Biometric authentication control unit, system, and method and program for controlling a biometric authentication control unit

Abstract

Provided is a biometric authentication control unit that suitably controls the passage of users. The biometric authentication control unit comprises an authentication subject detection unit, a request unit, a tracking control unit, and a notification unit. The authentication subject detection unit detects an authentication subject. The request units transmits an authentication request including biometric information from the authentication subject to a server device. The tracking control unit transmits a tracking start instruction including location information for the authentication subject to a tracking unit which tracks a tracking subject using a distance measurement sensor. The tracking control unit also acquires a tracking result from the tracking unit. The notification unit uses the result of biometric authentication of the authentication subject by the server device and the tracking result of the tracking unit as a basis to determine whether the authentication subject can pass through a gate device and transmits the determination result to the gate device.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a biometric authentication control unit, a system, a control method for a biometric authentication control unit, and a storage medium. [Background technology]

[0002] Services using facial recognition are becoming more widespread. For example, facial recognition is beginning to be applied to various procedures at airports (e.g., check-in, baggage drop-off, security checks, etc.). Development of ticket gates that support facial recognition is also underway. Various technologies related to biometric authentication are being developed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 describes that a specific user who uses a toll facility is provided with a discount or other fee reduction measure using an IC (Integrated Circuit) card, and that unauthorized use by others is prevented. The face recognition automatic ticket gate of Patent Document 1 includes a storage unit, a card information reading unit, an imaging unit, and a fee discount determination unit. The storage unit stores face matching data that corresponds a face image of a specific user to the ID of a wireless card held by the user. The card information reading unit reads information from the wireless card in a passage at the entrance to the toll facility. The imaging unit captures an image of the face of a user entering the passage. The fee discount determination unit uses the ID read from the wireless card as a key to read out a face image with a matching ID from the face matching data stored in the storage unit and compares it with the captured image. If the images match as a result of the comparison, the fee discount determination unit performs a fee discount according to the discount flag read from the wireless card.

[0004] Patent Document 2 describes that a simple configuration can be used to prevent unauthorized passage of unauthorized persons while maintaining the convenience of walk-through face authentication. The face authentication system of Patent Document 2 performs face authentication on a person passing through an authentication area and determines whether the person is allowed to pass. The system includes an image acquisition means, a storage means, a face matching means, and an authorization means. The image acquisition means photographs the authentication area and sequentially acquires input images. The storage means stores registered face images of pre-registered users. The face matching means matches a face image of a person extracted from an input image with a registered face image, and authenticates that the person is the user. The authorization means allows the person to pass when the size of an area showing the authenticated person in the input image is equal to or larger than a predetermined size. The system does not allow the authenticated person to pass if the authenticated person is located away from the camera, even if the authenticated person is authenticated as a legitimate user by face authentication, but allows the authenticated person to pass when the authenticated person's approach to the camera is detected.

[0005] The information processing device of Patent Document 3 includes an image processing means, a distance estimation means, and a matching means. The image processing means extracts a feature amount of an object in a captured image of an area before passing through a gate, and stores matching information related to matching of the object based on the feature amount. The distance estimation means estimates the distance from the gate to the object in the captured image. The matching means performs matching judgment based on the estimated distance and the stored matching information of the object whose distance was estimated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-097272 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-001790 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2019-133364 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Problems can arise when biometric authentication is applied to gate devices used by many users, such as ticket gates installed in train stations. Specifically, problems can arise when authentication of a person standing in front of the gate device begins, but another person cuts in front of that person. In this case, there is a possibility that an unauthenticated person will be allowed to pass through.

[0008] This problem cannot be solved by applying the techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, because these documents only disclose gate devices and the like that use biometric authentication.

[0009] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a biometric authentication control unit, a system, a control method for a biometric authentication control unit, and a storage medium that contribute to appropriately controlling the passage of users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a biometric authentication control unit comprising: an authenticatee detection unit which detects an authenticatee; a request unit which transmits an authentication request including biometric information of the authenticatee to a server device; a tracking control unit which transmits a tracking start instruction including position information of the authenticatee to a tracking unit which tracks a tracked person using a distance measurement sensor and acquires a tracking result from the tracking unit; and a notification unit which determines whether the authenticatee can pass through a gate device based on the result of biometric authentication of the authenticatee by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifies the gate device of the determination result.

[0011] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system including a server device that stores biometric information of each of a plurality of users and performs biometric authentication, and a gate device equipped with a biometric authentication control unit and a tracking unit, wherein the biometric authentication control unit detects a person to be authenticated and transmits an authentication request including the biometric information of the detected person to the server device, and transmits a tracking start instruction including location information of the person to be authenticated to the tracking unit, the tracking unit sets a person present at a location corresponding to the location information included in the tracking start instruction as a person to be tracked, tracks the person to be tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and when the person to be tracked enters the gate device, transmits a notification of the person to be authenticated entering to the biometric authentication control unit, and upon receiving the notification of the person to be authenticated, determines whether the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through the gate device based on the authentication result by the server device, and notifies the gate device of the determination result.

[0012] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a biometric authentication control unit, in which a biometric authentication control unit detects a person to be authenticated, transmits an authentication request including biometric information of the person to be authenticated to a server device, transmits a tracking start instruction including position information of the person to be authenticated to a tracking unit that tracks a person to be tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and obtains a tracking result from the tracking unit, determines whether or not the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through a gate device based on the result of the biometric authentication of the person to be authenticated by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifies the gate device of the determination result.

[0013] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer mounted on a biometric authentication control unit to execute the following processes: detecting a person to be authenticated; transmitting an authentication request including biometric information of the person to be authenticated to a server device; transmitting a tracking start instruction including location information of the person to be authenticated to a tracking unit that tracks a person to be tracked using a distance measuring sensor and acquiring a tracking result from the tracking unit; and determining whether or not the person to be authenticated can pass through a gate device based on the result of biometric authentication of the person to be authenticated by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifying the gate device of the determination result. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to each aspect of the present invention, a biometric authentication control unit, a system, a control method for a biometric authentication control unit, and a storage medium are provided that contribute to appropriately controlling the passage of users. Note that the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above. The present invention may achieve other effects instead of or in addition to the effects. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an authentication system according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the authentication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of the biometric authentication control unit according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an authentication-subjected user information table according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of an authentication request according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of the tracking unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the tracking unit according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of the gate device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the biometric authentication control unit and the gate apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration of the gate device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a user information database according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of the authentication status database according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the authentication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the authentication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the authentication system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a biometric authentication control unit according to the present disclosure. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a gate device according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] First, an outline of one embodiment will be described. The reference numerals in the drawings are added to each element for convenience as an example to aid in understanding, and the description of the outline is not intended to be limiting. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the blocks shown in each drawing represent functional units rather than hardware units. The connection lines between the blocks in each drawing include both bidirectional and unidirectional. The unidirectional arrows are used to diagrammatically indicate the flow of the main signal (data) and do not exclude bidirectionality. In this specification and the drawings, elements that can be similarly described may be given the same reference numerals to avoid redundant description.

[0017] A biometric authentication control unit 100 according to an embodiment includes an authenticatee detection unit 101, a request unit 102, a tracking control unit 103, and a notification unit 104 (see FIG. 1). The authenticatee detection unit 101 detects the authenticatee. The request unit 102 transmits an authentication request including biometric information of the authenticatee to the server device. The tracking control unit 103 transmits a tracking start instruction including location information of the authenticatee to a tracking unit that tracks the tracked person using a distance measurement sensor, and acquires a tracking result from the tracking unit. The notification unit 104 determines whether the authenticatee can pass through the gate device based on the result of biometric authentication of the authenticatee by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifies the gate device of the determination result.

[0018] The biometric authentication control unit 100 detects a user who is located away from the gate device as an authenticatee. When the biometric authentication control unit 100 detects the authenticatee, it starts biometric authentication and tracking of the authenticatee. Specifically, the biometric authentication control unit 100 requests the server device to perform biometric authentication of the authenticatee, and requests (instructs) the tracking unit to track the authenticatee. When the biometric authentication control unit 100 completes tracking of the authenticatee (for example, when it acquires from the tracking unit the fact that the authenticatee has entered the gate device), it checks the authentication result of the authenticatee. If the biometric authentication of the authenticatee who has completed tracking is successful, the biometric authentication control unit 100 allows the authenticatee to pass through the gate device. In other words, as for a user who cuts in from the side of the authenticatee, the server device is not requested to perform biometric authentication, and tracking is not completed, so the user cannot pass through the gate device. That is, the passage of the user is appropriately controlled.

[0019] Here, it is conceivable to use image data in which the authenticated person is captured in order to track the authenticated person. However, as a result of intensive research by the inventors, it was found that sufficient tracking accuracy cannot be obtained by tracking the authenticated person using image data. Specifically, it was found that in tracking using image data, the tracked person is determined based on the position in the image, and therefore accurate tracking cannot be performed when the user overlaps. The biometric authentication control unit 100 solves the above problem by instructing a tracking unit that performs tracking using a distance measuring sensor (e.g., a three-dimensional distance sensor; 3D LiDAR) to track the authenticated person. That is, since the accurate current position of the authenticated person is grasped by tracking the authenticated person using the distance measuring sensor, a user who does not have the authority to pass through the gate device is reliably excluded even when the authenticated person overlaps. The biometric authentication control unit 100 extracts the authenticated person from the image data and has the tracking unit that controls the distance measuring sensor track the extracted authenticated person, thereby appropriately controlling the passage of the user.

[0020] Specific embodiments will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0021] [First embodiment] The first embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] [System Configuration] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the authentication system according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the authentication system includes a plurality of gate devices 10-1 to 10-3 and a server device 20. As shown in FIG.

