JP6945391B2 - Biometric device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a biometric authentication device configured to perform personal authentication based on, for example, a vein of a hand or finger, a fingerprint, a palm shape, a face, an iris, an ear canal, etc. It belongs to the technical field of the structure of the non-contact biometric authentication device that enables authentication without contacting the device.

Traditionally, biometric authentication devices that perform personal authentication using information on human physical characteristics have been used at ATMs of financial institutions, various entrance / exit control gates (security gates), public institutions, etc., and their scope of application has expanded. ing.

Patent Document 1 describes, as a device for inputting a fingerprint, a finder for fixing the face of the person to be authenticated and visually observing the fingerprint input state, a stereoscopic image display device for a guide arranged below the finder, and a fingerprint. A device including a photographing device for photographing is disclosed. When using this device, when the person to be authenticated looks into the finder with the face fixed to the finder, the guide stereoscopic image displayed by the guide stereoscopic image display device is displayed below the finder. You can see it. By arranging the finger while referring to the stereoscopic image, the fingerprint can be photographed by the photographing device.

Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a device including a stereoscopic image display means for displaying a guide by a stereoscopic image and an imaging means for imaging a finger from below as a biological pattern imaging device. The stereoscopic image display means is arranged above the image pickup means and is at substantially the same height as the position where the finger is placed.

Japanese Patent No. 2829551 Japanese Patent No. 5353484

Since Patent Document 1 includes a finder for fixing the face of the person to be certified, the face comes into contact with the finder each time the certification is performed, and when used by an unspecified number of people, from a hygienic point of view. Unfavorable cases are assumed. In addition, since the finder is located above the guide stereoscopic image display device and the photographing device, the structure has to protrude upward from the part where the finger is placed, and the finder is a design restriction of the biometric authentication device. For example, it is not possible to cope with a case where a design in which there is no protrusion above the photographing device is desired. In addition, if the viewfinder protrudes upward from where you place your finger, the viewfinder may get in the way when you place your finger. In this regard, in Patent Document 1, a finger is placed while looking through the finder, but it is considered that the field of view of the finder is not so wide, and the provision of the finder itself may hinder the ease of use. In particular, assuming that a large number of people are certified in order, the efficiency of certification is poor in a structure that looks into a finder as in Patent Document 1.

On the other hand, since Patent Document 2 is a non-contact type, it is considered that the hygienic problem as in Patent Document 1 does not occur. However, since the stereoscopic image display means has a structure that protrudes upward from the main body of the device having the image pickup means, the stereoscopic image display means becomes a design restriction of the biometric authentication device as in Patent Document 1. There is a problem that the stereoscopic image display means tends to get in the way when the finger is placed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to eliminate upward protrusions to increase the degree of freedom in design and to smoothly and reliably perform human authentication operation. To be able to do it.

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, at least an aerial imaging member that images an image that guides an image to be authenticated such as a human hand in the air and an imaging unit that images the image to be authenticated shall be provided. , The aerial imaging member and the imaging unit are arranged so as not to project upward to eliminate the projecting upward.

The first invention is a biometric authentication device configured to acquire information on a human body to be authenticated and perform personal authentication based on the result of comparing the acquired information with pre-registered personal authentication information. In the above, a display unit that displays guide information for guiding the authenticated portion to a predetermined imaging region and light indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit are incident, and the incident light is incident. The aerial imaging member that emits to the side opposite to the side to generate a virtual image in the air, the imaging unit that captures the image to be authenticated, and the image of the portion to be authenticated that is imaged by the imaging unit are processed. The information acquisition unit that acquires information about the authenticated part, the storage unit that stores the personal authentication information, the information about the authenticated part acquired by the information acquisition unit, and the above-mentioned stored in the storage unit. The aerial imaging member is provided with a comparison unit configured to compare with personal authentication information and perform personal authentication based on the comparison result, and the aerial imaging member generates the virtual image at a distance from the biometric authentication device. configured to, surface located on the side of generating the virtual image in the biometric authentication apparatus Ri flat der, the imaging unit has an internal a and for the indicated said guides on the display unit of the biometric authentication device light indicating the information is characterized that you have been placed outside the path of the light to reach the aerial imaging member.

According to this configuration, a virtual image indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit is generated at a place away from the biometric authentication device by the aerial imaging member. The virtual image showing the guide information makes it possible to guide the authenticated portion to a predetermined imaging region. The authenticated portion guided to the predetermined imaging region is imaged by the imaging unit, and the information regarding the authenticated portion is acquired by the information acquisition unit. The acquired information on the part to be authenticated is compared with the personal authentication information stored in advance, and personal authentication can be performed based on the result.

Since a virtual image showing guide information is formed in the air, the person to be authenticated does not need to touch the biometric authentication device, and non-contact and hygienic authentication can be performed. Further, since the surface of the biometric authentication device located on the side where the virtual image is generated is flat, the constituent members do not exist as protrusions protruding from the biometric authentication device as in the conventional case. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design is increased, and there is no obstacle when the person to be authenticated arranges the part to be authenticated, and the authentication operation can be performed smoothly and surely.

The virtual image may be generated at a place far above the biometric authentication device, or may be generated at a place laterally or diagonally upward from the biometric authentication device, and the position where the virtual image is generated is not particularly limited. .. For example, when the imaginary image is generated at a place away from the biometric authentication device, the upper surface of the biometric authentication device may be a surface located on the side where the imaginary image is generated in the biometric authentication device and may be flattened. In the case of generating When it is generated at a place diagonally upward from the authentication device, the surface located diagonally above the biometric authentication device may be set as the surface located on the side where the virtual image is generated in the biometric authentication device, and may be flattened.

