Vehicle face registration control device and vehicle face registration control method

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a face image acquisition unit (101) that acquires a face image of an occupant captured by a cabin camera (11) used in an own vehicle; a poor condition determination unit (102) that distinguishes whether the acquired face image corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of poor condition inappropriate for facial recognition while the types of the poor condition are distinguished from one another; a notification control unit (105) that causes at least either one of a failure factor notification and a solution notification to be issued when the poor condition determination unit (102) has determined that the acquired face image corresponds to the poor condition; and a registration unit (103) that does not register the acquired face image as an image for authentication when the poor condition determination unit (102) has determined that the face image corresponds to the poor condition.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Patent Application No. 2022-023246 filed in Japan on February 17, 2022, and the contents of the original application are incorporated by reference in their entirety. [Technical field]

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a face registration control device for a vehicle and a face registration control method for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0003] Facial recognition is known in which a photographed face image is compared with a preregistered face image to authenticate a legitimate user. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that attempts to solve the problem that a part of the photographed face of a person to be recognized is hidden, making authentication impossible. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique that divides a photographed face image into three parts, upper, middle, and lower, and performs authentication for each part. In Patent Document 1, face recognition is deemed OK if authentication is successful in all parts. Also, in Patent Document 1, even if authentication fails in one of the three parts, if authentication is successful in the other two parts, the operator is prompted to capture a face image again. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2019-168929 Summary of the Invention

[0005] In Patent Document 1, it is assumed that the face image registered in advance is an appropriate face image for authentication. However, when the registration of face images for authentication is automatically performed in a vehicle system, a face image inappropriate for authentication may be registered as the face image for authentication. An example of a face image inappropriate for authentication is a face image in which a part of the face is hidden by an object or lighting conditions. If a face image inappropriate for authentication is registered as the face image for authentication, accurate authentication cannot be performed even with the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1. In response to this, it is possible to prevent the registration of face images inappropriate for authentication. However, if the user cannot recognize what is inappropriate and has prevented the registration, it will be troublesome to register the face image.

[0006] One objective of this disclosure is to provide a face registration control device for a vehicle and a face registration control method for a vehicle that enable the registration of face images that can perform more accurate authentication while reducing the effort required for registration, even when the face images for authentication are registered automatically.

