JP6667628B2 - Biometric authentication device, portable terminal device, control program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a biometric authentication device, a portable terminal device, and the like for performing authentication of a captured object.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various authentication technologies have been used to manage persons entering and leaving a management target area and to limit users who have authority to use devices. In addition, mobile phones and smartphones can perform authentication settings, for example, to protect stored personal information and various data such as e-mail from third parties who are not authorized users. It is. In recent years, as such an authentication technology, the application of a biometric authentication technology for performing authentication based on an individual's physical characteristics has been widespread. For example, in the face authentication technology, an image region corresponding to a human face is automatically extracted from a digital image captured by a camera, and a feature amount of the extracted image and authentication registered in a database in advance are used. Authentication is performed by comparing the feature amount of the face image of the person who can receive the image.

  In addition, an authentication technique based on human eyes is also known, and such an authentication technique specifies and authenticates a user having a predetermined authority using an iris pattern, a blood path pattern of a white eye part, and the like. Furthermore, recently, a user is imaged using a camera, and based on an image corresponding to the eye in the imaged image, the user is authenticated to unlock the device, activate various functions, and perform operation input. Mobile phones and smartphones that transition to a state are also becoming popular.

  For example, when an iris authentication function for identifying and authenticating a user who has a right to use using an iris pattern of an eye is mounted on a mobile phone, a smartphone, or the like, it is necessary to capture an image of the user's eye with a camera provided in the mobile phone, the smartphone, or the like There is. However, in such a case, it is necessary to take an image after the camera and the eye are properly aligned. Therefore, various technologies have been devised for smoothly aligning the eyes with cameras provided in mobile phones and smartphones.

  For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an imaging camera that captures an image of an eye, a display arranged on the same plane as the lens arrangement position of the imaging camera, and a guide character generation unit, and displays the guide character on the display. A portable terminal device or the like that guides the position of the eyes of a person to be authenticated by viewing the guide character is disclosed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication "JP-A-2003-108983 (published on April 11, 2003)"

  In general, a mobile terminal that captures a part of a face such as a user's eyes and performs authentication based on the image (authentication image) appropriately captures an image used for authentication and accurately authenticates the user. In addition, it is desirable to bring the mobile terminal closer to the user's face and directly face the face (face the face).

  Therefore, in the portable terminal device described in Patent Literature 1, a guide character is displayed on a display device, and a user is guided to adjust the position of the eyes according to the guide character. Thus, the user can adjust the position of the mobile terminal device to a position suitable for performing authentication while watching the displayed guide character.

  As described above, when biometric authentication such as iris authentication, white-eye authentication, and face authentication is used in the authentication processing (unlocking) of a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone and a smartphone, the user's eye and face positions are notified to the user. In order to make an appropriate adjustment, a captured image (preview image) of the user captured by a camera or the like is displayed.

  By the way, many mobile terminals display the clock, weather forecast, notification information such as the presence or absence of unread mail, etc. on the lock screen, and the user can use these information displayed on the lock screen without releasing the lock. it can. However, if the user only wants to check the clock or the like displayed on the lock screen and the authentication processing is started when the user does not intend to execute the authentication processing, the information of the lock screen is displayed by displaying the preview image. Will be inhibited. If the authentication is started at an inappropriate timing as described above, the display of the clock and the notification information on the lock screen is hindered by the preview image, and the convenience is lost.

  One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to start and display an authentication process at an appropriate timing while ensuring the accuracy of the authentication process in a biometric authentication device. An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for preventing the convenience of information from being impaired.

  In order to solve the above problem, a biometric authentication device according to one aspect of the present invention is a biometric authentication device that authenticates a subject using an authentication image obtained by imaging the subject with an imaging unit, wherein the imaging unit A detection unit that detects the posture of the biometric authentication device, and an authentication unit that authenticates the subject based on the authentication image, wherein the authentication unit has detected a predetermined posture by the detection unit. Accordingly, the authentication of the subject based on the authentication image is started.

  Further, the biometric authentication device according to one aspect of the present invention is a biometric authentication device that authenticates a subject using an authentication image obtained by imaging the subject with an imaging unit, wherein the imaging unit, the display unit, A detection unit that detects the posture of the biometric authentication device, a display control unit that displays the authentication image on the display unit, and an authentication unit that authenticates the subject based on the authentication image, The control unit causes the display unit to display the authentication image when the detection unit detects a predetermined posture.

  Further, a biometric authentication device according to an aspect of the present invention is a biometric authentication device that performs authentication of a subject using an authentication image obtained by imaging the subject with an imaging unit, wherein the imaging unit includes the biometric authentication device. A detection unit that detects a posture, an authentication unit that authenticates the subject based on the authentication image, and a magnitude of a posture change when the posture of the biometric authentication device changes from a first posture to a second posture. And a posture change value deriving unit that derives a posture change value indicating the posture, wherein the authentication unit authenticates the subject based on the authentication image in response to the posture change value being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. To start.

  Further, the biometric authentication device according to one aspect of the present invention is a biometric authentication device that authenticates a subject using an authentication image obtained by imaging the subject with an imaging unit, wherein the imaging unit, the display unit, A detection unit that detects the posture of the biometric authentication device, a display control unit that displays the authentication image on the display unit, an authentication unit that performs authentication of the subject based on the authentication image, A posture change value deriving unit that derives a posture change value indicating a magnitude of the posture change when the posture changes from the first posture to the second posture, wherein the display control unit determines that the posture change value is The authentication image is displayed on the display unit in accordance with being equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value.

  Further, a control program according to an aspect of the present invention is a control program for causing a computer to function as a device for performing authentication of a subject using an authentication image obtained by capturing an image of a subject by an imaging unit. The computer functions as an authentication unit that starts authentication of the subject based on the authentication image when the camera has a predetermined posture.

  Further, the control program according to an aspect of the present invention is a control program for causing a computer to function as an apparatus for performing authentication of a subject using an authentication image obtained by capturing an object by an imaging unit, wherein the authentication image And a computer that functions as an authentication unit that performs authentication of the subject based on the information and a display control unit that displays the authentication image when the posture of the device is in a predetermined posture.

  Further, a control program according to an aspect of the present invention is a control program for causing a computer to function as a device for performing authentication of a subject using an authentication image obtained by capturing an image of a subject by an imaging unit. A posture change value deriving unit that derives a posture change value indicating a magnitude of a posture change when the posture change from the first posture to the second posture, and according to the posture change value being equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value. And causing the computer to function as an authentication unit that starts authentication of the subject based on the authentication image.

  Further, the control program according to an aspect of the present invention is a control program for causing a computer to function as an apparatus for performing authentication of a subject using an authentication image obtained by capturing an object by an imaging unit, wherein the authentication image An authentication unit that performs authentication of the subject based on the posture change value deriving unit that derives a posture change value indicating a magnitude of a posture change when the posture of the device changes from the first posture to the second posture; Further, the computer is caused to function as a display control unit that displays the authentication image in response to the posture change value being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

  Advantageous Effects of Invention According to one aspect of the present invention, in a biometric authentication device, it is possible to improve convenience while ensuring accuracy of authentication processing.

