JP2003161996A - Automatic photographing device and control method for the automatic photographing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic photographing device and a control method for the automatic photographing device which automatically select a transmission destination according to service contents that a photographed person selects without placing any burden on the photographed person and thus lighten up the burden of operation on the photographed person. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic photographing device has a service selecting means, a photographing means, and an information transmitting and receiving means and is enabled to select a transmission destination of face image information photographed by the photographing means according to a result inputted by the service selecting means. Further, transmission destinations of image information are set by services selected by the service selecting means and the image information is sent to the transmission destination corresponding to the service selected by the service selecting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic photography device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Currently used automatic photography devices are paid for by providing print photographs to customers. FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of an automatic photography device currently in use. In FIG. 13, a photo box is an automatic photo creation device. A camera, a charge slot, an operation section, and a discharge slot are provided in the automatic photography device.
A person is photographed while sitting on a chair provided inside. First, input the required number of prints and the desired print size from the operation unit. After that, when you pay the fee from the charge slot, the camera takes a picture of the person. Inside the automatic photographic device, the photographed image is processed and the print showing the portrait of the person is discharged from the discharge port. In such a conventional automatic photographing apparatus, the customer aims to attach the print to the required document, and the final purpose is not to obtain the print itself. Therefore, if various procedures can be performed through communication, there is a possibility that the demand for the ID photo as a print will disappear. Even in that case, the face photo information is important information for identifying the person, and there is an increasing demand for a function capable of taking a face photo, creating the face photo information, and transmitting it to a desired person via communication. There is expected.

When personal information such as face image information is transmitted to a server via communication and this information is used, comparison is made when the user of the face image information is only a specific user who has a contract with the server administrator. The security of the dynamic server is easy to maintain. However, when the number of users of the face image information is unspecified, such as the person being photographed, it is extremely difficult to maintain the security of the server. If you try to make a profit by sending face image information from the automatic photography device to the server and using the face image information accumulated in the server for use, the face image information users are not specified It is desirable for both users to increase the usage. However, in that case, it is difficult to ensure security for a server that can be accessed by an unspecified number of users, and even if a server for specified contractors is provided separately from the unspecified number of servers, the face image information is shared between the servers. It has been difficult to achieve both the expansion of use of face image information and the ensuring of security, such as intrusion from a server for a large number of unspecified users into a server for specific contractors through the above route.

Further, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-236504, there is provided an image information acquisition / transmission device and an image information input / recording device which are equipped with a communication function in an ID photo system and can record or transmit photographic image information taken at a predetermined place. Proposed. However, although this publication describes that the person to be photographed selects the destination of the information, the image information acquisition / transmission apparatus automatically selects the destination according to the result input by the service selection means. However, the change is not described, and the person to be photographed is burdened with selecting a destination.

[0005]

As described above, in the prior art, it was not possible to photograph the face image information and automatically select the destination without imposing a load on the person to be photographed. It is important to reduce the operation load on the person to be photographed in an unmanned automatic photography apparatus because it is difficult to appropriately and individually inform the person to be photographed.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and automatically selects a transmission destination according to the service content selected by the photographed person without imposing a load on the photographed person,
An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic photography apparatus and a control method of the automatic photography apparatus that can reduce the operation load on the person to be photographed. Other objects of the present invention will be made clear by the description of the specification.

[0007]

(1) An automatic photographing apparatus according to claim 1 has a service selecting means, a photographing means, and an information transmitting / receiving means, and the automatic photographing apparatus according to a result input by the service selecting means. It is characterized in that the transmission destination of the face image information photographed by the photographing means is selected.

According to this structure, the information including the personal information of the person to be photographed can be managed by a plurality of independent servers, and the server that enables access by an unspecified number of people and the connection to only specific customers can be connected. Proper security can be easily maintained by completely separating the permitted servers. In addition, since the unspecified number of servers can release the registered information to the unspecified number of users who know the ID number and the secret code, it is possible to broaden the range of use of the information and increase the utility value of the information. You can This makes it possible to achieve both high security and expansion of the information usage range. Further, it is also possible to operate the individual management of information by a plurality of servers without giving the load of the destination selection to the photographed person.

