Information processing device, information processing method, and computer program

Abstract

An information processing device 1 comprises: a determination unit 11 that, when a person subject to iris recognition wears a patterned contact lens including a predetermined pattern region, determines, from an eye image including an eye of the person subject to iris recognition, an inner boundary of the pattern region included in the eye image; and an iris recognition unit 12 that performs iris recognition of the person subject to iris recognition, on the basis of the inner boundary.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical fields of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a technology that reduces the occurrence of false rejection due to the performance of the camera that captures the eye image in personal iris authentication by performing band-limiting processing to limit the frequency band of an original image of an eye, detecting the positions of the iris outer edge and pupil outer edge from the processed image, extracting features based on the detected positions of the iris outer edge and pupil outer edge, and generating an iris code. Patent Document 2 describes a technology that enables accurate iris authentication even if there is some error in extracting the area from the eye image by polar coordinate transforming an image of the iris area extracted from an eye image for registration to create a registered iris pattern image (normalized image), transforming an image of the iris area extracted from an eye image for matching to create a matching iris pattern image (normalized image), and matching the registered iris pattern image and the matching iris pattern image using BLPOC (band-limited phase-only correlation). Patent Document 3 describes a technology that photographs a subject's eye from an oblique direction relative to the line of sight, detects an oval-shaped iris image from the photographed image, and determines whether the subject's eye is a living eye based on whether the iris image is detected, effectively identifying biometrics even for fake eyes or other spherical counterfeits similar to living eyes. Patent Document 4 describes a technology that photographs multiple eye images of a person to be iris-authenticated, evaluates each of the photographed eye images, performs iris authentication processing on the eye image evaluated as the best among the multiple eye images, and performs iris authentication processing or registration processing for each of the multiple iris-authenticated people using the eye image photographed under the best conditions. Patent Document 5 describes a technology that extracts a determination target image including the side of the iris outer circumference from an image including the eye, and determines whether colored contact lenses are being worn based on the determination target image. Patent document 6 describes a technology that acquires an image of a subject's eye, compares the image with a reference image, identifies the color pattern of the color contact lenses worn by the subject, and identifies the subject using features of the iris area other than the colored area of ​​the color pattern, thereby preventing a decrease in the accuracy of iris authentication even when color contact lenses are worn. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-280221 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-034876 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-041831 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-159610 [Patent Document 5] International Publication No. 2019 / 044944 [Patent Document 6] International Publication No. 2020 / 065935 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of this disclosure is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium that aim to improve upon the techniques described in prior art documents. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the information processing device includes a determination means for determining, when a person to be iris-authenticated is wearing patterned contact lenses that include a predetermined pattern area, an inner boundary of the pattern area included in an eye image of the person to be iris-authenticated, from the eye image including the eye of the person to be iris-authenticated, and an iris authentication means for performing iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary.

[0006] In one aspect of the information processing method, when a person to be iris-authenticated is wearing patterned contact lenses that include a predetermined pattern area, an inner boundary of the pattern area included in an eye image including the eyes of the person to be iris-authenticated is determined from the eye image, and iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated is performed based on the inner boundary.

[0007] In one aspect of the recording medium, a computer program is recorded on a computer to execute an information processing method for determining, from an eye image including the eyes of a person to be iris-authenticated, an inner boundary of a pattern area included in the eye image when the person to be iris-authenticated is wearing patterned contact lenses that include a predetermined pattern area, and performing iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device in the second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of the eyeball of a subject of iris authentication wearing a patterned contact lens. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device in the third embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of the inner boundary determination operation in the third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a conceptual diagram of the inner boundary determination operation in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of the inner boundary determination operation in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 12]FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the inner boundary determination operation performed by the information processing device in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device in the sixth embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device according to the seventh embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device in the seventh embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an information processing device according to the eighth embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device in the eighth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described with reference to the drawings. [1: First embodiment]

[0010] An information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium according to a first embodiment will be described below. The information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium according to the first embodiment will be described below using an information processing device 1 to which the information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium according to the first embodiment are applied. [1-1: Configuration of information processing device 1]

[0011] The configuration of an information processing device 1 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 1 in the first embodiment.

[0012] As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing device 1 in the first embodiment includes a determination unit 11 and an iris authentication unit 12. When a person to be iris-authenticated is wearing a patterned contact lens including a predetermined pattern area, the determination unit 11 is configured to determine the inner boundary of the pattern area included in an eye image including the eye of the person to be iris-authenticated from the eye image. The predetermined pattern area included in the patterned contact lens may be a ring-shaped pattern area. The predetermined pattern area may also be a U-shaped area, or may be an area with a star-shaped pattern as a single point, for example. The iris authentication unit 12 is configured to perform iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary. [1-2: Technical Effects of Information Processing Device 1]

[0013] The information processing device 1 in the first embodiment can perform iris authentication on a person to be iris authenticated even if the person to be iris authenticated is wearing patterned contact lenses. [2: Second embodiment]

[0014] A second embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described below. Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium will be described using an information processing device 2 to which the second embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium is applied. [2-1: Configuration of information processing device 2]

[0015] The configuration of the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment.

[0016] 2, the information processing device 2 includes a calculation device 21 and a storage device 22. The information processing device 2 may further include a communication device 23, an input device 24, and an output device 25. However, the information processing device 2 does not necessarily include at least one of the communication device 23, the input device 24, and the output device 25. The calculation device 21, the storage device 22, the communication device 23, the input device 24, and the output device 25 may be connected via a data bus 26.

[0017] The arithmetic device 21 includes, for example, at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The arithmetic device 21 reads a computer program. For example, the arithmetic device 21 may read a computer program stored in the storage device 22. For example, the arithmetic device 21 may read a computer program stored in a computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium using a recording medium reading device (e.g., an input device 24 described later) not shown in the drawings that is provided in the information processing device 2. The arithmetic device 21 may acquire (i.e., download or read) the computer program from a device (not shown) located outside the information processing device 2 via the communication device 23 (or another communication device). The arithmetic device 21 executes the read computer program. As a result, logical functional blocks for executing operations to be performed by the information processing device 2 are realized within the arithmetic device 21. That is, the arithmetic device 21 can function as a controller for realizing logical functional blocks for executing the operations (in other words, processing) that the information processing device 2 should perform.

[0018] Fig. 2 shows an example of logical functional blocks realized in the arithmetic device 21 to execute information processing operations. As shown in Fig. 2, a determination unit 211, which is a specific example of "determination means" described in the appendix to be described later, and an iris authentication unit 212, which is a specific example of "iris authentication means" described in the appendix to be described later, are realized in the arithmetic device 21.

[0019] The storage device 22 can store desired data. For example, the storage device 22 may temporarily store a computer program executed by the arithmetic device 21. The storage device 22 may temporarily store data that the arithmetic device 21 temporarily uses when the arithmetic device 21 is executing a computer program. The storage device 22 may store data that the information processing device 2 stores long-term. The storage device 22 may include at least one of a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a hard disk device, a magneto-optical disk device, an SSD (Solid State Drive), and a disk array device. In other words, the storage device 22 may include a non-temporary recording medium.

[0020] The storage device 22 may store a registered iris data ID. The registered iris data ID may be data including an eye image of a registered person to be authenticated, an iris image extracted from the eye image, and feature amounts calculated from the iris image. The registered iris data ID may be used for the iris authentication operation by the iris authentication unit 212. However, the storage device 22 does not have to store the registered iris data ID.

[0021] The communication device 23 can communicate with devices external to the information processing device 2 via a communication network (not shown). The communication device 23 may acquire an eye image used for iris authentication from an imaging device via the communication network. The imaging device may be an infrared camera that captures infrared images. The imaging device may be a visible light camera that captures visible light images.

[0022] The input device 24 is a device that accepts information input to the information processing device 2 from outside the information processing device 2. For example, the input device 24 may include an operation device (for example, at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel) that can be operated by an operator of the information processing device 2. For example, the input device 24 may include a reading device that can read information recorded as data on a recording medium that can be externally attached to the information processing device 2.

