JP2022171656A - Photographing device, biological image processing system, biological image processing method, and biological image processing program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a photographing device for obtaining a blood vessel pattern with less noise, a biological image processing system, a biological image processing method, and a biological image processing program.

SOLUTION: In a biological image processing system, a photographing device comprises: a plate 18 which includes a placement plane on which a biological body is placed; near infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 for irradiating the biological body with near infrared light; visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 for irradiating the biological body with visible light; and a photographing unit 15 for photographing the biological body. The plate 18 includes a plurality of shading walls 16-1 and 16-2 which partitions the inside of the plate, one of the near infrared light sources, the visible light sources, and the photographing unit is disposed in each space partitioned by the shading walls, and the near infrared light source or the visible light source is disposed in both spaces adjacent to the space in which the photographing unit is disposed.

SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

COPYRIGHT: (C)2023,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a biometric image processing system, a biometric image processing method, a biometric image processing program, and a storage medium for storing the biometric image processing program.

In recent years, with the development of the information society, the problem of spoofing in merchandise transactions and immigration examinations has become serious. Personal authentication using passwords, authentication cards, etc., easily permits impersonation by others through theft or peeping. Therefore, instead of authentication methods using passwords, authentication cards, etc., authentication methods using biometric features unique to individuals that are difficult to forge have been developed. Since the features of the blood vessel pattern are derived from the blood vessels that exist inside the living body, counterfeiting is particularly difficult, and authentication using the blood vessel pattern can ensure high security against spoofing.

An example of an authentication device using blood vessel patterns is described in Patent Document 1. The authentication device described in Patent Literature 1 is configured to irradiate near-infrared light to the side of the finger pad placed on the placing portion and to irradiate visible light to the central portion of the finger pad. there is The camera of the device captures the light transmitted through the colorless and transparent opening cover to generate image data. A signal separation unit of the device separates the image data generated by the camera for each color spectral unit, and extracts the blood vessel image data and the finger surface image data. A positional displacement detection processing unit of the device detects a positional displacement state of the blood vessel image data from the reference finger expression image and the finger surface image data. The collating unit collates the blood vessel image whose position is corrected based on the detection result of the positional displacement state with the pre-registered image.

JP 2006-72764 A

By the way, an image captured by light transmitted through a living body as in the above apparatus is used for collation of blood vessel patterns, and skin patterns such as fingerprint patterns and palm print patterns are likely to appear in the images. In collation of blood vessel patterns, the skin pattern reflected in the image affects the result of collation and can be a cause of lowering the accuracy of authentication. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a biological image processing system that acquires blood vessel patterns with less noise.

A first imaging device of the present invention comprises a plate having a placement surface on which a living body is placed, a near-infrared light source that irradiates the living body with near-infrared light, and a visible light source that irradiates the living body with visible light. and an imaging unit for imaging the living body, the plate has a plurality of light shielding walls partitioning the inside of the plate, and the near-infrared light source and the visible light source are provided for each space partitioned by the light shielding walls. Any one of the imaging units is arranged, and the near-infrared light source or the visible light source is arranged in spaces on both sides of the space in which the imaging units are arranged.

A first biological image processing system of the present invention includes a first image generated by imaging the living body irradiated with the near-infrared light by the imaging device, and the living body irradiated with the visible light. and an acquisition unit that acquires a second image generated by imaging the second image, and an image processing unit that uses the skin pattern in the second image to reduce the reflection of the skin pattern in the first image. have.

In the first living body image processing method of the present invention, a first image generated by imaging the living body irradiated with the near-infrared light by the imaging device, and the living body irradiated with the visible light and obtaining a second image generated by imaging and using the skin pattern in the second image to reduce reflection of the skin pattern in the first image.