Further , when the virtual image indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit is imaged in the air by the aerial imaging member, the imaging unit can be positioned outside the light path. As a result, it is possible to prevent a part of the virtual image showing the guide information from being lost due to the presence of the imaging unit.

A second invention is, for the upper Symbol guide information is the luminance image, the imaging unit is characterized in that it is disposed at a position corresponding to the dark portion of the luminance image.

According to this configuration, when the guide information has a dark part, by arranging the image pickup unit at a position corresponding to the dark part, a part of the virtual image showing the guide information is lost due to the presence of the image pickup part. It is possible to image the guide information in the air while making it look like it is not. This increases the degree of freedom in arranging the imaging unit.

The third invention is characterized in that, in the second invention, the imaging unit is arranged on the surface of the display unit.

According to this configuration, the imaging unit can be arranged so as to overlap the surface of the display unit, so that the biometric authentication device becomes compact.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second invention, the imaging unit is arranged on a surface of the aerial imaging member on the incident side of light indicating the guide information.

According to this configuration, the imaging unit can be arranged so as to overlap the aerial imaging member, so that the biometric authentication device becomes compact.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the imaging unit is configured to image a wider range than the size of the authenticated portion, and the information acquisition unit is the imaging unit. It is configured to execute a search process for detecting the authenticated part from the images captured in the above-mentioned image, process the image of the authenticated part detected by the search process, and acquire information about the authenticated part. It is characterized by being.

According to this configuration, even if the part to be authenticated is slightly deviated from the virtual image showing the guide information, the part to be authenticated is imaged by the imaging unit and the part to be authenticated is searched from the captured images, so that the part to be authenticated is searched. Information on the part to be authenticated can be reliably acquired without pinpointing the part.

The sixth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to fifth inventions, an irradiation unit that irradiates the authenticated portion in the predetermined imaging region with an electromagnetic wave is provided.

According to this configuration, it becomes possible to clearly image the authenticated portion, so that the accuracy of the information regarding the authenticated portion is improved. The electromagnetic waves emitted by the irradiation unit include light such as visible light and infrared light, radio waves such as microwaves, and radiation such as X-rays, which may be determined according to the part to be certified.

According to the first invention, a virtual image showing guide information is formed at a distance from the biometric authentication device, and the surface of the biometric authentication device located on the side where the virtual image is generated is flattened to eliminate protrusions. This makes it possible to increase the degree of freedom in design and to smoothly and reliably perform human authentication operations.

Further , since the imaging unit is arranged outside the path of the light until the light of the display unit reaches the aerial imaging member, it is possible that a part of the virtual image showing the guide information is lost due to the presence of the imaging unit. Can be prevented.

According to the second invention, by arranging the imaging unit at a position corresponding to the dark portion of the luminance image displayed on the display unit, the degree of freedom in arranging the imaging unit is increased without interfering with the generation of a virtual image. Can be done.

According to the third invention, the biometric authentication device can be made compact by arranging the imaging unit so as to overlap the surface of the display unit.

According to the fourth invention, the biometric authentication device can be made compact by arranging the imaging unit so as to overlap the aerial imaging member.

According to the fifth invention, the imaging unit captures a range wider than the size of the authenticated portion, and the information acquisition unit executes a search process for detecting the authenticated portion from the images captured by the imaging unit. Since the image of the authenticated part detected by the search process can be processed to acquire the information about the authenticated part, the information about the authenticated part can be surely acquired without pinpointing the authenticated part. can.

According to the sixth invention, since the authenticated portion can be clearly imaged, the accuracy of the information about the authenticated portion can be improved, the authenticated portion can be detected accurately, and an error can be made. It is possible to reduce the probability of authentication.

It is a perspective view which shows the use state of the biometric authentication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a vertical cross-sectional view of the biometric authentication apparatus which shows the state which imaged the guide information in the air. It is a top view of the biometric authentication apparatus which shows the state which imaged the guide information in the air. It is a vertical cross-sectional view of the biometric authentication apparatus which shows the state which put the hand in a predetermined imaging region. It is a block diagram of a biometric authentication device. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the registration process of personal authentication information. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of personal authentication processing. FIG. 1 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 1 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 1 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 1 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 according to the fifth embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 according to the fifth embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiment is essentially merely an example and is not intended to limit the present invention, its application or its use.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a usage state of the biometric authentication device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Although only the biometric authentication device 1 is shown in this figure, the biometric authentication device 1 can be used alone, and the biometric authentication device 1 can be used, for example, a security gate, a biometric authentication type safeguard gate, an ATM of a financial institution, or the like. It can be used in an integrated state by incorporating it into an authentication device of a public institution.

The biometric authentication device 1 is configured to acquire information about a human being to be authenticated and perform personal authentication based on the result of comparing the acquired information with the personal authentication information registered in advance. The human authentication site may be a site that differs for each individual, and examples thereof include veins of hands and fingers, fingerprints, palm shapes, faces, irises, and pinna. The information about the human authenticated part is information about the shape, thickness, etc. of the vein when the vein of the hand or finger is used as the authenticated part, and the shape of the fingerprint, etc. when the fingerprint is used as the authenticated part. When the palm shape is the authenticated part, it is the information about the shape of the hand, when the face is the authenticated part, it is the information about the contour shape of the face, and when the iris is the authenticated part. In the case of, it is information about the pattern of the iris and the like, and when the ear canal is used as the authenticated part, it is the information about the shape of the ear canal and the like. These are just examples, and information that can represent the authenticated part as a numerical value or data in various formats can be used as information about the human authenticated part. In addition, the information about the human certified site can also be called the information about the physical characteristics of the human.

