Face recognizing device, face recognizing method and program

Abstract

To provide a face recognizing device that can reduce an occurrence of an authentication error.SOLUTION: A face recognizing device includes: an imaging unit that picks up the face image of a person to be authenticated; an authentication error determining unit which analyzes the picked-up face image data before obtaining, as the picked-up image, the face image data from the imaging unit, determines the possibility and the factor that cause an authentication error, and outputs, as guidance information, a solution scheme for the factor of the authentication error; a display unit that displays the guidance information; a picked-up image obtaining unit that obtains, after the guidance information is displayed, the face image data picked up by the imaging unit as the picked-up image; and an authenticating unit that executes a face authentication by checking the obtained face image data as the picked-up image with the face image data for authentication.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a face authentication device, a face authentication method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] One of the methods for personal identification is face authentication. Face authentication determines whether a person is the same as the person in a pre-taken face image such as an identity card (ID card or passport) by comparing the face image of the person to be authenticated with the pre-taken face image. Further, Patent Document 1 shows that when performing shooting for face authentication, guidance is given to the person to be authenticated so that an image capable of extracting facial feature amounts can be captured.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In face authentication, feature points such as eyes, nose, mouth, and contour are extracted. However, if the user's hair gets in the way of the eyes or the user to be authenticated wears a mask, it becomes difficult to extract the feature points, and face authentication may result in an error. In addition, due to various factors, face authentication may result in an error. When face authentication results in an error, it is necessary to take a face image again, so the time required for face authentication increases. Further, repeatedly taking images increases the burden on the user to be authenticated. In particular, when face authentication is performed on a server in the cloud, communication occurs every time an error is determined.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a face authentication device, a face authentication method, and a program that reduce the occurrence of authentication errors.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A face authentication device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a photographing unit that photographs a face image of an authentication target person, analyzes the photographed face image data before acquiring the face image data from the photographing unit as a photographed image, determines the possibility and cause of an authentication error, and outputs a countermeasure method for the cause of the authentication error as guidance information; a display unit that displays the guidance information; a photographed image acquisition unit that acquires the face image data photographed by the photographing unit as a photographed image after the guidance information is displayed; and an authentication unit that performs face authentication by collating the face image data acquired as the photographed image with face image data for authentication.

[0007] A face authentication method according to one aspect of the present invention includes a step of photographing a face image of an authentication target person, a step of analyzing the photographed face image data before acquiring the face image data generated by the photographing as a photographed image, determining the possibility and cause of an authentication error, and outputting a countermeasure method for the cause of the authentication error as guidance information, a step of displaying the guidance information, a step of acquiring the photographed face image data as a photographed image after the guidance information is displayed, and a step of performing face authentication by collating the face image data acquired as the photographed image with face image data for authentication.

[0008] A program according to one aspect of the present invention includes a step of analyzing photographed face image data to determine the possibility and cause of an authentication error before acquiring the face image data from a photographing unit as a photographed image, a step of outputting a countermeasure method for the cause of the authentication error as guidance information, a step of displaying the guidance information, a step of acquiring the face image data photographed by the photographing unit as a photographed image after the guidance information is displayed, and a step of performing face authentication by collating the face image data acquired as the photographed image with face image data for authentication.

Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, before acquiring a captured image for face authentication, the possibility of face authentication resulting in an error is determined, and a method for dealing with the cause of the authentication error is displayed as guidance information. Thereby, when performing the face authentication process, the occurrence of authentication errors can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overview of a face authentication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the face authentication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a photographing terminal 10, a processing terminal 20, and an authentication server 30.

[0012] The photographing terminal 10 photographs a face image of a user (authentication target person) 50. As the photographing terminal 10, any device can be used as long as it can photograph a face image of the user 50, such as a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a digital camera, a surveillance camera, etc.