A first living body image processing program of the present invention comprises a first image generated by imaging the living body irradiated with the near-infrared light by the imaging device, and the living body irradiated with the visible light. and obtaining a second image generated by imaging the second image, and using the skin pattern in the second image to reduce the reflection of the skin pattern in the first image. Let

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a biological image processing system that acquires blood vessel patterns with little noise.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of 2nd embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows an example of operation of a second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the modification of 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the modification of 3rd embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of 4th embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of hardware.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Below, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the components described in the following embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.
(First embodiment)
A configuration example of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a biological image processing system 100. As shown in FIG. The biological image processing system 100 has an acquisition unit 10 and an image processing unit 11 . Acquisition unit 10 acquires a first image generated by imaging a living body irradiated with near-infrared light and a second image generated by imaging a living body irradiated with visible light. . The image processor 11 processes the skin pattern in the first image based on the second image.

According to the first embodiment, it is possible to provide a biological image processing system that acquires blood vessel patterns with little noise. The principle will be explained below.

Since near-infrared light has a long wavelength, it easily penetrates the living body. In addition, blood in a living body contains a large amount of hemoglobin, which absorbs near-infrared light well. Therefore, when the living body is irradiated with near-infrared light, the blood vessels in the living body absorb the light well, and the other parts transmit the light, so that the blood vessels in the living body appear dark. In other words, when an image of a living body irradiated with near-infrared light is captured, a blood vessel pattern appears in the captured image. Since the blood vessel pattern differs from person to person, it can be used for authentication processing such as personal authentication as a unique biometric feature of an individual.

Here, a skin pattern is likely to appear in an image captured while a living body is irradiated with near-infrared light. Near-infrared light is easily absorbed by the living body, but part of it is reflected on the surface of the living body and is not absorbed by the living body. When a living body is irradiated with near-infrared light from a specific direction, concave portions where the light from the light source does not directly reach become shadows, so that unevenness of the skin epidermis appears in the image. In this specification, the skin pattern is assumed to be a pattern composed of unevenness of the epidermis of a living body. Skin patterns include fingerprints, palm prints, foot prints, and other skin wrinkles.

In addition, when capturing an image of near-infrared light that has passed through a living body, concave portions of the skin of the living body appear as shadows. In particular, when photographing a living body placed on some kind of member, the behavior of light emitted from the living body differs between concave and convex portions of the epidermis, so skin patterns are likely to appear in the image. This is probably because the air existing between the member on which the living body is placed and the living body has a different refractive index of light from the living body. The light emitted from the living cavity is refracted and scattered at the boundary between the epidermis and the air. Therefore, the light incident on the member on which the living body is placed is attenuated, and the light reaching the imaging unit through the member is also attenuated. On the other hand, since the convex portions of the skin are in direct contact with the member, most of the light emitted from the convex portions of the skin enters the member. Therefore, the convex portion of the epidermis appears bright.

As described above, there is a high possibility that not only the blood vessel pattern but also the skin pattern will appear in the first image generated by capturing the image of the living body irradiated with the near-infrared light. However, in collation of blood vessel patterns, the skin pattern reflected in the image becomes noise, which affects the result of collation and may cause a decrease in the accuracy of authentication. Therefore, when performing collation/authentication using the first image, it is preferable to process the skin pattern in the first image to reduce noise.

Therefore, in addition to the first image, the acquisition unit 10 acquires a second image generated by imaging the living body irradiated with visible light. Visible light has a shorter wavelength than near-infrared light and is difficult to pass through the body, so most of it is reflected by the skin of the body. Therefore, the skin pattern appears clearly in the second image. Since the image processing unit 11 processes the skin pattern in the first image based on the second image, the processed first image is an image showing a blood vessel pattern with little noise. The image processing unit 11 may reduce the appearance of the skin pattern in the first image by, for example, using the skin pattern in the second image to lighten (darken) the skin pattern in the first image. .