It is a functional block diagram showing an example of important section composition of a personal digital assistant concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a change in the posture of the mobile terminal and a display example when the user is authenticated while the user is standing or sitting. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a change in the posture of the mobile terminal when the user is authenticated when the user is lying on his back. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a change in the posture of the mobile terminal when the user is authenticated when the user is lying sideways. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a mobile terminal. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a tilt angle and a rotation angle of the mobile terminal. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process after a mobile terminal displays a lock screen, performs user authentication, unlocks, and displays a home screen. It is a flowchart which shows another example of the flow of a process until a mobile terminal displays a lock screen, performs user authentication, unlocks, and displays a home screen. 11 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the flow of processing from when the mobile terminal displays the lock screen to when the user is authenticated, the lock is released, and the home screen is displayed. It is a flowchart which shows another example of the flow of a process until a mobile terminal displays a lock screen, performs user authentication, unlocks, and displays a home screen.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. Note that a portable terminal 1 (biometric device, portable terminal device, device) having the same function as the biometric device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described below as an example. Note that the mobile terminal 1 may be a communication device such as a mobile phone or a smartphone, or may be a mobile game machine, an electronic organizer, or the like. That is, in the biometric authentication device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the communication function and the call function are not essential components.

  The mobile terminal 1 according to the first aspect of the present invention uses an authentication image (for example, an image of the user U, such as an eye image or a preview image) of the user U (subject) captured by the camera 31 (imaging unit). Then, the user U is authenticated. The mobile terminal 1 includes a camera 31, a direction sensor 32 (detection unit) for detecting the posture of the mobile terminal 1, and a biometric authentication unit 22 (authentication unit) for authenticating the user U based on an authentication image. ing. The mobile terminal 1 starts authentication of the user U based on the authentication image in response to the direction sensor 32 detecting a predetermined posture of the mobile terminal 1.

(Operation example of mobile terminal 1)
First, an operation when the mobile terminal 1 performs biometric authentication will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the process of unlocking the mobile terminal 1 is not limited to biometric authentication, and may be configured so that the user can select biometric authentication or authentication by inputting a password or PIN number. .

  The mobile terminal 1 is gripped by the user U, and when the power key (the input key unit 33 in FIGS. 1 and 5) is pressed (input of a start operation), the display unit is displayed as shown in FIG. 371 causes the lock screen to be displayed. The lock screen (image before authentication) includes a time display and a display of notification information. For example, weather information (“weather: fine” in the figure), presence or absence of an incoming mail (“mail present” in the figure), date (“January 21” in the figure) and time (“10:20” in the figure) are displayed. The mobile terminal 1 includes a direction sensor 32 for detecting the attitude of the mobile terminal 1. The mobile terminal 1 does not display the preview image until the attitude of the mobile terminal 1 reaches a predetermined attitude, and displays the time on the lock screen and the notification. Continue displaying information. When the posture of the mobile terminal 1 has reached a predetermined posture, the display of the preview image is started as shown in FIG. The “tilt angle” and the “rotation angle” will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a change in posture of the mobile terminal 1 and a display example when the user U is authenticated when the user U is standing (standing) or sitting (sitting). is there. When the posture of the mobile terminal 1 when the power key is pressed by the user U is at a tilt angle of 15 ° as shown in FIG. 2A, the lock screen is continuously displayed on the display unit 371. I do. When the user U raises the mobile terminal further higher and the posture of the mobile terminal 1 becomes a tilt angle of 90 ° as shown in FIG. 2B, the display unit 371 starts displaying the preview image. Note that a preview image may be displayed on the entire display unit 371. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2B, a preview image may be displayed in the display area 371a and a part of the display of the lock image (time in the illustrated example) may be displayed in the display area 371b.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a change in the posture of the mobile terminal 1 when the user U is authenticated when the user U is lying on his back (lying position). That is, the user U visually recognizes the display unit 371 as looking up from below. When the attitude of the portable terminal 1 is 120 ° as shown in FIG. 3A, the lock screen is continuously displayed on the display unit 371. When the user U further brings the mobile terminal 1 closer to the face and moves it to the position in front of the face, and the posture of the mobile terminal 1 becomes a tilt angle of 180 °, the display unit 371 displays the preview image. Start.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a change in the posture of the mobile terminal 1 when the user U is authenticated when the user U is lying down (lying position). That is, the user U looks at the display unit 371 with the face turned sideways. When the posture of the mobile terminal 1 is at a rotation angle of 15 ° as shown in FIG. 4A, the display unit 371 continues to display the lock screen. As illustrated in FIG. 4B, when the posture of the mobile terminal 1 becomes a rotation angle of 90 ° facing the user U's face and the display unit 371, the display unit 371 starts displaying a preview image. .

  As described above, even if the mobile terminal 1 is gripped by the user U and the power key is pressed, the display of the preview image is not started by itself but when the mobile terminal 1 is in a predetermined posture. To start. This makes it possible to appropriately control the display period of the preview image for biometric authentication so as not to prevent the user U from using the information displayed on the lock screen.

(Hardware configuration)
Next, the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 1. The mobile terminal 1 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 2, a camera 31 (imaging unit), a direction sensor 32 (detection unit), an input key unit 33 (input reception unit), a storage unit 4, a communication unit 34, and an audio output unit 35. , A voice input unit 36, a touch panel 37 (input receiving unit), and a temporary memory 38. Note that the configuration of the illustrated mobile terminal 1 is merely an example, and is used, for example, in the case of transmitting / receiving and charging data via a wired connection, in addition to a direction sensor, such as a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, and an illuminance sensor. A jack or the like into which a plug or the like is inserted is not directly related to one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, illustration and description of the sensors, jacks, and the like are omitted.

  The communication unit 34 transmits and receives data and voice signals via the Internet and a telephone line. The communication unit 34 performs voice communication and packet communication using, for example, 3G / LTE communication.

  The CPU 2 reads and operates a program stored in the program storage area 41 of the storage unit 4, and starts, executes, and controls various functions. For example, the CPU 2 compares an eye image of the eye of the user U (a specific part) with eye image data stored in the biological information storage area 42, and compares the characteristics of both (for example, the iris pattern and / or Or, if the blood-eye pattern of the white eye matches, it is determined that the authentication is OK (the user U is authenticated as the user U having the authority to use the mobile terminal 1). The function blocks when the CPU 2 reads out and executes a control program for performing biometric authentication from the program storage area 41 will be described later. When a power key (one of the input keys 33) provided in the mobile terminal 1 is pressed, the CPU 2 displays a lock screen on the display unit 371, and then authenticates the user U. If the authentication result is OK, the lock is released and the lock screen is switched to the home screen. A specific example of this processing will be described later in detail.

  The audio output unit 35 includes a speaker and a receiver, and outputs audio from the other party during a call, and outputs audio of the received content when the content is reproduced.

  The voice input unit 36 is configured by a microphone, and receives an input of a voice uttered by the user U during a call.

  The touch panel 37 includes a display unit 371 and a touch sensor unit 372, displays information on a display screen (see the display unit 371 in FIG. 2), and accepts an input by a touch operation of the user U. The display unit 371 configures a display screen that displays a lock screen, a home screen, a preview screen, and the like, and is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD). On the other hand, the touch sensor unit 372 is superimposed on the display unit 371, and detects a position where the user U has touched the display screen with a finger or the like, performs a gesture operation (such as a swipe operation, a tap operation, or a slide operation). This is a sensor for detecting that the operation has been performed. That is, the touch panel 37 has a function of displaying information and a function of receiving various inputs from the user U.