[0013] The processing terminal 20 is communicably connected to the imaging terminal 10 and the authentication server 30, and transmits and receives data between the imaging terminal 10 and the authentication server 30. More specifically, the processing terminal 20 analyzes the face image data generated by being captured by the imaging terminal 10 before acquiring it as a captured image, and determines the possibility and factors of an authentication error. Then, when the possibility of an authentication error occurring is high, the processing terminal 20 outputs to the imaging terminal 10 a method for dealing with the factors of the authentication error as guidance information 111. Further, when the face image data is acquired as a captured image, the processing terminal 20 transmits the face image data acquired as the captured image to the authentication server 30. Also, the processing terminal 20 receives the authentication result of face authentication from the authentication server 30 and transmits it to the imaging terminal 10. As the processing terminal 20, for example, a PC (Personal Computer) is used.

[0014] The authentication server 30 collates the face image data of the user 50 with the face image data acquired from the identification card 60 or the like, and performs face authentication. The authentication server 30 may be a single server device, or may have a configuration of a cloud server in which a virtual server is constructed from a plurality of physical servers distributed on the network.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the imaging terminal 10 in the face authentication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the imaging terminal 10 includes a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, a display unit 103, an input unit 104, an imaging unit 105, a communication unit 106, and a short-range communication unit 107.

[0016] The control unit 101 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and performs various processes based on the programs stored in the storage unit 102.

[0017] The storage unit 102 is configured by, for example, an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Read / write Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or any combination of these storage media. Various programs and data are recorded and / or reproduced in the storage unit 102. Further, the storage unit 102 includes an area of a captured image acquisition unit 102a that acquires the face image captured by the imaging unit 105 as a captured image.

[0018] The display unit 103 displays various types of information. The display unit 103 may use, for example, any display panel of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. In this example, when the user 50 captures a face image for authentication, a monitor image of the user 50 is displayed on the display unit 103. Further, when the user 50's face image is captured by the imaging terminal 10, a method for dealing with the cause of an authentication error is displayed as guidance information 111 on the display unit 103.

[0019] The input unit 104 is, for example, a touch panel stacked and arranged on the display unit 103, and receives user input. Further, the input unit 104 may include a shutter button 104a (see FIG. 1).

[0020] The imaging unit 105 includes an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) or a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor), and captures a face image of the user 50.

[0021] The communication unit 106 communicates with the processing terminal 20 via a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) or mobile communication. The short-range communication unit 107 reads the information of the identification card 60 in a non-contact manner, for example, via short-range communication such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).

[0022] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the processing terminal 20 in the face authentication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the processing terminal 20 includes a control unit 201, a storage unit 202, an input unit 203, a display unit 204, and a communication unit 205.

[0023] The control unit 201 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and performs various processes based on the programs stored in the storage unit 202. In this example, the control unit 201 executes the process of the authentication error determination unit 211. The authentication error determination unit 211 analyzes the face image data captured by the imaging terminal 10 and determines the possibility and cause of an authentication error. Then, when the possibility of an authentication error occurring is high, the authentication error determination unit 211 outputs the corresponding method for the cause of the authentication error to the imaging terminal 10 as guidance information.

[0024] The storage unit 202 is composed of, for example, an HDD, a flash memory, an EEPROM, a RAM, a ROM, or any combination of these storage media. Various programs and data are recorded and / or reproduced in the storage unit 202. A program for executing the authentication error determination unit 211 is stored in the storage unit 202.

[0025] The input unit 203 is composed of an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse and accepts various user inputs.

[0026] The display unit 204 displays various information. The display unit 204 may use, for example, any one of an LCD or an organic EL display panel.

[0027] The communication unit 205 communicates with the processing terminal 20 via wireless LAN or mobile communication, and also communicates with the authentication server 30 via the network 40.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the authentication server 30 in the face authentication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the authentication server 30 includes a communication unit 301, an authentication unit 302, and a database 303.

[0029] The communication unit 301 communicates with the processing terminal 20 via the network 40. The authentication unit 302 performs face authentication processing of the user 50. The authentication unit 302 is a control device composed of a CPU and is executed as a program. Various information and the like are stored in the database 303.