The image processor 11 may remove skin patterns corresponding to the skin patterns in the second image from the first image. More specifically, the image processing unit 11 may subtract the pixel value of the pixel of the second image corresponding to the specific pixel from the pixel value of the specific pixel of the first image. As a result, the first image from which the skin pattern has been removed becomes an image showing the blood vessel pattern with less noise. Note that the image processing unit 11 may perform subtraction processing after binarizing the pixel values of the first image and the second image.
(Second embodiment)
(Configuration of Second Embodiment)
Next, a configuration example of the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the biological image processing system 101. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 particularly shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the imaging mechanism of the biological image processing system 101 . Here, the imaging mechanism is a structure for imaging a living body including the positional relationship of a light source, a plate on which a living body is placed, an imaging section, a light shielding section, and the like.

Biological image processing system 101 includes acquisition unit 10, image processing unit 11, plate 18, near-infrared light source 13-1, near-infrared light source 13-2, visible light source 14-1, visible light source 14 -2, an imaging unit 15, a light shielding unit 16-1, a light shielding unit 16-2, and a light source control unit 17. A surface of the plate 18 that comes into contact with the living body is called a mounting portion 12 . Hereinafter, the near-infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 and the visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 may be collectively referred to as "light sources". Also, the light shielding portions 16-1 and 16-2 may be collectively referred to as "light shielding portions".

The acquisition unit 10 captures a first image generated by imaging a living body irradiated with near-infrared light and a second image generated by imaging a living body irradiated with visible light. 15. Since the processing of the image processing unit 11 is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

A living body is placed on the placement section 12 . FIG. 2 shows a state in which a living body is placed on the placement section 12 . The epidermis SK of a living body has unevenness forming fingerprints and palm prints, which are skin patterns. As shown in FIG. 2, when the placement section 12 is positioned between the living body and the imaging section 15, the plate 18 is preferably transparent or translucent. This is so that the light that has passed through the living body and the light that has been reflected by the living body can pass through the placement section 12 and reach the imaging section 15 . Plate 18 may be transparent or translucent glass, plastic, or the like.

The light source irradiates the living body with near-infrared light and visible light through the placement section 12 . The light source may be, for example, a light-emitting member such as an LED (Light Emitting Diode), a light bulb, or a fluorescent lamp. The light source will be described in more detail below. Near-infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 are provided below the mounting portion 12. As shown in FIG. The near-infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 irradiate the living body with near-infrared light through the placement section 12. FIG. The wavelength of light emitted by the near-infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 is preferably 750 nm to 900 nm, which is highly absorbed by hemoglobin.

Visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 are provided below the mounting portion 12. As shown in FIG. The visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 irradiate the living body with visible light through the placement section 12. FIG. The wavelength of the light emitted by the visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 is preferably 400 nm to 570 nm, which has a low absorption rate by hemoglobin.

The near-infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 and the visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 irradiate the living body with light at different times. That is, the acquisition unit 10 generates a first image generated by imaging a living body irradiated with near-infrared light, a second image generated by imaging the living body irradiated with visible light, are separately obtained from the imaging unit 15 . The timing of light irradiation by the light source is controlled by the light source controller 17 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the near-infrared light emitted by the near-infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 partly enters the living body and partly reflects on the surface of the living body. Most of the visible light emitted by the visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 is reflected by the living body surface. As a result, the first image shows the blood vessel pattern and the skin pattern, and the second image shows the skin pattern.

Note that the light source and imaging unit 15 may be positioned inside the plate 18 . This makes the device even thinner. Also, the number of light sources is not limited to two near-infrared light sources and two visible light sources. The number of light sources may be one near-infrared light source and one visible light source, or three or more near-infrared light sources and three or more visible light sources. The number of near-infrared light sources and the number of visible light sources may differ.

The imaging unit 15 is positioned on the side of the light source and images the living body. The imaging unit 15 may be a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor, a CMOS (Complementary Meta Oxide Semiconductor) sensor, or a camera having these. The imaging unit 15 generates image data by converting the received light into image data.