  The direction sensor 32 is a sensor that detects the attitude of the mobile terminal 1. For example, the direction sensor 32 may be realized by a combination of a geomagnetic sensor and an acceleration sensor, and the inclination of the mobile terminal 1 with respect to the vertical direction (the direction of gravity) and the horizontal direction (the direction orthogonal to gravity). Is a sensor that acquires the The correspondence between the output of the detection result of the direction sensor 32 and the attitude of the mobile terminal 1 will be described later.

  The input key unit 33 is a physical key such as a power key. When the input key unit 33 is pressed by the user U while the display on the display unit 371 of the mobile terminal 1 is turned off, the CPU 2 turns on the display unit 371 to display the lock screen.

  The camera 31 is, for example, a camera mounted on the mobile terminal 1 (that is, stored in the housing of the mobile terminal 1). The camera 31 acquires image data of an image (authentication image) obtained by imaging the face (specific part), eyes, skin (specific part), and the like of the user U in response to an imaging start instruction from the CPU 2. , To the CPU 2.

  The storage unit 4 has a storage area for various data and various programs. For example, the storage unit 4 can be configured from a flash ROM or the like. The storage unit 4 may include a program storage area 41, a biological information storage area 42, and a setting information storage area 43.

  The program storage area 41 is an area for storing application programs corresponding to various functions executable by the mobile terminal 1 and various data referred to when executing various functions.

  The biometric information storage area 42 is an area for storing eye image data obtained by imaging the eyes of the user U in advance in order to perform biometric authentication of the user U. The biological information storage area 42 may store the entire captured image data, or may include an area where a predetermined part of the user U is imaged (for example, eyes and skin around eyes). Partial image data (feature data) obtained by cutting out a part of the image may be stored.

  The setting information storage area 43 is an area for storing setting information related to biometric authentication and input by the user U. The setting information storage area 43 stores setting information such as whether to use biometric authentication for unlocking or to use another authentication method (such as password input).

  The temporary memory 38 is a memory that temporarily stores control information that is referred to or used when performing various controls in the mobile terminal 1, information about the orientation (vertical or horizontal) of the mobile terminal 1, and the like. is there.

(Detection of posture of portable terminal 1 by direction sensor 32)
Next, the posture of the portable terminal 1 detected by the direction sensor 32 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the tilt angle and the rotation angle of the mobile terminal 1. In FIG. 6, the mobile terminal 1 is drawn as a rectangular parallelepiped, but the invention is not limited to this. Here, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a description will be given with the axis parallel to the thickness direction of the mobile terminal 1 as the Z axis, the axis parallel to the width direction as the X axis, and the axis parallel to the vertical direction as the Y axis.

  For example, the direction sensor 32 acquires information on the posture of the mobile terminal at a fixed period (for example, 30 times per second) in response to a sampling request from the CPU 2. The attitude of the mobile terminal is represented by, for example, three angles of azimuth, tilt, and rotation. Azimuth is represented as a rotation angle with the Z axis as the rotation axis, inclination is represented as a rotation angle with the X axis as the rotation axis, and rotation is represented as a rotation angle with the Y axis as the rotation axis. Note that azimuth is not directly related to one feature of one embodiment of the present invention, and a description thereof is omitted here.

  A rotation angle about the X axis as a rotation axis is called a “pitch angle”. The tilt angle is 0 ° when the mobile terminal 1 is placed on a horizontal place and the surface (main surface) including the display unit 371 is oriented upward. The tilt angle when the mobile terminal 1 is in a vertical (parallel to gravity) posture is 90 °. The tilt angle when the portable terminal 1 is placed on a horizontal place and the surface (principal surface) including the display unit 371 faces downward (so-called prone state) is 180 °.

  A rotation angle about the Y axis as a rotation axis is called a “roll angle”. Similar to the tilt angle, the tilt angle is 0 ° when the mobile terminal 1 is placed on a horizontal place and the surface (the main surface) including the display unit 371 faces upward. The tilt angle when the mobile terminal 1 is in a vertical (parallel to gravity) posture is 90 °. As shown in FIG. 3B, the mobile terminal 1 is placed on a horizontal place, and the surface (main surface) including the display unit 371 faces downward (so-called prone state). , Is 180 °.

(Configuration of the mobile terminal 1)
Next, functional blocks when the CPU 2 executes a control program for performing biometric authentication and functions as the authentication function control unit 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a main configuration of a portable terminal 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Note that, for convenience of description, members having the same functions as the members already described in FIG. 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

  The authentication function control unit 20 includes a lock control unit 21, a biometric authentication unit 22, a biometric information registration unit 23, an eye image acquisition unit 24, an eye image display control unit 25 (display control unit), a tilt acquisition unit 26, and a direction determination unit 27. , And a rotation angle acquisition unit 28.

  The lock control unit 21 turns on the display unit 371 in response to the input key unit 33 receiving a press from the screen off state, and displays the lock screen. Further, the lock control unit 21 controls unlocking based on the setting information read from the setting information storage area 43. For example, when the setting for unlocking with a password or a PIN number is made, the lock control unit 21 performs a guide display on the display screen of the display unit 371 so that the user U can input the password or the PIN number. On the other hand, when unlocking is performed using biometric authentication using an eye image, the lock control unit 21 requests the biometric authentication unit 22 to execute an authentication process (for example, the processes illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 10). I do. When the lock control unit 21 receives an authentication result indicating that the authentication is OK from the biometric authentication unit 22, the lock control unit 21 releases the lock and displays a predetermined home screen on the display unit 371.

  The biometric authentication unit 22 performs biometric authentication of the user U by comparing the eye image data acquired from the eye image acquisition unit 24 with registration data stored in advance in the biometric information storage area 42. If the similarity exceeds the specified value, the biometric authentication unit 22 determines that the authentication is OK and returns the result to the lock control unit. In addition, by transmitting the acquired eye image data to the eye image display control unit 25, the display unit 371 displays the eye image (preview display). This facilitates eye alignment.

  When the use of biometric authentication is selected by the user U via the touch panel 37, the biometric information registration unit 23 requests an eye image of the user U from the eye image acquisition unit 24 before first executing the biometric authentication process. . The biometric information registration unit 23 acquires eye image data received from the camera 31 by the eye image acquisition unit 24, and stores (registers) the biometric information in the biometric information storage area 42.

  The eye image acquisition unit 24 controls activation and imaging of the camera 31 according to instructions from the biometric authentication unit 22 and the biometric information registration unit 23, and acquires eye image data of the user U. The eye image acquisition unit 24 outputs the acquired eye image data to the biometric authentication unit 22 or the biometric information registration unit 23 that is the source of the instruction.

  The eye image display control unit 25 acquires the image data of the image of the user U acquired by the eye image acquisition unit 24 via the camera 31 and causes the display unit 371 to display the acquired image data as a preview image. The preview image displayed on the display unit 371 by the eye image display control unit 25 may be an image of the entire face of the user U, or may be an image of the user U's eye and its surroundings. When the preview image is the eye image of the user U, the user U having the predetermined authority can be specified and authenticated by using the iris pattern, the blood path pattern of the white eye part, and the like. Note that the image used for the biometric authentication of the user U is not limited to the eye image, and may be another image as long as it is an image in which a physical feature for identifying and authenticating the user U is captured.

  The tilt acquisition unit 26 issues a sampling request to the direction sensor 32 to acquire information on the attitude of the mobile terminal 1. Specifically, the tilt acquisition unit 26 may acquire the detection of the tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 with respect to the X axis (see FIG. 6) detected by the direction sensor 32. The tilt acquisition unit may acquire the tilt angle, for example, 30 times per second.