The personal authentication information is the same as the information on the human body to be authenticated in that it is the information on the physical characteristics of the human being as well as the information on the human body to be authenticated, but the information to be authenticated by one or more human beings. It is information about a site and is information registered in advance for the biometric authentication device 1.

In the following description of the embodiment, a case where the human authentication site is a vein of the hand will be described.

(Configuration of biometric authentication device 1)
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the biometric authentication device 1 has a display unit 2 for displaying guide information for guiding a hand to a predetermined imaging region as a luminance image, and a guide unit 2 displayed on the display unit 2. An aerial imaging member 3 in which light indicating information is incident and emits the incident light to the side opposite to the incident side to generate a virtual image A in the air, an imaging unit 4 for imaging a hand, and a control unit 5. , The housing 6 is provided. The housing 6 can have a rectangular box shape as shown in FIG. 1, but the shape is not limited to this, and the shape of the housing 6 can be arbitrarily set. When incorporating the biometric authentication device 1 into another device (security gate or the like), the biometric authentication device 1 omits all or a part of the housing 6 and a part of the structure constituting the security gate or the like. It can be used as all or part of the housing.

Further, the biometric authentication device 1 also includes the irradiation unit 7 shown in FIG. 2 and the distance measuring sensor 8 shown in FIG. 5, but the irradiation unit 7 and the distance measuring sensor 8 may be provided as needed, and the present invention may be provided. It is not an essential member.

In the description of this embodiment, when the biometric authentication device 1 performs the authentication operation, the side that is the front side when viewed from the authentication target person is simply referred to as "front", and the side that is the back side is simply referred to as "back". Good, the left side is simply called "left" and the right side is simply called "right", but this is only defined for convenience of explanation and is used in actual operation. The direction of the biometric authentication device 1 is not limited, and the biometric authentication device 1 can be freely arranged.

The display unit 2 can use a plate-shaped thin display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and the guide information displayed on the display unit 2 has a brightness having a bright portion and a dark portion. It is an image. Further, the image displayed on the display unit 2 may be a color image.

As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 2 can be housed inside the housing 6, and is formed so as to extend from the left side to the right side of the housing 6 as shown by a broken line in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the display unit 2 is arranged so as to be inclined so that the surface (display surface) is located deeper toward the lower side in a side view, and is fixed to the housing 6. The display unit 2 may be fixed to the aerial imaging member 3. The inclination angle of the display unit 2 is set to define the incident direction of light indicating guide information for the aerial imaging member 3. The guide information may be an image showing the shape of a hand, an image showing various figures, characters, or an image showing a combination thereof. When the part to be authenticated is an iris, for example, an image showing the shape of an eye can be used as guide information. When the part to be authenticated is a finger, for example, an image showing the shape of the finger can be used as guide information. When the part to be authenticated is a face, for example, an image showing the shape of the face can be used as guide information.

Further, the display unit 2 may be provided with a magnifying lens for enlarging an image showing guide information displayed on the display surface of the display unit 2.

As the aerial imaging member 3, a conventionally known member capable of generating a virtual image in the air can be used. Specifically, for example, an optical system disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 4734652, Patent No. 4865088. The optical control panel disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5509391 and the optical control means disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5509391 can be used.

The aerial imaging member 3 has a plate shape formed in, for example, a rectangle, and is fitted into the upper plate 6a of the housing 6 and extends substantially horizontally as shown in FIG. The aerial imaging member 3 may be arranged so as to be inclined downward toward the front side, may be arranged so as to be inclined downward toward the back side, or may be arranged so as to be inclined downward toward the back side. It may be arranged so as to incline downward toward the crab.

The light incident surface of the aerial imaging member 3 is the lower surface, and the surface that emits the incident light is the upper surface. The lower surface and the upper surface of the aerial imaging member 3 are composed of flat surfaces, and in particular, the upper surface is a flat surface having no upward protrusions. Further, the upper surface of the upper plate 6a of the housing 6 is formed so as to be substantially flush with the upper surface of the aerial imaging member 3, and the upper surface of the upper plate 6a is also flat with no upward protrusions. It has become a major aspect.

Light indicating guide information displayed on the display unit 2 is incident on the lower surface of the aerial imaging member 3. Let α be an incident angle when the light indicating the guide information is incident on the lower surface of the aerial imaging member 3. The incident light is the upper surface of the aerial imaging member 3 so as to generate a virtual image A at a position line-symmetrical with the display surface of the display unit 2 with the center portion in the thickness direction of the aerial imaging member 3 as the center of symmetry. Emit from. Assuming that the light emission angle at this time is β, the above α and β are substantially the same.

That is, this means that the position where the virtual image A is generated can be changed by changing the position and the tilt angle of the display unit 2, so that the virtual image A is generated at a position where the person to be authenticated can easily see. , The position and tilt angle of the display unit 2 can be set. Similarly, the position where the virtual image A is generated can be changed by changing the position of the aerial imaging member 3 with respect to the display unit 2 or by inclining the aerial imaging member 3. When the shape of the hand is a virtual image A, it is possible to generate a three-dimensional virtual image A in which the fingertips are oriented upward and the closer to the fingertips, the deeper the virtual image A is. In this embodiment, the aerial imaging member 3 is configured to generate a three-dimensional virtual image A at a position upwardly away from the biometric authentication device 1.

