hereinafter referred to as “tap sound”). Specifically, a state where the tap sound is detected when the housing is hit with a finger or the like is referred to as a “tap state”, and a state where the finger is removed from the housing and the tap sound is not detected is referred to as a “silent state”. The tap operation is detected by the state time pattern. A threshold value for distinguishing the presence or absence of sound may be set arbitrarily. For example, it is conceivable to set the threshold in consideration of a case where the surrounding is quiet or a case where the surrounding noise is intense.

  The microphone unit 17 measures the time of the silent state divided by the tap operation, that is, the generation interval of the tap sound, and sequentially outputs the duration time to the authentication unit 14. For example, the microphone unit 17 outputs detection information indicating that “the silent state has continued for 0.1 second”. In addition, when the silent state continues for a predetermined time or longer (for example, 2 seconds or longer), the microphone unit 17 generates an end signal indicating the end of the detection process and outputs it to the authentication unit 14.

  As the tap operation is detected by the microphone, the pattern information stored in the database 13 also changes. In the case of the cellular phone 2, the database 13 stores, for example, a pattern of the tap sound occurrence interval “0.3 seconds → 0.1 seconds → 0.1 seconds → 0.5 seconds” as the pattern information shown in FIG. 6. is doing. This pattern information is composed of the input order of detection information to the authentication unit 14 and the silent time indicated by the detection information. The pattern information shown in FIG. 6 shows the same tap operation pattern as that shown in FIG.

  The authenticating unit 14 compares the input pattern based on the detection information input until the end signal is received and the pattern information in the database 13 to determine permission / inhibition. The content of information used for determination is different from that in the above embodiment, but the verification and determination processing itself is the same as in the above embodiment.

  The other functional components of the mobile phone 2 are the same as those described in the above embodiment.

  Even in such a modification, the user can authenticate himself / herself by simply tapping the housing without moving the finger to the location of each key as in the case of key input. Further, since the authentication process is executed using a combination of the tap interval (duration) and the number of times, the robustness of security can be improved. Further, by detecting a tap operation using a microphone that is always mounted on a mobile phone, it is possible to realize authentication by the simple operation as described above without newly installing a special sensor.

  In the above embodiment, a mobile phone is shown as the information processing apparatus, but the type of apparatus to which the present invention is applied is not limited. For example, the present invention can be applied to various mobile terminals and fixed terminals such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and personal computers, various authentication devices for entrance / exit management, and the like.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 2 ... Mobile telephone, 11 ... Authentication request part, 12 ... Camera part (detection means), 13 ... Database (storage means), 14 ... Authentication part (authentication means), 15 ... Function control part, 16 ... Display part, 17: Microphone part (detection means).

Claims (2)

An information processing apparatus including a camera,
A detecting means for detecting a user's tap operation on the housing based on a change pattern of the amount of light detected by the camera, wherein the detected tap operation pattern has a duration of each light state and each dark state. The detection means represented by a light and dark repeating pattern represented by a combination ;
Storage means for preliminarily storing a light amount change pattern detected by the camera as pattern information indicating a tap operation pattern , wherein the pattern information is represented by a combination of durations of each bright state and each dark state. The storage means, which is information indicating a repeated pattern of light and dark ,
An authenticating unit that verifies the pattern of the tap motion detected by the detecting unit and the pattern information stored in the storage unit, and authenticates the user when the two match;
An information processing apparatus comprising: An authentication method executed by an information processing apparatus including a camera ,
A detection step of detecting a tap operation of the user to the housing of the information processing device based on a change pattern of the amount of light detected by the camera, wherein the detected tap operation pattern includes each light state and each dark state; The sensing step shown in a light and dark repeating pattern represented by a combination of state durations ;
The tap action pattern detected in the detection step is compared with the pattern information indicating the tap action pattern stored in the storage unit of the information processing apparatus, and the user is authenticated when the two match. In the authentication step , the storage means stores a change pattern of the amount of light detected by the camera as the pattern information, and the pattern information is a combination of durations of each bright state and each dark state. The authentication step, which is information indicating a repeated pattern of light and dark ,
An authentication method that includes:

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