[0023] In the following description, unless there is a particular reason to distinguish between the gate devices 10-1 to 10-3, they will simply be referred to as "gate device 10." Similarly, for other components, the reference numerals to the left of the hyphen will represent the respective components.

[0024] The gate device 10 and the server device 20 are configured to be able to communicate with each other via wired or wireless communication means. The server device 20 may be installed in the same building as the gate device 10, or may be installed on a network (cloud).

[0025] The gate device 10 is a device installed in, for example, an airport or a station. The gate device 10 controls the passage of users. In the first embodiment, the gate device 10 is described as a ticket gate installed in a station. However, it is needless to say that the gate device 10 is not intended to be limited to a ticket gate installed in a station.

[0026] The server device 20 is a device that controls the entire authentication system. The server device 20 is a device that performs biometric authentication of a user who is trying to pass through the gate device 10. If the user has the qualifications (authority) to pass through the gate device 10, the server device 20 allows the user to pass through. If the user does not have the qualifications to pass through the gate device 10, the server device 20 denies the user from passing through.

[0027] [System operation overview] Next, an outline of the operation of the authentication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0028] 3, the gate device 10 includes a camera 11 that is installed so as to be able to capture an image of a user walking toward the gate device 10. The gate device 10 also includes a detection sensor 12 for detecting a user who has entered the gate device, and a gate 13 for controlling the passage of the user.

[0029] The gate device 10 also includes a biometric authentication control unit 14. The biometric authentication control unit 14 is a unit that can be added on to the gate device 10. The gate device 10 and the biometric authentication control unit 14 are connected by a bus standard such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), or Ethernet (registered trademark). The biometric authentication control unit 14 is also configured to be able to communicate with the camera 11 and the like, and realizes the biometric authentication function of the gate device 10 by controlling (using) these devices.

[0030] Furthermore, the gate device 10 includes a tracking unit 15. The tracking unit 15 is also a unit that can be retrofitted (added on) to the gate device 10. When a tracking function for a person to be authenticated is added to the gate device 10, the tracking unit 15 is attached to the gate device 10. The biometric authentication control unit 14 and the tracking unit 15 are connected by a bus standard such as USB or Ethernet (registered trademark). In addition, the tracking unit 15 is configured to be able to control a distance measuring sensor 16 capable of detecting an object, and the tracking of the user is realized using this device.

[0031] In this manner, the gate apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment is equipped with the biometric authentication control unit 14 and the tracking unit 15.

[0032] The distance measurement sensor 16 is a sensor that scans the distance to an object in space. For the distance measurement sensor 16, a stereo camera, a TOF (Time Of Flight) distance image sensor, a three-dimensional distance sensor (3D LiDAR), or the like can be used.

[0033] The biometric authentication control unit 14 detects a person (user, passenger) present within a predetermined range ahead of the gate device 10. For example, the biometric authentication control unit 14 detects a user present closer to the gate device 10 than position X1 in FIG. 3. In other words, the biometric authentication control unit 14 does not detect a user present far from the gate device 10.

[0034] When the biometric authentication control unit 14 detects a user, it sets the user as an authentication subject (person to be authenticated). For example, in the example of Fig. 3, user A1 is set as a person to be authenticated. User A2 is not set as a person to be authenticated because he is away from the gate device 10.

[0035] The biometric authentication control unit 14 assigns an ID (IDentifier) ​​to the person to be authenticated. For example, in the example of Fig. 3, "ID_A1" is assigned to the user A1. In the following description, the ID for identifying the person to be authenticated is referred to as "person to be authenticated ID".

[0036] For example, when a user is detected at a position (e.g., position X1) close to the gate device 10, the biometric authentication control unit 14 requests biometric authentication of the detected user from the server device 20. Specifically, the biometric authentication control unit 14 transmits an "authentication request" including the biometric information of the user and the authenticatee ID to the server device 20.

[0037] The server device 20, which has received the authentication request, identifies the user through a matching process (authentication process) using pre-registered biometric information. The server device 20 determines whether the identified user is qualified to pass through the gate device 10. For example, the server device 20 checks the charge amount of the pre-registered user and determines whether the authenticated person is allowed to pass. Note that the server device 20 may query an external server or the like when judging whether the authenticated person is allowed to pass. Whether or not to query an external server or the like depends on the system specifications, design, etc., and is also different from the purpose of the present disclosure, so a description of the system configuration including the external server will be omitted.

[0038] The server device 20 transmits a response to the authentication request (authentication result) to the biometric authentication control unit 14 that is the sender of the request. Specifically, if the server device 20 determines that the user is "allowed to pass", it notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 of "authentication success". If the server device 20 determines that the user is "not allowed to pass", it notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 of "authentication failure".

[0039] Server device 20 notifies gate device 10 of the authentication subject ID together with the biometric authentication result (authentication success, authentication failure). In the above example, gate device 10 is notified of the authentication subject ID "ID_A1" together with the authentication result of user A1.

[0040] Furthermore, the gate device 10 starts tracking the user (the person to be authenticated detected at the position X1) at substantially the same timing as the transmission of the authentication request (start of authentication). Specifically, the biometric authentication control unit 14 instructs the tracking unit 15 to start tracking the person to be authenticated.

[0041] At this time, the biometric authentication control unit 14 estimates the position (coordinates; X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the user from whom the face image was extracted. For example, the biometric authentication control unit 14 estimates the position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the person corresponding to the face from the position and size of the face included in the image data. For example, the biometric authentication control unit 14 estimates the position for each user from whom the face image was extracted (user's authenticated person ID), such as "ID_A: X1, Y1."

[0042] The biometric authentication control unit 14 notifies the tracking unit 15 of the position information and the ID of the person to be authenticated from whose face image was extracted. Specifically, the biometric authentication control unit 14 transmits a "tracking start instruction" including the position information and the ID of the person to be authenticated to the tracking unit 15. In this way, the biometric authentication control unit 14 sets in the tracking unit 15 that the user (target object) present at the position (coordinates) from which the face image was extracted is the target to be tracked.

[0043] The tracking unit 15 detects an object existing around the gate device 10 by using the distance measuring sensor 16. After that, the tracking unit 15 manages the object (object presumed to be a person) detected at substantially the same position as the position notified by the biometric authentication control unit 14 in association with the authenticated person ID.

[0044] The tracking unit 15 tracks the person associated with the authenticated user ID. In the example of Fig. 3, the position (X1, Y1) of user A1 and the authenticated user ID "ID_A1" are notified to the tracking unit 15, and the tracking unit 15 starts tracking the user A1.

[0045] In this way, when the biometric authentication control unit 14 detects the person to be authenticated within a predetermined range, it instructs the tracking unit 15 to track the person to be authenticated at substantially the same timing as the authentication request to the server device 20 .

[0046] While the server device 20 is processing the authentication request, the person to be authenticated (for example, user A1 photographed at position X1) moves toward the gate device 10. For example, when the person to be authenticated moves to position X2, the biometric authentication control unit 14 receives a response to the authentication request from the server device 20.

[0047] Even if the biometric authentication control unit 14 receives the authentication result from the server device 20, it does not instruct the gate device 10 to open or close the gate 13 at that timing.

[0048] The person to be authenticated further approaches the gate device 10 and enters inside it (the person to be authenticated reaches position X3). When the person to be tracked enters the gate device 10, the tracking unit 15 notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 of the person to be tracked's person to be authenticated's person to be tracked's person to be authenticated. Specifically, the tracking unit 15 notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 of an "authentication subject entry notification" including the person to be tracked's person to be tracked who has entered inside the gate device 10. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, the tracking unit 15 notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 of the person to be authenticated's person to be authenticated's person to be authenticated, "ID_A1".

[0049] The biometric authentication control unit 14 stores the authenticated user ID notified by the tracking unit 15. The biometric authentication control unit 14 determines whether or not an authenticated user whose authenticated user ID notified by the server device 20 matches that notified by the tracking unit 15 can pass through the gate device 10. Specifically, if the authentication result of the authenticated user whose tracking has been completed is "authentication successful", the biometric authentication control unit 14 determines that the user can pass through the gate device 10 and notifies the gate device 10 of that effect. More specifically, the biometric authentication control unit 14 transmits a "passage permission notification" to the gate device 10.

[0050] On the other hand, if the authentication result of the person to be authenticated whose tracking has been completed is other than "authentication success" (authentication failure or no authentication result), the biometric authentication control unit 14 does not take any particular action.

[0051] A user (person to be authenticated) advances further inside from the entrance of gate device 10. When the user advances to a predetermined position (position X4) of gate device 10, gate device 10 detects the person to be authenticated based on a detection signal from detection sensor 12 installed in the middle of the device.

[0052] If the gate device 10 receives a "passage permission notice" at the time when the user is detected, it keeps the gate 13 open and allows the user to pass through the gate.

[0053] On the other hand, if the gate device 10 does not receive a "passage permission notice" at the time when the user is detected, the gate device 10 closes the gate 13 to restrict the user's passage.

[0054] In this way, when the tracking unit 15 detects that a person to be authenticated who is set as a tracking target has entered the gate device 10, it notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 of the person to be authenticated who has entered. In response to the notification (push notification), the biometric authentication control unit 14 checks the authentication result of the corresponding person to be authenticated, and allows passage if the authentication is successful.

[0055] The biometric information of a user may be, for example, data (feature amount) calculated from physical features unique to an individual, such as a face or iris pattern. Alternatively, the biometric information of a user may be image data such as a face image or iris image. The biometric information of a user may be anything that includes the user's physical features as information. In the first embodiment, a description will be given using a person's face image or feature amount generated from the face image as the biometric information.

[0056] The configuration shown in Fig. 2 etc. is merely an example and is not intended to limit the configuration of the system. For example, the authentication system may include at least one gate device 10. The gate devices 10 may be installed in the same location (for example, the same station) or in different locations.