The imaging unit 4 can use a combination of a camera such as a CCD camera and a lens, and is configured to be able to image an object in a predetermined imaging region. The predetermined imaging region is set to include a region in which the virtual image A is generated, and is secured wider in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front side direction than the region in which the virtual image A is generated.

The imaging unit 4 can be provided with an autofocus function and a PTZ function. When the PTZ function is provided, the lens can be moved horizontally (pan), vertically (tilt), telephoto or wide-angle (zoom) to expand the imaging area. It is preferable because it can be used. As a result, the imaging unit 4 can image a wider range than the size of the authenticated portion (hand).

The imaging unit 4 can be housed inside the housing 6 below the lower surface of the aerial imaging member 3, and as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, the left back side of the housing 6 or the housing 6 (not shown). It can be placed on the far right side of. As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging unit 4 is outside the path (the portion shown in light ink) of the light until the light indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit 2 reaches the lower surface of the aerial imaging member 3. Is located in. As a result, the imaging unit 4 can be arranged without blocking the light indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit 2, so that a part of the virtual image A can be prevented from being damaged. Further, a plurality of image pickup units 4 can be provided, and in this case, a three-dimensional image can be acquired by the image pickup unit 4. When the vein of the hand is used as the part to be authenticated, it is preferable to use an infrared camera, but depending on the part to be authenticated, a normal camera or other imaging sensor can also be used. In the case of imaging with visible light, it is preferable not to display the image on the display unit 2 only during the imaging by the imaging unit 4. As a result, it is possible to prevent the light from the display unit 2 from entering the imaging unit 4. Further, the imaging unit 4 is arranged so that the aerial imaging member 3 does not enter between the imaging unit 4 and the authenticated portion. As a result, imaging can be performed without blocking the light by the aerial imaging member 3, so that the authenticated portion can be accurately imaged.

The irradiation unit 7 is for irradiating a hand in a predetermined imaging region with an electromagnetic wave, and can be configured by a device provided with a light emitting element such as an LED, for example. When imaging the veins of the hand, it is preferable to use a device that emits infrared light. Like the imaging unit 4, the irradiation unit 7 can be housed inside the housing 6 below the lower surface of the aerial imaging member 3, and as shown by the broken line in FIG. 3, the left back side of the housing 6 or Although not shown, it can be arranged on the right back side of the housing 6, and is arranged outside the path of the light until the light indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit 2 reaches the lower surface of the aerial imaging member 3. ing. Further, the irradiation unit 7 is arranged so that the aerial imaging member 3 does not enter between the irradiation unit 7 and the authenticated portion. The electromagnetic waves emitted by the irradiation unit 7 include light such as visible light and infrared light, radio waves such as microwaves, radiation such as X-rays, and the like, and may be determined according to the part to be certified. Further, the irradiation unit 7 can be configured to be capable of simultaneously or individually irradiating a plurality of types of electromagnetic waves having different wavelengths. The image pickup unit 4 may be appropriately selected according to the type of electromagnetic wave emitted by the irradiation unit 7.

The intensity of the electromagnetic wave emitted from the irradiation unit 7 can be adjusted. When the position of the hand is close to the biometric authentication device 1, the electromagnetic wave to be irradiated is weakened, and when the position of the hand is far from the biometric authentication device 1. The electromagnetic wave to be irradiated can be strengthened. The strength of the electromagnetic wave can be adjusted based on information such as, for example, the position of the focus adjustment lens of the autofocus function of the imaging unit 4. That is, when the subject is in focus at a distance, the electromagnetic wave emitted from the irradiation unit 7 is strengthened, and when the focus is near, the electromagnetic wave emitted from the irradiation unit 7 is weakened.

The distance measuring sensor 8 shown in FIG. 5 is a sensor for detecting whether or not an object exists in the vicinity of, particularly in front of, the biometric authentication device 1, and a well-known one can be used. The distance measuring sensor 8 is mainly installed for the purpose of detecting whether or not the person to be authenticated or the part to be authenticated exists in the vicinity of the biometric authentication device 1.

The external device 100 shown in FIG. 5 is, for example, a notification device for notifying the personal authentication result by light, sound, or the like, a door opening / closing mechanism of the security gate, and the like, and operates based on the personal authentication result by the biometric authentication device 1. It is a device that performs. There may be a plurality of external devices 100.

Next, the control unit 5 will be described. The control unit 5 can be configured by, for example, a central processing unit, a microprocessor having a ROM, a RAM, or the like, and can be housed inside the housing 6 in a state of being mounted on a substrate. In this embodiment, the control unit 5 is fixed to the back surface of the display unit 2, but the position of the control unit 5 is not limited to this and can be set arbitrarily.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 5 includes a main control unit 50, a storage unit 51 in which personal authentication information is stored, a biological detection engine 52, a feature point extraction engine 53, and a feature point comparison engine 54. It has. The biological detection engine 52, the feature point extraction engine 53, and the feature point comparison engine 54 can be configured by hardware or by programmatic software.