[0023] The output device 25 is a device that outputs information to the outside of the information processing device 2. For example, the output device 25 may output information as an image. That is, the output device 25 may include a display device (a so-called display) that can display an image showing the information to be output. For example, the output device 25 may output information as sound. That is, the output device 25 may include an audio device (a so-called speaker) that can output sound. For example, the output device 25 may output information on paper. That is, the output device 25 may include a printing device (a so-called printer) that can print desired information on paper. [2-2: Information processing operation performed by information processing device 2]

[0024] The flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3, when a person to be iris-authenticated is wearing a patterned contact lens including a ring-shaped pattern area, the determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary of the pattern area included in the eye image from the eye image including the eye of the person to be iris-authenticated (step S20). The ring-shaped pattern area included in the patterned contact lens may include a colored area. The ring-shaped pattern area may include an area where a pattern is formed. The inner boundary of the pattern area may be the boundary between the pattern area and a transparent area inside the patterned contact lens.

[0026] The iris authentication unit 212 performs iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary (step S21). For example, the iris authentication unit 212 may extract a pattern area included in a pattern contact lens based on the inner boundary, mask the pattern area in the eye image, and perform iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated. That is, the iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication using an iris image in which the pattern area included in the pattern contact lens does not overlap. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing the iris image in which the pattern area included in the pattern contact lens does not overlap with the registered iris data ID. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing feature amounts extracted from the iris image in which the pattern area included in the pattern contact lens does not overlap with the feature amounts included in the registered iris data ID. Note that the masking process may be performed after the feature amounts are extracted. That is, the extraction of the features used for matching may be performed on an unmasked image, and after feature extraction, the features corresponding to the pattern region of the patterned contact lens may be masked for matching. Alternatively, if the matching process during matching is performed on a partial region basis of the iris, the process up to the matching process may be performed on the features before masking, and the matching results corresponding to the pattern region of the patterned contact lens may be masked for matching.

[0027] [2-3: Technical Effects of Information Processing Device 2]

[0028] The information processing device 2 in the second embodiment can perform iris authentication on a subject of iris authentication even if the subject is wearing patterned contact lenses. In particular, the information processing device 2 can perform iris authentication on a subject of iris authentication with high accuracy compared to the iris authentication device of the comparative example, which performs iris authentication on a subject of iris authentication without using the inner boundary of the patterned area included in the eye image. This is because the iris authentication device of the comparative example performs iris authentication on a subject of iris authentication without masking the patterned area included in the patterned contact lens in the eye image. In other words, the iris authentication device of the comparative example performs iris authentication on a subject of iris authentication using not only the iris pattern of the subject of iris authentication captured in the eye image, but also the patterned area of ​​the patterned contact lens captured in the eye image. For this reason, the iris authentication device of the comparative example may erroneously recognize the pattern formed in the patterned area of ​​the patterned contact lens as the iris pattern of the subject of iris authentication. As a result, the iris authentication device of the comparative example may erroneously determine that the subject of iris authentication is not person A in a situation where the subject of iris authentication should be determined to be person A. On the other hand, the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment can perform iris authentication of a subject after masking the pattern area of ​​the pattern contact lens in the eye image based on the inner boundary. In other words, the information processing device 2 can perform iris authentication of a subject based on the inner boundary, using the iris pattern of the subject captured in the eye image, without using the pattern area of ​​the pattern contact lens captured in the eye image. Therefore, the information processing device 2 can perform iris authentication of a subject without mistaking the pattern formed in the pattern area of ​​the pattern contact lens for the subject's iris pattern. As a result, the authentication accuracy of the information processing device 2 is higher than that of the iris authentication device of the comparative example. Therefore, the information processing device 2 can reduce the risk of iris authentication being disabled when a subject wears pattern contact lenses, thereby improving usability. In other words, the information processing device 2 can solve the technical problem of iris authentication being disabled when a subject wears pattern contact lenses.

[0029] Iris authentication is increasingly being adopted in situations such as making payments from a person's account, making payments by credit card, restricting entry to restricted areas, logging in to devices such as PCs, and unlocking vehicles such as cars and motorcycles to perform device functions. Meanwhile, there are also increasing cases where iris authentication subjects wear pattern contact lenses when going out. Pattern contact lenses are not as easy to put on and take off as sunglasses, masks, etc. There is an increasing demand for iris authentication that can be performed while the subject is still wearing the pattern contact lenses. Therefore, the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment can meet this demand for iris authentication. [3: Third embodiment]

[0030] An information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium according to a third embodiment will be described below. The third embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium will be described below using an information processing device 3 to which the third embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium is applied.

[0031] The information processing device 3 in the third embodiment includes a calculation device 21 and a storage device 22, similar to the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment. Furthermore, the information processing device 3 may include a communication device 23, an input device 24, and an output device 25, similar to the information processing device 2. However, the information processing device 3 does not have to include at least one of the communication device 23, the input device 24, and the output device 25. The information processing device 3 in the third embodiment differs from the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment in the determination operation by the determination unit 211. Other features of the information processing device 3 may be the same as other features of the information processing device 2. [3-1: Information processing operation performed by information processing device 3]

[0032] The flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 3 in the third embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is a conceptual diagram of the eyeball of a person to be iris authenticated who is wearing a pattern contact lens. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 3 in the third embodiment. Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram of an example of determining the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa.

[0033] As shown in Figure 4(a), the patterned contact lens is worn by the subject of iris authentication so that the patterned area Pa overlaps the outer area of ​​the iris area Ir. Therefore, when the subject of iris authentication wears the patterned contact lens, the outer area of ​​the iris area Ir, which is overlapped by the patterned area Pa in the eye image including the eyes of the subject of iris authentication, cannot be used for iris authentication.

[0034] 4(b), the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa often have similar colors, patterns, etc. When the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa are similar, it becomes difficult to distinguish between them, and it becomes difficult to determine the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa from the boundary Bb between the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa.

[0035] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4(c), the pupil area Pu and the pattern area Pa rarely have similar colors, patterns, etc., so it is relatively easy to distinguish between them. Therefore, it is relatively easy to determine the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa from the boundary Bc between the pupil area Pu and the pattern area Pa. The boundary between the pupil area Pu and the pattern area Pa can be used as a reference for the inner radius of the pattern area Pa.

[0036] 4(a) and 4(d), even when the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa are not similar to each other, the boundary Bd between the pupil region Pu and the pattern region Pa is easier to distinguish than the boundary Ba between the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa. Therefore, when the pupil region Pu and the pattern region Pa overlap, it is more preferable to determine the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa using the overlapping region. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the inner boundary is determined using the overlapping region between the pupil region Pu and the pattern region Pa.

[0037] 5(a), the determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa included in the eye image of the person to be iris-authenticated from the eye image including the eyes of the person to be iris-authenticated (step S30). The iris authentication unit 212 performs iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa (step S21).

[0038] The operation of step S30 is shown in Fig. 5(b). As shown in Fig. 5(b), the determination unit 211 detects the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris-authenticated that is included in the eye image (step S31). The determination unit 211 may detect the pupil region Pu and the iris region Ir of the person to be iris-authenticated that are included in the eye image.

[0039] The determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa using the area where the pupil area Pu of the person to be iris-authenticated, which is included in the eye image, overlaps with the pattern area Pa (step S32). [3-2: Example of determining the inner boundary of pattern area Pa]

[0040] Fig. 6 is a conceptual diagram of an example of determining the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa. For ease of understanding, the pupil area Pu is shown in white in Fig. 6. When the pupil area Pu and the pattern area Pa overlap, the determination unit 211 may calculate the inner radius of the pattern area Pa based on the distance from the center point PaC of the patterned contact lens to the inside of the overlapping area, and determine the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa based on the calculated inner radius.