[0007] The above object is achieved by the combination of features recited in the independent claims, and the subclaims define further advantageous embodiments of the disclosure. The reference characters in parentheses in the claims indicate a correspondence with specific means described in the following embodiment as one aspect, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, 1.The vehicle face registration control device is a vehicle face registration control device that registers face images used for face authentication of vehicle occupants, and includes a face image acquisition unit (101) that acquires a face image of the occupant captured by an imaging device (11) used in the vehicle, a registration unit (103) that registers the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit as an authentication image that is a face image to be used for face authentication, a bad condition discrimination unit (102) that distinguishes between types of bad conditions and discriminates whether the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under any of a plurality of types of bad conditions that are not suitable for face authentication, and and a notification control unit (105) for, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to an adverse condition, performing at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the facial image corresponds and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition, and a registration unit for, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit does not correspond to the adverse condition, registering the facial image as an image for authentication, and, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to the adverse condition, not registering the facial image as an image for authentication. The adverse condition determination unit distinguishes and determines whether the occupant is wearing a mask as a type of adverse condition, and the notification control unit performs at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing a mask and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the mask when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to the occupant wearing a mask. . In order to achieve the above object, a second vehicle face registration control device disclosed herein is a vehicle face registration control device that registers a face image used for face authentication of a vehicle occupant, and includes a face image acquisition unit (101) that acquires a face image of the occupant captured by an imaging device (11) used in the vehicle, a registration unit (103) that registers the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit as an authentication image that is a face image to be used for face authentication, and an adverse condition determination unit (102) that distinguishes between types of adverse conditions and determines whether the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under one of multiple types of adverse conditions that are not appropriate for face authentication, and when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under an adverse condition, at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the face image falls and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition. and a notification control unit (105) that causes the registration unit to issue a notification of the above, and when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit does not fall under the adverse conditions, the registration unit registers the face image as an image for authentication, and when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under the adverse conditions, the registration unit does not register the face image as an image for authentication, and the adverse condition discrimination unit distinguishes and discriminates the wearing of an attachment that covers the occupant's neck as a type of adverse condition, and the notification control unit causes at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing an attachment that covers the occupant's neck and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the attachment that covers the occupant's neck when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under the adverse conditions. In order to achieve the above object, a third vehicle face registration control device disclosed herein is a vehicle face registration control device that registers a face image used for face authentication of a vehicle occupant, and includes a face image acquisition unit (101) that acquires a face image of the occupant captured by an imaging device (11) used in the vehicle, a registration unit (103) that registers the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit as an authentication image that is a face image to be used for face authentication, and an adverse condition determination unit (102) that distinguishes between types of adverse conditions and determines whether the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under any of a plurality of types of adverse conditions that are not appropriate for face authentication, and when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under an adverse condition, provides at least one notification indicating the adverse condition to which the face image falls and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition. and a notification control unit (105) that causes at least one of the following notifications to be issued: when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit does not fall under the adverse conditions, the registration unit registers the facial image as an image for authentication, and when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit falls under the adverse conditions, the registration unit does not register the facial image as an image for authentication; the adverse condition discrimination unit distinguishes and discriminates whether the occupant is wearing sunglasses as a type of adverse condition; and when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit falls under the adverse conditions, the notification control unit causes at least one of the following notifications to be issued: a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing sunglasses and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the sunglasses.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, 1.The vehicle face registration control method is a vehicle face registration control method for registering a face image used for face authentication of a vehicle occupant, and includes a face image acquisition step of acquiring a face image of the occupant captured by an imaging device used in the vehicle, a registration step of registering the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step as an authentication image which is a face image used for face authentication, a bad condition discrimination step of discriminating between types of bad conditions and discriminating whether the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of bad conditions that are not suitable for face authentication, and a face image acquisition step. and a notification control step of, when it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the acquisition step corresponds to an adverse condition, issuing at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the face image corresponds and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition. In the registration step, when it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step does not correspond to the adverse condition, the face image is registered as an image for authentication, whereas when it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step corresponds to the adverse condition, the face image is not registered as an image for authentication. In the adverse condition determination step, the wearing of a mask by an occupant is distinguished and determined as a type of adverse condition, and in the notification control step, when the adverse condition determination step determines that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step corresponds to the wearing of a mask by an occupant, at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing a mask and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the mask is issued. . In order to achieve the above object, a second face registration control method for a vehicle disclosed herein is a face registration control method for a vehicle that registers a face image to be used for face authentication of a vehicle occupant, and includes a face image acquisition step executed by at least one processor, which acquires a face image of the occupant captured by an imaging device used in the vehicle, a registration step of registering the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step as an authentication image that is a face image to be used for face authentication, an adverse condition determination step of determining whether the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under any of a plurality of types of adverse conditions that are not appropriate for face authentication by distinguishing between types of adverse conditions, and at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the face image falls and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition when the adverse condition determination step determines that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under an adverse condition. and a notification control step of issuing a notification to the driver when the adverse conditions discrimination step determines that the facial image acquired in the facial image acquisition step does not fall under the adverse conditions, and on the other hand, when the adverse conditions discrimination step determines that the facial image acquired in the facial image acquisition step falls under the adverse conditions, the facial image is not registered as the authentication image. The adverse conditions discrimination step distinguishes and discriminates the wearing of an attachment that covers the occupant's neck as a type of adverse condition. The notification control step issues at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing an attachment that covers the occupant's neck and a notification instructing the driver to remove the attachment that covers the occupant's neck when the adverse conditions discrimination step determines that the facial image acquired in the facial image acquisition step falls under the adverse conditions. In order to achieve the above object, a third face registration control method for a vehicle disclosed herein is a face registration control method for a vehicle that registers a face image to be used for face authentication of a vehicle occupant, and includes, executed by at least one processor, a face image acquisition step of acquiring a face image of the occupant captured by an imaging device used in the vehicle, a registration step of registering the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step as an authentication image that is a face image to be used for face authentication, an adverse condition determination step of determining whether the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under any of a plurality of types of adverse conditions that are not appropriate for face authentication by distinguishing between types of adverse conditions, and, when it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under an adverse condition, a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the face image falls and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition. and a notification control step of issuing at least one notification, and in the registration step, if the adverse condition determination step determines that the facial image acquired in the facial image acquisition step does not fall under the adverse conditions, the facial image is registered as an image for authentication, whereas if the adverse condition determination step determines that the facial image acquired in the facial image acquisition step falls under the adverse conditions, the facial image is not registered as an image for authentication. The adverse condition determination step distinguishes and determines whether the occupant is wearing sunglasses as a type of adverse condition, and the notification control step issues at least one notification indicating that the occupant is wearing sunglasses and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the sunglasses, when the adverse condition determination step determines that the facial image acquired in the facial image acquisition step falls under the adverse conditions.

[0010] According to the above configuration, when it is determined that the facial image of the occupant captured by the imaging device corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of adverse conditions that are not appropriate for facial authentication, the facial image is not registered as an authentication image. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the facial image that is not appropriate for authentication from being registered as an authentication facial image, and to perform more accurate authentication. Furthermore, when it is determined that the facial image of the occupant captured by the imaging device corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of adverse conditions that are not appropriate for facial authentication, at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the facial image corresponds and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition is performed. Therefore, the occupant who receives this notification can know the cause of the failure of the registration of the facial image and the solution for making the registration of the facial image successful. Therefore, even if the registration of the facial image fails at first, it is possible to more easily lead to the success of the registration of the facial image. As a result, even when the registration of the facial image for authentication is performed automatically, it is possible to register a facial image that can perform more accurate authentication while reducing the effort of registration. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a vehicle system 1. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of an HCU 10. [Diagram 3] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of face registration-related processing in the HCU 10. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] A number of embodiments for disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. For convenience of description, in a number of embodiments, parts having the same functions as parts shown in the drawings used in the previous description may be given the same reference numerals and their description may be omitted. For parts given the same reference numerals, the description in other embodiments may be referred to.