  The rotation angle acquisition unit 28 issues a sampling request to the direction sensor 32 to acquire information on the attitude of the mobile terminal 1. Specifically, the rotation angle with respect to the Y axis (see FIG. 6) may be obtained. The rotation angle acquisition unit 28 may acquire the rotation angle, for example, 30 times per second.

  The orientation determination unit 27 determines whether the posture of the mobile terminal 1 is currently in the vertical orientation or the horizontal orientation based on the rotation angle acquired from the rotation angle acquisition unit 28. Here, the “vertical orientation” is a posture as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 and means a posture in which a side parallel to the Y axis of the housing of the mobile terminal 1 is orthogonal to the direction of gravity. I have.

(Flow of biometric authentication processing)
Next, the flow of the biometric authentication process performed by the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process flow from when the mobile terminal 1 displays the lock screen to when the user U is authenticated, the lock is released, and the home screen is displayed. Hereinafter, a description will be given of an example in which the mobile terminal 1 has a biometric authentication function of identifying and authenticating a user U having a predetermined authority by using an iris pattern, a blood path pattern of a white eye portion, and the like. Images used for biometric authentication are not limited to eye images. It is assumed that the biometric information registration unit 23 has registered the eye image of the user U in the biometric information storage area 42 in advance.

  In the following, a case where the portable terminal 1 has a function of unlocking the portable terminal 1 by biometric authentication using an eye image will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image used by the mobile terminal 1 for biometric authentication may be a face image or the like.

  When the input key unit 33 is pressed by the user U while the display screen of the display unit 371 is turned off, the lock control unit 21 turns on the display screen and displays the lock screen ( S101: Display step before authentication). On the lock screen, information such as time, date, weather, presence / absence and number of incoming mails (see FIG. 2A), battery level, news headline, and contact to emergency contact are received. An indication such as "Emergency" may be included.

  Next, the lock control unit 21 refers to the setting information storage area 43 and acquires information on an authentication method for unlocking (S102). If the setting to use biometric authentication based on the eye image has not been made by the user U (NO in S102), the lock control unit 21 sends the user U Display screen for prompting the user to enter a password or PIN number. On the other hand, when the setting using the biometric authentication based on the eye image has been made (YES in S102), the lock control unit 21 instructs the biometric authentication unit 22 to start the biometric authentication process.

  The biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the tilt acquisition unit 26 to acquire a tilt angle, which is information on the attitude of the mobile terminal 1. In response to the instruction, the tilt acquisition unit 26 requests the direction sensor 32 to start sampling (S103), and based on the value output from the direction sensor 32, the tilt angle (tilt data) at regular time intervals. Is acquired (S104: detection step), and transmitted to the biometric authentication unit 22.

  Next, the biometric authentication unit 22 determines whether the posture of the mobile terminal 1 is a predetermined posture based on the tilt angle acquired in S104 (S105). For example, based on the tilt angle acquired in S104, the biometric authentication unit 22 determines whether or not the angle is within a predetermined angle range (in the figure, “inside the specified angle”).

  If the posture of the mobile terminal 1 is the predetermined posture, that is, if the inclination angle of the mobile terminal 1 is within a predetermined angle range (YES in S105), the biometric authentication unit 22 Is instructed to acquire an eye image. The eye image acquisition unit 24 activates the camera 31 in response to an instruction from the biometric authentication unit 22 (S106: imaging step), and image data (preview image data) of an image captured (captured) by the camera 31. To get. The biometric authentication unit 22 transmits the image data obtained by the eye image obtaining unit 24 from the camera 31 to the eye image display control unit 25. The eye image display control unit 25 causes the display unit 371 to display the received preview image (S107: display step). The preview image may be displayed on the entire display screen of the display unit 371. Further, a display area 371a for displaying a preview image ((a in FIG. 2) is provided separately from an area (for example, the display area 371b in (b) of FIG. 2) for displaying a part of information displayed on the lock screen. b)).

  On the other hand, if the tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 is not within the predetermined angle range (NO in S105), the process returns to S104, and the biometric authentication unit 22 continues until the tilt angle falls within the predetermined angle range. , And the acquisition of the tilt angle is continued. Here, the range of the tilt angle defined in advance is not limited to this, but for example, an angle close to vertical (parallel to the direction of gravity) such as 75 ° to 90 ° or 65 ° to 85 °. It is desirable to be within the range. A better eye image can be obtained by imaging the user U's eye from the same height as the eye than from below. Therefore, as a condition for starting imaging for biometric authentication, the range of the tilt angle defined in advance with respect to the posture of the mobile terminal 1 is set to an angle range corresponding to the posture of the mobile terminal 1 close to vertical. The authentication process can be performed under favorable conditions.

  In some cases, the mobile terminal 1 may instantaneously assume a predetermined posture while changing its posture. In order to avoid such an erroneous operation of detecting the instantaneous posture and activating the camera 31, for example, the biometric authentication unit 22 has a tilt angle that is continuously within a predetermined angle range in sampling ( That is, when the posture of the mobile terminal 1 is a predetermined posture and the posture has continued for a certain period of time), it is desirable to instruct the eye image obtaining unit 24 to obtain an eye image.

  With the above configuration, the biometric authentication process is not performed until the tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 falls within a predetermined angle range. Thus, the display of the lock screen is not hindered by the display of the preview image until the mobile terminal 1 assumes the predetermined posture.

  The configuration may be such that the user U can select whether or not to enable the operation of starting the display of the preview image when the tilt angle falls within a predetermined angle range. Also, only when the function of displaying the news and the weather forecast on the lock screen is enabled, the display control of the preview image according to the attitude of the mobile terminal 1 as shown in FIG. 7 may be enabled. .

  The biometric authentication unit 22 compares the eye image acquired from the eye image acquisition unit 24 with the eye image of the user U stored (registered) in the biometric information storage area in advance, and the difference is smaller than a predetermined threshold. Authentication processing is performed based on whether or not (S108: authentication step). If the result of the authentication processing is that the authentication is OK (YES in S109), the biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the lock control unit 21 to release the lock, and the lock control unit 21 performs the lock in response to the instruction. It is released and the home screen is displayed (S120). In addition, the biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the inclination acquisition unit 26 to end acquiring the inclination angle. In response to the instruction, the inclination acquiring unit 26 ends the sampling of the direction sensor 32 (S121).

(Effect of this embodiment)
The mobile terminal 1 starts the authentication when the user U is in a predetermined posture suitable for performing the authentication of the user U, and does not start the authentication when the mobile terminal 1 is not in such a predetermined posture. With this configuration, the mobile terminal 1 can smoothly and accurately start the authentication of the user U. Therefore, the convenience can be improved while ensuring the accuracy of the authentication process.

  Further, an effect obtained by controlling not to display the preview image until the posture of the mobile terminal 1 becomes the predetermined posture will be described below.

  For example, mobile terminals such as a mobile phone and a smartphone to which authentication has been set are in a locked state until authentication is completed, and the display screen displays a lock screen different from the home screen displayed after authentication. This lock screen may include a display that informs the user of information such as the time, weather forecast, presence or absence of unread mail, and the user can use the time, weather forecast, unread mail without unlocking. It is possible to easily visually recognize information such as presence / absence.