The light blocking sections 16-1 and 16-2 are members positioned between the light source and the imaging section 15 to block light from entering the imaging section. The light blocking sections 16-1 and 16-2 are positioned between the light source and the imaging section 15 so that the imaging section 15 does not directly receive the light from the light source. This is because if the imaging unit 15 directly receives the light from the light source, the blood vessel pattern may not be clearly captured in the first image and the second image due to saturation due to light fogging. It should be noted that the number of light shielding portions does not need to be two, and for example, four light shielding portions may be provided so as to surround the outer periphery of the rectangular parallelepiped imaging portion 15 . Further, a cylindrical light shielding part may be provided so as to surround the light source. In any case, the light blocking section plays a role of blocking light traveling straight from the light source to the imaging section 15 so that the imaging section 15 does not directly receive the light from the light source.

The light source controller 17 controls the light source. For example, the light source control unit 17 turns on a group of near-infrared light sources including the near-infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 and a group of visible light sources including the visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 at different times. to control the light source. The light source control unit 17 may turn on the light source when an input unit (not shown) inputs a signal for starting imaging. The input unit (not shown) may be, for example, an input device that receives an instruction to start shooting from the user. Alternatively, the input unit (not shown) may be a pressure sensor, a capacitance sensor, an infrared sensor, or the like that detects that the living body is placed on the placement unit 12 .
(Operation of Second Embodiment)
Next, operation of the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart for explaining the operation of the biological image processing system 101. As shown in FIG.

The near-infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 irradiate the living body with near-infrared light through the placement section 12 (S1). For example, when the light source control unit 17 receives a signal from a capacitance sensor that detects that the living body is placed on the placement unit 12, the light source control unit 17 controls the near infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2 to emit near infrared light. A living body is irradiated with light. The imaging unit 15 images the living body irradiated with the near-infrared light and generates a first image (S2). Acquisition unit 10 acquires the first image from imaging unit 15 . Next, the visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 irradiate the living body with visible light through the placement section 12 (S3). For example, after controlling the near-infrared light sources 13-1 and 13-2, the light source control unit 17 may control the visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2 to irradiate the living body with visible light. The imaging unit 15 images the living body irradiated with visible light and generates a second image (S4). Acquisition unit 10 acquires the second image from imaging unit 15 . The image processing unit 11 acquires the first image and the second image from the acquisition unit 10, and processes the skin pattern in the first image based on the second image (S5). Before or after processing the first image based on the second image, the image processing unit 11 performs image binarization, enhancement of the blood vessel pattern, removal of high-frequency components by a low-pass filter, other noise removal, and positioning of the blood vessel pattern. Image processing such as alignment may be performed.

The image processing unit 11 may transmit the processed first image to an authentication unit (not shown). An authentication unit (not shown) may perform personal authentication by comparing a blood vessel pattern appearing in the first image processed by the image processing unit 11 with a blood vessel pattern registered in advance in a DB (database) or the like. In addition to the first image, the image processing section 11 may transmit the second image to an authentication section (not shown). An authentication unit (not shown) matches the skin pattern shown in the second image with a skin pattern registered in advance in a DB, and performs personal authentication based on the result of the matching and the result of matching using the blood vessel pattern. can be By performing personal authentication using two or more biometric features, the accuracy of authentication can be improved.

According to the second embodiment, since the light blocking section is positioned between the light source and the imaging section, the imaging section can be provided on the side of the light source. This is because the light emitted from the light source is not directly received by the imaging section due to the presence of the light shielding section, and thus there is a low possibility that the imaged blood vessel pattern will become unclear even if the imaging section is provided on the side of the light source. In addition, by providing the imaging section on the side of the light source, it is possible to reduce the thickness of the biological image processing system.

Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, since the skin pattern is imaged while the living body is in contact with the placing section, for example, when a fingerprint image is generated, it is collated with a pre-registered stamped fingerprint image or latent fingerprint image. Suitable for Latent fingerprints collected from crime scenes and stamped fingerprints read by a fingerprint reader using a prism are both fingerprints taken with the finger pressed. Therefore, the degree of deformation of the fingerprint differs between these fingerprints and the fingerprint read by the non-contact fingerprint reader, and there is a possibility that the accuracy of collation may be lowered. According to the second embodiment, since the skin pattern is imaged while the body is in contact with the placing section, an image suitable for matching with the latent fingerprint or the printed fingerprint can be generated.