(2) In the automatic photography device according to the second aspect, the destination of the image information is preset for each service selected by the service selecting means, and the service is selected by the service selecting means. It is characterized in that the image information is transmitted to the transmission destination.

According to this structure, since the transmission destination of the image information is preset for each service selected by the service selection means, it becomes easier to select the transmission destination and the automatic photograph taking apparatus of the person to be photographed. The residence time inside can be shortened.

(3) In the automatic photograph taking apparatus according to claim 3, the information transmitting / receiving means is a wireless communication means, which allows the information to be stolen as compared with the case of using a wired communication means. It becomes difficult to remove and the security of information is improved.

(4) The automatic photographic device according to claim 4 is characterized by having a printing means, which increases the frequency of use of the registered image information.

(5) The automatic photography apparatus according to the fifth aspect is characterized in that the encryption means is changed for each destination of the image information, which prevents an increase in communication load. The required security can be secured.

(6) The automatic photography apparatus according to claim 6 is characterized in that the transmission destination of the image information can be changed from the outside by communication, which improves the utilization efficiency of the server. Can be expected.

(7) In the automatic picture taking apparatus according to the seventh aspect, at least one of the selected destinations can be accessed by a person who has taken a face image by an unspecified number of the automatic picture taking apparatuses. Although the present invention is characterized by being a server, the effect of the present invention becomes more remarkable.

(8) The automatic photography apparatus according to claim 8 is characterized in that at least one of the selected transmission destinations is a server accessible only from a specific connection destination. The effects of the present invention are more prominent.

(9) The automatic photography apparatus according to claim 9 is characterized in that the selected destination can receive face image information from a plurality of automatic photography apparatuses. Therefore, the effect of the present invention becomes more prominent.

(10) The automatic photography apparatus according to the tenth aspect is characterized in that the information item to be transmitted is changed depending on the selected destination, whereby the effect of the present invention becomes more prominent. .

(11) The automatic picture taking apparatus according to the eleventh aspect is characterized by having a plurality of MPUs, which can be expected to significantly reduce the failure rate of the automatic picture taking apparatus.

(12) A control method of an automatic photograph taking device according to a twelfth aspect has a service selecting means, a photographing means, an information transmitting / receiving means, a controlling means and a storing means, and based on a result inputted from the service selecting means. The control means selects a transmission destination based on information stored in advance in the storage means, and transmits the face image information photographed by the photographing means to the selected transmission destination. Thereby, the same effect as that of the invention described in claim 1 can be expected.

(13) A method of controlling an automatic photograph taking device according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention has a service selecting means, a photographing means, an information transmitting / receiving means, a controlling means and a storing means, and the result inputted from the service selecting means is used. According to the automatic photographing apparatus for selecting the destination of the face image information photographed by the photographing means, the transmission of the image information is started after all the input work and the photographing are completed. As a result, it is expected that the failure rate of the automatic photography device will be significantly reduced.

[0022]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments below.

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment using the automatic photography apparatus of the present invention. Information including face image information is transmitted from the automatic photography device 1 to a plurality of destinations, for example, the contractor server 2 or the unspecified majority server 3. The information transmitted to the contractor server 2 should be available only to financial institutions and credit companies that have contracted with the server administrator. In addition, the unspecified large number of servers should be made available only to companies that have contracts such as a resume sending company, an application submitting company, and a university. The information transmitted to the unspecified large number of servers 3 can be used by the unspecified large number of users such as the person to be photographed by the ID number and the secret code of this information. Since the contractor server 2 is connected only to the automatic photography device 1 and the contractor's computer (for example, the server 4 of a financial institution, the server 5 of a credit company, etc.), it is difficult to illegally access and high security is provided. Is maintained.