  However, when an image obtained by capturing the eyes of the user U or the like is used as the authentication image, the user U is locked while the authentication process is performed, unlike authentication by inputting a password and moving a fingertip on the touch panel 37. There arises a problem that information such as time display and various notifications displayed on the screen cannot be used. This is because, as in the technique described in Patent Literature 1, in order to obtain an image of the eye, the image is taken by the guide character for guiding the eye position of the user (subject) to a predetermined position and the camera 31. This is because a preview image needs to be displayed on the display unit 371. Then, during the period from the start of the authentication to the completion thereof, the guide character and the image (preview image) captured by the imaging camera are displayed, so that the display is interrupted by the display of the preview image and displayed on the display unit 371. Lock screen information cannot be used.

  Therefore, by controlling not to display the preview image until the posture of the mobile terminal 1 becomes the predetermined posture, the user U is displayed on the display unit 371 without being disturbed by the display of the preview image. Information on the lock screen (such as news and weather forecast) can be used.

[Embodiment 2]
In the mobile terminal 1 illustrated in FIG. 7, the biometric authentication unit 22 determines whether to start the biometric authentication process according to the posture of the mobile terminal 1, activates a camera to acquire an eye image, or The configuration is such that the display unit 371 displays the information. However, the biometric authentication unit 22 may start acquiring the eye image and start the authentication process regardless of the posture of the mobile terminal 1. That is, the mobile terminal 1 of the present embodiment can start the authentication process before the mobile terminal 1 assumes a predetermined posture, and thereafter, when the mobile terminal 1 assumes a predetermined posture, a preview is displayed on the display unit 371. Start displaying the image.

  The flow of the biometric authentication process performed by the mobile terminal 1 having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the flow of processing from when the mobile terminal 1 displays the lock screen to when the user is authenticated, the lock is released, and the home screen is displayed.

  When the input key unit 33 is pressed by the user U while the display screen of the display unit 371 is turned off, the lock control unit 21 turns on the display screen and displays the lock screen (S201: authentication). Previous display step).

  Next, the lock control unit 21 refers to the setting information storage area 43 and acquires information on an authentication method for unlocking (S202). If the setting to use the biometric authentication based on the eye image has not been made by the user U (NO in S202), the lock control unit 21 transmits the user U to the user U in order to perform authentication by collating a password or a PIN number, for example. Display screen for prompting the user to enter a password or PIN number. On the other hand, when the setting using the biometric authentication based on the eye image has been made (YES in S202), the lock control unit 21 instructs the biometric authentication unit 22 to start the biometric authentication process.

  The biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the tilt acquisition unit 26 to acquire a tilt angle, which is information on the attitude of the mobile terminal 1. In response to the instruction, the inclination obtaining unit 26 requests the direction sensor 32 to start sampling (S203). The direction sensor 32 outputs a value detected in response to this request, but at this stage, the inclination acquiring unit 26 does not start acquiring an inclination angle (inclination data) based on the output value.

  Further, the biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the eye image acquisition unit 24 to acquire an eye image according to the instruction from the lock control unit 21. The eye image acquisition unit 24 activates the camera 31 in response to an instruction from the biometric authentication unit 22 (S204: imaging step). The biometric authentication unit 22 acquires an image (preview image) captured (captured) by the camera 31, and acquires the acquired image and the eye image of the user U stored (registered) in the biometric information storage area in advance. And an authentication process is performed based on whether the difference is smaller than a predetermined threshold (S205: authentication step). That is, the portable terminal 1 according to the present embodiment proceeds with the biometric authentication process of the user U based on the preview image regardless of whether the posture of the portable terminal 1 is the predetermined posture.

  After or in parallel with the start of the biometric authentication process, the biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the tilt obtaining unit 26 to obtain a tilt angle, which is information on the attitude of the mobile terminal 1. The tilt acquisition unit 26 acquires a tilt angle (tilt data) at regular intervals based on the value output from the direction sensor 32 (S206a: detection step), and transmits the same to the biometric authentication unit 22.

  If the biometric authentication unit 22 has not output the eye image to the eye image display control unit 25 and has not yet displayed the eye image on the display unit 371 (NO in S206b), the biometric authentication unit 22 proceeds to S206a. It is determined whether or not the posture of the mobile terminal 1 is a predetermined posture based on the tilt angle acquired in step S207 (S207). For example, the biometric authentication unit 22 determines, based on the acquired tilt angle, whether or not the angle is within a predetermined angle range (in the drawing, “inside the specified angle”).

  If the posture of the mobile terminal 1 is the predetermined posture, that is, if the tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 is within a predetermined angle range (YES in S207), the eye image display control unit 25 sets the received preview Display of an image (for example, an eye image) on the display unit 371 is started (S208: display step).

  On the other hand, when the display of the eye image has already been started on the display unit 371 in S206b (YES in S206b), the display of the eye image is continued. If the tilt angle of the portable terminal 1 is not within the predetermined angle range (NO in S207), the process proceeds to S209 without starting to display the preview image.

  If the result of the authentication processing by the biometric authentication unit 22 is that the authentication is OK (YES in S209), the biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the lock control unit 21 to release the lock, and the lock control unit 21 responds to the instruction. Accordingly, the lock is released and the home screen is displayed (S210). In addition, the biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the inclination acquisition unit 26 to end acquiring the inclination angle. In response to the instruction, the inclination acquisition unit 26 ends the sampling of the direction sensor 32 (S211). On the other hand, if the authentication is not successful (NO in S209), the process returns to S205 and starts again from the authentication process.

  As described above, the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment starts the authentication processing without displaying the preview image. Thus, the display of the lock screen is not hindered by the display of the preview image. In some cases, the display of the preview image can be omitted. In this case, the authentication of the user U can be completed with a small amount of processing.

[Embodiment 3]
In the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, even when the mobile terminal 1 is not in the predetermined posture, if the authentication start button (for example, the touch panel 37 or the input key unit 33) is pressed, the biometric authentication unit 22 Alternatively, the acquisition of the eye image may be started, and the authentication processing may be started. In this case, the angle range predefined for the attitude of the mobile terminal 1 may be changed to include the attitude of the mobile terminal 1 when the authentication start button is pressed. Here, an example of the mobile terminal 1 having such a configuration will be described.

  In the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, even when the mobile terminal 1 is not in the predetermined posture, if the authentication start button (for example, the touch panel 37 or the input key unit 33) is pressed, the biometric authentication unit 22 7 is different from the mobile terminal 1 shown in FIG. 7 in that the acquisition of the eye image can be started and the authentication process can be started. In this case, the angle range predefined for the attitude of the mobile terminal 1 may be changed to include the attitude of the mobile terminal 1 when the authentication start button is pressed.

  The flow of the biometric authentication process performed by the mobile terminal 1 having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing flow from when the mobile terminal 1 displays the lock screen to when the user is authenticated, the lock is released, and the home screen is displayed. Note that S301 (display step before authentication) to 305 and S308 (imaging step) to S313 in FIG. 9 are the same as S101 to S121 in FIG.

  The mobile terminal 1 includes a storage unit 4 that stores information defining a predetermined posture. The biometric authentication unit 22 authenticates the user U when the posture of the mobile terminal 1 when the input reception unit such as the input key unit 33 and the touch panel 37 receives an input for instructing the start of authentication is different from the predetermined posture. At the same time, the information defining the predetermined posture of the storage unit 4 is updated to include the posture at the time of the reception. With such a configuration, even when the posture of the mobile terminal 1 is out of the predetermined posture, the user U can instruct the start of the authentication.