[0030] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the identification card 60 used in the face authentication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The identification card 60 is a card used as any identification card such as a student ID card, an employee ID card, a driver's license, a passport, a credit card, etc. A photo 601 of the face image of the user 50 is pasted on the identification card 60, and an IC chip 602 is provided. The IC chip 602 stores face image data for authenticating the user 50. The face image data for authentication is an image taken by the user 50 himself / herself. In addition, the IC chip 602 can perform RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) communication.

[0031] Next, the face authentication processing in the face authentication system 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0032] In FIG. 1, when the user 50 performs face authentication processing, the user 50 brings the identification card 60 close to the imaging terminal 10. As a result, non-contact communication is performed between the IC chip 602 of the identification card 60 and the imaging terminal 10, and the imaging terminal 10 reads the face image data stored in the IC chip 602. As shown in FIG. 5, the identification card 60 is equipped with an IC chip 602, and the face image data is stored in the IC chip 602 in a readable manner.

[0033] In addition, the user 50 captures a face image of the user 50 with the imaging unit 105 of the imaging terminal 10. The monitor image (sometimes also called a live view image or a through image) when capturing the user 50 at this time is displayed on the display unit 103 of the imaging terminal 10. Further, the face image data of the user 50 captured by the imaging unit 105 is transmitted to the processing terminal 20.

[0034] When the processing terminal 20 receives the face image data of the user 50, it analyzes the captured face image data and determines the possibility and cause of an authentication error. Then, if there is a possibility of an authentication error, it outputs by transmitting, as guidance information 111, the method of dealing with the cause of the authentication error to the imaging terminal 10 and displays it on the display unit 103 of the imaging terminal 10.

[0035] The factors that cause face authentication to be in error can be roughly classified into the following factors. (1) Error factors related to the arrangement of the face image (2) Error factors associated with the face image (3) Error factors related to the imaging state

[0036] First, the error factors related to the placement of the face image will be described. The error factors related to the placement of the face image are authentication errors caused by factors related to the placement of the face image, such as the shooting position of the user 50 being shifted to one side or the shooting position of the user 50 being far away. When determining the error factors related to the placement of the face image, the authentication error determination unit 211 analyzes the captured face image data with the top of the head, the position of the shoulders, etc. as feature points, and determines the error factors related to the placement of the face image of the user 50 from the positions of the feature points obtained by the analysis. For example, it is determined whether the position of the feature point is within a certain range from the position of the center of gravity of the shooting area. If it is within the certain range, it is determined that there is no error related to the placement of the face image (no error factor). If it is not within the certain range (there is an error factor), it is determined in which direction it is shifted according to the relative positional relationship between the position of the feature point and the position of the center of gravity of the shooting area. When there is an error factor related to the placement of the face image of the user 50, guidance information corresponding to this is transmitted to the shooting terminal 10 and displayed on the display unit 103 of the shooting terminal 10.

[0037] FIG. 6 is an example of guidance information for error factors related to the placement of the face image. FIG. 7 is a display example of the guidance information displayed when there is an error factor related to the placement of the face image. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when it is detected that the position of the face image of the user 50 is shifted to the left with respect to the shooting area based on the position of the above-described feature point, guidance information 111a such as "Please move to the right" is displayed on the display unit 103 of the shooting terminal 10. When such guidance information 111a is displayed, the user 50 moves the body to the right so that the face image is located at the center of the screen. This makes it easier to eliminate the error factor related to the placement of the face image.

[0038] Next, the error factors associated with the face image will be described. The error factors associated with the face image are authentication errors due to factors associated with the face image of the subject user 50, such as when the user 50 takes a photo while wearing a mask or glasses. When determining the error factors associated with the face image, the authentication error determination unit 211 analyzes the captured face image data and determines the states of feature points such as eyes, nose, mouth, and contours. For example, the authentication error determination unit 211 determines whether the eyes are hidden in the face image of the user 50, and if the eyes are not hidden, it performs a confirmation process to check whether the mouth area is hidden. Here, when wearing glasses (such as sunglasses) or a mask that hides the eyes, it is determined that there is an error factor. When there is an error factor associated with the face image of the subject, corresponding guidance information is displayed on the display unit 103 of the photographing terminal 10.