In the storage unit 51, as personal authentication information, specifically, the mutual positional relationship of a plurality of feature points indicating the characteristics of the veins of the hand can be stored in association with personal information (name, ID number, etc.). It can be used as a database. Further, the storage unit 51 can store the guide information to be displayed on the display unit 2. Further, the storage unit 51 can store a reference image used when detecting a hand from the images captured by the image pickup unit 4.

A display unit 2, an imaging unit 4, an irradiation unit 7, a distance measuring sensor 8, and an external device 100 are connected to the main control unit 50. The image data captured by the image capturing unit 4 is input to the main control unit 50. Further, the detection result of the distance measuring sensor 8, that is, whether or not an object exists in the vicinity of the biometric authentication device 1 is also input to the main control unit 50. The display unit 2 and the irradiation unit 7 are controlled by a signal output from the main control unit 50. The personal authentication result is output from the main control unit 50 to the external device 100. The output of the personal authentication result to the external device 100 may be wireless communication or wired communication.

The biological detection engine 52, the feature point extraction engine 53, and the feature point comparison engine 54 are connected to the main control unit 50, and data can be exchanged with each other. The biological detection engine 52 is a part for executing a search process for detecting a hand from the images captured by the imaging unit 4, and can be configured by using a well-known image processing algorithm. Specifically, the biological detection engine 52 takes a difference between the reference image (standard hand image) stored in the storage unit 51 and the image captured by the imaging unit 4, and the difference is greater than a certain value. It can be configured to determine that a hand has been detected when the number of hands is small. Further, the biological detection engine 52 can be configured to determine whether or not there is a portion of the image captured by the imaging unit 4 that can be determined to be the shape of a hand. Further, when a plurality of imaging units 4 are provided to acquire a three-dimensional image, it can be configured to determine whether or not there is a portion of the acquired three-dimensional image that can be determined to be the shape of a hand. .. Further, a three-dimensional distance measuring sensor can be provided, and the shape can be acquired by the three-dimensional distance measuring sensor, and it can be configured to determine whether or not the acquired shape is the shape of a hand. It is also possible to learn the shape of the hand so that it can be detected no matter where the hand is in the image captured by the imaging unit 4.

The feature point extraction engine 53 is configured to process an image of the hand detected by the search process by the biological detection engine 52 to acquire information on the veins of the hand. The specific method will be described based on the flowchart described later. The information acquisition unit of the present invention is composed of the biological detection engine 52 and the feature point extraction engine 53.

The feature point comparison engine 54 compares the information about the veins of the hand acquired by the feature point extraction engine 53 with the personal authentication information stored in the storage unit 51, and performs personal authentication based on the comparison result. It is configured in. A specific comparison method will be described based on a flowchart described later. The comparison unit of the present invention is configured by the feature point comparison engine 54.

The display unit 2, the aerial imaging member 3, the imaging unit 4, the control unit 5, the irradiation unit 7, and the distance measuring sensor 8 are arranged so that the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1 is flat. That is, the display unit 2, the aerial imaging member 3, the imaging unit 4, the control unit 5, the irradiation unit 7, and the distance measuring sensor 8 are arranged so as not to form a projecting object protruding upward from the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1. Therefore, members such as the conventional finder, the stereoscopic image display device for guides, and the stereoscopic image display means do not protrude from the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1. The upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1 may be completely flat, but may be slightly curved or may have a slight step. That is, steps and curved surfaces may be provided so as not to impede the degree of freedom in design and to smoothly perform human authentication operation.

(Procedure for registering personal authentication information)
Next, the procedure of the registration process of the personal authentication information will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. From the start of the registration process to the process of proceeding to step SA1, the control unit 5 controls the display unit 2 so that the display unit 2 does not display the guide information, and the control unit 5 prevents the image pickup unit 4 from performing imaging. Controls the imaging unit 4. At this time, the signage and various messages may be displayed on the display unit 2.

In step SA1, the approach of the registration target (hand or human) is detected. The approach of the registration target (hand or human) is determined by the main control unit 50 based on the signal input from the distance measuring sensor 8. When the approach of the registration target (hand or human) is detected, the process proceeds to step SA2.

In step SA2, a guide is displayed. As for the display of the guide, the main control unit 50 reads the guide information from the storage unit 51 and displays it on the display unit 2. As a result, when the guide information is displayed on the display unit 2, a virtual image A that can be visually recognized by the authentication target is generated above the biometric authentication device 1. At this time, when the virtual image A is an image showing the shape of a hand, it becomes a three-dimensional virtual image A in which the fingertip is oriented upward and the closer to the fingertip, the closer to the back.

In step SA3, the living body is imaged. The imaging unit 4 images a living body (hand) presented by the authentication target person at predetermined time intervals. In step SA4, it is determined whether or not a living body (hand) has been detected. Further, the image data captured by the imaging unit 4 is transmitted to the main control unit 50. Then, the biological detection engine 52 determines whether or not there is a hand in the image captured by the imaging unit 4. The biological detection engine 52 compares the subject in the image with the hand template (reference image), and if the shapes match by a certain amount or more, it can be determined that the hand has been detected. The detection result is sent to the main control unit 50. If no hand is detected, NO is determined and the process returns to step SA3. On the other hand, if the hand is detected, it is determined as YES and the process proceeds to step SA5.