Moreover, a fingerprint reader using a prism tends to be large and difficult to incorporate into other products. According to the second embodiment, it is possible to generate an image suitable for matching with an image of a printed fingerprint or a latent fingerprint, and to make the entire device thin.

Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, since the light source emits near-infrared light and visible light through the placement section of the living body, it is possible to effectively provide guidance to the user. For example, the light source can inform the user of the timing, position, and the like of placing the finger from the back side of the placement section. As a result, the user can visually and easily grasp the timing and position of placing the finger.

Although the near-infrared light source and the visible light source have been described as irradiating the living body with light at different times, they may irradiate the living body with light at the same time. That is, the imaging unit 15 may capture an image of a living body irradiated with near-infrared light and visible light at the same time. In this case, the living body image processing apparatus 101 needs to perform processing to separate a single image of the living body irradiated with near-infrared light and visible light into a first image and a second image. In order to enable image separation processing, the biological image processing apparatus 101 preferably has a filter array and an image separation unit.

A filter array is a filter that transmits light of a predetermined wavelength. For example, the filter array may be a single filter in which a near-infrared light filter and a visible light filter are arranged in a grid pattern. The near-infrared light filter transmits near-infrared wavelengths, for example, light in the wavelength range of 750 nm to 900 nm. The visible light filter transmits visible light wavelengths, for example, light in the wavelength range of 400 nm to 570 nm. Therefore, the filter array that combines the near-infrared light filter and the visible light filter can separate the near-infrared light and the visible light and make them enter the imaging unit 15 . A filter array is provided between the mounting section 12 and the imaging section 15 .

The image separation unit separates image data of an image captured through the filter array into pixel data corresponding to near-infrared light and pixel data corresponding to visible light. Then, the image separation unit transmits the set of pixel data corresponding to near-infrared light to the acquisition unit 10 as data representing the first image, and acquires the set of pixel data corresponding to visible light as data representing the second image. Send to unit 10.

Accordingly, even if the near-infrared light source and the visible light source do not irradiate light separately, the acquisition unit 10 can acquire the first image and the second image, so that the imaging time can be shortened. In addition, since there is no possibility that the position of the living body is shifted due to the difference in imaging timing, the position of the skin pattern in the first image matches the position of the skin pattern in the second image. Thereby, the image processing unit 11 can process the skin pattern in the first image more accurately.

Moreover, it is preferable that the refractive index of the mounting portion 12 is substantially the same as the refractive index of the living body. Since the refractive index of a living body is generally 1.4 to 1.5, it is desirable that the refractive index of the mounting portion 12, that is, the plate 18 is also 1.4 to 1.5. When the refractive index of the mounting portion 12 is substantially the same as that of the living body, reflection and refraction are less likely to occur on the plate, so that a clearer blood vessel pattern can be imaged.
(Third embodiment)
Next, a configuration example of the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the biological image processing system 102. As shown in FIG. FIG. 4 particularly shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the imaging mechanism of the biological image processing system 102 . The third embodiment differs from the second embodiment in the positional relationship between the light source, the light blocking section, and the imaging section. Since other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment, description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

Biological image processing system 102 includes acquisition unit 10, image processing unit 11, plate 18, near-infrared light source 13-1, near-infrared light source 13-2, visible light source 14-1, visible light source 14 -2, an imaging unit 15-1, an imaging unit 15-2, a light shielding unit 16-3, a light shielding unit 16-4, and a light source control unit 17. A surface of the plate 18 that comes into contact with the living body is called a mounting portion 12 . Hereinafter, the imaging units 15-1 and 15-2 may be collectively referred to simply as "imaging units". Similarly, the light shielding section 16-3 and the light shielding section 16-4 may be collectively referred to simply as "light shielding section".