[0041] 6(a), the determination unit 211 detects an inner part B of the area where the pupil area Pu of the person to be iris authenticated included in the eye image overlaps with the pattern area Pa. The determination unit 211 may detect the inner part B by, for example, extracting a change in brightness at the boundary between the pupil area Pu and the pattern area Pa.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 6(b), the determination unit 211 detects the center point PaC of the patterned contact lens. The patterned contact lens is circular, and the boundary between the outer boundary OB of the patterned area Pa of the patterned contact lens and the white part of the eyeball is clear. Therefore, the determination unit 211 can determine the center point PaC of the patterned contact lens from the outer boundary OB of the patterned area. The outer boundary OB of the patterned area Pa may be detected, for example, by extracting a change in brightness at the boundary between the periphery of the patterned area Pa and the white part of the eyeball. The boundary between the outer boundary OB of the patterned area Pa of the patterned contact lens and the white part of the eyeball can be used as a reference for the outer radius of the patterned area Pa.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 6(c), the determination unit 211 obtains the distance d from the center PaC of the patterned contact lens to the inner part B. As shown in Fig. 6(d), the determination unit 211 may determine that a circle having its center at the center PaC of the patterned contact lens and having a radius of distance d is the inner boundary IB of the patterned area Pa. Since the inner boundary of the patterned area Pa is approximately circular, the determination unit 211 may determine the inner boundary IB of the patterned area Pa from the center PaC of the patterned contact lens and the distance d.

[0044] In step S21 of the third embodiment, the iris authentication unit 212 may extract iris features by masking the pattern area Pa in the eye image. As shown in FIG. 6(e), the pattern area Pa may be masked by an area M surrounded by an outer boundary OB and an inner boundary IB of the pattern area Pa. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing an iris image in which the pattern area included in the pattern contact lens does not overlap with the registered iris data ID. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing features extracted from the iris image in which the pattern area included in the pattern contact lens does not overlap with the features included in the registered iris data ID. Furthermore, as described in the second embodiment, the iris authentication unit 212 may extract features using an unmasked image, and perform masking after feature extraction or after matching. [3-3: Technical Effects of Information Processing Device 3]

[0045] When the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris-authenticated overlaps with the pattern region Pa, the information processing device 3 in the third embodiment determines the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa using the overlapping region, thereby enabling more accurate determination of the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa. Furthermore, the information processing device 3 can relatively easily determine the inner boundary IB of the pattern region Pa from the center region PaC of the pattern contact lens and the distance d by utilizing the shape characteristics of the pattern contact lens. The information processing device 3 in the third embodiment can perform iris authentication even when the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa are similar and the boundary between the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa is unclear. [4: Fourth embodiment]

[0046] An information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium according to a fourth embodiment will be described below. The information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium according to the fourth embodiment will be described below using an information processing device 4 to which the information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium according to the fourth embodiment are applied. [4-1: Configuration of information processing device 4]

[0047] The configuration of the information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 7 , the information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment includes a calculation device 21 and a storage device 22, similar to at least one of the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment and the information processing device 3 in the third embodiment. Furthermore, the information processing device 4 may include a communication device 23, an input device 24, and an output device 25, similar to at least one of the information processing device 2 and the information processing device 3. However, the information processing device 4 does not necessarily include at least one of the communication device 23, the input device 24, and the output device 25. The information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment differs from at least one of the information processing device 2 in the second embodiment and the information processing device 3 in the third embodiment in that the calculation device 21 includes a change unit 413 and an acquisition unit 414. Other features of the information processing device 4 may be the same as those of at least one of the information processing device 2 and the information processing device 3. Details of the change unit 413 and the acquisition unit 414 will be described later. [4-2: Information processing operation performed by information processing device 4]

[0049] The flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment. Fig. 9 is a conceptual diagram when the positional relationship between the direction of the line of sight of the person to be iris authenticated and the imaging direction of an imaging device that images the person to be iris authenticated is changed. The imaging device may image the person to be iris authenticated and generate an eye image.

[0050] 8(a), the determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa included in the eye image of the person to be iris-authenticated from the eye image including the eyes of the person to be iris-authenticated (step S40). The iris authentication unit 212 performs iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa (step S21).

[0051] The operation of step S40 is shown in Fig. 8(b). As shown in Fig. 8(b), the change unit 413 changes the positional relationship between the line of sight of the person to be iris authentication and the image capturing direction of the image capturing device that captures the person to be iris authentication (step S41). The change unit 413 may change the positional relationship by performing at least one of a first operation of prompting the person to be iris authentication to change the direction of their line of sight, a second operation of prompting the person to be iris authentication to change the direction of their face while keeping the line of sight fixed, and a third operation of moving the image capturing device that captures the person to be iris authentication relative to the person to be iris authentication.

[0052] The change unit 413 may control the output device 25 when performing at least one of the first operation and the second operation. The change unit 413 may cause a speaker serving as the output device 25 to output a voice message such as "Look further to the right" to prompt the iris authentication subject to change the direction of their gaze. Alternatively, the change unit 413 may cause a display serving as the output device 25 to display an image, text, or the like to prompt the iris authentication subject to change the direction of their gaze. The change unit 413 may move an image displayed on the display to track the gaze of the iris authentication subject. In the vertical direction of the eye, the pattern area Pa and the iris area Ir may be hidden by the eyelids. Therefore, the change unit 413 may change the direction of the gaze of the iris authentication subject to left / right or diagonal directions.

[0053] Furthermore, the change unit 413 may cause a speaker serving as the output device 25 to output sound in order to prompt the person to be subjected to iris authentication to change the direction of their face while keeping the direction of their gaze fixed. Alternatively, the change unit 413 may cause an image, text, or the like to be displayed on a display serving as the output device 25 in order to prompt the person to be subjected to iris authentication to change the direction of their face while keeping the direction of their gaze fixed. Alternatively, when performing the third operation described above, the change unit 413 may control, via the communication device 23, to move the imaging device relative to the person to be subjected to iris authentication.

[0054] The change unit 413 may change the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image from the position shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b) to the position shown in FIG. 9(c).

[0055] The change unit 413 may perform different output control depending on the degree to which the line of sight of the iris authentication subject is changed. For example, if the change unit 413 wants the subject to look more to the right than a predetermined distance, the change unit 413 may perform control to display a longer right arrow as exemplified in Fig. 9(a). Also, if the change unit 413 wants the subject to look a little more to the right than a predetermined distance, the change unit 413 may perform control to display a shorter arrow as exemplified in Fig. 9(b).

[0056] The acquisition unit 414 acquires an eye image generated by the imaging device (step S42). The determination unit 211 detects a pupil region Pu of the person to be iris-authenticated included in the eye image (step S31). The determination unit 211 determines whether the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris-authenticated included in the eye image overlaps with a pattern region Pa (step S43).

[0057] If the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image does not overlap with the pattern region Pa (step S42: No), the process proceeds to step S41. For example, although the change unit 413 has changed the positional relationship between the line of sight of the iris authentication subject and the imaging direction of the imaging device that images the iris authentication subject, if the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image does not overlap with the pattern region Pa, as shown in Fig. 9(b), the change unit 413 may further change the positional relationship.

[0058] If the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication target person included in the eye image does not overlap with the pattern region Pa, and if the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication target person included in the eye image is larger than the iris by a predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step S41, and the change unit 413 may further change the positional relationship. For example, in a bright environment, the pupil region Pu becomes small. When the pupil region Pu is small, as shown in FIG. 9(d), even if the positional relationship between the line of sight of the iris authentication target person and the imaging direction of the imaging device that images the iris authentication target person is changed, it is difficult for the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication target person included in the eye image to overlap with the pattern region Pa. For this reason, if the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication target person included in the eye image is larger than the iris by a predetermined amount, the process proceeds to step S41, and the change unit 413 may further change the positional relationship.

[0059] If the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image overlaps with the pattern region Pa (step S43: Yes), the determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa using the overlapping region of the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image with the pattern region Pa (step S32). The iris authentication unit 212 masks the pattern region Pa in the eye image, extracts iris feature amounts, and performs matching. Note that, as described in the second embodiment, the masking process may be performed after feature extraction and matching process.