In step SA5, feature points are extracted. The image data received by the main control unit 50 is sent to the feature point extraction engine 53, and the feature point extraction engine 53 processes the detected hand image to extract the feature points. The feature point extraction engine 53 first extracts characteristic points in the image as feature points. The coordinates of the extracted feature points are compared with the template image of the hand, the feature points of the hand and the other feature points are distinguished, and the feature points other than the feature points of the hand are deleted. The extracted feature points are sent to the main control unit 50 as feature point data, which is information for personal authentication, and temporarily stored.

In step SA6, it is determined whether or not a certain number of feature point data temporarily accumulated in step SA5 has been accumulated. If a certain number of feature point data are not accumulated, it is determined as NO and the process returns to step SA3. On the other hand, when a certain number of feature point data are accumulated, it is determined as YES and the process proceeds to step SA7.

In step SA7, the extracted feature points are evaluated. All the temporarily accumulated feature point data is sent to the feature point comparison engine 54. The feature point comparison engine 54 extracts two from all the sent feature point data, calculates the similarity, and sends the two to the main control unit 50 as an evaluation value of the combination of the two. This is done for all combinations of feature point data sent to the feature point comparison engine 54.

In step SA8, it is determined whether or not the maximum value of the evaluation value calculated by the feature point comparison engine 54 exceeds a certain numerical value (threshold value). Here, the combination of the feature points having the maximum evaluation value is searched, and if the maximum evaluation value does not exceed the threshold value, NO is determined and the process returns to step SA3. On the other hand, if the maximum evaluation value exceeds the threshold value, it is determined as YES and the process proceeds to step SA9.

In step SA9, the feature point data is saved. A combination of feature point data, which is the maximum evaluation value, is sent to the storage unit 51, and the storage unit 51 stores the combination in association with personal information (registrant information). As described above, the registration process of personal authentication information is completed.

(Procedure for personal authentication processing)
Next, the procedure of the personal authentication process will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. Since each step from the start of the flowchart shown in FIG. 7 to step SB5 is the same as each step from the start of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6 to step SA5, the description thereof will be omitted.

In step SB6, the extracted feature points are evaluated. Specifically, the main control unit 50 reads the feature point data stored in the storage unit 51. The combination of the feature point data extracted in step SB5 and any one feature point data read from the storage unit 51 is sent to the feature point comparison engine 54, and the feature point comparison engine 54 sends the feature extracted in step SB5. The point data is compared with the feature point data read from the storage unit 51. As a result of the comparison, the feature point comparison engine 54 calculates the similarity as an evaluation value, and sends the calculated evaluation value of the similarity to the main control unit 50. This is performed for the combination with all the feature point data stored in the storage unit 51.

In step SB7, it is determined whether or not there is a combination of feature point data having a high evaluation value of similarity. Here, the combination of the feature point data in which the evaluation value of the similarity is the maximum value is searched. If the maximum value of the evaluation value of the similarity exceeds a certain threshold value, it is determined as YES and the process proceeds to step SB8. On the other hand, when the maximum value of the evaluation value of the similarity is equal to or less than a certain threshold value, it is determined as NO and the process proceeds to step SB9.

In step SB8, the authentication result is successful, and a display indicating success is displayed on the display unit 2. In step SB9, the authentication result is a failure, and a display indicating the failure is displayed on the display unit 2. Since the authentication result displayed on the display unit 2 is generated above the biometric authentication device 1 as a virtual image A, the person to be authenticated can visually check it. The display form at this time is not limited to characters, and may be images or colors. The authentication result is transmitted by the main control unit 50 to the external device 100. As described above, the personal authentication process is completed.

(Action and effect of the embodiment)
As described above, according to this embodiment, the virtual image A indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit 2 is generated by the aerial imaging member 3 at a position upward away from the biometric authentication device 1. Since the virtual image A showing the guide information can guide the hand, which is the authentication site, to a predetermined imaging region, it is possible to reduce the frequency of authentication failures due to the inability to image. Then, the authenticated portion guided to the predetermined imaging region is imaged by the imaging unit 4, and the information regarding the authenticated portion is acquired by the control unit 5. The acquired information on the part to be authenticated is compared with the personal authentication information stored in advance, and personal authentication can be performed based on the result.

Since the virtual image A showing the guide information is formed in the air, the person to be authenticated does not need to touch the biometric authentication device 1, and non-contact and hygienic authentication can be performed. Further, since the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1 can be formed flat, there is no protrusion protruding from the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1 as in the conventional case. Therefore, the degree of freedom in design is increased, and there is no obstacle when the person to be authenticated arranges the part to be authenticated, and the authentication operation can be performed smoothly and surely.

(Embodiment 2)
8 and 9 show a cross section of the biometric authentication device 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the arrangement positions of the imaging unit 4 and the irradiation unit 7 and the half mirror 9 are arranged. Since the points used are different from those of the first embodiment and the other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. The part will be described in detail.

In the second embodiment, the half mirror 9 is arranged so as to overlap the display surface of the display unit 2. Further, the imaging unit 4 is arranged on the back side inside the housing 6, so that the image of the half mirror 9 can be imaged from the back side. As shown in FIG. 8, the half mirror 9 allows light indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit 2 to pass through, and as shown in FIG. 9, the half mirror 9 captures the part to be authenticated (hand) arranged above. The imaging unit 4 is configured to be able to image the hand from the back side of the body 6. Further, the irradiation unit 7 is arranged on the lower surface of the aerial imaging member 3 and is configured to irradiate electromagnetic waves upward. The electromagnetic wave emitted from the irradiation unit 7 passes through the aerial imaging member 3 and is irradiated toward the hand.