In the third embodiment, the imaging section is positioned between the light source and the placement section 12 . Referring to FIG. 4, the imaging section 15-1 is positioned between the near-infrared light source 13-1 and the visible light source 14-1 and the mounting section 12. As shown in FIG. The imaging section 15-2 is positioned between the near-infrared light source 13-2 and the visible light source 14-2 and the mounting section 12. As shown in FIG. Also, the imaging units 15-1 and 15-2 are located inside the plate 18. FIG. Due to the positional relationship between the imaging unit, the light source, and the mounting unit 12, the light emitted from the light source is directed to the side of the imaging unit 15-1 and the imaging unit 15-1, as illustrated by the arrows in FIG. It reaches the living body through the side of the part 15-2. In other words, the light source emits near-infrared light and visible light through the side of the imaging section.

It is the same as the second embodiment in that the light shielding section is positioned between the light source and the imaging section. 16-3 is positioned below the imaging section 15-2, and the light shielding section 16-4 is positioned below the imaging section 15-1. This prevents the light from the light source from directly entering the imaging units 15-1 and 15-2. Since the operation of the third embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment, the explanation is omitted.

According to the third embodiment, even if the biological image processing system has a plurality of imaging units, it is not necessary to arrange the imaging units and the light sources on the same plane, and the arrangement of the light sources is less likely to be restricted by the imaging units. . As a result, for example, in the manufacturing process of the biological image processing system 102, the imaging unit can be arranged on the base on which the light source is adhered in advance. Therefore, it is expected that there is more room for selection of the size of the light source and imaging unit, and that the amount of light can be easily adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of light sources.

Note that the numbers of visible light sources, infrared light sources, imaging units, and light shielding units in the third embodiment are not limited to the numbers shown in FIG. Also, the imaging unit does not need to be located right above the light source. For example, the imaging unit 15-2 may be located directly above the space between the visible light sources 14-1 and 14-2. A configuration example in this case is shown in FIG. Also in the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the light source irradiates near-infrared light and visible light through the side of the imaging section 15-1 and the side of the imaging section 15-2.

Also, the light source may be provided at both the position shown in FIG. 4 and the position shown in FIG. 5 with respect to the imaging unit. In other words, the plate 18 on which the imaging units are arranged at intervals may be arranged on the base on which the light sources are spread.

Furthermore, the plurality of near-infrared light sources and the plurality of visible light sources may be alternately arranged below the mounting section. A configuration example in this case is shown in FIG. The biological image processing system 104 shown in FIG. 6 has multiple near-infrared light sources 13-1 to 13-5 and multiple visible light sources 14-1 to 14-5. Also, these near-infrared light sources and visible light sources are alternately arranged below the mounting portion 12 .

Thereby, the light source can evenly irradiate the living body epidermis with near-infrared light and visible light. Therefore, unevenness in the amount of near-infrared light and visible light irradiated to the living body can be suppressed, and it is possible to prevent a part of the skin pattern appearing in the first image and the second image from becoming unclear. Consequently, it is expected that the processing of the skin pattern by the image processing unit 11 is effectively performed.

Note that the imaging unit does not have to be arranged inside the plate 18 . For example, the imaging section may be adhered to the lower surface of the plate 18, or part of the imaging section may be inside the plate 18 and part may be exposed outside the plate. The shade need not be glued to the underside of plate 18 as shown in FIG. The light shielding part may be positioned between the light source and the imaging part, for example, the light shielding part may be positioned inside the plate 18 .

Further, the living body image processing apparatus 102 of the third embodiment may image a living body irradiated with the near-infrared light source and the visible light source at the same time, as in the second embodiment. The image separation in that case is the same as described in the second embodiment, so the description is omitted. For the same reason as in the second embodiment, the refractive index of the placement section 12 is preferably substantially the same as the refractive index of the living body.
(Fourth embodiment)
(Configuration of the fourth embodiment)
Next, a configuration example of the fourth embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the biological image processing system 105. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7 particularly shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the imaging mechanism of the biological image processing system 105 . The biological image processing system 105 includes an acquisition unit 10, an image processing unit 11, near-infrared light sources 13-1 to 13-4, visible light sources 14-1 to 14-4, and imaging units 15-1 to 15- 4, a light source control unit 17, and a plate 19 having a plurality of light shielding walls. A surface of the plate 19 that contacts the living body is called a mounting surface 20 .