[0060] In step S21 of the fourth embodiment, the iris authentication unit 212 may use an eye image captured by changing the positional relationship between the line of sight of the person to be iris authenticated and the imaging direction of the imaging device that images the person to be iris authenticated, or may use an image in which the above positional relationship is adjusted. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing an iris area that is not overlapped by a pattern area included in the pattern contact lens with the registered iris data ID. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing a feature extracted from an iris area that is not overlapped by a pattern area included in the pattern contact lens with a feature included in the registered iris data ID. [4-3: Technical Effects of Information Processing Device 4]

[0061] The information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment can promote overlapping of the pupil region Pu and the pattern region Pa by changing the positional relationship between the direction of the line of sight of the person to be iris authenticated and the imaging direction of the imaging device that images the person to be iris authenticated. Furthermore, the information processing device 4 changes the positional relationship when the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris authenticated, which is included in the eye image, is a predetermined size or larger than the size of the iris, and therefore can suppress unnecessary operations when it is difficult for the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris authenticated, which is included in the eye image, to overlap with the pattern region Pa. Furthermore, the information processing device 4 can change the positional relationship by an operation appropriate for the situation by performing at least one of the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation. [5: Fifth embodiment]

[0062] A fifth embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described below. Hereinafter, the fifth embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described using an information processing device 5 to which the fifth embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium is applied.

[0063] The information processing device 5 in the fifth embodiment includes a calculation device 21 and a storage device 22, similar to the information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment. Furthermore, the information processing device 5 may include a communication device 23, an input device 24, and an output device 25, similar to the information processing device 4. However, the information processing device 5 does not have to include at least one of the communication device 23, the input device 24, and the output device 25. The information processing device 5 in the fifth embodiment differs from the information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment in the determination operation by the determination unit 211. Other features of the information processing device 5 may be the same as other features of the information processing device 4. [5-1: Information processing operation performed by information processing device 5]

[0064] The flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 5 in the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 10 to Fig. 12. Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 5 in the fifth embodiment. Fig. 11 is a conceptual diagram of an example of determining the inner boundary of a pattern area Pa. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the flow of the operation of determining the inner boundary of a pattern area Pa performed by the information processing device 5 in the fifth embodiment.

[0065] 10(a), the determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary of a pattern area Pa included in an eye image of a person to be iris-authenticated from the eye image including the eyes of the person to be iris-authenticated (step S50). The iris authentication unit 212 performs iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa (step S21).

[0066] The operation of step S50 is shown in Fig. 10(b). As shown in Fig. 10(b), the change unit 413 changes the positional relationship between the direction of the line of sight of the person to be iris authenticated and the imaging direction of the imaging device that images the person to be iris authenticated (step S41).

[0067] The acquiring unit 414 acquires the eye images generated by the imaging device (step S42). The determining unit 211 determines whether the acquiring unit 414 has acquired a plurality of eye images including at least a first eye image in which the gaze of the iris authentication subject is directed in a first direction and a second eye image in which the gaze of the iris authentication subject is directed in a second direction different from the first direction (step S51). The plurality of eye images may include at least one of a plurality of eye images captured by having the iris authentication subject change the direction of their gaze, a plurality of eye images captured by having the iris authentication subject change their facial orientation while fixing their gaze, a plurality of eye images captured by moving an imaging device that captures the eye images, and a plurality of eye images captured by a plurality of imaging devices.

[0068] If the acquisition unit 414 has not acquired multiple eye images including at least a first eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a first direction and a second eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a second direction different from the first direction (step S51: No), the process proceeds to step S41.

[0069] If the acquisition unit 414 has acquired multiple eye images including at least a first eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a first direction and a second eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a second direction different from the first direction (step S51: Yes), the determination unit 211 performs the determination operation of the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa in the fifth embodiment (step S52). [5-2: Determining the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa]

[0070] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of an example of determining the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa. In FIG. 11, the pupil area Pu is shown in white to facilitate visibility. FIG. 11(a) illustrates a first eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris-authenticated is directed in a first direction. FIG. 11(b) illustrates a second eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris-authenticated is directed in a second direction different from the first direction. FIGS. 11(a) and (b) are eye images of the same person to be iris-authenticated, but the pattern area Pa of the patterned contact lens is shown in different patterns to facilitate visibility.

[0071] The iris region Ir has a planar shape within the eyeball. Therefore, image matching is easy even when the iris region Ir is imaged from different directions by rotating the eyeball. The matching of two eye images may also be referred to as image matching. On the other hand, a patterned contact lens is worn on the eyeball and therefore has a spherical shape. Therefore, when observed from a direction other than the front, the pattern of the pattern region Pa appears different. Therefore, image matching between pattern regions Pa imaged from different directions by rotating the eyeball is more difficult than with a planar iris. Furthermore, because the iris is visible in the area just outside the pupil, the area of ​​the eye image where image matching is successful, including the area around the pupil, can be determined to be the iris region Ir, and the area of ​​the eye image where image matching is not successful can be determined to be the pattern region Pa.

[0072] In the fifth embodiment, by utilizing the above-mentioned characteristics, the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa is determined using a plurality of eye images including at least a first eye image in which the gaze of the iris authentication subject is directed in a first direction and a second eye image in which the gaze of the iris authentication subject is directed in a second direction different from the first direction. Note that in the image matching of the eye images, iris features may be extracted from each eye image first, and matching may be performed between the features.

[0073] It is difficult to determine the boundary between the iris area Ir and the pattern area Pa using only one eye image, but by using multiple eye images, it is possible to distinguish between the iris area Ir and the pattern area Pa and determine the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa.

[0074] As shown in FIG. 12, the determination unit 211 detects pupil regions Pu from a plurality of eye images (step S53).

[0075] The determination unit 211 aligns the pupil centers PuC between the multiple eye images (step S54). Fig. 11(c) is a conceptual diagram of aligning the pupil centers PuC between the pupils of the first eye image and the second eye image. Note that if the sizes of the pupils and irises differ between the eye images, they may be deformed so that the sizes match between the eye images before alignment.

[0076] The determination unit 211 uses the pattern of the iris region Ir of the iris authentication subject that is adjacent to the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the multiple eye images to align the rotation angles of the multiple eye images around the pupil as the center PuC (step S55). The multiple eye images are eye images of the same iris authentication subject. Because at least the area adjacent to the pupil region Pu is the iris region Ir, image matching is successful between the areas adjacent to the pupil region Pu. Therefore, at the start of image matching between the first eye image and the second eye image, the determination unit 211 performs image matching using the pattern of the iris region Ir of the iris authentication subject that is adjacent to the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the first eye image and the second eye image, and aligns the rotation angles of the two eye images around the pupil as the center PuC.

[0077] On the other hand, if image matching between areas close to the pupil region Pu is not successful even though the images are of the same person undergoing iris authentication, the determination unit 211 may determine that the person undergoing iris authentication is in an unsuitable state for iris authentication. For example, if the person undergoing iris authentication is wearing patterned contact lenses that overlap the entire iris region Ir, image matching between areas close to the pupil region Pu will not be successful.

[0078] The determination unit 211 may perform matching between the first eye image and the second eye image while rotating one of the first eye image and the second eye image relative to the other of the first eye image and the second eye image, thereby identifying a rotation angle that provides a high degree of matching. For example, the determination unit 211 may calculate the degree of matching at each rotation angle while rotating one of the first eye image and the second eye image by a predetermined angle in a predetermined rotation direction around a position corresponding to the center PuC of the pupil region Pu. The determination unit 211 may also rotate one of the first eye image and the second eye image by a predetermined angle in a predetermined rotation direction to align the rotation direction. Any method may be used for image matching. For example, the determination unit 211 may calculate the sum of differences between pixels in corresponding regions of the first eye image and the second eye image, the number of pixels where the number of differences between pixels is equal to or less than a threshold, or the correlation coefficient between the images. Alternatively, iris features for matching may be extracted from each of the first eye image and the second eye image, the features may be matched, and the size of the area where the degree of matching is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold may be calculated. Determination unit 211 may not only rotate one of the first eye image and the second eye image relative to the other of the first eye image and the second eye image, but also enlarge or reduce one of the first eye image and the second eye image relative to the other of the first eye image and the second eye image.

[0079] Determination unit 211 performs image matching between the first eye image and the second eye image, and detects a common area between the first eye image and the second eye image (step S56). In Fig. 11(c), determination unit 211 may detect, as the common area, an iris area Ir that is not hidden by pattern area Pa included in either the first eye image or the second eye image.