In the second embodiment, the imaging unit 4 is outside the path of the light until the light indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit 2 reaches the aerial imaging member 3, and is inside the reflected optical path of the half mirror 9. Is located in.

Similar to the first embodiment, the second embodiment also forms a virtual image A indicating guide information at a position upwardly away from the biometric authentication device 1 so that the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1 is flat. It is possible to increase the degree of freedom in design by eliminating the protrusions on the surface, and it is possible to smoothly and surely perform human authentication operation.

(Embodiment 3)
10 and 11 show a cross section of the biometric authentication device 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the arrangement position of the imaging unit 4 and the structure of the aerial imaging member 3 are shown. Since it is different from the first embodiment and the other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail. ..

The aerial imaging member 3 of the third embodiment is provided with a non-imaging portion 3a, which is a portion that does not perform aerial imaging, at or near the central portion. The non-image forming portion 3a is a portion (for example, a normal glass plate or a resin plate) which is configured to transmit light but does not have an aerial imaging effect, and is displayed on the display unit 2. It is arranged at a position corresponding to the dark part of the brightness image. That is, the luminance image displayed on the display unit 2 has a dark portion, and this dark portion may be a dark portion even in the virtual image A, so that the image formation by the aerial imaging member 3 is unnecessary. Therefore, even if the non-imaging portion 3a is provided in the portion corresponding to the dark portion, the person to be authenticated does not notice it. For example, when an image showing the shape of a hand is used as guide information, the contour of the hand and its vicinity can be a bright part, and the inside of the contour can be a dark part. An image forming unit 3a can be provided.

The imaging unit 4 is arranged on the lower surface of the non-imaging unit 3a of the aerial imaging member 3 (the surface on the incident side of the light indicating the guide information in the aerial imaging member 3) to image the hand. The orientation is set so that

Similar to the first embodiment, the third embodiment also forms a virtual image A indicating guide information at a position upwardly away from the biometric authentication device 1 so that the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1 is flat. It is possible to increase the degree of freedom in design by eliminating the protrusions on the surface, and it is possible to smoothly and surely perform human authentication operation.

Further, since the image pickup unit 4 can be arranged at a position corresponding to the dark portion of the luminance image, the image pickup unit 4 is arranged between the display unit 2 and the aerial imaging member 3. Therefore, the size of the housing 6 can be reduced, and the biometric authentication device 1 can be made compact. In addition, the degree of freedom in arranging the imaging unit 4 can be increased without interfering with the generation of the virtual image A.

(Embodiment 4)
12 and 13 show a cross section of the biometric authentication device 1 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, the arrangement position of the imaging unit 4 and the structure of the aerial imaging member 3 are shown. Since it is different from the first embodiment and the other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same parts as those of the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail. ..

The aerial imaging member 3 of the fourth embodiment is provided with the non-imaging portion 3a as in the third embodiment. The position and orientation of the imaging unit 4 are set so that the hand can be imaged through the non-imaging unit 3a.

Similar to the first embodiment, the fourth embodiment also forms a virtual image A indicating guide information at a position upwardly away from the biometric authentication device 1 so that the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1 is flat. It is possible to increase the degree of freedom in design by eliminating the protrusions on the surface, and it is possible to smoothly and surely perform human authentication operation.

Further, since the image pickup unit 4 can be arranged at a position corresponding to the dark portion of the luminance image, the degree of freedom of arrangement of the image pickup unit 4 can be increased without disturbing the generation of the virtual image A.

(Embodiment 5)
14 and 15 show a cross section of the biometric authentication device 1 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. In the fifth embodiment, the arrangement position of the imaging unit 4 is different from that of the first embodiment. Since the other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, the description thereof will be omitted, and the different parts will be described in detail.

The aerial imaging member 3 of the fifth embodiment is not provided with the non-imaging portion 3a. The imaging unit 4 is arranged on the surface of the display unit 2. Specifically, the imaging unit 4 is arranged on the surface of the display unit 2 corresponding to the dark portion of the luminance image displayed on the display unit 2. Therefore, the imaging unit 4 does not interfere with the generation of the virtual image A.

Similar to the first embodiment, the fifth embodiment also forms a virtual image A indicating guide information at a position upwardly away from the biometric authentication device 1 so that the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1 is flat. It is possible to increase the degree of freedom in design by eliminating the protrusions on the surface, and it is possible to smoothly and surely perform human authentication operation. Further, the imaging unit 4 is arranged between the display unit 2 and the aerial imaging member 3. Therefore, the size of the housing 6 can be reduced, and the biometric authentication device 1 can be made compact.

(Other embodiments)
The above embodiments are merely exemplary in all respects and should not be construed in a limited way. Furthermore, all modifications and modifications that fall within the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

For example, the display unit 2, the aerial imaging member 3, and the imaging unit 4 are installed at the actual authentication site, and the biometric detection engine 52, the feature point extraction engine 53, and the feature point comparison engine 54 are installed at different locations. , These can be connected by a network such as a communication line to form the biometric authentication device 1. The communication line includes a wired line and a wireless line.

Further, the virtual image A formed in the air may be, for example, an image representing a numeric keypad. By continuously imaging the hand operating the numeric keypad, which is the virtual image A, it is possible to analyze which key was operated in what order, and to obtain a list of input numbers and a list of numbers stored in advance. It is also possible to perform personal authentication by inputting the numeric keypad by determining whether or not the numbers match. It is also possible to combine this numeric keypad input with the authentication by the authenticated part.