  If the tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 is not within the predetermined angle range (NO in S305), the biometric authentication unit 22 may operate, for example, when the authentication start button of the touch panel 37 or the input key unit 33 is pressed. (YES in S306), the angle range defined in advance for the attitude of mobile terminal 1 is changed (S307), and the process proceeds to S308. On the other hand, if the authentication start button has not been pressed (NO in S306), the process returns to S304 (detection step).

  As described above, unlike the mobile terminal 1 shown in FIG. 7, the mobile terminal 1 according to the present embodiment can start authentication in an arbitrary state desired by the user U regardless of the posture of the mobile terminal 1. It has. Thereby, when the input of the authentication start instruction by the user U is received, the portable terminal 1 can start the biometric authentication process according to the instruction. Therefore, the authentication process can be started even if the posture deviates from the posture assumed as the posture of the mobile terminal at the time of performing biometric authentication. Can be instructed to start). Further, by changing the angle range defined in advance as a predetermined posture with respect to the tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 so as to include the posture of the mobile terminal 1 when the input of the authentication start instruction by the user U is received, the angle is changed. The biometric authentication process suitable for the individual or various operation situations of the user U can be performed.

[Embodiment 4]
A configuration in which the conditions for displaying the preview image may be switched according to the orientation of the mobile terminal 1 (for example, whether it is portrait or landscape). The flow of the biometric authentication process performed by the mobile terminal 1 having such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the processing flow from when the mobile terminal 1 displays the lock screen to when the user is authenticated, the lock is released, and the home screen is displayed. Note that steps S410 (imaging step) to S415 in FIG. 10 are the same as steps S106 to S121 in FIG. 7, and a description thereof will not be repeated.

  When the input key unit 33 is pressed by the user U while the display screen of the display unit 371 is turned off, the lock control unit 21 turns on the display screen and displays the lock screen (S401: authentication). Previous display step).

  Next, the lock control unit 21 refers to the setting information storage area 43 and acquires information on an authentication method for unlocking (S402). If the setting to use the biometric authentication based on the eye image has not been made by the user U (NO in S402), the lock control unit 21 sends the user U Display screen for prompting the user to enter a password or PIN number. On the other hand, when the setting using the biometric authentication using the eye image has been made (YES in S402), the lock control unit 21 instructs the biometric authentication unit 22 to start the biometric authentication process.

  When starting the biometric authentication process, the direction determination unit 27 determines the direction (vertical or horizontal) of the mobile terminal 1 as a reference for displaying the preview image based on the tilt angle and the rotation angle. The result is transmitted to the biometric authentication unit 22. Here, since the orientation of the mobile terminal 1 can be appropriately changed by the user U, the biometric authentication unit 22 desirably stores and updates the received information regarding the orientation of the mobile terminal in the temporary memory 38 as needed. Note that the configuration may be such that the biometric authentication unit 22 stores information on the orientation of the mobile terminal 1 in the setting information storage area 43.

  The biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the tilt acquisition unit 26 to acquire a tilt angle, which is information on the attitude of the mobile terminal 1. In addition, the biometric authentication unit 22 instructs the rotation angle acquisition unit 28 to acquire a rotation angle, which is another piece of information on the posture of the mobile terminal 1. In response to the instruction, the tilt acquisition unit 26 and / or the rotation angle acquisition unit 28 requests the direction sensor 32 to start sampling (S404). The tilt acquiring unit 26 acquires a tilt angle (tilt data) at regular intervals based on the value output from the direction sensor 32 (S405: detection step), and transmits the tilt angle to the biometric authentication unit 22. On the other hand, the rotation angle acquisition unit 28 acquires a rotation angle (rotation data) at regular time intervals based on the value output from the direction sensor 32 (S405), and transmits the rotation angle to the biometric authentication unit 22.

  If the orientation of the portable terminal 1 stored in the temporary memory 38 is portrait (YES in S406), the biometric authentication unit 22 determines whether the inclination angle of the portable terminal 1 is within a predetermined angle range close to vertical. It is determined whether or not it is (S407). Then, if the tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 is within a predetermined angle range close to vertical (YES in S407), the process proceeds to S410, and from the predetermined angle range where the tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 is close to vertical. If not (NO in S407), the process proceeds to S408.

  In S408, the biometric authentication unit 22 determines whether the tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 is within a predetermined horizontal range close to horizontal. Then, if the inclination angle of the portable terminal 1 is within a predetermined angle range close to horizontal (YES in S408), the process proceeds to S410. On the other hand, if the tilt angle of the portable terminal 1 is out of the predetermined horizontal angle range (NO in S408), the process returns to S405. This is a process for starting authentication in the case of FIG.

  On the other hand, when the orientation of the portable terminal 1 stored in the temporary memory 38 is not the portrait orientation (that is, when the orientation is the landscape orientation: NO in S406), the biometric authentication unit 22 determines that the rotation angle of the It is determined whether or not the angle is within a close predetermined angle range (S409). If the rotation angle of the mobile terminal 1 is within a predetermined angle range close to vertical (YES in S409), the process proceeds to S410, and the rotation angle of the mobile terminal 1 is changed from the predetermined angle range close to vertical. If it is off (NO in S409), the process returns to S405. Here, the range of the rotation angle defined in advance is not limited to this, but is preferably in the range of an angle of, for example, 75 ° to 90 °.

  With this configuration, for example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, even when the user U starts using the mobile terminal 1 in a posture of lying down, the mobile terminal 1 can display the lock screen. The preview image (for example, an eye image) can be displayed at an appropriate timing that does not hinder the display.

(Modification)
For example, even if the mobile terminal 1 does not change to a predetermined posture, if the posture of the mobile terminal 1 changes from a posture different from the predetermined posture to a predetermined posture more than a predetermined posture, the amount of the change becomes a predetermined threshold. (Eg, 45 °) or more, the display of the preview image may be started. Here, the “amount of change” is, for example, an angle of a tilt angle or a rotation angle.

  That is, in S403 of FIG. 10, the biometric authentication unit 22 (authentication unit, posture change value deriving unit) stores the orientation of the mobile terminal 1 and also stores the posture (eg, the tilt angle and the rotation angle) of the mobile terminal 1. are doing. Then, when the biometric authentication unit 22 changes from the posture indicated by the tilt angle or the rotation angle at the start of unlocking (first posture) to the posture indicated by the current inclination angle or the rotation angle (second posture). When the posture change value indicating the magnitude of the posture change is equal to or larger than the angle (for example, 45 °) defined as a predetermined threshold (equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold), the biometric authentication process is started or the preview image is displayed. May be displayed. Note that a configuration in which the posture change value is derived by the biometric authentication unit 22 may be used, or a configuration in which the posture change evaluation unit (not shown) provided separately from the biometric authentication unit 22 may be used. Good.

  Hereinafter, an example in which the angle defined as the predetermined threshold is set to 45 ° will be described with reference to FIG.

  At the start of unlocking (that is, corresponding to the value acquired at the beginning of sampling in S404), the inclination angle (the inclination in FIG. 2A) is 30 ° (first posture), and the inclination angle is acquired in S405. When the inclination angle (the inclination in FIG. 2B) is 75 ° (second posture), the amount of change in the angle is 45 ° (posture change value). The mobile terminal 1 starts displaying a preview image (for example, an eye image) because the amount of change in the angle is equal to or greater than 45 ° which is the angle defined as the predetermined threshold (the posture change value is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold).