[0080] The determination unit 211 may detect a common area between the first eye image and the second eye image in order from the area close to the pupil area Pu of the person to be iris authenticated outward. This is because if there is a position where a common area cannot be detected, the area outside that position is often not detected as a common area.

[0081] The determination unit 211 may detect common areas for areas in several directions. For example, the determination unit 211 may detect common areas for an area to the right of the pupil area Pu (also referred to as the "0° area"), an area above the pupil area Pu (also referred to as the "90° area"), an area to the left of the pupil area Pu (also referred to as the "180° area"), and an area below the pupil area Pu (also referred to as the "270° area"). The determination unit 211 does not need to detect common areas for areas in all directions. The determination unit 211 may detect common areas for areas suitable for determining the inner boundary.

[0082] The determination unit 211 calculates the distance from the center of the pupil region Pu to the outer boundary of the common region (step S57). Fig. 11(d) illustrates an example where a common region of regions in four directions has been detected. In the example illustrated in Fig. 11(d), the determination unit 211 may calculate a distance d1 to the outer boundary of the common region of the regions in the first direction, a distance d2 to the outer boundary of the common region of the regions in the second direction, a distance d3 to the outer boundary of the common region of the regions in the third direction, and a distance d4 to the outer boundary of the common region of the regions in the fourth direction.

[0083] The determination unit 211 calculates the inner radius of the pattern area based on the longest distance (step S58). Fig. 11(e) illustrates the longest distance d1 from the center of the pupil area Pu to the outer boundary of the common area illustrated in Fig. 11(d).

[0084] The determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa based on the calculated inner radius. The determination unit 211 may determine the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa as a circle of the inner radius centered at the center PaC of the patterned contact lens. In the fifth embodiment, in the case illustrated in FIG. 11, the inner radius of the patterned contact lens may be determined to be the longest distance d1. FIG. 11(f) illustrates the center PaC of one patterned contact lens and the area at the distance d1 from the center PaC, i.e., the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa.

[0085] In iris authentication, it is preferable to use a large iris area Ir. That is, it is preferable to accurately determine the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa and use the largest iris area Ir that does not include the pattern area Pa for iris authentication. If the determination unit 211 calculates the distance from the center of the pupil area Pu to the outer boundary of the common area in all directions, it can be expected that the accuracy of determining the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa will be high.

[0086] On the other hand, if the determination unit 211 calculates the distance from the center of the pupil region Pu to the outer boundary of the common region for regions in several directions, processing costs can be reduced. The direction in which the distance from the center of the pupil region Pu to the outer boundary of the common region increases is related to the orientation of the eye included in the eye image. Therefore, the determination unit 211 may estimate the direction of the gaze and, based on the result, determine the angular distance to measure. The change unit 413 may change the positional relationship between the gaze direction of the iris authentication subject and the imaging direction of the imaging device that captures the iris authentication subject so that the distance from the center of the pupil region Pu to the outer boundary of the common region increases in a specific direction. For example, the change unit 413 may change the positional relationship between the gaze direction of the iris authentication subject and the imaging direction of the imaging device that captures the iris authentication subject so that the distance from the center of the pupil region Pu to the outer boundary of the common region increases in the 0° region or the 180° region. For example, in the 90° region and / or the 270° region, both the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa may be partially hidden by the eyelids, so the modification unit 413 may operate so that the 0° region and the 180° region are used as the regions for calculating the distance. The inner boundary determination operation in step S52 shown in FIG. 10 has been described above.

[0087] In step S21 of the fifth embodiment, the iris authentication unit 212 may extract iris features from an iris region Ir in the eye image, which is located inside the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa at a distance d1 from the center PaC of the pattern contact lens. As shown in FIG. 11(f), the iris authentication unit 212 may mask the pattern region Pa with an area surrounded by the outer boundary OB and inner boundary IB of the pattern region Pa. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing an iris image that is not overlapped by a pattern region included in the pattern contact lens with the registered iris data ID. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing the features extracted from the iris image that is not overlapped by a pattern region included in the pattern contact lens with the features included in the registered iris data ID.

[0088] The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication based on the inner boundary using an eye image captured by changing the positional relationship between the line of sight of the person to be iris authenticated and the imaging direction of the imaging device that images the person to be iris authenticated.The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication based on the inner boundary using an image in which the positional relationship between the line of sight of the person to be iris authenticated and the imaging direction of the imaging device that images the person to be iris authenticated is adjusted.

[0089] The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication based on the inner boundary using multiple eye images. The iris authentication unit 212 may extract an iris region Ir inside the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa for each of the multiple eye images, and combine the images of the extracted iris regions Ir for use in iris authentication. As described above, it is preferable to use a large iris region Ir for iris authentication. Since an eye image in which the gaze is shifted may have a small iris region Ir, multiple images of iris regions Ir may be combined and used for iris authentication. Each eye image in which the gaze is shifted in a different direction contains a different iris region Ir. Therefore, by combining images of multiple iris regions Ir, the iris authentication unit 212 can perform iris authentication using a larger iris region Ir. The combining process may be performed after feature extraction. That is, iris features may be extracted from each of the multiple eye images, and the extracted features may be combined.

[0090] In an eye image captured by changing the positional relationship between the gaze direction of the iris authentication subject and the imaging direction of the imaging device that captures the iris authentication subject, the iris region Ir is captured from a direction other than the front. Therefore, when an image of the iris region Ir captured from a direction other than the front is used for inner boundary determination, image synthesis, feature synthesis, or iris authentication, it may be corrected to be equivalent to an image of the iris region Ir captured from the front. In other words, an image of an elliptical iris region Ir may be corrected to an image of an iris region Ir with a perfect circle. For example, an image of an elliptical iris region Ir may be converted into an image of an iris region Ir with a perfect circle by affine transformation. [5-3: Technical Effects of Information Processing Device 5]

[0091] The information processing device 5 in the fifth embodiment can perform iris authentication even when the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa are similar and the boundary between the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa is unclear. The information processing device 5 can determine the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa by utilizing the fact that the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa have different three-dimensional shapes, and can perform iris authentication appropriately. Before image matching between multiple eye images, the information processing device 5 aligns the rotation angles around the pupil of the multiple eye images using the pattern of the iris region Ir of the iris authentication subject that is close to the pupil region Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image, thereby enabling image matching between the eye images with high accuracy. The information processing device 5 performs image matching between the first eye image and the second eye image, extracts the common area between the first eye image and the second eye image, calculates the distance from the center of the pupil area Pu to the outer boundary of the common area, calculates the inner radius of the pattern area Pa based on the longest distance, and determines the inner boundary based on the inner radius, thereby enabling iris authentication using a larger iris area Ir.

[0092] Furthermore, the multiple eye images used by the information processing device 5 include at least one of multiple eye images captured by changing the direction of the gaze of the person being subjected to iris authentication, multiple eye images captured by fixing the gaze of the person being subjected to iris authentication and changing the direction of their face, multiple eye images captured by moving the imaging device that captures the eye images, and multiple eye images captured by multiple imaging devices, so multiple eye images can be obtained by a method suited to the situation. [6: Sixth embodiment]

[0093] An information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium according to a sixth embodiment will be described below. The sixth embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and a recording medium will be described below using an information processing device 6 to which the sixth embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and a recording medium is applied.

[0094] The information processing device 6 in the sixth embodiment includes a calculation device 21 and a storage device 22, similar to at least one of the information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment and the information processing device 5 in the fifth embodiment. Furthermore, the information processing device 6 may include a communication device 23, an input device 24, and an output device 25, similar to at least one of the information processing device 4 and the information processing device 5. However, the information processing device 6 does not have to include at least one of the communication device 23, the input device 24, and the output device 25. The information processing device 6 in the sixth embodiment differs from at least one of the information processing device 4 in the fourth embodiment and the information processing device 5 in the fifth embodiment in the determination operation by the determination unit 211. Other features of the information processing device 6 may be the same as other features of at least one of the information processing device 4 and the information processing device 5. [6-1: Information processing operation performed by information processing device 6]

[0095] The flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 6 in the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 6 in the sixth embodiment.