[0057] Next, the biometric authentication control unit 14, the tracking unit 15, the gate device 10, and the server device 20 included in the authentication system according to the first embodiment will be described in detail.

[0058] [Biometric control unit] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a processing configuration (processing module) of the biometric authentication control unit 14 according to the first embodiment. Referring to Fig. 4, the biometric authentication control unit 14 includes a communication control unit 201, an authenticatee detection unit 202, an authentication request unit 203, a tracking control unit 204, a passage permission notification unit 205, a table management unit 206, a message output unit 207, and a storage unit 208.

[0059] The communication control unit 201 is a means for controlling communication with other devices. For example, the communication control unit 201 receives data (packets) from the server device 20. The communication control unit 201 also transmits data to the server device 20. The communication control unit 201 passes the data received from the other devices to the other processing modules. The communication control unit 201 transmits data acquired from the other processing modules to the other devices. In this way, the other processing modules transmit and receive data to and from the other devices via the communication control unit 201. The communication control unit 201 has a function as a receiving unit that receives data from the other devices and a function as a transmitting unit that transmits data to the other devices.

[0060] The authenticated person detection unit 202 is a means for detecting an authenticated person. The authenticated person detection unit 202 detects a person within a predetermined range from the gate device 10 as an authenticated person. More specifically, the authenticated person detection unit 202 detects whether or not a person is present within a predetermined range from the gate device 10 (for example, a position closer to the gate device 10 than the position X1; within the range from X1 to X3).

[0061] In the following description, for ease of understanding, the range in which authentication-subject detection unit 202 detects an authentication subject is defined in the X-axis direction, but in reality the range in the Y-axis direction (for example, the range from Y0 to Y2) is also taken into consideration.

[0062] Authentication-subjected user detection unit 202 periodically or at a predetermined timing acquires image data from camera 11. Authentication-subjected user detection unit 202 attempts to extract a face image from the acquired image data.

[0063] Since existing technology can be used for the facial image extraction process by authentication-subject detection unit 202, detailed description will be omitted. For example, authentication-subject detection unit 202 may extract a facial image (facial region) from image data using a learning model trained by a CNN (Convolutional Neural Network). Alternatively, authentication-subject detection unit 202 may extract a facial image using a method such as template matching.

[0064] When the face image is extracted, the authentication-subject detection unit 202 calculates the eye distance from the face image. Specifically, the authentication-subject detection unit 202 extracts the left and right eyes from the face image, and calculates the length (number of pixels) of the straight line connecting the extracted eyes.

[0065] The authentication-subject detection unit 202 performs threshold processing on the calculated eye-to-eye distance, and judges whether or not the authentication-subject is present within the above-mentioned predetermined range according to the result. Specifically, if the eye-to-eye distance is longer than the threshold, the authentication-subject detection unit 202 judges that the authentication-subject is detected within the predetermined range. If the eye-to-eye distance is equal to or less than the threshold, the authentication-subject detection unit 202 judges that the authentication-subject is not present within the predetermined range.

[0066] When an authentication-subject is detected within a predetermined range, authentication-subject detection unit 202 adds an entry to the authentication-subject information table. Authentication-subject detection unit 202 assigns an authentication-subject ID that identifies the authentication-subject, and stores the authentication-subject ID in a new entry. Authentication-subject detection unit 202 also stores the time when the authentication-subject was registered in the authentication-subject information table (the time when the new entry was added) in the authentication-subject information table.

[0067] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an authentication-subjected user information table according to the first embodiment. The authentication-subjected user information table is constructed on the memory of the biometric authentication control unit 14. As shown in the bottom row of Fig. 5, when the authentication-subjected user detection unit 202 detects a person at position X1, for example, it adds an entry to the authentication-subjected user information table and sets the detected person as the authentication subject. Note that at the time the entry is added, nothing is set in the authentication status field and tracking status field.

[0068] The authentication status field is a field for managing the status of the person to be authenticated regarding biometric authentication. The tracking status field is a field for managing the tracking status of the person to be authenticated.

[0069] Note that the authenticated person information table shown in Fig. 5 is an example and is not intended to limit the items to be stored. For example, biometric information (facial image, feature amount) of the authenticated person may be registered in the authenticated person information table. The authenticated person detection unit 202 may use the biometric information to prevent a user who has already been registered as an authenticated person from being registered again in the authenticated person information table. When a facial image (feature amount) extracted from image data substantially matches a facial image (feature amount) registered in the authenticated person information table, the authenticated person detection unit 202 does not set the person corresponding to the facial image extracted from the image data as an authenticated person.

[0070] When registration of the person to be authenticated is completed, person to be authenticated detection section 202 passes to authentication request section 203 the person to be authenticated ID and image data at the time of detection of the person to be authenticated (image data acquired from camera 11, face image).

[0071] Furthermore, when registration of the person to be authenticated is completed, the person to be authenticated detection unit 202 estimates the position (coordinates; X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the user from whose face image was extracted. For example, the person to be authenticated detection unit 202 estimates the position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the person corresponding to the face from the position and size of the face included in the image data.

[0072] Alternatively, authentication-subject detection unit 202 may estimate the position using a learning model. Specifically, authentication-subject detection unit 202 may estimate the position using a learning model generated by machine learning using training data in which images are given labels (X coordinate, Y coordinate). Any algorithm such as a support vector machine, boosting, or neural network can be used to generate the learning model. Note that the algorithm such as the support vector machine can be a known technique, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0073] The authentication-subject detection unit 202 estimates the position of each user (user's authentication-subject ID) from which a face image was extracted, for example, "ID_A: X1, Y1." The authentication-subject detection unit 202 passes the authentication-subject ID and the user's position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) to the tracking control unit 204.

[0074] Authentication request unit 203 is a means for requesting server device 20 to authenticate the person to be authenticated detected by authentication-subject detection unit 202. When acquiring a face image of the person to be authenticated, authentication request unit 203 generates a feature amount (a feature vector consisting of a plurality of feature amounts) from the acquired face image.

[0075] Since existing technology can be used for the generation of feature amounts, detailed description thereof will be omitted. For example, the authentication request unit 203 extracts the eyes, nose, mouth, etc. as feature points from the face image. After that, the authentication request unit 203 calculates the position of each feature point and the distance between each feature point as feature amounts, and generates a feature vector (vector information that characterizes the face image) consisting of multiple feature amounts.

[0076] The authentication request unit 203 generates an authentication request including the generated feature amount (biometric information), the authenticatee ID, and the gate ID, and transmits it to the server device 20 (see FIG. 6). The gate ID is identification information for identifying the gate device 10. The gate ID may be a MAC (Media Access Control) address or an IP (Internet Protocol) address of the gate device 10. Alternatively, the gate ID may be identification information (identification ID) unique to the system. By holding the identification ID as a master on the server device 20 side as well, it can be determined that the transmitted authentication request is from an authorized gate device 10.

[0077] When an authentication request is sent to server device 20, authentication request section 203 sets “authenticating” to the authentication status field of the corresponding entry (entry with the same authenticatee ID) in the authenticatee information table (see the second entry from the bottom in FIG. 5).

[0078] Authentication request unit 203 receives a response to the authentication request (response including the authentication result) from server device 20. Authentication request unit 203 extracts the authenticatee ID from the received response. Authentication request unit 203 identifies the authenticatee based on the extracted authenticatee ID, and registers the authentication result in the corresponding entry in the authenticatee information table (see the first and second entries from the top in FIG. 5). In this way, when authentication request unit 203 receives the biometric authentication result from server device 20, it sets the received biometric authentication result in the authentication status field of the entry added by authenticatee detection unit 202.

[0079] The tracking control unit 204 is a means for controlling tracking of the person to be authenticated detected by the person to be authenticated detection unit 202. The tracking control unit 204 transmits a tracking start instruction including the position information of the person to be authenticated to the tracking unit 15 that tracks the person to be tracked using the distance measurement sensor 16. The tracking control unit 204 acquires the tracking result from the tracking unit 15.

[0080] Specifically, tracking control unit 204 acquires the authenticatee's ID and position information (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the authenticatee from authenticatee detection unit 202. After that, tracking control unit 204 transmits a "tracking start instruction" including the authenticatee's position information (estimated position of the authenticatee) and the authenticatee's ID to tracking unit 15.

[0081] Tracking control unit 204 sets the tracking status of the authenticated person to which the tracking start instruction was sent to "tracking" and updates the authenticated person information table (see the third entry from the bottom in FIG. 5).

[0082] The tracking control unit 204 receives an "authentication subject entry notification" from the tracking unit 15. In response to receiving the notification, the tracking control unit 204 determines that tracking of the authentication subject is complete. The tracking control unit 204 updates the tracking status of the corresponding authentication subject using the authentication subject ID contained in the notification. Specifically, the tracking control unit 204 sets "tracking completed" in the tracking status field of the corresponding entry in the authentication subject information table (see the topmost entry in FIG. 5).

[0083] In this way, the tracking control unit 204 receives an authenticated person entry notification from the tracking unit 15, which indicates that the person to be tracked has entered the gate device 10. The tracking control unit 204 sets the tracking result acquired from the tracking unit 15 (the fact that tracking of the authenticated person has been completed) in the tracking status field of the entry added by the authenticated person detection unit 202.

[0084] When tracking control section 204 reflects the authentication-subject entry notification from tracking unit 15 in the authentication-subject information table, it notifies passage permission notifying section 205 to that effect.

[0085] The passage permission notification unit 205 is a means for notifying the gate device 10 of whether or not the person to be authenticated (user) is permitted to pass through the gate device 10. The passage permission notification unit 205 judges whether or not the person to be authenticated is permitted to pass through the gate device 10 based on the result of biometric authentication of the person to be authenticated by the server device 20 and the result of tracking of the person to be authenticated by the tracking unit 15, and notifies the gate device 10 of the judgment result.