  When the final tilt angle of the mobile terminal 1 changes from 30 ° to 75 °, the mobile terminal 1 can be used even if the tilt is not 90 ° as shown in FIG. It is fully possible to acquire an eye image of U. Therefore, as described above, the display of the preview image may be started when a change equal to or more than the angle defined as the predetermined threshold is detected. Accordingly, the authentication process can be smoothly performed without restricting the final posture and inclination of the portable terminal 1 when performing the biometric authentication process. Note that the angle defined as the predetermined threshold may be defined for each of the tilt angle and the rotation angle.

[Example of software implementation]
Control blocks of the mobile terminal 1 (in particular, a lock control unit 21, a biometric authentication unit 22, a biometric information registration unit 23, an eye image acquisition unit 24, an eye image display control unit 25, a tilt acquisition unit 26, a direction determination unit 27, and a rotation angle The acquisition unit 28) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

  In the latter case, the mobile terminal 1 may include a CPU that executes instructions of a program that is software for realizing each function, a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which the program and various data are recorded so as to be readable by a computer (or CPU), or A storage device (these are referred to as “recording media”), a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program, and the like are provided. Then, the object of one embodiment of the present invention is achieved when the computer (or the CPU) reads the program from the recording medium and executes the program. As the recording medium, a “temporary tangible medium” such as a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, or a programmable logic circuit can be used. Further, the program may be supplied to the computer via an arbitrary transmission medium (a communication network, a broadcast wave, or the like) capable of transmitting the program. Note that one embodiment of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the above-described program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[Summary]
The biometric authentication device (mobile terminal 1) according to the first aspect of the present invention is a biometric authentication device that authenticates a subject by using an authentication image obtained by imaging a subject with an imaging unit (camera 31). A detection unit (direction sensor 32) for detecting a posture of the biometric authentication device; and an authentication unit (biometric authentication unit 22) for authenticating the subject based on the authentication image. Then, in response to the detection unit detecting a predetermined posture, authentication of the subject based on the authentication image is started.

  It is desirable that the authentication of the subject based on the authentication image be started when the posture of the biometric authentication device has reached a predetermined posture at which the authentication image can be appropriately captured. According to the above configuration, the authentication unit starts authentication of the subject based on the authentication image in response to the detection unit detecting a predetermined posture. In other words, the biometric authentication device starts authentication when it has a predetermined posture suitable for performing authentication, and does not start authentication when it is not in such a predetermined posture. With this configuration, the authentication of the subject can be started smoothly and accurately. Therefore, the convenience can be improved while ensuring the accuracy of the authentication process.

  The biometric authentication device according to aspect 2 of the present invention is the biometric authentication apparatus according to aspect 1, wherein the authentication unit detects the authentication image in response to the detection unit detecting that the predetermined posture continues for a certain period of time. Authentication of the subject based on the authentication may be started.

  With this configuration, the authentication of the subject is not started when the posture of the biometric authentication device instantaneously assumes the predetermined posture, and the authentication of the subject is started when the posture continues for a certain period of time. I do. Thus, it is possible to avoid an erroneous operation of starting the authentication of the subject when it is not intended.

  The biometric authentication device according to aspect 3 of the present invention according to aspect 1 or 2, further includes an input receiving unit (input key unit 33, touch panel 37) for receiving an input for instructing to start authentication of the subject. The authentication of the subject based on the authentication image may be started in response to an input from the input receiving unit.

  According to the above configuration, authentication of the subject based on the authentication image is started in response to an input from the input receiving unit. Thus, even if the posture of the biometric authentication device is out of the predetermined posture, for example, the subject can instruct the start of authentication.

  The biometric authentication device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, further includes a storage unit 4 that stores information that defines the predetermined posture of the biometric authentication device. When the posture of the biometric authentication device at the time of receiving the input for instructing the start of authentication is different from the predetermined posture, the authentication of the subject is started, and the information defining the predetermined posture of the storage unit is stored in the storage unit. The configuration may be such that the posture at the time of reception is updated to include the posture.

  According to the above configuration, the authentication unit performs authentication of the subject when the posture of the biometric authentication device is different from the predetermined posture when the input reception unit receives an input instructing start of authentication. At the same time, the information that defines the predetermined posture in the storage unit is updated to include the posture at the time of the reception. Thus, even if the posture of the biometric authentication device is out of the predetermined posture, the subject can instruct the start of authentication. Also, by updating the information defining the predetermined posture in the storage unit as described above, even if the posture of the biometric authentication device is a posture deviating from the predetermined posture originally specified, authentication in the past may be performed. If the posture has received the start instruction, the authentication can be started in the same manner as the predetermined posture.

  The biometric authentication device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention, according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further includes a display unit, and a display control unit that causes the display unit to display the authentication image. When the detection unit detects a predetermined posture of the biometric authentication device, the authentication image may be displayed on the display unit.

  According to this structure, when the detection unit detects the predetermined posture, the authentication image is displayed on the display unit. This makes it possible to appropriately control the timing at which the authentication image is displayed. Therefore, without displaying the authentication image when the subject is not intended, the convenience of the image (for example, a lock image) displayed on the display unit can be prevented from being impaired.

  A biometric authentication device (portable terminal 1) according to an aspect 6 of the present invention is a biometric authentication device that authenticates a subject using an authentication image obtained by capturing the subject with an imaging unit (camera 31). A display unit 371, a detection unit (direction sensor 32) for detecting the posture of the biometric authentication device, a display control unit (eye image display control unit 25) for displaying the authentication image on the display unit, An authentication unit (biometric authentication unit 22) for performing authentication of the subject based on the authentication image, wherein the display control unit converts the authentication image into the authentication image when the detection unit detects a predetermined posture. Display on the display.

  According to the above configuration, the display control unit causes the display unit to display the authentication image when the detection unit detects a predetermined posture. Accordingly, it is possible to control so that the authentication image is not displayed until the posture of the biometric authentication device becomes a predetermined posture. Therefore, the subject can use the image displayed on the display unit without being disturbed by the display of the authentication image.

  A biometric authentication device (mobile terminal 1) according to an aspect 7 of the present invention is a biometric authentication device that authenticates a subject using an authentication image obtained by imaging the subject with an imaging unit (camera 31). A detection unit (direction sensor 32) for detecting the posture of the biometric authentication device, an authentication unit (biometric authentication unit 22) for authenticating the subject based on the authentication image, and a posture of the biometric authentication device. A posture change value deriving unit (biometric authentication unit 22) for deriving a posture change value indicating a magnitude of the posture change when the posture is changed from the first posture to the second posture, wherein the authentication unit includes the posture In response to the change value being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, authentication of the subject based on the authentication image is started.

  When performing authentication based on the authentication image, the posture of the biometric authentication device changes from the first posture before the start of the authentication to the second posture where the authentication image can be appropriately captured. When the magnitude of the posture change of the biometric authentication device is equal to or larger than a predetermined threshold, the biometric authentication device may be able to authenticate the subject sufficiently. Thus, according to the above configuration, when the magnitude of the posture change when the posture of the biometric authentication device changes from the first posture to the second posture is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the authentication Authentication of the subject based on an image is started. That is, the biometric authentication device starts authentication when the magnitude of the posture change from the first posture to the second posture is equal to or larger than the predetermined threshold, and the magnitude of the posture change is smaller than the predetermined threshold. If so, the authentication is not started. With this configuration, the subject can be smoothly and accurately authenticated without requiring the subject to perform any special operation or operation. Further, the biometric authentication device having such a configuration can start authentication regardless of the posture of the subject at the time of authentication.