[0096] 13(a), the determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa included in the eye image of the person to be iris-authenticated from the eye image including the eyes of the person to be iris-authenticated (step S60). The iris authentication unit 212 performs iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa (step S21).

[0097] The operation of step S60 is shown in Fig. 13(b). As shown in Fig. 13(b), the change unit 413 changes the positional relationship between the direction of the line of sight of the person to be iris authenticated and the imaging direction of the imaging device that images the person to be iris authenticated (step S41). The acquisition unit 414 acquires the eye image generated by the imaging device (step S42). The determination unit 211 detects the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris authenticated that is included in the eye image (step S31). The change unit 413 determines whether the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris authenticated that is included in the eye image overlaps with the pattern region Pa (step S43).

[0098] If the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris-authenticated overlaps with the pattern region Pa (step S43: Yes), the determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa using the overlapping region of the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris-authenticated included in the eye image with the pattern region Pa (step S32).

[0099] If the pupil area Pu and pattern area Pa of the person to be iris authenticated do not overlap (step S43: No), the judgment unit 211 judges whether the acquisition unit 414 has acquired a plurality of eye images including at least a first eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a first direction and a second eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a second direction different from the first direction (step S51).

[0100] If the acquisition unit 414 has not acquired multiple eye images including at least a first eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a first direction and a second eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a second direction different from the first direction (step S51: No), the process proceeds to step S41.

[0101] If the acquisition unit 414 has acquired multiple eye images including at least a first eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a first direction and a second eye image in which the gaze of the person to be iris authenticated is directed in a second direction different from the first direction (step S51: Yes), the determination unit 211 performs an operation to determine the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa (step S52).

[0102] In step S21 of the sixth embodiment, if the pupil region Pu of the person to be iris-authenticated overlaps with the pattern region Pa (step S43: Yes), the iris authentication unit 212 may mask the pattern region Pa in the eye image and extract iris features, as in step S21 of the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6(e), the pattern region Pa may be masked by an area M surrounded by an outer boundary OB and an inner boundary IB of the pattern region Pa. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing an iris image in which the pattern region included in the pattern contact lens does not overlap with the registered iris data ID. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing the features extracted from the iris image in which the pattern region included in the pattern contact lens does not overlap with the features included in the registered iris data ID.

[0103] If the pupil region of the person to be iris-authenticated does not overlap with the pattern region (step S43: No), similarly to step S21 in the fifth embodiment, the iris authentication unit 212 may extract iris features from an iris region Ir in the eye image, which is located inside the inner boundary of the pattern region Pa at a distance d1 from the center PaC of the pattern contact lens. As shown in FIG. 11(f), the pattern region Pa may be masked by an area surrounded by the outer boundary OB and inner boundary IB of the pattern region Pa. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing an iris image in which the pattern region included in the pattern contact lens does not overlap with the registered iris data ID. The iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication by comparing the features extracted from the iris image in which the pattern region included in the pattern contact lens does not overlap with the features included in the registered iris data ID. Furthermore, as described in the second embodiment, the iris authentication unit 212 may extract features using an unmasked image, and perform masking after feature extraction or after matching processing.

[0104] In the above-described embodiments, the boundary between the pupil region Pu and the pattern region Pa is used as the reference for the inner radius of the pattern region Pa, but this is not limiting. For example, when the eyeball is moved significantly, the outer side of the iris region may enter the inner side of the pattern region Pa. In this case, the boundary between the white of the eye (i.e., the sclera) region and the pattern region Pa may be used as the reference for the inner radius of the pattern region Pa. [6-2: Technical Effects of Information Processing Device 6]

[0105] In many cases, the method of determining the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa using the area where the pupil area Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image overlaps with the pattern area Pa can detect the pattern area Pa with greater accuracy. Therefore, the information processing device 6 in the sixth embodiment basically uses the method of determining the inner boundary of the pattern area Pa using the area where the pupil area Pu of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image overlaps with the pattern area Pa. As an alternative when the pupil area Pu and the pattern area Pa do not overlap, the information processing device 6 employs the method of determining the inner boundary using multiple eye images, thereby improving the accuracy of iris authentication. [7: Seventh embodiment]

[0106] An information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium according to a seventh embodiment will be described below. The seventh embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and a recording medium will be described below using an information processing device 7 to which the seventh embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and a recording medium is applied. [7-1: Configuration of information processing device 7]

[0107] The configuration of the information processing device 7 in the seventh embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 7 in the seventh embodiment.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 14 , the information processing device 7 of the seventh embodiment includes a calculation device 21 and a storage device 22, similar to at least one of the information processing devices 4 of the fourth embodiment to the information processing device 6 of the sixth embodiment. Furthermore, the information processing device 7 may include a communication device 23, an input device 24, and an output device 25, similar to at least one of the information processing devices 4 to 6. However, the information processing device 7 does not necessarily include at least one of the communication device 23, the input device 24, and the output device 25. The information processing device 7 of the seventh embodiment differs from at least one of the information processing devices 4 of the fourth embodiment to the information processing device 6 of the sixth embodiment in that the calculation device 21 includes an input / output control unit 715 and a separation degree determination unit 716. Furthermore, the input device 24 accepts input of pattern contact lens wear information indicating that the person undergoing iris authentication is wearing pattern contact lenses. The input device 24 may include an operation device (e.g., at least one of a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel) that can be operated by the person undergoing iris authentication. Furthermore, output device 25 may output a message prompting the person undergoing iris authentication to input pattern contact lens wearing information. Output device 25 may include at least one of a display device (a so-called display) capable of displaying an image showing information prompting the input of pattern contact lens wearing information, and an audio device (a so-called speaker) capable of outputting audio. Other features of information processing device 7 may be the same as at least one other feature of information processing device 4 to information processing device 6. Details of input / output control unit 715 and separation degree determination unit 716 will be described later. [7-2: Information Processing Operation Performed by Information Processing Device 7]

[0109] The flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 7 in the seventh embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 15. Fig. 15 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 7 in the seventh embodiment.

[0110] As shown in FIG. 15, the acquisition unit 414 acquires an eye image of the person to be iris authenticated (step S70).

[0111] The input / output control unit 715 determines whether input information indicating that the person to be iris-authenticated is wearing patterned contact lenses has been input to the input device 24 (step S71). If input information has been input (step S71: Yes), the separability determination unit 716 determines whether the degree of separability between the pattern of the pattern area Pa included in the patterned contact lenses and the pattern of the iris area Ir of the person to be iris-authenticated is less than a predetermined value (step S72). For example, the separability determination unit 716 may determine whether the pattern of the area adjacent to the white part of the eyeball is the pattern of the pattern area Pa, and the pattern of the area adjacent to the pupil area Pu is the pattern of the iris area Ir of the person to be iris-authenticated, and determine whether the degree of separability (ease of distinction) between the pattern of the pattern area Pa and the pattern of the iris area Ir of the person to be iris-authenticated is less than a predetermined value. Various existing methods based on statistics of pixel values ​​and their frequency components can be used to calculate the degree of separability.

[0112] If the degree of separation between the pattern of the pattern area Pa and the pattern of the iris area Ir of the person to be iris authenticated is less than a predetermined value (step S72: Yes), the determination unit 211 performs an inner boundary determination (step S73). The inner boundary determination operation of step S73 in the seventh embodiment may be the same as any one of the inner boundary determination operation of step S20 in the second embodiment, the inner boundary determination operation of step S30 in the third embodiment, the inner boundary determination operation of step S40 in the fourth embodiment, the inner boundary determination operation of step S50 in the fifth embodiment, and the inner boundary determination operation of step S60 in the sixth embodiment.

[0113] The iris authentication unit 212 performs iris authentication (step S21). If the determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary in step S73, the iris authentication unit 212 performs iris authentication of the person to be iris authenticated based on the inner boundary.

[0114] On the other hand, if no input information is entered (step S71: No), or if the degree of separation between the pattern of the pattern area Pa and the pattern of the iris area Ir of the person to be iris authenticated is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S72: No), the iris authentication unit 212 may perform iris authentication using all iris areas Ir included in the eye image (step S21).