[0086] Passage permission notifying unit 205 accesses the authentication-subject information table when tracking of the authentication-subject is completed (when it receives a notice from tracking control unit 204 that tracking has been completed).

[0087] The passage permission notification unit 205 checks the authentication status field and the tracking status field of each entry included in the authenticated person information table. If there is an entry in which the setting value of the authentication status field is "authentication successful" and the setting value of the tracking status field is "tracking completed", the passage permission notification unit 205 allows the authenticated person to pass through the gate device 10. Specifically, if there is an entry that satisfies the above two conditions, the passage permission notification unit 205 notifies the gate device 10 that the user can pass through the gate device 10. The passage permission notification unit 205 transmits a "passage permission notification" to the gate device 10.

[0088] In the example of FIG. 5, since the topmost entry satisfies the above two conditions, the passage permission notification unit 205 transmits a “passage permission notification” to the gate apparatus 10.

[0089] When permitting a user (person to be authenticated) to pass through the gate, the passage permission notification unit 205 deletes the entry that was the basis for the permission. In the example of Fig. 5, the passage permission notification unit 205 deletes the topmost entry.

[0090] In this way, the passage permission notifying unit 205 judges whether or not the authenticated person is allowed to pass through the gate device 10 in response to the reception of the authenticated person entry notice by the tracking control unit 204. That is, the biometric authentication control unit 14 judges whether or not the authenticated person is allowed to pass through the gate device 10 based on the authentication result by the server device 20 in response to the reception of the authenticated person entry notice.

[0091] The passage permission notification unit 205 may receive a "gate closed notification" from the gate device 10. When the passage permission notification unit 205 receives the notification, it continues to access the authenticated person information table for a predetermined period of time, and checks whether an entry that satisfies the above two conditions appears (exists). If an entry that satisfies the above two conditions appears during the predetermined period of time, the passage permission notification unit 205 permits the authenticated person (user) to pass through the gate. Specifically, if an entry that satisfies the above two conditions appears, the passage permission notification unit 205 transmits a "passage permission notification" to the gate device 10.

[0092] For example, the above phenomenon may occur when there is a delay in reflecting the authentication result (authentication success) from the server device 20 in the authenticated person information table due to the network environment between the gate device 10 and the server device 20. Alternatively, the above phenomenon may occur when the authenticated person tries to run through the gate device 10.

[0093] If no entry that satisfies the above two conditions appears even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, the passage permission notification unit 205 notifies a station staff member (a terminal used by the station staff member) of the occurrence of a problem. Alternatively, the passage permission notification unit 205 may prompt the authenticated person to approach the station staff member via the message output unit 207.

[0094] Table management section 206 is a means for managing the authentication-subjected user information table. Table management section 206 accesses the authentication-subjected user information table periodically or at a predetermined timing, and deletes entries that are no longer necessary.

[0095] Table management unit 206 checks the registration time field of each entry, and deletes entries for which a predetermined period of time has passed since the entry was added to the authentication-subject information table. That is, table management unit 206 deletes entries that do not satisfy the above two conditions (authentication success, tracking completion) even after a predetermined period of time has passed since the entry was registered.

[0096] By such operation of the table management unit 206, even if a user detected as an authentication subject moves elsewhere instead of heading toward the gate apparatus 10, the entry for such an authentication subject is deleted.

[0097] When an entry is deleted, the table management unit 206 may notify the server device 20 and the tracking unit 15 of the deletion. The table management unit 206 may notify the server device 20 of the authenticated person ID and cancel the authentication of the corresponding authenticated person. The table management unit 206 may also notify the authenticated person ID to the tracking unit 15 and instruct it to remove the tracked person corresponding to the authenticated person ID from the targets of tracking.

[0098] The message output unit 207 is a means for outputting a message or the like to notify a user. The message output unit 207 notifies a user of a necessary message using a display (not shown), a speaker (not shown), or the like. For example, when the gate control unit 403 of the gate device 10 denies a user passage, the message output unit 207 outputs a message to that effect as well as a message regarding countermeasures (for example, contacting a station staff member).

[0099] The storage unit 208 is a means for storing information necessary for the operation of the biometric authentication control unit 14 .

[0100] [Tracking Unit] 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing configuration (processing module) of the tracking unit 15 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 7, the tracking unit 15 includes a communication control unit 301, a tracking unit 302, and a storage unit 303.

[0101] The communication control unit 301 is a means for controlling communication with other devices. For example, the communication control unit 301 receives data (packets) from the biometric authentication control unit 14. The communication control unit 301 also transmits data to the biometric authentication control unit 14. The communication control unit 301 passes data received from other devices to other processing modules. The communication control unit 301 transmits data acquired from other processing modules to other devices. In this way, the other processing modules transmit and receive data to and from other devices via the communication control unit 301. The communication control unit 301 has a function as a receiver that receives data from other devices and a function as a transmitter that transmits data to other devices.

[0102] The tracking unit 302 is a means for tracking the person to be authenticated. The tracking unit 302 receives a "tracking start instruction" from the biometric authentication control unit 14. The tracking unit 302 controls the distance measurement sensor 16 to thoroughly scan the surroundings of the gate device 10 (particularly, the area in front of the gate device 10). The tracking unit 302 detects objects existing around the gate device 10 by the scan.

[0103] By scanning the distance measurement sensor 16, the tracking unit 302 obtains a collection of countless points (point cloud). The tracking unit 302 obtains clusters (collections of points constituting an object) by performing clustering to classify each point included in the obtained point cloud according to object. The tracking unit 302 detects objects by assigning meaning to the obtained clusters (e.g., floor, wall, person). For example, the tracking unit 302 detects objects (such as people) by image recognition using machine learning (image recognition of a laser image obtained by reflecting a laser on an object).

[0104] In addition, since a human detection technique used in controlling automobiles and robots can be used for object detection using the distance measuring sensor 16, a detailed description will be omitted. For example, the tracking unit 302 performs object detection using the technique disclosed in Reference 1 below. <Reference 1> Patent Publication No. 2021-099698

[0105] When the tracking unit 302 detects at least one person, it calculates the positions (coordinates) of the detected people. For example, as shown in Fig. 3, when a scan is performed in a situation where user A1 stands at position (X1, Y1) and user A2 stands at position (X0, Y0), two people are detected in the positional relationship shown in Fig. 8A. When two people are detected, the tracking unit 302 calculates the center position of each person as the position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the person.

[0106] For ease of understanding, the present disclosure will be described assuming that the coordinate system of the biometric authentication control unit 14 and the coordinate system of the tracking unit 15 are the same. However, if the two coordinate systems are different, the necessary coordinate conversion can be performed in either unit.

[0107] The tracking unit 302 sets a person who is present in substantially the same place as the position information included in the tracking start instruction as a tracking target. In the example of Fig. 3 and Fig. 8A, the tracking unit 302 sets the user A1 as a tracking target.

[0108] When a tracking target is set, tracking unit 302 manages the position of the tracking target in association with the ID of the authenticatee. For example, in the example of Fig. 8A, user A1 is set as the tracking target, so tracking unit 302 performs association such as (ID_A1; X1, Y1).

[0109] The tracking unit 302 controls the distance measuring sensor 16 periodically or at a predetermined timing to detect an object. For example, when object detection is performed when the user A1 moves to the position (X2, Y1) in Fig. 3, the tracking unit 302 detects two people in the positional relationship shown in Fig. 8B.

[0110] The tracking unit 302 identifies a tracking target from among people detected by the current scan by comparing the shape of the person obtained by the previous scan with the shape of the person obtained by the current scan. The tracking unit 302 updates the position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the identified tracking target. In the above example, the position of user A1, who is the tracking target, is updated to (X2, Y1).

[0111] The tracking unit 302 checks the updated position of the tracking target and determines whether or not the tracking target has entered inside the gate device 10. For example, in the example of Fig. 3, if the X coordinate of user A1 is closer to the gate device 10 than position X3, the tracking unit 302 determines that user A1 has entered inside the gate device 10. If the X coordinate of user A1 is farther from the gate device 10 than position X3, the tracking unit 302 determines that user A1 has not entered inside the gate device 10.

[0112] When the tracking unit 302 determines that the tracked person has entered inside the gate device 10, it transmits an “authenticated person entry notification” including the authenticated person ID of the tracked person to the biometric authentication control unit 14. That is, the tracking unit 302 transmits an authenticated person entry notification indicating that the tracked person has entered the gate device 10 to the biometric authentication control unit 14.

[0113] In this way, the tracking unit 15 (tracking section 302) manages the position of the person to be tracked and the person to be authenticated in association with each other, and completes tracking when the person to be tracked enters the gate device 10. The tracking section 302 notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 of the person to be tracked whose tracking has been completed.

[0114] The tracking unit 302 may delete information (authenticated user ID and location) of a person to be tracked whose tracking has not been completed even after a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of tracking. Alternatively, the tracking unit 302 may delete information of a person to be tracked when the person to be tracked moves out of a predetermined range (for example, when the person to be tracked moves to another location instead of toward the gate device 10).

[0115] The memory unit 303 is a means for storing information necessary for the operation of the tracking unit 15 .

[0116] [Gate device] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a processing configuration (processing module) of the gate device 10 according to the first embodiment. Referring to FIG. 9, the gate device 10 includes a communication control unit 401, an intruder detection unit 402, a gate control unit 403, and a storage unit 404.