[0013] (Embodiment 1) <Overall configuration of vehicle system 1> Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. A vehicle system 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be used in a vehicle. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle system 1 includes an HCU (Human Machine Interface Control Unit) 10, an indoor camera 11, a presentation device 12, and a user input device 13. For example, the HCU 10 may be configured to be connected to an in-vehicle LAN (see the LAN in FIG. 1). Although a vehicle using the vehicle system 1 is not necessarily limited to an automobile, the following description will be given taking an example of use in an automobile.

[0014] The indoor camera 11 captures an image of a predetermined range in the cabin of the vehicle. This indoor camera 11 corresponds to an imaging device. It is preferable that the indoor camera 11 captures an image of at least an area including the driver's seat of the vehicle. The indoor camera 11 may capture an area including the passenger seat and rear seats in addition to the driver's seat of the vehicle. The indoor camera 11 is composed of, for example, a near-infrared light source and a near-infrared camera, and a control unit that controls these. The indoor camera 11 captures an image of an occupant of the vehicle irradiated with near-infrared light by the near-infrared light source using the near-infrared camera.

[0015] The presentation device 12 is provided in the vehicle and presents information to the passenger inside the vehicle. In other words, the presentation device 12 notifies the passengers of the vehicle. The presentation device 12 notifies under the control of the HCU 10. Examples of the presentation device 12 include a display and an audio output device.

[0016] The display device notifies by displaying information. For example, a meter MID (Multi Information Display), CID (Center Information Display), or HUD (Head-Up Display) can be used as the display device. The audio output device notifies by outputting audio. Examples of the audio output device include a speaker.

[0017] The meter MID is a display provided in front of the driver's seat in the vehicle interior. As an example, the meter MID may be configured to be provided on the meter panel. The CID is a display arranged at the center of the instrument panel of the host vehicle. The HUD is provided, for example, on the instrument panel in the vehicle interior. The HUD projects a display image formed by a projector onto a predetermined projection area on the front windshield as a projection member. The light of the image reflected to the inside of the vehicle by the front windshield is perceived by the driver sitting in the driver's seat. Thereby, the driver can visually recognize the virtual image of the display image formed in front of the front windshield by overlapping it with a part of the foreground. The HUD may be configured to project the display image onto a combiner provided in front of the driver's seat instead of the front windshield.

[0018] The user input device 13 receives an input from the user. The user input device 13 may be an operation device that receives an operation input from the user. The operation device may be a mechanical switch or a touch switch integrated with a display such as the CID. Note that the user input device 13 is not limited to an operation device that receives an operation input as long as it is a device that receives an input from the user. For example, it may be a voice input device that receives an input of a command by voice from the user.

[0019] The HCU10 is mainly composed of a computer including a processor, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, an I / O, and a bus connecting these. The HCU10 is connected to the in-vehicle camera 11, the presentation device 12, and the user input device 13. The HCU10 executes a process related to registration of a face image used for face authentication (hereinafter, face registration related process) by executing a control program stored in the non-volatile memory. This HCU10 corresponds to a vehicle face registration control device. The configuration of the HCU10 will be described in detail below.

[0020] <Schematic Configuration of HCU10> Next, the schematic configuration of the HCU10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the HCU10 includes a face image acquisition unit 101, a bad condition determination unit 102, a registration unit 103, a storage unit 104, a notification control unit 105, and a personal authentication unit 106 as functional blocks. The execution of the processing of each functional block of the HCU10 by a computer corresponds to the execution of a vehicle face registration control method. Note that some or all of the functions executed by the HCU10 may be configured as hardware using one or more ICs or the like. Also, some or all of the functional blocks included in the HCU10 may be realized by a combination of software execution by a processor and hardware members.

[0021] The face image acquisition unit 101 acquires face images of vehicle occupants captured by an interior camera 11 used in the vehicle. The processing in the face image acquisition unit 101 corresponds to a face image acquisition step. The occupant whose face image is acquired may be limited to the driver, or may not be limited to the driver. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which a face image of the driver is acquired.

[0022] The adverse condition determination unit 102 determines whether the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit 101 corresponds to one of a plurality of types of adverse conditions that are not suitable for facial recognition, by distinguishing the types of adverse conditions, based on the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit 101. The processing in this adverse condition determination unit 102 corresponds to an adverse condition determination step. The adverse condition determination unit 102 may use a learning device that has been trained in advance to distinguish between types of adverse conditions, and may determine whether the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit 101 corresponds to one of a plurality of types of adverse conditions that are not suitable for facial recognition, by distinguishing between the types of adverse conditions. For example, machine learning may be used for the learning. For example, deep learning may be used as the machine learning.