  The biometric authentication device according to aspect 8 of the present invention, in the above aspect 7, further includes a display unit 371, and a display control unit (eye image display control unit 25) for displaying the authentication image on the display unit, The display control unit may cause the display unit to display the authentication image in response to the posture change value being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.

  According to the above configuration, the display control unit causes the display unit to display the authentication image in response to the posture change of the biometric authentication device being equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold. With this configuration, the biometric authentication device can appropriately control the timing at which the authentication image is displayed. Therefore, the subject can use an image (for example, a lock image) displayed on the display unit without being disturbed by the display of the authentication image.

  A biometric authentication device (mobile terminal 1) according to an aspect 9 of the present invention is a biometric authentication device that authenticates a subject by using an authentication image obtained by capturing an image of the subject with an imaging unit (camera 31). A display unit 371, a detection unit (direction sensor 32) for detecting the posture of the biometric authentication device, a display control unit (eye image display control unit 25) for displaying the authentication image on the display unit, An authentication unit (biometric authentication unit 22) that authenticates the subject based on the authentication image and a magnitude of a posture change when the posture of the biometric authentication device changes from a first posture to a second posture. A posture change value deriving unit (biometric authentication unit 22) for deriving a posture change value, wherein the display control unit converts the authentication image into the authentication image in response to the posture change value being equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value. Display on the display.

  According to the above configuration, the display control unit causes the display unit to display the authentication image in response to the posture change value being equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value. That is, the biometric authentication device displays the authentication image when the magnitude of the posture change from the first posture to the second posture is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, and the magnitude of the posture change is a predetermined amount. When the value is less than the threshold value, control can be performed so that the authentication image is not displayed. Therefore, the subject can use the image displayed on the display unit without being disturbed by the display of the authentication image.

  The biometric authentication device according to aspect 10 of the present invention, according to any one of aspects 1 to 9, wherein the authentication unit performs authentication of the subject based on an image of a specific part of the subject. Is also good.

  Accordingly, even if the subject has an arbitrary posture, the subject can be imaged and authentication can be appropriately performed.

  The biometric authentication device according to aspect 11 of the present invention, according to any one of aspects 1 to 10, wherein the authentication unit performs authentication of the subject based on an image of the face, eyes, or skin of the subject. Is also good.

  A mobile terminal device (mobile terminal 1) according to aspect 12 of the present invention includes the biometric authentication device according to any one of aspects 1 to 11.

  The biometric authentication device according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the computer is operated as each unit (software element) included in the biometric authentication device, so that the biometric authentication device is connected to the computer. A control program for a biometric authentication device and a computer-readable recording medium that records the program are also included in the scope of one embodiment of the present invention.

  One aspect of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes can be made within the scope shown in the claims, and the technical means disclosed in the different embodiments can be appropriately combined. Such embodiments are also included in the technical scope of one embodiment of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

  Reference Signs List 1 mobile terminal (biological authentication device, mobile terminal device, device), 4 storage unit, 22 biometric authentication unit (authentication unit, posture change value derivation unit), 25 eye image display control unit (display control unit), 31 camera (imaging) Unit), 32 direction sensor (detection unit), 33 input key unit (input reception unit), 37 touch panel (input reception unit), 371 display unit, S101, S201, S301, S401 pre-authentication display steps S106, S204, S308, S410 Imaging step, S104, S206a, S304, S405 Detection step, S108, S205, S310, S412 Authentication step, S107, S208, S309, S411 Display step

Claims (9)

A biometric authentication device that performs authentication of the subject using an authentication image obtained by imaging the subject by an imaging unit,
The imaging unit;
A detection unit that detects the posture of the biometric authentication device,
An authentication unit that performs authentication of the subject based on the authentication image;
With
The authentication unit,
In response to the detection unit detecting a predetermined posture, to start authentication of the subject based on the authentication image,
The biometric authentication device,
An input receiving unit that receives an input instructing start of authentication of the subject,
A storage unit that stores information that defines the predetermined posture of the biometric authentication device,
The authentication unit,
In response to the input from the input receiving unit, to start authentication of the subject based on the authentication image,
If the posture of the biometric authentication device is different from the predetermined posture when the input receiving unit receives an input for instructing the start of authentication, the authentication of the subject is started and the predetermined posture of the storage unit is changed. The biometric authentication device updates the prescribed information to include the posture at the time of reception. 2. The authentication unit according to claim 1, wherein the authentication unit starts authentication of the subject based on the authentication image in response to the detection unit detecting that the predetermined posture has continued for a certain period. The biometric authentication device according to claim 1. A display unit,
A display control unit for displaying the authentication image on the display unit,
The biometric authentication device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit displays the authentication image on the display unit when the detection unit detects the predetermined posture. A biometric authentication device that performs authentication of the subject using an authentication image obtained by imaging the subject by an imaging unit,
The imaging unit;
A display unit,
A detection unit that detects the posture of the biometric authentication device,
A display control unit for displaying the authentication image on the display unit,
An authentication unit that performs authentication of the subject based on the authentication image,
The display control unit displays the authentication image on the display unit when the detection unit detects a predetermined posture,
The biometric authentication device,
An input receiving unit that receives an input instructing start of authentication of the subject,
A storage unit that stores information that defines the predetermined posture of the biometric authentication device,
The authentication unit,
In response to the input from the input receiving unit, to start authentication of the subject based on the authentication image,
If the posture of the biometric authentication device is different from the predetermined posture when the input receiving unit receives an input for instructing the start of authentication, the authentication of the subject is started and the predetermined posture of the storage unit is changed. The biometric authentication device updates the prescribed information to include the posture at the time of reception. The biometric authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the authentication unit performs authentication of the subject based on an image of a specific part of the subject. The biometric authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the authentication unit performs authentication of the subject based on an image of the face, eyes, or skin of the subject. A mobile terminal device comprising the biometric authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . A control program for causing a computer to function as a device that performs authentication of the subject using an authentication image obtained by imaging the subject by an imaging unit,
An authentication unit that starts authentication of the subject based on the authentication image when the posture of the device is in a predetermined posture,
An input receiving unit that receives an input for instructing the start of authentication of the subject, and a computer that functions as a storage unit that stores information that defines the predetermined posture of the device,
The authentication unit, when receiving an input instructing to start authentication of the subject, starts authentication of the subject based on the authentication image, and the orientation of the device when receiving an input to start authentication. When the predetermined posture is different from the predetermined posture, authentication of the subject is started, and information defining the predetermined posture is updated to include the posture at the time of the reception. A control program for causing a computer to function as a device that performs authentication of the subject using an authentication image obtained by imaging the subject by an imaging unit,
An authentication unit that performs authentication of the subject based on the authentication image;
A display control unit configured to display the authentication image when the posture of the device becomes a predetermined posture,
An input receiving unit that receives an input for instructing the start of authentication of the subject, and a computer that functions as a storage unit that stores information that defines the predetermined posture of the device,
The authentication unit, when receiving an input instructing to start authentication of the subject, starts authentication of the subject based on the authentication image, and the orientation of the device when receiving an input to start authentication. When the predetermined posture is different from the predetermined posture, authentication of the subject is started, and information defining the predetermined posture is updated to include the posture at the time of the reception.

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