[0117] The communication control unit 401 is a means for controlling communication with other devices. For example, the communication control unit 401 receives data (packets) from the biometric authentication control unit 14. The communication control unit 401 also transmits data to the biometric authentication control unit 14. The communication control unit 401 passes data received from other devices to other processing modules. The communication control unit 401 transmits data acquired from other processing modules to other devices. In this way, the other processing modules transmit and receive data to and from other devices via the communication control unit 401. The communication control unit 401 has a function as a receiving unit that receives data from other devices and a function as a transmitting unit that transmits data to other devices.

[0118] The intruder detection unit 402 is a means for detecting an intruder into its own device (gate device 10). More specifically, the intruder detection unit 402 detects a user who has reached the midpoint of the gate device 10 (position X4 in FIG. 3) using a detection signal from the detection sensor 12. When the intruder detection unit 402 detects a user at position X4, it notifies the gate control unit 403 to that effect.

[0119] The gate control unit 403 is a means for controlling the gate 13 included in the gate device 10. The gate control unit 403 controls opening and closing of the gate 13 when a user reaches a predetermined position of the gate device 10 (position X4 in FIG. 3).

[0120] If the gate control unit 403 has already received a "passage permission notification" from the biometric authentication control unit 14 at the time when the user reaches position X4, the gate control unit 403 maintains the open state of the gate 13. On the other hand, if the gate control unit 403 has not received a "passage permission notification" from the biometric authentication control unit 14 at that time, the gate control unit 403 closes the gate 13.

[0121] When the gate 13 is closed, the gate control unit 403 notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 of the fact. Specifically, the gate control unit 403 transmits a "gate closed notification" to the biometric authentication control unit 14. When the gate control unit 403 receives a "user passage permission" within a predetermined period after transmitting the gate closed notification, it opens the gate 13.

[0122] The gate control unit 403 notifies the server device 20 via the biometric authentication control unit 14 of the fact that the authenticated person has passed through the gate 13. Specifically, when the gate control unit 403 detects the user at position X4 and receives a passage permission notification from the biometric authentication control unit 14 and permits the user to pass through the gate, it notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 to that effect. The passage permission notification unit 205 of the biometric authentication control unit 14 transmits a "gate passage notification" including the authenticated person ID and the gate ID of the gate device 10 described in the entry (entry of the authenticated person information table) that is the basis for transmitting the passage permission notification to the server device 20. That is, the gate device 10 (biometric authentication control unit 14) transmits a "gate passage notification" including the authenticated person ID and gate ID of the authenticated person who has passed through the gate 13 to the server device 20.

[0123] The storage unit 404 is a means for storing information necessary for the operation of the gate device 10.

[0124] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the biometric authentication control unit 14 and the gate apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment.

[0125] The biometric authentication control unit 14 attempts to detect a person to be authenticated within a predetermined range ahead of the gate device 10 (step S101). If the person to be authenticated is not detected (step S101, No branch), the biometric authentication control unit 14 repeats the process of step S101.

[0126] When a person to be authenticated is detected (step S101, branch Yes), the biometric authentication control unit 14 sends an authentication request for the person to be authenticated to the server device 20 (step S102).

[0127] Furthermore, the biometric authentication control unit 14 starts tracking the person to be authenticated substantially simultaneously with the transmission of the authentication request. The biometric authentication control unit 14 transmits a tracking start instruction including the position and the person to be authenticated to the tracking unit 15 (step S103).

[0128] The biometric authentication control unit 14 receives the authentication result from the server device 20 (step S104). The biometric authentication control unit 14 reflects the authentication result in the authentication-subject information table.

[0129] The tracking unit 15 tracks the person to be authenticated, and when the person to be authenticated arrives at the entrance of the gate device 10, transmits a notification of the entry of the person to be authenticated to the biometric authentication control unit 14. In other words, the biometric authentication control unit 14 receives the notification of the entry of the person to be authenticated from the tracking unit 15 (step S105). The biometric authentication control unit 14 reflects the tracking result by the tracking unit 15 in the person to be authenticated information table.

[0130] When the person to be authenticated reaches the entrance of the gate apparatus 10, if the person to be authenticated has been successfully authenticated, the biometric authentication control unit 14 transmits a notice of permission to pass to the gate apparatus 10 (step S106).

[0131] Gate apparatus 10 determines whether or not the person to be authenticated has reached a predetermined position of gate apparatus 10 (step S201). If the person to be authenticated has not reached the predetermined position (step S201, No branch), gate apparatus 10 repeats the process of step S201.

[0132] When the person to be authenticated reaches a predetermined position (step S201, Yes branch), the gate device 10 controls the opening and closing of the gate 13 (step S202). If the gate device 10 receives a passage permission notification, it allows the person to pass through. In other words, if the gate device 10 does not receive a passage permission notification at the time when the person to be authenticated reaches a predetermined position (near the gate 13 of the gate device 10; position X4), it closes the gate 13 to block the user's passage.

[0133] When the gate apparatus 10 permits the passage of the authenticated person, it notifies the server apparatus 20 of the fact.

[0134] In this way, the biometric authentication control unit 14 detects the person to be authenticated and transmits an authentication request including the biometric information of the detected person to the server device 20. The biometric authentication control unit 14 also transmits a tracking start instruction including the position information of the person to be authenticated to the tracking unit 15. The biometric authentication control unit 14 sets the person to be tracked in the tracking unit 15 by notifying the tracking unit 15 of the position information of the person to be authenticated. The tracking unit 15 sets the person who exists in the place corresponding to the position information included in the tracking start instruction as the person to be tracked, and tracks the person to be tracked using the distance measuring sensor 16. When the person to be tracked enters the gate device 10, the tracking unit 15 transmits a notification of the person to be authenticated entering the gate device 10 to the biometric authentication control unit 14, thereby notifying that the person to be authenticated has arrived at the gate device 10. When the biometric authentication control unit 14 receives the notification of the person to be authenticated entering the gate device 10, the biometric authentication control unit 14 determines whether the person to be authenticated can pass through the gate device 10 based on the authentication result by the server device 20. If the person to be authenticated is qualified to pass through the gate device 10 (if the authentication is successful), the biometric authentication control unit 14 determines that the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through the gate device 10.

[0135] [Server device] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a processing configuration (processing module) of the server device 20 according to the first embodiment. Referring to Fig. 11, the server device 20 includes a communication control unit 501, a user registration unit 502, an authentication unit 503, a gate passage notification processing unit 504, and a storage unit 505.

[0136] The communication control unit 501 is a means for controlling communication with other devices. For example, the communication control unit 501 receives data (packets) from the biometric authentication control unit 14. The communication control unit 501 also transmits data to the biometric authentication control unit 14. The communication control unit 501 passes data received from other devices to other processing modules. The communication control unit 501 transmits data acquired from other processing modules to other devices. In this way, the other processing modules transmit and receive data to and from other devices via the communication control unit 501. The communication control unit 501 has a function as a receiving unit that receives data from other devices and a function as a transmitting unit that transmits data to other devices.

[0137] The user registration unit 502 is a means for system-registering users who are allowed to pass through the gate apparatus 10. The user registration unit 502 acquires biometric information (for example, a face image) of users who are allowed to pass through the gate apparatus 10 using any means.

[0138] For example, a system user inputs biometric information and personal information (such as name and address) into the server device 20 using a railroad company's WEB page or a kiosk terminal installed at a station.

[0139] When a face image is acquired, the user registration unit 502 calculates features from the face image. The user registration unit 502 registers the user's biometric information (e.g., features calculated from the face image) together with a user ID that identifies the system user (person who has registered the biometric information) in a "user information database" (see FIG. 12).

[0140] The user registration unit 502 registers information (business information) required for user authentication processing in the user information database as necessary. For example, when the server device 20 processes an authentication request from a ticket gate (gate device 10) installed in a station, the user registration unit 502 stores information such as the charge amount and biometric information in association with each other in the user information database.

[0141] The user information database shown in Fig. 12 is an example, and other items may be stored in association with the biometric information (feature amount). For example, the user's name and face image may be registered in the user information database.

[0142] The authentication unit 503 is a means for processing an authentication request received from the biometric authentication control unit 14 (gate device 10). When the authentication unit 503 receives an authentication request, it extracts the gate ID and the authenticatee ID from the authentication request. The authentication unit 503 adds a new entry to the authentication status database and stores the extracted gate ID and authenticatee ID (see FIG. 13). The authentication unit 503 also sets the processing status of the added entry to "processing". For ease of understanding, in FIG. 13, the symbol for the gate device 10 is used for the gate ID.

[0143] When information is registered in the authentication status database, the authentication unit 503 sets the biometric information (feature amount) included in the authentication request as a comparison target, and performs a comparison process with the biometric information registered in the user information database.

[0144] More specifically, the authentication unit 503 sets the feature extracted from the authentication request as the target for matching, and performs 1:N (N is a positive integer, the same applies below) matching with multiple feature registered in the user information database.

[0145] The authentication unit 503 calculates the similarity between the feature amount (feature vector) to be matched and each of the multiple feature amounts on the registration side. The similarity can be calculated using chi-square distance, Euclidean distance, etc. Note that the greater the distance, the lower the similarity, and the closer the distance, the higher the similarity.

[0146] If the feature quantity having a similarity equal to or greater than the predetermined value is not registered in the user information database, the authentication unit 503 sets the authentication result to "authentication failure."

[0147] If a feature quantity having a similarity equal to or greater than a predetermined value is registered in the user information database, the authentication unit 503 determines whether or not the user identified by the matching process is qualified to pass through the gate apparatus 10.

[0148] For example, when processing an authentication request received from the gate device 10 for entering a station, the authentication unit 503 judges whether the charge amount of the identified user is equal to or greater than the minimum fare. If the charge amount is equal to or less than the minimum fare, the authentication unit 503 judges that the identified user is not qualified to pass through the gate device 10. If the charge amount is greater than the minimum fare, the authentication unit 503 judges that the identified user is qualified to pass through the gate device 10.