[0023] It is preferable that the adverse condition determination unit 102 distinguishes and determines whether an occupant is wearing a mask as one type of adverse condition. In this case, the adverse condition determination unit 102 may make the determination using, for example, a learning device that has performed machine learning in advance using an image of a person wearing a mask. Note that, when the adverse condition determination unit 102 does not use a learning device, it may distinguish and determine whether an occupant is wearing a mask based on, for example, a distribution of brightness characteristic of an image of a person wearing a mask.

[0024] It is preferable that the adverse condition determination unit 102 distinguishes and determines whether an occupant is wearing an article of clothing that covers the neck of the occupant (hereinafter, a specific article of clothing) as one type of adverse condition. Examples of specific articles of clothing include a neck warmer and a hijab. In this case, the adverse condition determination unit 102 may make the determination using, for example, a learning device that has performed machine learning in advance using an image of a person wearing the specific article of clothing. Note that, when the adverse condition determination unit 102 does not use a learning device, it may distinguish and determine whether an occupant is wearing a specific article of clothing based on, for example, a distribution of brightness that is characteristic of an image of a person wearing the specific article of clothing.

[0025] It is preferable that the adverse condition determination unit 102 distinguishes and determines whether an occupant is wearing sunglasses as one type of adverse condition. In this case, the adverse condition determination unit 102 may make the determination using, for example, a learning device that has performed machine learning in advance using an image of a person wearing sunglasses. Note that, when the adverse condition determination unit 102 does not use a learning device, it may distinguish and determine whether an occupant is wearing sunglasses based on, for example, a distribution of brightness characteristic of an image of a person wearing sunglasses.

[0026] It is preferable that the adverse condition determination unit 102 distinguishes an adverse condition in which a shadow is cast on the face of an occupant (hereinafter, "shadow cast") as one type of adverse condition, by distinguishing which area of ​​the occupant's face is shaded. In this case, the adverse condition determination unit 102 may distinguish using, for example, a learning device that has performed machine learning in advance using an image of a person with a shadow cast on his / her face. The shadow cast here may be a shadow of a density and range in which the probability of face recognition failing is equal to or higher than a specified rate. The specified rate here may be set arbitrarily. In addition, in order to distinguish which area of ​​the occupant's face is shaded, a learning device that has performed machine learning for each area shaded may be used. In addition, when the adverse condition determination unit 102 does not use a learning device, it may distinguish which area of ​​the occupant's face is shaded, for example, based on the distribution of brightness below a threshold in a certain range or more in the face image. The threshold value and the certain range mentioned here may be set to values ​​corresponding to the darkness and range of the shadow that are estimated to cause the probability of face recognition failure to exceed a specified rate. For the sake of simplification, the division of the shadowed area may be consolidated into, for example, a few divisions.

[0027] It is preferable that the adverse condition discrimination unit 102 distinguishes and discriminates blown-out highlights of a face image as one of the types of adverse conditions. The blown-out highlights indicate a state in which the brightness of an image has reached the upper limit that can be expressed by a computer. The blown-out highlights indicate a state in which the value of an index indicating the brightness of an image has reached a value indicating the maximum brightness. In this case, the adverse condition discrimination unit 102 may discriminate using a learning device that has performed machine learning in advance using a face image in which blown-out highlights have occurred. Note that, when the adverse condition discrimination unit 102 does not use a learning device, it may discriminate and discriminate blown-out highlights based on, for example, the distribution of the area of ​​the face image with the maximum brightness. Note that the blown-out highlights may be configured to be limited to a size equal to or larger than a certain range. The certain range referred to here may be a range in which the probability of face recognition failure is estimated to be equal to or larger than a specified rate.

[0028] It is preferable that the adverse condition discrimination unit 102 distinguishes and discriminates the capture of a face image in a face direction outside a specified range of the occupant as one type of adverse condition. In this case, the adverse condition discrimination unit 102 may discriminate using, for example, a learning device that has performed machine learning in advance using a face image in a face direction outside the specified range. Outside the specified range may be a face direction within a range in which the probability of face recognition failure is estimated to be equal to or higher than a specified rate. In addition, when the adverse condition discrimination unit 102 does not use a learning device, for example, when the face direction of the occupant that can be detected from the face image is outside the specified range, the adverse condition discrimination unit 102 may distinguish and discriminate the capture of a face image in a face direction outside the specified range of the occupant. The face direction from the face image may be detected from the relative positional relationship of parts such as the eyes, nose, and mouth extracted from the face image.

[0029] The adverse condition determination unit 102 may be configured to distinguish and determine other adverse conditions, not limited to the above examples of adverse conditions. For example, the adverse condition determination unit 102 may be configured to determine that the passenger is wearing a hat as one type of adverse condition.