[0039] FIG. 8 is an example of guidance information for error factors associated with the face image. FIG. 9 is an example of the display of guidance information displayed when there is an error factor associated with the face image. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the user 50 takes a photo while wearing the mask 51, guidance information 111b such as "Please remove the mask" is displayed on the display unit 103. When such guidance information 111b is displayed, the user 50 takes a photo after removing the mask. This makes it easier to eliminate the error factors associated with the face image.

[0040] Next, error factors related to the shooting state will be described. Error factors related to the shooting state are authentication errors caused by factors resulting from the state of the captured image, such as the captured image being too dark or out of focus. When determining the error factors related to the shooting state, the authentication error determination unit 211 analyzes the brightness and contrast of the captured face image data. Then, when the brightness is less than the reference value or the contrast is less than the reference value, the authentication error determination unit 211 determines that there are error factors associated with the face image. When it is determined that there are error factors associated with the face image serving as the subject, the authentication error determination unit 211 transmits corresponding guidance information to the imaging terminal 10 and causes it to be displayed on the display unit 103 of the imaging terminal 10. FIG. 10 is an example of guidance information for error factors related to the shooting state. FIG. 11 is a display example of guidance information displayed when there are error factors related to the shooting state. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when shooting is performed in a dark place, guidance information 111c such as "Please brighten up" is displayed on the display unit 103. When such guidance information 111c is displayed, the user 50 performs shooting in a state where the light amount is increased by turning on the surrounding lighting device or turning on the flash.

[0041] As described above, when performing face image authentication, if there are various error factors, guidance information 111 (guidance information 111a to 111c) is displayed on the display unit 103 of the imaging terminal 10. The user 50 pays attention to the guidance information 111 displayed on the display unit 103 and takes actions according to the guidance information.

[0042] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when guidance information 111a such as "Please move to the right" is displayed, the user 50 moves the shooting position to the right according to this guidance information 111a. When the error factor is eliminated here, as shown in FIG. 12, guidance information 111d indicating that a face image can be acquired, such as "Take a face photo", is displayed. Then, the face image data captured at that time is acquired by the captured image acquisition unit 102a as a captured image and transmitted to the authentication server 30 via the processing terminal 20.

[0043] The authentication server 30 performs face authentication by comparing the face image data acquired from the identification card 60 with the face image data acquired as a captured image. When the face authentication process is completed, the authentication server 30 transmits the authentication result to the shooting terminal 10 via the processing terminal 20. The shooting terminal 10 receives the processed authentication result sent from the authentication server 30 and displays this authentication result on the display unit 103. The user 50 checks the authentication result by looking at the display of the shooting terminal.

[0044] FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing in the face authentication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. (Step S101) The user 50 reads and acquires the face image data for authentication of the identification card 60 from the IC chip 602 by the short-range communication unit 107 of the shooting terminal 10, and proceeds to step S102.

[0045] (Step S102) The user 50 takes a face image with the imaging unit 105 of the shooting terminal 10. The captured face image is displayed on the display unit 103 as a monitor image and sent to the processing terminal 20.

[0046] (Step S103) The processing terminal 20 analyzes the captured image data and determines the possibility of an authentication error. For example, the authentication error determination unit 211 determines whether there is an error factor for at least any one of the error factors related to the arrangement of the face image, the error factors associated with the face image, and the error factors related to the shooting state. If it is determined that there is an error factor for at least any one of these, it is determined that the possibility of an authentication error is high (Step S103: Yes). For example, when there is at least one factor that causes a face authentication error, it may be determined that the possibility of an authentication error is high, and when there is no factor that causes a face authentication error, it may be determined that the possibility of an authentication error is not high (the possibility of an authentication error is low). The processing terminal 20 proceeds to step S104 for the purpose of displaying guidance information. If the possibility of an authentication error is low (Step S103: No), the process proceeds to step S106.

