JP2017152826A - Automatic transaction device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable accurate authentication of a user by preventing occurrence of halation caused by overexposure under an environment in which an amount of light is large, in an imaging device provided in a transaction device etc.SOLUTION: This automatic transaction device comprises: a camera for taking an image; a light sensor which measures an amount of light to use for taking the image; camera control means which, when the amount of light is larger than a predetermined value, deactivates a flicker removing function in which the shutter speed of the camera is fixed to a predetermined value; and authentication means which authenticates the user.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic transaction apparatus and method.

  In Japan, when a lighting device such as a fluorescent lamp or LED (Light Emitting Diode) without an inverter function is turned on, it is 100 intervals per second in an area with a power frequency of 50 Hz, and 1 second in an area with a power frequency of 60 Hz. Light and dark are repeated at intervals of 120 times. When a camera incorporating a sensor using a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or the like is used under the above-mentioned lighting fixture, there is a difference between light and dark depending on the relationship between the image reading time and the blinking cycle of the lighting fixture. A flicker phenomenon that produces a noticeable image occurs.

  The flicker repetition period (flicker frequency) is determined by the blinking period of the luminaire, the frame rate of the camera, and the exposure time. Flicker is repeatedly generated at regular intervals. For example, when the blinking cycle of the lighting fixture is 100 Hz (power supply frequency 50 Hz) and the frame rate is 15 fps (frames per second), there are 6.7 (= 100/15) times of image readout timing in one frame image. . However, if the exposure time is short, the difference between a dark image and a bright image becomes significant, and flicker occurs.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a polarization optical element incorporated in an imaging apparatus provided in a transaction apparatus or the like.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for preventing a decrease in flicker correction performance when an imaging device with a flicker correction function mounted on a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) is used under a fluorescent lamp.

  Patent Document 3 discloses a technique of an imaging apparatus that removes flicker under room lighting.

JP 2009-222853 A JP 2007-110205 A JP 2003-189173 A

  In order to deal with the flicker phenomenon as described above, the existing flicker correction function, for example, by setting the exposure time to 1/100 second or longer in an environment where the flickering cycle of the lighting fixture is 100 Hz, the timing of the flickering cycle. Can be contained within one line, and the occurrence of flicker phenomenon can be suppressed.

  However, with such a method, the exposure time cannot be made shorter than 1/100 second even in an environment where the amount of light has increased, so that the amount of light incident on the image capture exceeds an appropriate amount, resulting in overexposure. The overexposure phenomenon occurs. As a result, there is a problem that the user of the transaction apparatus or the like cannot be correctly authenticated.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique related to a polarizing optical element, and does not mention correspondence to the flicker phenomenon.

  Patent Document 2 describes a technique for correcting flicker phenomenon using past data, but does not mention correspondence to a whiteout phenomenon when shooting outdoors.

  Patent Document 3 describes flicker removal, but does not refer to authenticating a user in a transaction apparatus or the like.

  For this reason, the object of the present invention is the above-described problem, in the imaging device provided in the transaction device or the like, an overexposure phenomenon occurs in an overexposure under an environment where the amount of light is large, and the user authentication is accurately performed. The problem is that it cannot be done.

  The automatic transaction apparatus according to the present invention includes a camera that captures an image, an optical sensor that measures the amount of light used to capture the image, and, when the amount of light is greater than a predetermined value, the shutter speed of the camera is set to a predetermined value. Camera control means for invalidating a fixed flicker removal function and authentication means for authenticating a user based on the image are included.

  The method of the present invention captures an image, measures the amount of light used to capture the image, and disables the flicker removal function in which the shutter speed of the camera is fixed to a predetermined value when the light amount is larger than a predetermined value. And the user is authenticated based on the image.

  According to the present invention, in an imaging apparatus provided in a transaction apparatus or the like, it is prevented that a whiteout phenomenon that is overexposed in an environment with a large amount of light occurs, and user authentication cannot be performed accurately. There is an effect.

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of the configuration of an automatic transaction apparatus. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the automatic transaction apparatus.

<First embodiment>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an external view showing an example of the configuration of the automatic transaction apparatus 1.

  The automatic transaction apparatus 1 includes a camera 2, an optical sensor 3, a camera control unit 4, and an authentication unit 5. The automatic transaction apparatus 1 is, for example, an automatic teller machine (ATM) installed in a store such as a financial institution or a securities company, outside a store, a convenience store, a station, or the like.

  And when a user trades with the automatic transaction apparatus 1, in order to confirm a user's characteristic and operation | movement, the camera 2 mounted in the automatic transaction apparatus 1 image | photographs a user's image.

  In addition, the optical sensor 3 measures the amount of light incident on the image capturing depending on the environment in which the automatic transaction apparatus 1 is installed.