[0030] The registration unit 103 registers the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit 101 as an authentication image, which is a face image used for face authentication. The registration unit 103 may register the authentication image by storing it in the storage unit 104. The storage unit 104 may be an electrically rewritable non-volatile memory. When the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit 101 does not fall under the adverse conditions, the registration unit 103 registers the face image as an authentication image. On the other hand, when the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit 101 falls under the adverse conditions, the registration unit 103 does not register the face image as an authentication image. This process in the registration unit 103 corresponds to a registration step.

[0031] The notification control unit 105 controls the presentation device 12. The notification control unit 105 causes the presentation device 12 to issue a notification. When the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit 101 falls under an adverse condition, the notification control unit 105 causes at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the facial image falls (hereinafter, a failure cause notification) and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition (hereinafter, a solution notification) to be issued. This processing by the notification control unit 105 corresponds to a notification control step. The failure cause notification and solution notification may be issued by any of icon display, text display, and audio output.

[0032] When the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit 101 corresponds to the adverse condition of the occupant wearing a mask, the notification control unit 105 causes the following notification to be made. As the notification of the cause of failure, a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing a mask may be made. In this way, if the registration of the facial image fails due to wearing a mask, the occupant can recognize that wearing a mask is the cause of the failure. As the notification of the solution, a notification instructing the occupant to remove the mask may be made. In this way, if the registration of the facial image fails due to wearing a mask, the occupant can more easily recognize what he or she should do to succeed in the registration.

[0033] When the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit 101 corresponds to the wearing of a specific attachment, which is one of the adverse conditions, the notification control unit 105 causes the following notification to be made. As the failure cause notification, a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing a specific attachment may be made. In this way, if the registration of the facial image fails due to the wearing of the specific attachment, the occupant can recognize that the wearing of the specific attachment is the cause of the failure. As the solution notification, a notification instructing the occupant to remove the specific attachment may be made. In this way, if the registration of the facial image fails due to the wearing of the specific attachment, the occupant can more easily recognize what he or she should do to succeed in the registration.

[0034] When the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit 101 corresponds to the adverse condition of the occupant wearing sunglasses, the notification control unit 105 causes the following notification to be made. As the notification of the cause of failure, a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing sunglasses may be made. In this way, if the registration of the facial image fails due to the wearing of sunglasses, the occupant can recognize that wearing sunglasses is the cause of the failure. As the notification of the solution, a notification instructing the occupant to remove the sunglasses may be made. In this way, if the registration of the facial image fails due to the wearing of sunglasses, the occupant can more easily recognize what he or she should do to succeed in the registration.

[0035] When the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit 101 is determined to be a shadow cast by the adverse condition determination unit 102, the notification control unit 105 performs the following notification. As the failure cause notification, a notification indicating the adverse condition that a shadow is cast on the occupant's face may be performed. In this case, a notification indicating which area of ​​the occupant's face is in shadow may also be performed. As a specific example, the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit 101 may be displayed on the display device, and the area of ​​the face image in shadow may be highlighted. In this way, when the registration of the face image fails due to a shadow cast, the occupant can recognize that the cause of the failure is the adverse condition that a shadow is cast on the occupant's face. In addition, by performing a notification indicating which area of ​​the occupant's face is in shadow, the occupant can more easily recognize what to do to succeed in the registration. The solution notification may include a notification indicating which area of ​​the occupant's face is shaded, as well as a notification instructing the occupant to remove any obstruction between the interior camera 11 and the occupant's face. This allows the occupant to more easily recognize what to do to make the registration successful when the registration of the face image fails due to a shadow.

[0036] When the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit 101 corresponds to whiteout, the notification control unit 105 causes the following notification to be made. As the notification of the cause of failure, a notification indicating whiteout of the face image may be made. In this way, if the registration of the face image fails due to whiteout, the occupant can recognize that the failure is caused by whiteout of the face image. As the notification of the solution, a notification instructing the occupant to block external light using the sun visor of the vehicle may be made. In this way, if the registration of the face image fails due to whiteout, the occupant can more easily recognize what he or she should do to succeed in the registration.

[0037] When the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit 101 corresponds to an image captured with a face orientation outside the specified range, the notification control unit 105 causes the following notification to be made. As the failure cause notification, a notification indicating that the face image was captured with the face orientation outside the specified range of the occupant may be made. In this way, when the registration of the face image fails due to the image being captured with the face orientation outside the specified range, the occupant can recognize that the image being captured with the face orientation outside the specified range is the cause of the failure. As the solution notification, a notification instructing the occupant to capture the face image with the face orientation within the specified range may be made. As an example, a notification instructing the interior camera 11 to face forward may be made.

[0038] The personal authentication unit 106 performs face authentication. The personal authentication unit 106 compares the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit 101 with the authentication image registered in the storage unit 104. The personal authentication unit 106 may perform the comparison based on the degree of similarity of the shapes of characteristic parts such as the eyes, nose, and mouth, the contour of the face, and the positional relationship between the characteristic parts. The personal authentication unit 106 may establish face authentication when the degree of similarity with the authentication image is equal to or greater than a threshold. On the other hand, when the degree of similarity with the authentication image is less than the threshold, the personal authentication unit 106 may not establish face authentication. The threshold may be arbitrarily settable.