[0149] For example, when processing an authentication request received from the gate device 10 for exiting a station, the authentication unit 503 judges whether or not a boarding station is set for the identified user. If a boarding station is not set, the authentication unit 503 judges that the identified user is not qualified to pass through the gate device 10. If a boarding station is set, the authentication unit 503 calculates a fare according to the user's route (the route between the boarding station and the disembarking station). If the calculated fare exceeds the charge amount, the authentication unit 503 judges that the user is not qualified to pass through the gate device 10. If the calculated fare is equal to or less than the charge amount, the authentication unit 503 judges that the identified user is qualified to pass through the gate device 10.

[0150] If the identified user is not qualified to pass through the gate apparatus 10, the authentication unit 503 sets the authentication result to "authentication failed."

[0151] If the identified user is qualified to pass through the gate apparatus 10, the authentication unit 503 sets the authentication result to "authentication successful".

[0152] The authentication unit 503 notifies the biometric authentication control unit 14 (gate device 10) of the authenticatee ID of the person to be authenticated (person to be authenticated) and the authentication result (authentication success, authentication failure). If the authentication is successful, the authentication unit 503 transmits an affirmative response indicating the authentication success to the biometric authentication control unit 14. At that time, the authentication unit 503 transmits an affirmative response including the authenticatee ID of the user who is the target of the authentication process to the biometric authentication control unit 14.

[0153] If the authentication fails, the authentication unit 503 transmits a negative response indicating the authentication failure to the biometric authentication control unit 14. When transmitting the negative response, the authentication unit 503 may also notify the biometric authentication control unit 14 of the cause of the authentication failure. For example, the authentication unit 503 may transmit to the biometric authentication control unit 14 the cause of the authentication failure, such as biometric information not being registered in the system, insufficient charge amount, or no boarding station being set. Also, when authentication fails, the authentication unit 503 transmits to the biometric authentication control unit 14 a negative response including the authenticatee ID of the user who is the subject of the authentication process.

[0154] When a response to an authentication request is transmitted to the gate device 10, the authentication unit 503 sets "responded" to the corresponding entry in the authentication status database. When the authentication unit 503 notifies the gate device 10 of successful authentication, the authentication unit 503 sets the user ID of the authenticated person (the user determined to have been successfully authenticated) to the user ID of the corresponding entry.

[0155] The gate passage notification processing unit 504 is a means for processing the gate passage notification received from the gate device 10 (biometric authentication control unit 14). The gate passage notification processing unit 504 extracts the gate ID and the authenticated user ID from the received notification. The gate passage notification processing unit 504 searches the authentication status database using the gate ID and the authenticated user ID as keys, and identifies the corresponding entry.

[0156] The gate passage notification processing unit 504 reads out the user ID from the user ID field of the identified entry. The gate passage notification processing unit 504 searches the user information database using the read out user ID as a key to identify the corresponding entry.

[0157] The gate passage notification processing unit 504 executes a process associated with the user's passage through the gate for the specified entry.

[0158] For example, when processing a gate passage notification received from a gate device 10 for entering a station, the gate passage notification processing unit 504 sets the station where the gate device 10 is installed as the boarding station of the identified entry.

[0159] For example, when processing a gate passing notification received from the gate device 10 for exiting a station, the gate passing notification processing unit 504 calculates the fare of the user and subtracts the fare from the charge amount. The gate passing notification processing unit 504 also clears the setting value in the boarding station field.

[0160] The storage unit 505 stores various information necessary for the operation of the server device 20. In the storage unit 505, a user information database and an authentication status database are constructed.

[0161] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server device 20 according to the first embodiment.

[0162] The server device 20 receives an authentication request from the biometric authentication control unit 14 (step S301).

[0163] The server device 20 executes a matching process using the biometric information included in the authentication request and the biometric information registered in the user information database (step S302).

[0164] The server device 20 determines whether or not there is an entry whose similarity between pieces of biometric information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S303).

[0165] If such an entry does not exist (step S303, No branch), the server device 20 sets the authentication result to authentication failure (step S304).

[0166] If such an entry exists (step S303, Yes branch), server device 20 judges whether or not the person to be authenticated is qualified to pass through gate device 10 (step S305).

[0167] If the person to be authenticated is not qualified to pass through the gate apparatus 10 (step S305, No branch), the server apparatus 20 sets the authentication result to authentication failure (step S304).

[0168] If the person to be authenticated is qualified to pass through the gate apparatus 10 (step S305, Yes branch), the server apparatus 20 sets the authentication result to successful authentication (step S306).

[0169] The server device 20 transmits the authentication result (authentication success, authentication failure) to the biometric authentication control unit 14 (step S307).

[0170] Note that a description of the operation of the server device 20 when the gate passage notification is received will be omitted.

[0171] Next, the operation of the authentication system according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 15 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the authentication system according to the first embodiment. It is assumed that the system users have been registered beforehand prior to the operation of Fig. 15. In Fig. 15, the biometric authentication control unit 14 and the tracking unit 15 are considered to be integrated into the gate device 10, and the operation of the system will be described.

[0172] Gate apparatus 10 detects a person to be authenticated within a predetermined range set in front of the apparatus (step S01).

[0173] The gate apparatus 10 acquires biometric information of the person to be authenticated, and transmits an authentication request including the biometric information to the server apparatus 20 (step S02).

[0174] Furthermore, at substantially the same timing as the transmission of the authentication request, the gate apparatus 10 starts tracking the person to be authenticated (step S03).

[0175] The server device 20 executes the authentication process and transmits the result to the gate device 10 (steps S11 and S12).

[0176] Gate apparatus 10 receives the authentication result and reflects the authentication result in the authenticated user information table (reflecting authentication result; step S04).

[0177] When the person to be authenticated reaches the entrance of gate device 10, gate device 10 completes tracking of the person to be authenticated (step S05).

[0178] When the person to be authenticated reaches a predetermined position of the gate device 10, the gate device 10 performs gate control (step S06). Specifically, the gate device 10 permits the passage of the person to be authenticated who is set as having been successfully authenticated and tracked.

[0179] When the authentication subject is permitted to pass through, gate apparatus 10 transmits a gate passage notification to server apparatus 20 (step S07).

[0180] When the gate passing notification is received, the server device 20 updates the information of the gate passer (authentication successful person; the person to be authenticated who is determined to have been authenticated successfully) (step S13). Specifically, the server device 20 updates the entry in the user information database corresponding to the gate passer.

[0181] Next, specific operations of the gate device 10 assuming various movements of a user (a person to be authenticated, a user who is not a target for authentication) will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0182] As shown in the upper part of Fig. 16, user 30 is set as the person to be authenticated, and user 31 is a user who is not the target of authentication. In the drawings including Fig. 16, the person to be authenticated is shown in grey, and the user who is not the target of authentication is shown in white. User 31 is not detected as the person to be authenticated at position X1, and is therefore not the person to be authenticated. Therefore, there is no entry related to user 31 in the person to be authenticated information table.

[0183] A user 30 walks toward the gate device 10. A user 31 moves so as to enter the inside of the gate device 10 from the side of the user 30. In this case, the positional relationship between the two becomes as shown in the lower part of FIG.

[0184] Since the entry for user 31 is not registered in the authentication-subject information table, gate 13 closes when user 31 reaches position X4. Furthermore, even if a predetermined period of time has passed since gate 13 was closed, gate 13 does not open because the authentication result for user 31 is not registered in the authentication-subject information table.

[0185] Alternatively, it is also possible that the person to be authenticated passes another person to be authenticated who is walking in front of him / her. For example, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 17, consider a case where users 32 and 33 are walking toward the gate device 10. In this case, biometric information of both users 32 and 33 is acquired at position X1 and tracking is started, so they are set as persons to be authenticated (people in gray).

[0186] A user 33 walking behind moves as shown by the dashed line in the upper part of Fig. 17, and overtakes the user 32 in front. In this case, the positional relationship between the two becomes as shown in the lower part of Fig. 17 over time.

[0187] Entries for users 32 and 33 are registered in the authenticated person information table, and if the authentication process for user 33 (authentication process in server device 20) is successful, gate 13 remains open even if user 33 reaches position X4. Also, gate 13 will not close even if user 32 reaches position X4 following user 33.

[0188] In this way, the biometric information of the user who is acquired at position X1 and set as the person to be authenticated is processed normally even if the user does not arrive (enter) the gate device 10 in the set order. That is, the user can pass through the gate device 10 even if the user does not arrive at the gate device 10 in the order registered as the person to be authenticated due to differences in walking speed of the person to be authenticated, etc. In this way, the authentication system according to the first embodiment allows irregular situations, thereby improving the throughput of the system.

[0189] <Modification of the first embodiment> In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which, upon completing tracking, the tracking unit 15 transmits an authenticated person entry notification including the authenticated person ID of the person to be tracked to the biometric authentication control unit 14. However, the biometric authentication control unit 14 may periodically inquire of the tracking unit 15 as to whether or not tracking of the authenticated person (person to be tracked) has been completed.

[0190] Specifically, the tracking control unit 204 of the biometric authentication control unit 14 transmits a tracking start instruction to the tracking unit 15, and then periodically transmits a “position inquiry” including the authenticatee ID to the tracking unit 15.

[0191] The tracking section 302 of the tracking unit 15 transmits the position information (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the authenticated person ID included in the inquiry to the biometric authentication control unit 14. The tracking control section 204 uses the acquired position information to determine whether or not the authenticated person (the person to be tracked) has entered the gate device 10. When the tracking control section 204 determines from the acquired position information that the authenticated person has entered the gate device 10, it sets the tracking status in the corresponding entry in the authenticated person information table to "tracking completed". When the tracking control section 204 sets the entry to tracking completed, it notifies the passage permission notifying section 205 of that effect.