The fourth embodiment differs from the second and third embodiments in that the light source, light shielding section, and imaging section are positioned inside the plate 19 . Further, the plate 19 has a plurality of light shielding walls partitioning the interior of the plate 19 in the lateral direction. As a result, the inside of the plate 19 is partitioned into a plurality of rooms, and the light sources, the light shielding units, and the imaging units are alternately arranged in each of the rooms. Since other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment, description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Further, since the operation of the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the second embodiment, the explanation is omitted.

According to the fourth embodiment, since the light sources and the imaging units are alternately arranged, each imaging unit can image the living body in the vicinity of the part of the living body illuminated by the light source. As a result, each imaging unit can capture an image of a living body irradiated with a sufficient amount of near-infrared light, so that an image in which the blood vessel pattern is clearly captured can be generated. Similarly, each imaging unit can capture an image of a living body irradiated with a sufficient amount of visible light, so that an image in which the skin pattern is clearly captured can be generated.

A light shielding wall may not be provided between the near-infrared light source and the visible light source. The light shielding wall may be provided so as to separate the room in which the imaging unit is arranged from the room in which the light source is arranged so that at least the light from the light source does not directly enter the imaging unit. Also, a plurality of near-infrared light sources, a plurality of visible light sources, or a plurality of imaging units may be provided in one room.

The living body image processing apparatus 105 of the fourth embodiment may capture an image of a living body irradiated with the near-infrared light source and the visible light source at the same time, as in the second and third embodiments. The image separation is the same as described in the second embodiment, so the explanation is omitted. For the same reason as in the second embodiment, the refractive index of the placement section 12 is preferably substantially the same as the refractive index of the living body.
(Hardware configuration)
Next, a hardware configuration example will be described. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a living body image processing apparatus 106 that implements at least one of the living body image processing systems 101 to 105. As shown in FIG. It should be noted that FIG. 8 does not show the hardware configuration of the imaging mechanism showing the positional relationship of the light source, placement section, imaging section, and the like. An example of the hardware configuration of the imaging mechanism is as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 to 7. FIG.

Biometric imaging device 106 may be any conventional device including a computer and imaging mechanism. 8, biometric imaging device 106 includes processor 1402 , memory 1404 , storage 1406 , northbridge 1408 connecting memory 1404 , and expansion slot 1410 . The biological image processing apparatus 106 also includes a communication interface 1414 , a south bridge 1412 connected to the storage 1406 , a near-infrared light source 13 , a visible light source 14 and an imaging unit 15 . These components are connected to each other by buses.

Processor 1402 reads and executes instructions stored in memory 1404, storage 1406, and the like. Processor 1402 may execute instructions to display images on a display device (not shown).

The processor 1402 may implement the acquisition unit 10 , the image processing unit 11 , and the light source control unit 17 . For example, the processor 1402 may control turning on/off of the near-infrared light source 13 and the visible light source 14 according to commands read from the memory 1404 or the storage 1406 and process image data acquired from the imaging unit 15 . The processor 1402 may be a circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits).

Memory 1404 is a computer-readable storage medium that stores information. The memory 1404 may be a volatile storage medium such as RAM or a non-volatile storage medium such as ROM. Also, the memory 1404 may be an optical disk, a magnetic disk, or the like. Storage 1406 may be a high-capacity computer-readable storage medium. Storage 1406 may be, for example, a floppy disk, hard disk drive, optical disk, flash memory, or the like. Instructions included in computer programs stored in these computer-readable storage media are executed by the processor 1402 to implement the above-described embodiments.

The north bridge 1408 is connected to the brain of the computer, such as the CPU and memory, and controls the timing and speed of data transfer. Northbridge 1408 bridges data between devices that operate primarily at high speeds. Southbridge 1412, on the other hand, bridges data to and from relatively slower devices. For example, northbridge 1408 may be connected to memory 1404 , a display device (not shown), and expansion slot 1410 . Also, the south bridge 1412 may be connected to the storage 1406 and the communication interface 1414 .