[0039] When face authentication is successful, the personal authentication unit 106 may perform vehicle settings according to the individual for whom face authentication has been successful via the in-vehicle LAN. Examples of vehicle settings according to the individual include seat adjustment, air conditioning settings, etc. according to the individual.

[0040] <Face registration related processing in HCU10> Here, using the flowchart of FIG. 3, an example of the flow of face registration related processing in HCU10 will be described. The flowchart of FIG. 3 may be configured to start when, for example, the opening and closing of the driver's door of the own vehicle and the seating in the driver's seat are detected. The opening and closing of the driver's door may be detected from the signal of the door courtesy switch. The seating in the driver's seat may be detected from the signal of the seating sensor provided in the driver's seat.

[0041] First, in step S1, the face image acquisition unit 101 acquires a face image of the driver of the own vehicle captured by the in-vehicle camera 11. In step S2, the personal authentication unit 106 performs face authentication by comparing the face image acquired in S1 with the authentication image registered in the storage unit 104.

[0042] In step S3, when face authentication is successful (YES in S3), it proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, when face authentication fails (NO in S3), it proceeds to step S5. In step S4, the personal authentication unit 106 causes the vehicle settings to be performed according to the individual for whom face authentication has been successful, and ends the face registration related processing.

[0043] In step S5, when the bad condition determination unit 102 determines that, based on the face image acquired in S1, it corresponds to the wearing of the driver's clothing as a bad condition (YES in S5), it proceeds to step S6. Examples of clothing include the mask, specific clothing, sunglasses, etc. described above. On the other hand, when it is not determined that the driver is wearing clothing (NO in S5), it proceeds to step S7.

[0044] In step S6, the notification control unit 105 issues a solution notification, and the process returns to S1 to repeat the process. If the attachment is a mask, the notification control unit 105 issues a notification to instruct the driver to remove the mask. If the attachment is a specific attachment, the notification control unit 105 issues a notification to instruct the driver to remove the specific attachment. If the attachment is sunglasses, the notification control unit 105 issues a notification to instruct the driver to remove the sunglasses. When returning from S6 to S1, the process may be configured to return to S1 after a certain time has elapsed since the notification of the solution, in order to ensure that the driver has time to implement a solution.

[0045] In step S7, if the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines, based on the face image acquired in S1, that the adverse condition corresponds to capturing a face image with a face direction outside the specified range of the occupant (YES in S7), the process proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the adverse condition does not correspond to capturing a face image with a face direction outside the specified range of the occupant (NO in S7), the process proceeds to step S9. In step S8, the notification control unit 105 causes a solution notification to be issued, and the process returns to S1 to repeat the process. The notification control unit 105 causes a notification to be issued instructing to capture a face image with a face direction within the specified range of the occupant. When returning from S8 to S1, the process may be configured to return to S1 after a certain time has elapsed since the solution notification.

[0046] In step S9, the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines the reliability of the face image acquired in S1. The reliability of the face image may be, for example, a value of the reliability of the extracted parts when the eyes, nose, mouth, face contour, etc. are extracted from the face image by image recognition technology. The reliability of the extracted parts is assumed to be lower when the brightness of the image is too high or too low, or when a part of the extracted parts is missing. The adverse condition determination unit 102 may determine that the reliability of the face image is high when this reliability value is equal to or higher than a threshold value. The threshold value referred to here may be arbitrarily set. The extraction of the eyes, nose, mouth, face contour, etc. from the face image may be configured to be performed by a control unit of the indoor camera 11.

[0047] In step S9, if the reliability of the face image is high (YES in S9), the process proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, if the reliability of the face image is not high (NO in S9), the process proceeds to step S11. If the reliability of the face image is not high, it is assumed to be the case of blown out highlights or shadows as described above. In step S10, the registration unit 103 registers the face image acquired in S1 as an image for authentication, and the face registration-related process ends.

[0048] In step S11, if the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the adverse condition corresponds to whiteout based on the face image acquired in S1 (YES in S11), the process proceeds to step S12. On the other hand, if the adverse condition determination unit 102 does not determine that the adverse condition corresponds to whiteout (NO in S11), the adverse condition determination unit 102 determines that the adverse condition corresponds to shadowing, and the process proceeds to step S13. In this case, the adverse condition determination unit 102 also distinguishes and determines which area of ​​the occupant's face is shaded.

[0049] In step S12, the notification control unit 105 causes a solution notification to be made, and the process returns to S1 to repeat the process. The notification control unit 105 causes a notification to be made to instruct the user to block external light using the sun visor of the vehicle. When returning from S12 to S1, the process may be configured to return to S1 after a certain time has elapsed since the solution notification.

[0050] In step S13, the notification control unit 105 causes a solution notification to be performed, and the process returns to S1 to repeat the process. The notification control unit 105 causes a notification indicating which area of ​​the occupant's face is in shadow, as well as a notification instructing the occupant to remove any obstruction between the interior camera 11 and the occupant's face. When returning from S12 to S1, the process may be configured to return to S1 after a certain time has elapsed since the solution notification.