[0047] (Step S104) When the possibility of an authentication error is high, the processing terminal 20 acquires guidance information corresponding to the cause of the error and proceeds to step S105.

[0048] (Step S105) The processing terminal 20 outputs the acquired guidance information to the imaging terminal 10. The imaging terminal 10 displays the guidance information on the display unit 103 and returns the process to step S102. The user 50 takes actions according to the guidance information displayed on the display unit 103, and by repeating the processes from step S102 to step S105, the cause of the authentication error is eliminated. Such display of guidance information is performed before the acquisition (import) of face image data.

[0049] (Step S106) When it is determined in step S103 that the possibility of an authentication error is low (Step S103: No), the imaging terminal 10 acquires the face image data captured at that time as a captured image by the captured image acquisition unit 102a and proceeds to step S107.

[0050] (Step S107) The imaging terminal 10 transmits the face image acquired as the captured image to the authentication server 30 via the processing terminal 20, and the authentication server 30 collates the face image data acquired as the captured image with the image data for authentication of the identification card 60 and executes face authentication processing.

[0051] For the captured image for performing face authentication, after the guidance information is displayed, the imaging image acquisition unit 102a may acquire the captured image, or after the guidance information is displayed, the captured image may be acquired after a certain period of time has elapsed. During the period until the certain time has elapsed, the user can be made to perform actions for eliminating the error factor according to the guidance information, and the captured image can be captured at a timing when there is a possibility that the error factor has been eliminated. Also, for the captured image for performing face authentication, when it is determined that an action for eliminating the error factor has been performed by the user in response to the display of the guidance information and the error factor is no longer detected (when it is detected that the error factor has been eliminated), it may be determined that there is a possibility of an error and the factor has been eliminated, and the captured image acquisition unit 102a may automatically acquire it, or guide information indicating that the error factor has been eliminated may be displayed on the display unit 103 to notify the user, and the captured image acquisition unit 102a may be acquired when the user 50 presses the shutter button 104a.

[0052] (Step S108) The authentication server 30 determines whether an authentication result has been obtained. If an authentication result has been obtained (Step S108: Yes), the process proceeds to Step S109, and if an authentication result has not been obtained (Step S108: No), the process proceeds to Step S110.

[0053] (Step S109) The authentication server 30 determines whether the user is a legitimate user as a result of the face authentication, performs processing according to this authentication result, and ends the processing.

[0054] (Step S110) The authentication server 30 detects the differences between the captured face image data and the face image data of the identification card 60, and proceeds with the process to step S111.

[0055] (Step S111) The authentication server 30 acquires guidance information according to the factors for which face authentication cannot be obtained, and proceeds with the process to step S112.

[0056] (Step S112) The authentication server 30 transmits the guidance information to the imaging terminal 10 via the processing terminal 20. The imaging terminal 10 displays the acquired guidance information on the display unit 103, and returns the process to step S102.

[0057] FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing the processing in the face authentication system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] The user 50 captures a face image with the imaging terminal 10 (process P201). Further, the user 50 presents the face image data of the identification card 60, and the imaging terminal 10 reads the face image data from the identification card 60 (process P202).

[0059] The imaging terminal 10 transmits the face image data acquired from the identification card 60 and the face image data captured by the camera of the imaging terminal 10 to the processing terminal 20 (process P203).

[0060] The processing terminal 20 analyzes the face image data captured by the imaging terminal 10, and determines the possibility and factors for which an authentication error may occur (process P204).

[0061] When there is a high possibility that an authentication error may occur, the processing terminal 20 transmits, as guidance information, a countermeasure method for the factors of the authentication error to the imaging terminal 10 (process P205).

[0062] The imaging terminal 10 displays the guidance information sent from the processing terminal 20 on the display unit 103 of the imaging terminal 10 (process P206).

[0063] User 50 looks at the guidance information displayed on the screen of the imaging terminal 10 (process P207) and takes actions according to the guidance information (process P208).