The unspecified majority server 3 uses the registered information as I
Since the information can be released to an unspecified number of users who know the D number and the personal identification number, it is possible to widen the range of use of the information and increase the utility value of the information. This has made it possible to achieve both high security and expanded use of information.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the operation and information flow of the embodiment of the automatic photography apparatus of the present invention.

The customer who is the photographed person 7 enters the automatic photographing apparatus 1 and looks at the display screen of the service selection menu as shown in FIG. 3 and confirms "certification photograph", "preparation for unsecured loan", " A desired service can be selected from the options of "bank account opening application" and "resume, photo registration for application" (step S1). If you select "ID photo", you can get the service to take and print conventional ID photos. When the "preparation for unsecured loan application" service is selected by the service selecting means, a display screen of the selection menu of the loan company as shown in FIG. 4 is displayed, and the photographed person 7 selects his or her favorite loan company from this display screen. Can be done (step S
2).

When the loan company is selected, the next step is to have the driver's license read by the driver's license reader (step S3). FIG. 5 is a display screen that prompts the person to be photographed to read the driver's license, and instructs the photographer to put the driver's license on the driver's license reader. When the user is ready and presses the round button (●) on the operation means described later, the display screen becomes the screen during reading as shown in FIG. When the reading is completed, the display screen changes to a screen for confirming the license number, as shown in FIG. 7, and a triangular button (▲ or ▼) with operating means indicates whether the reading of the driver's license number is correct or incorrect. ), And then press the round button (●) on the operating means to confirm.

Next, the telephone number is input by the ten-key pad (step S4), the face image is photographed, and the input procedure in the automatic photographing device is finished (step S5).

The automatic photographic apparatus 1 automatically selects a server corresponding to the service input by the person to be photographed from a plurality of destinations registered in advance (step S6). Further, the photographed face image information, the read driver's license information, and the information such as the input telephone number are associated with each other and an ID number is given. Then, these pieces of information are associated with the ID number and transmitted to the selected server (step S7). The selected server in this case is the contractor server 2
Is.

The server having received the information stores the information such as the ID number, face image information, driver's license information, telephone number, the service that the customer who is the photographer wants to use, the company to be used in the storage device (step S8). ). These pieces of information stored in the server are automatically transmitted to the server of the loan company which is the contract customer desired by the customer (step S9).

The contract customer carries out a predetermined procedure based on these pieces of information. According to the present invention, it is possible to operate individual management of information by a plurality of servers without imposing a load of destination selection on a customer who is a photographed person.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation and information flow of the automatic photography apparatus of another embodiment using the automatic photography apparatus of the present invention.

The person to be photographed enters the automatic photographing device 1,
"Certificate photo", "Preparation for unsecured loan application", "Application for opening bank account", "Resume, photo registration for application"
Select a desired service from the options (step S1)
1). When the "resume, application photo registration" service is selected by the service selecting means, a resume intermediary company can be selected on the next selection screen (step S12). Next, enter the password using the numeric keypad (step S1
3) Enter the telephone number using the numeric keypad (step S1
4) Do. Finally, the face image is taken (step S
15) The input procedure in the automatic photography device is completed.

The automatic photograph taking apparatus 1 automatically selects a server corresponding to the service input by the person to be photographed from a plurality of destinations registered in advance (step S16). The selected server in this case is the unspecified majority server 3. The automatic photography apparatus 1 assigns an ID number to the information, and after the input procedure is completed, connects to the destination corresponding to the service input by the person to be photographed, and transmits the necessary information to the server via the transmitting means. (Step S17).