[0192] In response to the notification, the passage permission notification unit 205 judges whether or not the authenticated person is allowed to pass through the gate device 10. That is, when the position information of the tracked person acquired by the tracking control unit 204 indicates that the tracked person has entered the gate device 10, the passage permission notification unit 205 judges whether or not the authenticated person is allowed to pass through the gate device 10.

[0193] As described above, the gate device 10 (the gate device 10 equipped with the biometric authentication control unit 14 and the tracking unit 15) of the first embodiment detects the person to be authenticated. When the gate device 10 detects the person to be authenticated, it starts authentication and tracking of the person to be authenticated at substantially the same timing. Since the server device 20 can start the authentication process from a location away from the gate device 10, it is possible to secure time to perform the biometric authentication. Furthermore, the gate device 10 starts tracking the person to be authenticated from the remote location. At that time, the gate device 10 performs tracking using the distance measurement sensor 16. Since the gate device 10 can grasp the accurate current location of the person to be authenticated by tracking the person to be authenticated using the distance measurement sensor 16, it is possible to reliably recognize the entry of the person to be authenticated into the gate device 10. In other words, even if a user who is not the person to be authenticated cuts through the gate device 10, the gate device 10 can block the passage of the user who has cut through.

[0194] Next, the hardware of each device constituting the authentication system will be described. Fig. 18 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the biometric authentication control unit 14.

[0195] The biometric authentication control unit 14 includes a processor 311, a memory 312, and a communication interface 313. The components such as the processor 311 are connected by an internal bus or the like and are configured to be able to communicate with each other.

[0196] However, the configuration shown in Fig. 18 is not intended to limit the hardware configuration of the biometric authentication control unit 14. The biometric authentication control unit 14 may include hardware not shown. In addition, the number of processors 311 and the like included in the biometric authentication control unit 14 is not intended to be limited to the example shown in Fig. 18, and for example, a plurality of processors 311 may be included in the biometric authentication control unit 14.

[0197] The processor 311 is, for example, a programmable device such as a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), or a digital signal processor (DSP). Alternatively, the processor 311 may be a device such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor 311 executes various programs including an operating system (OS).

[0198] The memory 312 is a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. The memory 312 stores an OS program, application programs, and various data.

[0199] The communication interface 313 is a circuit, a module, etc. that communicates with other devices. For example, the communication interface 313 includes a network interface card (NIC).

[0200] The functions of the biometric authentication control unit 14 are realized by various processing modules. For example, the processing modules are realized by the processor 311 executing a program stored in the memory 312. The program can be recorded in a computer-readable storage medium. The storage medium can be a non-transitory medium such as a semiconductor memory, a hard disk, a magnetic recording medium, or an optical recording medium. That is, the present invention can also be embodied as a computer program product. The program can be downloaded via a network or updated using a storage medium storing the program. The processing modules may also be realized by a semiconductor chip.

[0201] The biometric authentication control unit 14 is equipped with a computer, and the functions of the biometric authentication control unit 14 can be realized by causing the computer to execute a program. Also, the biometric authentication control unit 14 executes a control method for the biometric authentication control unit 14 by the program.

[0202] The hardware configuration of the tracking unit 15 can be the same as that of the biometric authentication control unit 14, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0203] As described above, the gate device 10 includes the camera 11, the detection sensor 12, and the gate 13 (see FIG. 19). Note that the gate device 10 includes hardware such as a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, similar to the biometric authentication control unit 14, but illustrations and descriptions of the configurations of these components are omitted.

[0204] The camera 11 is a camera device capable of acquiring a visible light image. In Fig. 3, the gate device 10 is described as having one camera 11, but this is not intended to limit the number or installation of the cameras 11. For example, a plurality of cameras 11 may be installed in the gate device 10.

[0205] Alternatively, instead of using the camera 11 to detect the person to be authenticated, other means may be used to detect the person to be authenticated. For example, a human sensor or the like may be used to detect a person at a location a predetermined distance away from the gate device 10. Alternatively, when a person is detected by the human sensor, the camera 11 may acquire image data and detect the person to be authenticated.

[0206] The detection sensor 12 is a sensor that detects a person. For example, a sensor composed of a light transmitting device and a light receiving device (a so-called light-based passing sensor) can be used as the detection sensor 12. For example, the light transmitting device and the light receiving device are installed facing each other (the two devices are installed on the inner wall of the main body). The transmitting device constantly transmits light, and the receiving device receives the transmitted light. The gate apparatus 10 determines that a person has been detected when the receiving device fails to receive light. Note that FIG. 3 illustrates one of the two devices that constitute the detection sensor 12.

[0207] The gate 13 is a device that controls the passage of users. The type of the gate 13 is not particularly limited, and examples of the gate include a flapper gate in which a flapper installed on one or both sides of the passage opens and closes, and a turnstile gate in which three bars rotate.

[0208] The functions of the biometric authentication control unit 14 and the tracking unit 15 may be realized by a CPU or the like that controls the entire gate device 10. Conversely, the functions of the gate device 10 may be realized by a processor 311 provided in the biometric authentication control unit 14.

[0209] Alternatively, the function of the tracking unit 15 may be realized by the biometric authentication control unit 14. Alternatively, the function of the tracking unit 15 may be built into the distance measuring sensor 16. That is, the distance measuring sensor 16 having the function of the tracking unit 15 built therein may be connected to the biometric authentication control unit 14.

[0210] The server device 20 can be configured by an information processing device. The server device 20 may include a processor, a memory, a communication interface, and the like, similar to the biometric authentication control unit 14, and the configuration thereof is clear to those skilled in the art, so detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0211] [Variations] The configuration, operation, and the like of the authentication system described in the above embodiment are merely examples, and are not intended to limit the system configuration, and the like.

[0212] In the above embodiment, the gate device 10 has been described as a ticket gate installed at a station. However, it is of course not intended to limit the gate device 10 to a ticket gate. The gate device 10 may be any device that is installed at an airport, an event venue, an office, etc. and controls the passage of users.

[0213] In the above embodiment, the case where the server device 20 has a user information database has been described. However, the database may be constructed in a database server different from the server device 20. Also, the authentication system only needs to include the various means (authentication request unit 203, tracking control unit 204, etc.) described in the above embodiment. For example, the authentication process executed in the server device 20 may be executed in the gate device 10 (biometric authentication control unit 14). Some or all of the functions of the server device 20 may be realized in the gate device 10.

[0214] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which biometric information related to features generated from a face image is transmitted from the biometric authentication control unit 14 to the server device 20. However, the "face image" itself may be transmitted as biometric information from the biometric authentication control unit 14 to the server device 20. The server device 20 may generate features from the acquired face image and execute authentication processing (1:N matching).

[0215] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the authenticatee detection unit 202 estimates the position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the authenticatee. However, the estimation of the authenticatee's position may be performed by the tracking control unit 204. In this case, the authenticatee detection unit 202 may simply pass the authenticatee's ID and image data to the tracking control unit 204. The tracking control unit 204 may then estimate the authenticatee's position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) using the acquired image data.

[0216] In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the camera 11 is a monocular camera, but the camera 11 may be a depth camera (stereo camera) capable of measuring the depth direction. In this case, the biometric authentication control unit 14 may detect a person to be authenticated at a predetermined distance from the gate device 10 using images obtained from the stereo camera, instead of threshold processing for the eye-to-eye distance. Specifically, the biometric authentication control unit 14 analyzes two images obtained from the stereo camera (analysis using parallax) and calculates the position of the user based on the gate device 10. If the calculated position is included in a predetermined location, the biometric authentication control unit 14 sets the user as a person to be authenticated.

[0217] The form of data transmission and reception between the biometric authentication control unit 14 and the server device 20 is not particularly limited, but the data transmitted and received between these devices may be encrypted. The face image and the feature amount calculated from the face image are personal information, and in order to appropriately protect the personal information, it is desirable to transmit and receive encrypted data.

[0218] In the above embodiment, the gate device 10, the biometric authentication control unit 14, and the tracking unit 15 are separate. However, these devices may be integrated. That is, the biometric authentication control unit 14 and the tracking unit 15 may be integrated with the gate device 10. In this case, the gate device 10 may be provided with the authenticatee detection unit 202, the authentication request unit 203, the tracking control unit 204, etc. of the biometric authentication control unit 14 shown in FIG. 4, and the tracking unit 302 of the tracking unit 15 shown in FIG. 7, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 9.

[0219] In the above embodiment, the case where information about the authenticatee is stored and managed using an authenticatee information table has been described. However, information about the authenticatee may be stored and managed using a database (authentication subject information database).

[0220] In the flow charts (flow charts, sequence diagrams) used in the above description, multiple steps (processes) are described in order, but the order of execution of the steps executed in the embodiments is not limited to the order described. In the embodiments, the order of the steps shown in the figures can be changed to a degree that does not interfere with the content, such as executing each process in parallel.

[0221] The above-mentioned embodiments have been described in detail to facilitate understanding of the present disclosure, and it is not intended that all of the configurations described above are necessary. In addition, when a plurality of embodiments are described, each embodiment may be used alone or in combination. For example, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of an embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of an embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of the configuration of an embodiment with another configuration.

[0222] From the above explanation, it is clear that the present invention has industrial applicability, and the present invention can be suitably applied to authentication systems installed in airports, train stations, etc.