[0051] The process of S9 may be omitted. In this case, the process may proceed from S7 to S11. If the result of S11 is NO and the adverse condition determination unit 102 has determined that the condition corresponds to shadow casting, the process may proceed to step S13. If the result of S11 is NO and the adverse condition determination unit 102 has not determined that the condition corresponds to shadow casting, the process may return to S1 and be repeated. In this case, for example, the notification control unit 105 may issue a notification indicating that the cause of the failure in registering the face image is unknown.

[0052] In the example of Fig. 3, the trigger for starting the face registration related process is the detection of the opening and closing of the driver's door of the vehicle and the seating of the driver's seat, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the face registration related process may be started when an input requesting the registration of a face image is received by the user input device 13. When this configuration is adopted, the process of S2 to S4 in the flowchart of Fig. 3 may be omitted, and the process may proceed from S1 to S5.

[0053] According to the configuration of the first embodiment, when it is determined that the facial image of the occupant captured by the indoor camera 11 corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of adverse conditions that are not appropriate for facial authentication, the facial image is not registered as an authentication image. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the registration of a facial image that is not appropriate for authentication as a facial image for authentication, and to perform more accurate authentication. In addition, when it is determined that the facial image of the occupant captured by the indoor camera 11 corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of adverse conditions that are not appropriate for facial authentication, at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the facial image corresponds and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition is performed. Therefore, the occupant who receives this notification can know the cause of the failure of the registration of the facial image and a solution to make the registration of the facial image successful. Therefore, even if the registration of the facial image fails at first, it is possible to more easily lead to the success of the registration of the facial image. As a result, even when the registration of the facial image for authentication is performed automatically, it is possible to register a facial image that can perform more accurate authentication while reducing the effort of registration.

[0054] (Embodiment 2) In the first embodiment, the face registration-related process is performed by the HCU 10, but this is not necessarily limited to the above. For example, the face registration-related process may be performed by an electronic control device other than the HCU 10. In this case, the electronic control device other than the HCU 10 corresponds to the vehicle face registration control device.

[0055] (Disclosed technical idea) This specification discloses multiple technical ideas described in the following multiple dependent claims. Some of the claims may be described in a multiple dependent form, where the subsequent claim alternatively refers to the preceding claim. Furthermore, some of the claims may be described in a multiple dependent form, where the subsequent claim alternatively refers to the preceding claim. The claims described in these multiple dependent forms define multiple technical ideas. (Technical thought 1) A vehicle face registration control device that registers face images used for face authentication of vehicle occupants, a facial image acquisition unit (101) for acquiring a facial image of the occupant captured by an imaging device (11) used in the vehicle; a registration unit (103) that registers the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit as an authentication image that is a face image used for the face authentication; a bad condition determination unit (102) that determines whether the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of bad conditions that are not suitable for the face authentication by distinguishing the types of the bad conditions; a notification control unit (105) for, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to the adverse condition, issuing at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the facial image corresponds and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition; A face registration control device for a vehicle, wherein when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit does not fall under the adverse conditions, the registration unit registers the face image as the authentication image, and when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under the adverse conditions, the registration unit does not register the face image as the authentication image. (Technical thought 2) A vehicle face registration control device according to Technical Concept 1, The adverse condition discrimination unit, a face registration control device for a vehicle, uses a learning device that has been pre-trained to distinguish and discriminate between types of adverse conditions to distinguish and discriminate between types of adverse conditions, and determines whether the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit falls under any of multiple types of adverse conditions that are not suitable for facial recognition. (Technical Thought 3) A face registration control device for a vehicle according to Technical Idea 1 or 2, the adverse condition determination unit is configured to determine whether the occupant is wearing a mask as a type of the adverse condition, The notification control unit is a face registration control device for a vehicle that, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to the occupant wearing a mask, issues at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing a mask and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the mask. (Technical Thought 4) A face registration control device for a vehicle according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 3, the adverse condition determination unit is configured to determine, as a type of the adverse condition, whether or not the occupant is wearing an article of clothing that covers the occupant's neck, The notification control unit is a face registration control device for a vehicle that, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to the occupant being wearing an attachment that covers the neck, issues at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing an attachment that covers the neck and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the attachment that covers the neck. (Technical Thought 5) A face registration control device for a vehicle according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 4, the adverse condition determination unit is configured to determine whether the occupant is wearing sunglasses as a type of adverse condition, The notification control unit is a face registration control device for a vehicle that, when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to the occupant wearing sunglasses, issues at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing sunglasses and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the sunglasses. (Technical Thought 6) A face registration control device for a vehicle according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 5, the adverse condition determination unit determines, as a type of the adverse condition, an adverse condition in which a shadow is cast on a face of the occupant by distinguishing which area of ​​the face of the occupant is in shadow, The notification control unit, when the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit is determined by the adverse condition determination unit to be an adverse condition in which a shadow is cast on the occupant's face, issues at least one of the following notifications: a notification indicating the adverse condition of a shadow being cast on the occupant's face, a notification indicating which area of ​​the occupant's face is in shadow, and a notification instructing the removal of any obstructions between the imaging device and the occupant's face. (Technical Thought 7) A face registration control device for a vehicle according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 6, the adverse condition determination unit distinguishes and determines a type of the adverse condition as a result of a highlighting of the face image, The notification control unit is a face registration control device for a vehicle that, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to the blown-out highlights, issues at least one of a notification indicating the blown-out highlights and a notification instructing the user to use the sun visor of the vehicle to block external light. (Technical Thought 8) A face registration control device for a vehicle according to any one of technical concepts 1 to 7, the adverse condition determination unit distinguishes and determines, as a type of adverse condition, whether the facial image of the occupant is captured with a facial orientation outside a specified range, The notification control unit of the vehicle face registration control device issues at least one of a notification indicating that the face image of the occupant has been captured with a face direction outside a specified range, and a notification instructing the occupant to capture the face image with a face direction within a specified range, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to an image captured with a face direction outside a specified range.