The server that receives the information stores the ID number, personal identification number, telephone number, face image information, etc. (step S1).
8). An ID number and a personal identification number are transmitted from the client computer of the customer who is the photographed person, and when it is verified that the ID number and the personal identification number are valid, the resume format and the like are transmitted to the client computer of the customer (step S19). When the server receives the CV with the necessary information entered from the client computer of the customer,
The received resume is stored in the storage device and transmitted to the server of the contract customer (step S20). The contract customer performs a predetermined procedure based on this information.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the automatic photography apparatus of the present invention. The control means 10 is specifically an MPU, controls the automatic photography device 1, calculates information, and the like.
Photographing means 11, information transmitting / receiving means 12, billing means 13, means 14 for receiving payment, operation means 16, storage means 17,
Display means 18, service selection means 19, printing means 20,
It is connected to the encryption unit 21, the reading unit 22, and the input unit 23.

The automatic photographing device 1 configured as described above
The operation will be described below. Photographing means 11
Is a digital camera, and captures the face image of the subject 7. The information transmitting / receiving means 12 is specifically a PH.
It is a wireless communication means such as S, and is an automatic photography device 1 and an external server 32 (contractor server 2 or unspecified majority server 3
Etc.) to send and receive information. The communication destination is configured to be changeable according to an instruction from the control means 10. The charging means 13 is means for charging the person to be photographed 7. The billing means 13 displays the billing information according to the selected service on the display means 18 via the control means 10. The means 14 for receiving payment is a means for collecting money or receiving payment by a credit card, a prepaid card, a debit card, or the like.

The operating means 16 is composed of two triangular buttons (▲, ▼) facing upward and downward, and a round button (●). The storage unit 17 is specifically a semiconductor memory and a hard disk, and stores the information sent from the control unit 10. The display means 18 is specifically a CRT,
A desired option can be selected by the operation means 16 based on an instruction on the display screen displayed on the display means 18. The printing unit 20 is specifically a printer, typically a sublimation printer. A face image or the like can be printed and provided to the photographed person 7. Reading means 22
Is a driver's license reader, and can read the information on the driver's license. By using the information described in the driver's license, it is possible to perform reliable personal verification. The input means 23 is specifically a ten-key pad and can input numbers and the like.

Before transmitting the information to the external server (such as the contractor server 2 or the unspecified majority server 3), the control means 10 is provided.
Can display the photographed face image of the person to be photographed 7 on the display means 18. If the face image displayed on the display unit 18 does not like, the person to be photographed 7 can operate the operation unit 16 to take a picture again. Then, the face image finally liked is transmitted from the information transmitting / receiving means 12 to the external server (the contractor server 2 or the unspecified majority server 3 or the like).

The control means 10 can cause the printing means 20 to print out image information similar to the image information transmitted from the information transmitting / receiving means 12. In this way, the transmitted image can be confirmed, and it is possible to relieve the anxiety of not knowing what image was transmitted.

The control means 10 can change the information encryption means 21 depending on the destination. For example, the information transmitted to the contractor server 2 is SSL (Secure So
The information transmitted to the unspecified majority server 3 can be encrypted by bit inversion. As a result, the security of the contractor server 2, which requires higher security, can be enhanced, and the increase in the overall encryption calculation and communication load can be effectively suppressed. Encryption means 2 for each destination of image information
With the configuration of the present invention in which No. 1 is changed, necessary security can be ensured while preventing an increase in the load of encryption calculation and communication.

By using the information transmitting / receiving means 12 as a wireless communication means, compared with the case of using a wired communication means,
Information stealing became difficult and information security improved. When a wired telephone line is used, the communication line can be stripped off to steal communication.

The destination of the image information is preset for each service selected by the service selecting means 19,
By transmitting the image information to the transmission destination corresponding to the service selected by the service selection means 19, it becomes possible to set the transmission destination without imposing an extra load on the person to be photographed 7.

With the configuration of the present invention having the printing means 20, the frequency of use of the registered image information is increased. By providing the person to be photographed 7 with a print on which the ID number and the like are printed, the effect of not forgetting the procedure of using the image information can be obtained.