[0223] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but is not limited to, the following supplementary notes. [Appendix 1] an authentication subject detection unit that detects an authentication subject; a request unit that transmits an authentication request including biometric information of the person to be authenticated to a server device; a tracking control unit that transmits a tracking start instruction including location information of the person to be tracked to a tracking unit that tracks the person to be tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and acquires a tracking result from the tracking unit; a notification unit that determines whether the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through a gate device based on a result of biometric authentication of the person to be authenticated by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifies the gate device of the determination result; A biometric authentication control unit comprising: [Appendix 2] The tracking control unit receives, from the tracking unit, an authenticated person entry notification indicating that the tracked person has entered the gate device; 2. The biometric authentication control unit according to claim 1, wherein in response to receiving the notification of the authentication-subject entry, the notification unit determines whether or not the authentication-subject is allowed to pass through a gate device. [Appendix 3] The tracking control unit is After sending the tracking start instruction, send a location inquiry including the authenticated user ID to the tracking unit, and obtain location information of the tracked user corresponding to the authenticated user ID from the tracking unit; The biometric authentication control unit according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit determines whether the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through the gate device when the acquired location information of the person to be tracked indicates that the person to be tracked has entered the gate device. [Appendix 4] When the authentication subject detection unit detects the authentication subject, it adds an entry to an authentication subject information table; When the request unit receives a result of the biometric authentication from the server device, the request unit sets the received result of the biometric authentication in an authentication status field of the added entry; The tracing control unit sets the tracing result in a tracing status field of the added entry, The biometric authentication control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the notification unit determines whether the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through the gate device based on the setting value of the authentication status field and the setting value of the tracking status field. [Appendix 5] The biometric authentication control unit according to claim 4, further comprising a table management unit that deletes entries that have been added to the authentication-subject information table for a predetermined period of time. [Appendix 6] The biometric authentication control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the biometric information is a face image or a feature amount generated from a face image. [Appendix 7] a server device that stores biometric information of each of a plurality of users and performs biometric authentication; A gate device equipped with a biometric authentication control unit and a tracking unit; Including, The biometric authentication control unit includes: Detecting an authenticated person, transmitting an authentication request including biometric information of the detected authenticated person to the server device, and transmitting a tracking start instruction including location information of the authenticated person to the tracking unit; The tracking unit is a person present at a location corresponding to the position information included in the tracking start instruction is set as a tracking target, the tracking target is tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and when the tracking target enters the gate device, a notification of entry of an authenticated person is transmitted to the biometric authentication control unit; The biometric authentication control unit includes: When the authentication-subject entry notification is received, the system determines whether or not the authentication-subject is permitted to pass through the gate device based on the authentication result by the server device, and notifies the gate device of the determination result. [Appendix 8] The biometric authentication control unit includes: transmitting the tracking start instruction, which includes location information of the subject and a subject ID of the subject, to the tracking unit; The tracking unit is The system described in Appendix 7 manages the position of the person to be tracked and the authenticated person ID in association with each other, and when tracking is completed in response to the person to be tracked entering the gate device, notifies the biometric authentication control unit of the authenticated person ID of the person to be tracked whose tracking has been completed. [Appendix 9] The biometric authentication control unit includes: transmitting an authentication request including the detected biometric information of the person to be authenticated and the person to be authenticated ID to the server device; The system described in Appendix 8, wherein the server device notifies the biometric authentication control unit of the authenticatee ID of the person to be authenticated. [Appendix 10] The system described in Appendix 9, wherein the biometric authentication control unit determines whether or not an authenticated person whose authenticated person ID notified from the server device matches the authenticated person ID notified from the tracking unit can pass through the gate device. [Appendix 11] The system according to any one of appendixes 7 to 10, wherein the server device performs a matching process using the biometric information of each of the multiple users and the biometric information included in the authentication request. [Appendix 12] The system described in Appendix 11, wherein the server device determines whether or not the user identified by the matching process is qualified to pass through the gate device. [Appendix 13] 13. The system of any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein the ranging sensor is a three-dimensional distance sensor. [Appendix 14] In the biometric authentication control unit, Detecting a subject; transmitting an authentication request including biometric information of the person to be authenticated to a server device; transmitting a tracking start instruction including location information of the person to be tracked to a tracking unit that tracks the person to be tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and acquiring a tracking result from the tracking unit; A control method for a biometric authentication control unit, which determines whether the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through a gate device based on the result of biometric authentication of the person to be authenticated by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifies the gate device of the determination result. [Appendix 15] The computer installed in the biometric authentication control unit A process of detecting an authenticatee; a process of transmitting an authentication request including biometric information of the person to be authenticated to a server device; A process of transmitting a tracking start instruction including location information of the person to be tracked to a tracking unit that tracks the person to be tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and acquiring a tracking result from the tracking unit; a process of determining whether or not the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through a gate device based on a result of biometric authentication of the person to be authenticated by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifying the gate device of the determination result; A computer-readable storage medium that stores a program for executing the above.

[0224] The disclosures of the above cited prior art documents are incorporated herein by reference. Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are merely illustrative and that various modifications are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. In other words, the present invention naturally includes various modifications and amendments that a person skilled in the art can make in accordance with the entire disclosure, including the scope of the claims, and the technical ideas. [Explanation of symbols]

[0225] 10 Gate device 10-1 Gate device 10-2 Gate device 10-3 Gate device 11 Camera 12 Detection sensor 13 Gate 14 Biometric control unit 15 Tracking Unit 16 Distance Sensor 20 Server device 30 users 31 User 32 User 33 User 100 Biometric Control Unit 101 Subject detection unit 102 Request part 103 Tracking control unit 104 Notification Department 201 Communication control section 202 Subject detection unit 203 Authentication Request Section 204 Tracking control section 205 Traffic Permit Notification Department 206 Table Management Department 207 Message output section 208 Memory section 301 Communication Control Unit 302 Tracking Department 303 Storage section 311 Processor 312 Memory 313 Communication Interface 401 Communication control section 402 Intruder detection section 403 Gate control section 404 Storage section 501 Communication control section 502 User Registration Department 503 Authentication Department 504 Gate passage notification processing unit 505 Storage section

Claims

1. an authentication subject detection unit that detects an authentication subject; a request unit that transmits an authentication request including biometric information of the person to be authenticated to a server device; a tracking control unit that transmits a tracking start instruction including location information of the person to be tracked to a tracking unit that tracks the person to be tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and acquires a tracking result from the tracking unit; a notification unit that determines whether the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through a gate device based on a result of the biometric authentication of the person to be authenticated by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifies the gate device of the determination result; A biometric authentication control unit comprising:

2. The tracking control unit receives, from the tracking unit, an authenticated person entry notification indicating that the tracked person has entered the gate device; The biometric authentication control unit according to claim 1 , wherein, in response to receiving the authentication-subject entry notification, the notification section determines whether or not the authentication-subject is allowed to pass through a gate device.

3. The tracking control unit is After transmitting the tracking start instruction, transmit a location inquiry including the authenticated person ID to the tracking unit, and obtain location information of the tracked person corresponding to the authenticated person ID from the tracking unit; 2. The biometric authentication control unit according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit determines whether the person to be tracked is allowed to pass through the gate device when the acquired position information of the person to be tracked indicates that the person to be tracked has entered the gate device.

4. When the authentication subject detection unit detects the authentication subject, it adds an entry to an authentication subject information table; When the request unit receives a result of the biometric authentication from the server device, the request unit sets the received result of the biometric authentication in an authentication status field of the added entry; The tracing control unit sets the tracing result in a tracing status field of the added entry, The biometric authentication control unit according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit determines whether the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through the gate device based on the set value of the authentication status field and the set value of the tracking status field.

5. 5. The biometric authentication control unit according to claim 4, further comprising a table management section that deletes entries that have been added to the authentication-subject information table for a predetermined period of time.

6. The biometric authentication control unit according to claim 1 , wherein the biometric information is a face image or a feature amount generated from a face image.

7. a server device that stores biometric information of each of a plurality of users and performs biometric authentication; A gate device equipped with a biometric authentication control unit and a tracking unit; Including, The biometric authentication control unit includes: Detecting an authenticated person, transmitting an authentication request including biometric information of the detected authenticated person to the server device, and transmitting a tracking start instruction including location information of the authenticated person to the tracking unit; The tracking unit is a person present at a location corresponding to the position information included in the tracking start instruction is set as a tracking target, the tracking target is tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and when the tracking target enters the gate device, a notification of entry of an authenticated person is transmitted to the biometric authentication control unit; The biometric authentication control unit includes: When the authentication-subject entry notification is received, the system determines whether or not the authentication-subject is permitted to pass through the gate device based on the authentication result by the server device, and notifies the gate device of the determination result.

8. The biometric authentication control unit includes: transmitting the tracking start instruction, which includes location information of the authenticatee and an authenticatee ID of the authenticatee, to the tracking unit; The tracking unit is 8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising: a position of the person to be tracked and the authenticated person ID, which are managed in association with each other; and when tracking is completed in response to the person to be tracked entering the gate device, the authenticated person ID of the person to be tracked whose tracking has been completed is notified to the biometric authentication control unit.

9. In the biometric authentication control unit, Detecting a subject; transmitting an authentication request including biometric information of the person to be authenticated to a server device; transmitting a tracking start instruction including location information of the person to be tracked to a tracking unit that tracks the person to be tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and acquiring a tracking result from the tracking unit; A control method for a biometric authentication control unit, which determines whether the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through a gate device based on the result of biometric authentication of the person to be authenticated by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifies the gate device of the determination result.

10. The computer installed in the biometric authentication control unit A process of detecting an authenticatee; a process of transmitting an authentication request including biometric information of the person to be authenticated to a server device; A process of transmitting a tracking start instruction including location information of the person to be tracked to a tracking unit that tracks the person to be tracked using a distance measuring sensor, and acquiring a tracking result from the tracking unit; a process of determining whether or not the person to be authenticated is allowed to pass through a gate device based on a result of biometric authentication of the person to be authenticated by the server device and the tracking result by the tracking unit, and notifying the gate device of the determination result; A program for executing.

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