It is also possible to record the authentication history performed by the biometric authentication device 1. In this case, the image captured by the imaging unit 4 can also be saved together.

Further, when the distance measuring sensor 8 detects the approach of the authentication target person, the height of the biometric authentication device 1 may be automatically changed according to the height, age, etc. of the authentication target person.

Further, when the person to be authenticated arranges the authenticated portion according to the virtual image A, if it is deviated from the virtual image A and is outside the imaging region by the imaging unit 4, in which direction the authenticated portion should be moved. It is possible to display the moving direction on the display unit 2 with, for example, an arrow or a character. In addition, it may be possible to notify in which direction the authenticated portion should be moved by voice. As a result, the person to be authenticated can clearly grasp the moving direction of the authenticated portion, and the authenticated portion can be arranged in the imaging region. Further, it is possible to notify the person to be authenticated by the change in the color or the shape of the virtual image A whether or not the authenticated portion is in the imaging region.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the virtual image A is generated at a place away from the biometric authentication device 1 upward, but the present invention is not limited to this, and is not limited to this. The position where the virtual image A is generated is not particularly limited. For example, depending on the installation orientation of the biometric authentication device 1, a virtual image A may be generated at a location distant from the biometric authentication device 1 to the side. In this case, the side surface of the biometric authentication device 1 is a virtual image in the biometric authentication device 1. The surface may be flat on the side where A is generated, and when the virtual image A is generated diagonally upward from the biometric authentication device 1, it is located diagonally above the biometric authentication device 1. The surface may be a surface located on the side where the virtual image A is generated in the biometric authentication device, and may be flattened. As described above, the surface to be flattened is not limited to the upper surface of the biometric authentication device 1, and may be determined according to the installation direction of the biometric authentication device 1, the generation direction of the virtual image A, and the like. The surface located on the side where the virtual image A is generated may be flat.

As described above, the biometric authentication device according to the present invention can be used for personal authentication such as a security gate or an automatic safe deposit box.

1 Biometric authentication device 2 Display unit 3 Aerial imaging member 4 Imaging unit 5 Control unit 6 Housing 7 Irradiation unit 8 Distance measurement sensor 50 Main control unit 51 Storage unit 52 Biometric detection engine 53 Feature point extraction engine 54 Feature point comparison engine A virtual image

Claims (6)

In a biometric authentication device configured to acquire information about a human being authenticated and perform personal authentication based on the result of comparing the acquired information with pre-registered personal authentication information.
A display unit that displays guide information for guiding the authenticated portion to a predetermined imaging region, and a display unit.
An aerial imaging member that is incident with light indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit and emits the incident light to the side opposite to the incident side to generate a virtual image in the air.
An imaging unit that captures the above-mentioned authenticated site and
An information acquisition unit that processes an image of the authenticated portion captured by the imaging unit to acquire information about the authenticated portion, and an information acquisition unit.
A storage unit in which the above personal authentication information is stored, and
A comparison unit configured to compare the information about the authenticated site acquired by the information acquisition unit with the personal authentication information stored in the storage unit, and perform personal authentication based on the comparison result. With and
The aerial imaging member is configured to generate the virtual image at a distance from the biometric authentication device.
Surface located on the side of generating the virtual image in the biometric authentication apparatus Ri flat der,
The imaging unit, wherein Rukoto light showing the internal a and the guide information displayed on the display unit of the biometric authentication device is arranged outside the path of the light to reach the aerial imaging member Biometric authentication device. In a biometric authentication device configured to acquire information about a human being authenticated and perform personal authentication based on the result of comparing the acquired information with pre-registered personal authentication information.
A display unit that displays guide information for guiding the authenticated portion to a predetermined imaging region, and a display unit.
An aerial imaging member that is incident with light indicating the guide information displayed on the display unit and emits the incident light to the side opposite to the incident side to generate a virtual image in the air.
An imaging unit that captures the above-mentioned authenticated site and
An information acquisition unit that processes an image of the authenticated portion captured by the imaging unit to acquire information about the authenticated portion, and an information acquisition unit.
A storage unit in which the above personal authentication information is stored, and
A comparison unit configured to compare the information about the authenticated site acquired by the information acquisition unit with the personal authentication information stored in the storage unit, and perform personal authentication based on the comparison result. With and
The aerial imaging member is configured to generate the virtual image at a distance from the biometric authentication device.
The surface of the biometric authentication device located on the side that generates the virtual image is flat.
The above guide information is a luminance image.
The biometric authentication device is characterized in that the imaging unit is arranged at a position corresponding to a dark portion of the luminance image. In the biometric authentication device according to claim 2.
The biometric authentication device is characterized in that the imaging unit is arranged on the surface of the display unit. In the biometric authentication device according to claim 2.
The biometric authentication device is characterized in that the imaging unit is arranged on a surface of the aerial imaging member on the incident side of light indicating the guide information. In the biometric authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The imaging unit is configured to image a wider range than the size of the authenticated portion.
The information acquisition unit executes a search process for detecting the authenticated portion from the images captured by the imaging unit, processes the image of the authenticated portion detected by the search process, and performs the authenticated portion. A biometric authentication device characterized in that it is configured to obtain information about. In the biometric authentication device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
A biometric authentication device comprising an irradiation unit that irradiates an electromagnetic wave to the area to be authenticated in the predetermined imaging region.

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