[0115] That is, the change unit 413 changes the positional relationship when input information indicating that the person to be iris authenticated is wearing a patterned contact lens is input to the information processing device 7 and the degree of separation between the pattern of the pattern area Pa included in the patterned contact lens and the pattern of the iris area Ir of the person to be iris authenticated is less than a predetermined value. On the other hand, the change unit 413 does not change the positional relationship when input information is not input to the information processing device 7, or when input information is input to the information processing device 7 and the degree of separation is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0116] In the seventh embodiment, if the person to be iris-authenticated is not wearing patterned contact lenses, iris authentication may be performed using the entire iris region included in the eye image as usual. Also, if the pattern of the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa can be distinguished, iris authentication may be performed using an eye image in which the iris is captured from the front. If the pattern of the iris region Ir and the pattern region Pa cannot be distinguished, the inner boundary determination operation in any of the second to sixth embodiments may be performed. [7-3: Technical Effects of Information Processing Device 7]

[0117] In iris authentication, using a larger iris region Ir can improve the accuracy of iris authentication. When the person to be iris-authenticated is not wearing a patterned contact lens, the information processing device 7 in the seventh embodiment performs iris authentication using the entire iris region Ir included in the eye image as usual, resulting in high accuracy of iris authentication. Furthermore, when the iris pattern and the patterned contact lens pattern can be distinguished, the information processing device 7 may perform iris authentication using an image of the iris captured from the front. In other words, the information processing device 7 does not prompt the person to be iris-authenticated to move their line of sight, thereby improving the convenience of the person to be iris-authenticated. Furthermore, when the iris pattern and the patterned contact lens pattern cannot be distinguished, the information processing device 7 performs the inner boundary determination operation in any of the second to sixth embodiments, thereby improving the success rate of iris authentication for the person to be iris-authenticated. [8: Eighth embodiment]

[0118] An eighth embodiment of an information processing device, an information processing method, and a recording medium will be described below. Hereinafter, the eighth embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium will be described using an information processing device 8 to which the eighth embodiment of the information processing device, the information processing method, and the recording medium is applied. [8-1: Configuration of information processing device 8]

[0119] The configuration of the information processing device 8 in the eighth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the information processing device 8 in the eighth embodiment.

[0120] As shown in FIG. 16 , the information processing device 8 of the eighth embodiment includes a calculation device 21 and a storage device 22, similar to at least one of the information processing devices 4 of the fourth embodiment to the information processing device 6 of the sixth embodiment. Furthermore, the information processing device 8 may include a communication device 23, an input device 24, and an output device 25, similar to at least one of the information processing devices 4 to 6. However, the information processing device 8 does not necessarily include at least one of the communication device 23, the input device 24, and the output device 25. The information processing device 8 of the eighth embodiment differs from at least one of the information processing devices 4 of the fourth embodiment to the information processing device 6 of the sixth embodiment in that the calculation device 21 includes a pattern contact lens wear determination unit 817 and a separation degree determination unit 716. Other features of the information processing device 8 may be the same as other features of at least one of the information processing devices 4 to 6. Details of the pattern contact lens wear determination unit 817 and the separation degree determination unit 716 will be described later. [8-2: Information processing operation performed by information processing device 8]

[0121] The flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 8 in the eighth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing the flow of information processing operations performed by the information processing device 8 in the eighth embodiment.

[0122] 17, the acquisition unit 414 acquires an eye image of a person to be iris authenticated (step S80). The iris authentication unit 212 performs iris authentication using all iris regions included in the eye image (step S81).

[0123] The iris authentication unit 212 determines whether or not the iris authentication in step S81 has failed (step S82). If the iris authentication has failed (step S82: Yes), the pattern contact lens wear determination unit 817 determines whether or not the person being subjected to iris authentication is wearing a pattern contact lens (step S83). The pattern contact lens wear determination unit 817 may determine that the person being subjected to iris authentication is wearing a pattern contact lens, for example, when there is a difference between the movement of the part adjacent to the white part of the eyeball and the movement of the pupil region Pu. The white part of the eyeball may be the so-called white of the eye, or the sclera, which is the white outer membrane of the eyeball.

[0124] If the person to be iris-authenticated is wearing patterned contact lenses (step S83: Yes), the separability determination unit 716 determines whether the degree of separability between the pattern of the pattern area Pa included in the patterned contact lenses and the pattern of the iris area Ir of the person to be iris-authenticated is less than a predetermined value (step S72). The determination method is the same as step S72 in the seventh embodiment.

[0125] If the degree of separation between the pattern of the pattern area Pa and the pattern of the iris area Ir of the person to be iris authenticated is less than a predetermined value (step S72: Yes), the determination unit 211 performs an inner boundary determination (step S73). The inner boundary determination operation of step S73 in the seventh embodiment may be the same as any one of the inner boundary determination operation of step S20 in the second embodiment, the inner boundary determination operation of step S30 in the third embodiment, the inner boundary determination operation of step S40 in the fourth embodiment, the inner boundary determination operation of step S50 in the fifth embodiment, and the inner boundary determination operation of step S60 in the sixth embodiment.

[0126] The iris authentication unit 212 performs iris authentication (step S21). If the determination unit 211 determines the inner boundary in step S73, the iris authentication of the person to be iris authenticated is performed based on the inner boundary.

[0127] On the other hand, if the iris authentication in step S81 fails (step S82: No), if the person being authenticated is not wearing patterned contact lenses (step S83: No), or if the degree of separation between the pattern in the pattern area Pa and the pattern in the iris area Ir of the person being authenticated is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step S72: No), the information processing operation ends.

[0128] That is, the change unit 413 changes the positional relationship when iris authentication of the person to be iris authenticated fails, when the person to be iris authenticated is wearing a patterned contact lens, and / or when the degree of separation between the pattern of the patterned area Pa included in the patterned contact lens and the pattern of the iris area Ir of the person to be iris authenticated is less than a predetermined value.

[0129] In the eighth embodiment, if iris authentication using the entire iris area included in the eye image as usual fails, the inner boundary determination operation in any of the second to sixth embodiments is performed to improve the success rate of iris authentication for the person being iris authenticated.

[0130] If the iris authentication fails (step S82: Yes), instead of the judgment in step S83, the judgment in step S71 of the seventh embodiment may be performed, and the person to be subjected to iris authentication may self-declare that they are wearing patterned contact lenses. Also, at least one of step S82, step S83, and step S72 may not be performed. [8-3: Technical Effects of Information Processing Device 8]

[0131] In iris authentication, using a larger iris area Ir can improve the accuracy of iris authentication. The information processing device 8 in the eighth embodiment first performs iris authentication using the entire iris area included in the eye image as usual, resulting in good iris authentication accuracy. Furthermore, even if iris authentication fails because the person being iris-authenticated is wearing patterned contact lenses that make it difficult to distinguish between the pattern of the pattern area Pa and the pattern of the iris area Ir, the information processing device 8 performs the inner boundary determination operation of any of the second to sixth embodiments. This reduces the risk that iris authentication will fail if the person being iris-authenticated is wearing patterned contact lenses, thereby improving the success rate of iris authentication for the person being iris-authenticated and improving usability. [9: Note]