  Thus, the automatic transaction apparatus 1 can always monitor the optical sensor 3 to change the amount of light used for image capturing by the camera 2. When the amount of light is smaller than a predetermined value (hereinafter referred to as a threshold value), the image is taken with the flicker removal function controlled by the camera control unit 4 being effective, so that the automatic transaction can be performed without causing the flicker phenomenon. The apparatus 1 can acquire an image normally. On the other hand, when the amount of light used for image capturing changes greatly and exceeds the threshold value, the camera control unit 4 recognizes the information and disables the flicker removal function in which the shutter speed of the camera is fixed to a predetermined value. And Thereby, the automatic transaction apparatus 1 can acquire a normal image, without the overexposure phenomenon occurring by overexposure. And the automatic transaction apparatus 1 can identify a user by the authentication part 5 based on the acquired image, and can authenticate a user.

  Next, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the automatic transaction apparatus 1.

  The camera 2 captures an image of the user of the automatic transaction apparatus 1. The camera 2 is configured by an imaging device having functions such as a lens, a shutter, and an imaging sensor, for example. Note that the image sensor is constituted by, for example, a CMOS image sensor.

  The optical sensor 3 measures the amount of light used for taking an image by the camera 2. The optical sensor 3 is composed of, for example, a photovoltaic semiconductor.

  The camera control unit 4 receives the measurement result of the optical sensor 3 and invalidates the flicker removal function in which the shutter speed of the camera is fixed to a predetermined value when the light amount is larger than the threshold value. Note that the light intensity threshold value is set based on a place where an image is taken, for example, indoor or outdoor light quantity. When the flicker removal function is valid, the predetermined value of the shutter speed is set based on the power cycle of the place where the image is taken. For example, in an environment where the flickering cycle of the lighting fixture is 100 Hz, it is set to 1/100 second or the like. The camera control unit 4 is configured by hardware such as a logic circuit, for example.

  The authentication unit 5 authenticates the user based on the image data obtained by the camera 2 obtained via the camera control unit 4. In user authentication, the authentication unit 5 uses biometric authentication that identifies features of the user's human body, such as fingerprint authentication, vein authentication, and face authentication. Note that the authentication unit 5 is not limited to biometric authentication, and any authentication method may be used. Also, detailed description of these authentication methods will be omitted.

  The authentication unit 5 is configured by hardware such as a logic circuit, for example.

  As described above, the automatic transaction apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can recognize the light amount by the optical sensor 3 that measures the light amount. The automatic transaction apparatus 1 can switch the flicker removal function between valid and invalid for the camera 2. For this reason, the automatic transaction apparatus 1 can acquire an appropriate image without overexposure by recognizing the light amount and invalidating the flicker removal function even in an environment where the light amount is strong.

  In general, cameras mounted on an apparatus such as the automatic transaction apparatus 1 of the present embodiment tend to focus on miniaturization and cost reduction, and therefore, inexpensive cameras are used, and the shooting speed is high. In many cases, the performance of the shooting environment is low, or the image processing is impossible. For this reason, there is a problem that it is difficult to acquire an image for detecting the flicker frequency, and it is difficult to specify the flicker frequency.

  On the other hand, the automatic transaction apparatus 1 does not need to detect a flicker phenomenon by image processing for each frame or to perform complicated image processing that does not cause a flicker phenomenon, and to reduce the size and cost of the camera 2. Is possible.

  The automatic transaction apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment has the following effects.

  In an imaging apparatus provided in a transaction apparatus or the like, it is possible to prevent a whiteout phenomenon in which overexposure occurs in an environment with a large amount of light and the user cannot be accurately authenticated.

  The reason is that when the amount of light is larger than a predetermined value, the flicker removal function in which the shutter speed of the camera 2 is fixed to a predetermined value is disabled and the user is authenticated based on the photographed image.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described with reference to drawings, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Automatic transaction apparatus 2 Camera 3 Optical sensor 4 Camera control part 5 Authentication part

Claims (8)

A camera for taking images,
An optical sensor for measuring the amount of light used to capture the image;
When the light amount is larger than a predetermined value, camera control means for invalidating a flicker removal function in which the shutter speed of the camera is fixed to a predetermined value;
An automatic transaction apparatus including authentication means for authenticating a user based on the image.   The automatic transaction apparatus of Claim 1 with which the said camera is provided with a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor.   The automatic transaction apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined value of the light quantity is set based on the light quantity at a place where the image is taken.   The automatic transaction apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the predetermined value of the shutter speed is set based on a power cycle of a place where the image is taken. Take a picture,
Measure the amount of light used to capture the image,
When the light amount is larger than a predetermined value, the flicker removal function in which the shutter speed of the camera is fixed to a predetermined value is switched to invalid,
A method of authenticating a user based on the image.   The method of claim 5, wherein the camera comprises a CMOS image sensor.   The method according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the predetermined value of the light quantity is set based on the light quantity of a place where the image is taken.   The method according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined value of the shutter speed is set based on a power cycle of a place where the image is taken.

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