With the configuration of the present invention in which the encryption means 21 is changed for each transmission destination of image information, it is possible to secure necessary security while preventing an increase in communication load.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an automatic photography apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the automatic photograph taking apparatus shown in FIG. 9 is that two MPUs serving as control means are provided. The control means 110 is specifically an MP
U, which is connected to another control means 130, controls the automatic photography apparatus 1 and calculates information. Control means 1
Reference numeral 10 denotes an image capturing unit 111, an information transmitting / receiving unit 112, a charging unit 113, a payment receiving unit 114, and an operating unit 11.
6, storage means 117, display means 118, printing means 12
0, connected to the input means 123. Also, the control means 1
30 is also an MPU, and the encryption means 1
21, reading means 122, service selecting means 119,
It is connected to the personal information input means 115 and the storage means 131. The control means 110 is an MPU which is a hardware resource.
And a program stored in the storage unit 117 cooperate with each other to cause each unit connected to the control unit 110 to function, and the control unit 130 is a hardware resource M.
The PU and the program stored in the storage unit 131 cooperate with each other to cause each unit connected to the control unit 130 to function. The specific functions of each means are basically the same as those described in FIG.

By providing two MPUs in this way, the failure rate is significantly reduced. In the automatic photograph taking apparatus shown in FIG. 10, for example, even if some trouble occurs in the control unit 130 that controls the reading unit 122, the service of the ID photograph shown in FIG. 3 can be performed. Moreover, by providing three MPUs, the service of the unsecured loan application preparation and the bank account opening application system shown in FIG. 3, which is the service transmitted to the contractor server 2, and the unspecified majority server 3 are transmitted. It is also possible to separate the functions of the services provided by the resume and application photo registration system.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the concept of the automatic photography apparatus of the present invention in a concrete configuration. A digital camera is used as the photographing means 11, and a PH is used as the information transmitting / receiving means 12.
S is a sublimation printer as the printing unit 20, an operation button as the operating unit 16, a driver's license reader as the reading unit 22, and a CRT as the displaying unit 18.
Is used as the input means 23.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a conventional automatic photography apparatus. Unlike the automatic photography apparatus of the present invention, means for designating a destination must be provided and the person to be photographed must select the destination. Is configured.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional automatic photo-taking device, which is a conceptual diagram of the automatic photo-taking device currently on the market having no information transmitting / receiving means.

[0051]

According to the present invention, information including personal information of a person to be photographed can be managed by a plurality of independent servers, and a server that enables access by an unspecified number of people,
By completely disconnecting the servers that allow only specific customers to connect, we were able to easily maintain appropriate security. Since the unspecified number of servers can release the registered information to the unspecified number of users who know the ID number and the secret code, it is possible to broaden the range of use of the information and increase the utility value of the information. It was This has made it possible to achieve both high security and expanded use of information.

According to the present invention, it is possible to operate the individual management of information by a plurality of servers without imposing a load on the subject to select a destination. Also, on the service selection means,
With the configuration of the present invention using the two downward triangle buttons (▲, ▼), the residence time of the person being photographed in the automatic photographing apparatus can be shortened.

With the configuration of the present invention in which the information transmitting / receiving means is a wireless communication means, it becomes more difficult to snoop on the information and the information security is improved as compared with the case of using a wired communication means.

The destination of the image information is preset for each service selected by the service selecting means, and the image information is transmitted to the destination corresponding to the service selected by the service selecting means. , Selecting destinations has become easier.

With the configuration of the present invention having the printing means, the frequency of use of registered image information is increased. Further, with the configuration of the present invention in which the encryption means is changed for each destination of image information, it is possible to secure the necessary security while preventing an increase in communication load. Furthermore, the use efficiency of the server is improved by the configuration of the present invention in which the destination of image information can be changed from the outside by communication.

The effect of the present invention is more remarkable by the configuration of the present invention in which at least one of the selected transmission destinations is a server accessible by the subject whose face image has been photographed by an unspecified number of the automatic photographing devices. Appeared in. Further, the effect of the present invention is more prominent due to the configuration of the present invention in which at least one of the selected transmission destinations is a server accessible only from a specific connection destination. Furthermore, the effect of the present invention is more prominent due to the configuration of the present invention in which the selected destination can receive face image information from a plurality of automatic photography devices.