[0064] When the factors causing an authentication error are eliminated by User 50 taking actions according to the guidance information, the imaging terminal 10 acquires the face image data at that time as a captured image and sends it to the captured image acquisition unit 102a (process P209).

[0065] The imaging terminal 10 transmits the face image data acquired as a captured image to the processing terminal 20 (process P210).

[0066] The processing terminal 20 transmits the face image data for authentication of User 50 acquired from the identification card 60 and the face image data acquired as a captured image to the authentication server 30 and starts face authentication (process P211).

[0067] The authentication server 30 collates the face image data for authentication acquired from the identification card 60 and the face image data acquired as a captured image to perform face authentication (process P212).

[0068] When the face authentication process is completed, the authentication server 30 returns the authentication result to the imaging terminal 10 via the processing terminal 20 (process P213).

[0069] The imaging terminal 10 displays the processing authentication result sent from the authentication server 30 via the processing terminal 20 on the display unit 103, and User 50 checks the authentication result by looking at the display of the imaging terminal (process P214).

[0070] Thus, in this embodiment, before acquiring a captured image, face image data from the imaging unit 105 is analyzed to determine the possibility of face authentication errors. And in this embodiment, when there is a high possibility of authentication errors occurring, a method for dealing with the causes of authentication errors is displayed on the display unit 103 of the imaging terminal 10 as guidance information 111. Thereby, when performing face authentication processing, the occurrence of authentication errors can be reduced, and the user 50 can be spared the trouble of repeatedly correcting and retaking photos. Also, in particular, when the face authentication process is performed by the authentication server 30, the communication, time, and cost incurred for face authentication are reduced.

[0071] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In face authentication, the positions of feature points such as eyes, nose, and mouth are extracted from the captured face image data. Here, if the user 50 is wearing glasses, a mask, a hat, or other accessories on the face image, there is a possibility of authentication errors. Therefore, in this embodiment, when performing face authentication, it is possible to set the presence or absence of accessories on the face image such as glasses, masks, and hats.

[0072] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of a face authentication system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a setting screen for accessories on the face image as shown in FIG. 15 is displayed on the display unit 103 of the imaging terminal 10. On this setting screen, a setting switch 121a for the presence or absence of glasses, a setting switch 121b for the presence or absence of a mask, and a setting switch 121c for the presence or absence of a hat are displayed. When performing face authentication, the user 50 sets accessories on the face image such as the presence or absence of wearing glasses, masks, hats, etc.

[0073] When determining the possibility of an authentication error, the authentication error determination unit 211 refers to the setting states of the setting switches 121a to 121c, and determines the possibility and cause of an authentication error according to the setting states of the presence or absence of wearing glasses, masks, hats, etc. For example, when the user 50 is wearing a mask, the authentication error determination unit 211 makes a determination by removing the positions of the nose and mouth from the feature points. Also, when the user 50 is wearing glasses, the authentication error determination unit 211 makes a determination with the reflection of the glasses, etc. as a cause of the error. Also, the presence or absence of wearing glasses, masks, hats, etc. may be detected based on the feature amounts of the locations corresponding to the eyes, nose, and mouth included in the captured face image data and the respective feature amount correlations (similarities) stored in the database. Also, a learned model is generated by previously performing machine learning using face image data labeled with whether or not there are glasses, masks, hats, etc. Then, by inputting the face image data of the subject to be authenticated into the learned model, the presence or absence of glasses, masks, hats, etc. may be detected. At this time, deep learning may be applied to the machine learning.

[0074] In the above example, the imaging terminal 10 that captures the face image of the user 50, the processing terminal 20 that determines the possibility and cause of an authentication error from the captured face image data, and the authentication server 30 that performs face authentication processing are configured separately. However, the imaging of the user's face image and the process of determining the possibility and cause of an authentication error from the captured face image data may be performed within the same device. Furthermore, the imaging of the user's face image, the process of determining the possibility and cause of an authentication error from the captured face image data, and the face authentication process may be performed within the same device.