[0132] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiment. [Appendix 1] a determining means for determining an inner boundary of a pattern area included in an eye image of a person to be iris-authenticated when the person is wearing a patterned contact lens including the predetermined pattern area; an iris authentication means for performing iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary; An information processing device comprising: [Appendix 2] The iris authentication means extracts a pattern area included in the pattern contact lens based on the inner boundary, and performs the iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated by masking the pattern area in the eye image, or masking a feature corresponding to the pattern area among the iris feature amounts extracted from the eye image, or masking a result corresponding to the pattern area among matching results obtained using the iris feature amounts extracted from the eye image. 10. The information processing device according to claim 1. [Appendix 3] When the pupil region of the person to be iris-authenticated included in the eye image overlaps with the pattern region, the determining means determines the inner boundary using the overlapping region. 3. The information processing device according to claim 1 or 2. [Appendix 4] When the pupil region and the pattern region overlap, the determining means calculates an inner radius of the pattern region based on the distance from the center of the pattern contact lens to the inside of the overlapping region, and determines the inner boundary based on the inner radius. 4. The information processing device according to claim 3. [Appendix 5] The present invention further includes a change unit for changing the positional relationship between the direction of the line of sight of the person to be iris-authenticated and the image capturing direction of an image capturing device that captures an image of the person to be iris-authenticated. 5. The information processing device according to claim 3 or 4. [Appendix 6] The change means changes the positional relationship when the pupil region of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image does not overlap with the pattern region and when the pupil region of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image is equal to or larger than a predetermined size compared to the size of the iris. 6. The information processing device according to claim 5, further comprising: [Appendix 7] The change means changes the positional relationship by performing at least one of a first operation of prompting the person to be iris-authenticated to change the direction of their line of sight, a second operation of prompting the person to be iris-authenticated to change the direction of their face while keeping the direction of their line of sight fixed, and a third operation of moving an imaging device that images the person to be iris-authenticated to move the imaging device relative to the person to be iris-authenticated. 7. The information processing device according to claim 5 or 6. [Appendix 8] the change means changes the positional relationship when input information indicating that the person to be iris authenticated is wearing the pattern contact lens is input to the information processing device and the degree of separation between the pattern of the pattern region included in the pattern contact lens and the pattern of the iris region of the person to be iris authenticated is less than a predetermined value; The change means does not change the positional relationship when the input information is not input to the information processing device, or when the input information is input to the information processing device and the degree of separation is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. 8. The information processing device according to any one of appendices 5 to 7. [Appendix 9] The change means changes the positional relationship when iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated fails, when the person to be iris-authenticated is wearing the patterned contact lens, and / or when the degree of separation between the pattern of the patterned region included in the patterned contact lens and the pattern of the iris region of the person to be iris-authenticated is less than a predetermined value. An information processing device according to any one of appendices 5 to 8. [Appendix 10] The determination means performs matching between a plurality of eye images including at least a first eye image in which the gaze of the iris authentication subject is directed in a first direction and a second eye image in which the gaze of the iris authentication subject is directed in a second direction different from the first direction, and determines the inner boundary. 10. The information processing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 9. [Appendix 11] When the pupil region of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image does not overlap with the pattern region, the determination means performs matching between a plurality of eye images including at least a first eye image in which the gaze of the iris authentication subject is directed in a first direction and a second eye image in which the gaze of the iris authentication subject is directed in a second direction different from the first direction, and determines the inner boundary. 10. The information processing device according to any one of appendices 1 to 9. [Appendix 12] The determination means, before matching the plurality of eye images with each other, adjusts the rotation angles of the plurality of eye images with the pupil as the center by using a pattern of the iris region of the iris authentication subject that is close to the pupil region of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image. 12. The information processing device according to claim 10 or 11. [Appendix 13] The determination means matches the first eye image with the second eye image, extracts a common area between the first eye image and the second eye image, calculates a distance from the center of the pupil area of ​​the person to be iris-authenticated to an outer boundary of the common area, calculates an inner radius of the pattern area based on the longest length of the distances, and determines the inner boundary based on the inner radius. 13. The information processing device according to any one of appendices 10 to 12. [Appendix 14] The plurality of eye images include at least one of a plurality of eye images captured by changing the direction of the line of sight of the person to be iris authenticated, a plurality of eye images captured by fixing the line of sight of the person to be iris authenticated and changing the direction of the face of the person to be iris authenticated, a plurality of eye images captured by moving an image capturing device that captures the eye images, and a plurality of eye images captured by a plurality of image capturing devices. 14. The information processing device according to any one of appendices 10 to 13. [Appendix 15] When a person to be iris-authenticated is wearing a patterned contact lens including a predetermined pattern area, an inner boundary of the pattern area included in an eye image including the eye of the person to be iris-authenticated is determined from the eye image; Based on the inner boundary, the iris authentication of the subject is performed. Information processing methods. [Appendix 16] On the computer, When a person to be iris-authenticated is wearing a patterned contact lens including a predetermined pattern area, an inner boundary of the pattern area included in an eye image including the eye of the person to be iris-authenticated is determined from the eye image; Based on the inner boundary, the iris authentication of the subject is performed. A recording medium on which a computer program for executing an information processing method is recorded.

[0133] At least some of the constituent elements of each of the above-described embodiments can be appropriately combined with at least some of the other constituent elements of each of the above-described embodiments. Some of the constituent elements of each of the above-described embodiments may not be used. Furthermore, to the extent permitted by law, the disclosures of all documents (e.g., published patent applications) cited in this disclosure are incorporated by reference as part of the description of this disclosure.

[0134] This disclosure may be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and the technical idea that can be read from the entire specification. Information processing devices, information processing methods, and recording media that involve such modifications are also included in the technical idea of ​​this disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0135] 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 Information processing equipment 11,211 Judgment section 12,212 Iris Recognition Unit 413 Changes 414 Acquisition Department 715 Input / Output Control Unit 716 Separation degree determination section 817 Pattern contact lens wear determination unit Pu pupil area IR iris area Pa Pattern Area

Claims

1. a determining means for determining an inner boundary of a pattern area included in an eye image of a person to be iris-authenticated when the person is wearing a patterned contact lens including the predetermined pattern area; an iris authentication means for performing iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary; Equipped with When the pupil region of the person to be iris-authenticated included in the eye image overlaps with the pattern region, the determining means determines the inner boundary using the overlapping region. Information processing device.

2. The iris authentication means extracts a pattern area included in the pattern contact lens based on the inner boundary, and performs the iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated by masking the pattern area in the eye image, or masking a feature corresponding to the pattern area among the iris feature amounts extracted from the eye image, or masking a result corresponding to the pattern area among matching results obtained using the iris feature amounts extracted from the eye image. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

3. When the pupil region and the pattern region overlap, the determining means calculates an inner radius of the pattern region based on the distance from the center of the pattern contact lens to the inside of the overlapping region, and determines the inner boundary based on the inner radius. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

4. The present invention further includes a change unit for changing the positional relationship between the direction of the line of sight of the person to be iris-authenticated and the image capturing direction of an image capturing device that captures an image of the person to be iris-authenticated. The information processing device according to claim 1 .

5. The change means changes the positional relationship when the pupil region of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image does not overlap with the pattern region and when the pupil region of the iris authentication subject included in the eye image has a predetermined size or larger. The information processing device according to claim 4 , further comprising:

6. The change means changes the positional relationship by performing at least one of a first operation of prompting the person to be iris-authenticated to change the direction of their line of sight, a second operation of prompting the person to be iris-authenticated to change the direction of their face while keeping the direction of their line of sight fixed, and a third operation of moving an imaging device that images the person to be iris-authenticated to move the imaging device relative to the person to be iris-authenticated. The information processing device according to claim 4 .

7. the change means changes the positional relationship when input information indicating that the person to be iris authenticated is wearing the pattern contact lens is input to the information processing device and the degree of separation between the pattern of the pattern region included in the pattern contact lens and the pattern of the iris region of the person to be iris authenticated is less than a predetermined value; The change means does not change the positional relationship when the input information is not input to the information processing device, or when the input information is input to the information processing device and the degree of separation is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. The information processing device according to claim 4 .

8. When a person to be iris-authenticated is wearing a patterned contact lens including a predetermined pattern area, an inner boundary of the pattern area included in an eye image including the eye of the person to be iris-authenticated is determined from the eye image; performing iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary; Including, The determining step determines the inner boundary by using the overlapping area when the pupil area of ​​the iris authentication subject included in the eye image overlaps with the pattern area. A computer-implemented information processing method.

9. On the computer, When a person to be iris-authenticated is wearing a patterned contact lens including a predetermined pattern area, an inner boundary of the pattern area included in an eye image including the eye of the person to be iris-authenticated is determined from the eye image; performing iris authentication of the person to be iris-authenticated based on the inner boundary; Including, The determining step determines the inner boundary by using the overlapping area when the pupil area of ​​the iris authentication subject included in the eye image overlaps with the pattern area. A computer program for executing an information processing method.

Images