With the configuration of the present invention in which the information items to be transmitted are changed according to the selected destination, the effects of the present invention are more prominent. Also, the configuration of the present invention having a plurality of MPUs significantly reduced the failure rate of the automatic photography device.

In an automatic photographic device having a service selecting means, a photographing means, and an information transmission / reception stage, which selects a transmission destination of face image information photographed by the photographing means according to a result inputted by the service selecting means. The failure rate of the automatic photography device is remarkably reduced by the configuration of the present invention in which the transmission of the image information is started after the service selection and the photographing are completed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment using an automatic photography device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation and a flow of information of the automatic photography apparatus of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a display screen showing a configuration of a service selection menu in the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a display screen showing a configuration of a trading company selection menu in the same embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a display screen showing the contents of an operation prompting the photographed person in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a view of a display screen showing that the automatic photographing apparatus in the embodiment is in operation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a display screen showing the content of an operation that prompts the person to be photographed to perform the next step when the operation of the automatic photography apparatus according to the same embodiment is completed.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an operation and a flow of information of the automatic photography apparatus of another embodiment using the automatic photography apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an automatic photography apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an automatic photography apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the concept of the automatic photography apparatus of the present invention in a specific configuration.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a conventional automatic photography device.

FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram of a conventional automatic photography device.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Automatic photography device 2 contractor server 3 unspecified majority server 7 photographed person 10, 110, 130 control means 11,111 Photographing means 12, 112 Information transmission / reception means 13,113 Billing means 14,114 Means of receiving payment 15,115 Personal information input means 16,116 Operation means 17, 117, 131 storage means 18, 118 display means 19,119 Service selection means 20,120 Printing means 21, 121 encryption means 22, 122 reading means 23,123 Input means

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2H104 AA19 BC48                 5C022 AA13 AB68 AC01 AC32                 5C052 AA12 AB04 DD02 EE02 EE03                       FA02 FA03 FA07 FB01 FB05                       FC06                 5C064 CA14 CC01

Claims (13)

[Claims] 1. A service selection unit, a photographing unit, and an information transmission / reception unit, wherein a destination of face image information photographed by the photographing unit is selected according to a result input by the service selection unit. Automatic photography device to do. 2. A destination of image information is preset for each service selected by the service selecting means, and the image information is transmitted to a destination corresponding to the service selected by the service selecting means. The automatic photography device according to claim 1. 3. The automatic photograph taking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information transmitting / receiving unit is a wireless communication unit. 4. The automatic photograph taking apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit. 5. The automatic photography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encryption means is changed for each destination of the image information. 6. The transmission destination of the image information can be changed from the outside by communication.
The automatic photography device according to any one of 1. 7. The server according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the selected destinations is a server accessible by a subject who has taken a face image with an unspecified number of the automatic photography devices. 6. The automatic photography device according to any one of 6. 8. The automatic photography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the selected transmission destinations is a server accessible only from a specific connection destination. 9. The automatic photograph according to claim 1, wherein the selected destination can receive face image information from a plurality of automatic photographing devices. Imaging device. 10. The information item to be transmitted is changed according to the selected destination.
The automatic photography device according to any one of 1. 11. The automatic photography apparatus according to claim 1, which has a plurality of MPUs. 12. A service selection means, a photographing means, an information transmission / reception means, a control means, and a storage means, and the control means stores information stored in advance in the storage means based on a result input from the service selection means. A method for controlling an automatic photo-taking device, characterized in that a destination is selected on the basis of, and face image information photographed by the photographing means is transmitted to the selected destination. 13. A service selecting means, a photographing means, an information transmitting / receiving means, a controlling means, and a storing means, and a destination of face image information photographed by the photographing means according to a result inputted from the service selecting means. An automatic photography device to be selected, wherein transmission of image information is started after completion of all input work and photographing, a method of controlling the automatic photography device.