[0075] Also, in the above example, the face image data for authentication is obtained from the IC chip 602 of the identification card 60, but the face image data for authentication is not limited to being obtained from the IC chip 602. For example, the face image data for authentication may be stored in the database of the authentication server 30. Also, the image of the photo 601 attached to the identification card 60 may be captured and used as the face image data for authentication.

[0076] FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing a configuration in another aspect of the face authentication device. The face authentication device 1000 includes a photographing unit 1001, an authentication error determination unit 1002, a display unit 1003, a photographed image acquisition unit 1004, and an authentication unit 1005. The photographing unit 1001 photographs a face image of an authentication target person. The authentication error determination unit 1002 analyzes the photographed face image data before acquiring the face image data from the photographing unit 1001 as a photographed image, determines the possibility and factors of an authentication error, and outputs a corresponding method for the factors of the authentication error as guidance information. The display unit 1003 displays the guidance information. The photographed image acquisition unit 1004 acquires the face image data photographed by the photographing unit 1001 as a photographed image. The authentication unit 1005 performs face authentication by collating the face image data acquired as a photographed image with the face image data for authentication.

[0077] All or part of the face recognition system 1 in the above-described embodiment may be realized by a computer. In that case, a program for realizing this function may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to realize it. Here, the "computer system" is assumed to include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Further, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a CD-ROM, etc., and a storage device such as a hard disk built in a computer system. Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" also includes those that dynamically hold a program for a short time, such as a communication line when transmitting a program via a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line, and those that hold a program for a certain time, such as a volatile memory inside a computer system that becomes a server or a client in that case. Also, the above program may be for realizing a part of the above-described functions, and may further be realizable in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system for the above-described functions, and may be realized using a programmable logic device such as an FPGA.

[0078] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and designs and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention are also included.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0079] 10... Photographing terminal, 20... Processing terminal, 30... Authentication server, 60... Identification card, 102a... Photographing image acquisition unit, 103... Display unit, 105... Photographing unit, 211... Authentication error determination unit, 302... Authentication unit

Claims

1. An imaging unit that captures a face image of a person to be authenticated; Before acquiring the face image data from the imaging unit as a captured image, analyzing the captured face image data, determining the possibility and factors of an authentication error, and outputting a corresponding method for the factor of the authentication error as guidance information; an authentication error determination unit; A display unit that displays the guidance information; After the guidance information is displayed, an imaging image acquisition unit that acquires the face image data captured by the imaging unit as a captured image; An authentication unit that performs face authentication by comparing the face image data acquired as the captured image with face image data for authentication A face authentication device comprising the above.

2. The face authentication device according to claim 1, wherein the authentication error determination unit determines at least one of an error factor related to the arrangement of the face image, an error factor associated with the face image, and an error factor related to the imaging state.

3. The face authentication device according to claim 1, wherein the authentication error determination unit outputs guidance information indicating that a face image can be acquired when the possibility and factors of the authentication error are eliminated.

4. A setting screen for accessories of the face image is displayed on the display unit, and the authentication error determination unit determines the possibility and factors of an authentication error according to the setting state of the setting screen for the accessories. The face authentication device according to claim 1.

5. A step of capturing a face image of a person to be authenticated; Before acquiring the face image data generated by the imaging as a captured image, analyzing the captured face image data, determining the possibility and factors of an authentication error, and outputting a corresponding method for the factor of the authentication error as guidance information; a step; A step of displaying the guidance information; After the guidance information is displayed, a step of acquiring the captured face image data as a captured image; A step of performing face authentication by comparing the face image data acquired as the captured image with face image data for authentication A face authentication method including the above.

6. Before acquiring the face image data from the imaging unit as a captured image, analyzing the captured face image data, and determining the possibility and factors of an authentication error; a step; A step of outputting a corresponding method for the factor of the authentication error as guidance information; A step of displaying the guidance information; After the guidance information is displayed, a step of acquiring the face image data captured by the imaging unit as a captured image; A step of performing face authentication by comparing face image data obtained as the captured image with face image data for authentication A program executable by a computer including the above.

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