Communication interface 1414 may include various communication ports such as USB, Bluetooth®, Ethernet®, wireless Ethernet, and the like. These communication ports may also be connected to one or more input/output devices, such as keyboards, pointing devices, scanners, communication devices such as routers.

Note that the imaging mechanism including the near-infrared light source 13 , the visible light source 14 , and the imaging unit 15 may be in a device separate from the biological image processing device 106 . That is, the biological image processing systems 101 to 105 may be configured by the biological image processing apparatus 106 and another apparatus that can communicate with the biological image processing apparatus 106 . In that case, the processor in the biological image processing device 106 may control the near-infrared light source 13, visible light source 14, and imaging unit 15 in the separate device via the communication interface 1414. FIG. Then, image data may be received from the imaging unit 15 in the other device via the communication interface 1414, and image processing may be performed on the received image data.

Each embodiment described above is merely an example of the present invention, and various modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention described in the claims.

10 acquisition unit 11 image processing unit 12 placement unit 13 near-infrared light source 13-1 near-infrared light source 13-2 near-infrared light source 13-3 near-infrared light source 13-4 near-infrared light source 13-5 near-infrared Light source 14 Visible light source 14-1 Visible light source 14-2 Visible light source 14-3 Visible light source 14-4 Visible light source 14-5 Visible light source 15 Imaging unit 15-1 Imaging unit 15-2 Imaging unit 15-3 Imaging unit 15-4 Imaging unit 16-1 Light shielding unit 16-2 Light shielding unit 16-3 Light shielding unit 16-4 Light shielding unit 17 Light source control unit 18 Plate 19 Plate 20 Mounting surface 100 Biological image processing system 101 Biological image processing system 102 Biological image processing system 103 Biological image processing system 104 Biological image processing system 105 Biological image processing system 106 Biological image processing device 1402 Processor 1404 Memory 1406 Storage 1408 North bridge 1410 Expansion slot 1412 South bridge 1414 Communication interface SK Skin of living body

Claims (10)

a plate having a mounting surface on which a living body is mounted;
a near-infrared light source that irradiates the living body with near-infrared light;
a visible light source that irradiates the living body with visible light;
and an imaging unit that images the living body,
The plate has a plurality of light shielding walls that partition the inside of the plate,
one of the near-infrared light source, the visible light source, and the imaging unit is arranged for each space partitioned by the light shielding wall;
The near-infrared light source or the visible light source is arranged in spaces on both sides of the space where the imaging unit is arranged,
Imaging device. 2. The imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said imaging units are arranged in said space in which said imaging units are arranged. The imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of said near-infrared light sources are arranged in said space in which said near-infrared light sources are arranged. 4. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of said visible light sources are arranged in said space in which said visible light sources are arranged. The imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the near-infrared light source and the visible light source are arranged in the space in which the near-infrared light source or the visible light source is arranged. The near-infrared light source is disposed in a second space adjacent to the first space in which the imaging unit is disposed, and a second space adjacent to the first space and different from the second space is provided. 5. The imaging apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said visible light source is arranged in space 3. 7. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting surface has a refractive index of 1.4 to 1.5. A first image generated by imaging the living body irradiated with the near-infrared light by the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; an acquisition unit that acquires a second image generated by imaging a living body;
an image processing unit that uses the skin pattern in the second image to reduce reflection of the skin pattern in the first image;
A biomedical image processing system comprising: A first image generated by imaging the living body irradiated with the near-infrared light by the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; Acquiring a second image generated by imaging the living body,
Using the skin pattern in the second image to reduce the reflection of the skin pattern in the first image,
A biological image processing method comprising: A first image generated by imaging the living body irradiated with the near-infrared light by the imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; obtaining a second image generated by imaging the living body;
Using the skin pattern in the second image to reduce reflection of the skin pattern in the first image;
A biological image processing program for causing a computer to execute

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