Claims

1. A vehicle face registration control device that registers face images used for face authentication of vehicle occupants, a face image acquisition unit (101) for acquiring a face image of the occupant captured by an imaging device (11) used in the vehicle; a registration unit (103) that registers the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit as an authentication image that is a face image used for the face authentication; a bad condition determination unit (102) that determines whether the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of bad conditions that are not suitable for the face authentication by distinguishing the types of the bad conditions; a notification control unit (105) for, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to the adverse condition, issuing at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the facial image corresponds and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition; the registration unit registers the face image as the authentication image when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit does not fall under the adverse conditions, whereas the registration unit does not register the face image as the authentication image when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under the adverse conditions, the adverse condition determination unit is configured to determine whether the occupant is wearing a mask as a type of the adverse condition, The notification control unit is a face registration control device for a vehicle that, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to the occupant wearing a mask, issues at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing a mask and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the mask.

2. A vehicle face registration control device that registers face images used for face authentication of vehicle occupants, a face image acquisition unit (101) for acquiring a face image of the occupant captured by an imaging device (11) used in the vehicle; a registration unit (103) that registers the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit as an authentication image that is a face image used for the face authentication; a bad condition determination unit (102) that determines whether the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of bad conditions that are not suitable for the face authentication by distinguishing the types of the bad conditions; a notification control unit (105) for, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to the adverse condition, issuing at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the facial image corresponds and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition; the registration unit registers the face image as the authentication image when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit does not fall under the adverse conditions, whereas the registration unit does not register the face image as the authentication image when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under the adverse conditions, the adverse condition determination unit is configured to determine, as a type of the adverse condition, whether or not the occupant is wearing an article of clothing that covers the occupant's neck, The notification control unit is a face registration control device for a vehicle that, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to the occupant being wearing an attachment that covers the neck, issues at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing an attachment that covers the neck and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the attachment that covers the neck.

3. A vehicle face registration control device that registers face images used for face authentication of vehicle occupants, a face image acquisition unit (101) for acquiring a face image of the occupant captured by an imaging device (11) used in the vehicle; a registration unit (103) that registers the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit as an authentication image that is a face image used for the face authentication; a bad condition determination unit (102) that determines whether the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of bad conditions that are not suitable for the face authentication by distinguishing the types of the bad conditions; a notification control unit (105) for, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to the adverse condition, issuing at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the facial image corresponds and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition; the registration unit registers the face image as the authentication image when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit does not fall under the adverse conditions, whereas the registration unit does not register the face image as the authentication image when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit falls under the adverse conditions, the adverse condition determination unit is configured to determine whether the occupant is wearing sunglasses as a type of adverse condition, The notification control unit is a face registration control device for a vehicle that, when the adverse condition discrimination unit determines that the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit corresponds to the occupant wearing sunglasses, issues at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing sunglasses and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the sunglasses.

4. 2. The vehicle face registration control device according to claim 1, The adverse condition discrimination unit, a face registration control device for a vehicle, uses a learning device that has been pre-trained to distinguish and discriminate between types of adverse conditions to distinguish and discriminate between types of adverse conditions, and determines whether the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit falls under any of multiple types of adverse conditions that are not suitable for facial recognition.

5. The vehicle face registration control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the adverse condition determination unit determines, as a type of the adverse condition, an adverse condition in which a shadow is cast on a face of the occupant by distinguishing which area of ​​the face of the occupant is in shadow, The notification control unit, when the facial image acquired by the facial image acquisition unit is determined by the adverse condition determination unit to be an adverse condition in which a shadow is cast on the occupant's face, issues at least one of the following notifications: a notification indicating the adverse condition of a shadow being cast on the occupant's face, a notification indicating which area of ​​the occupant's face is in shadow, and a notification instructing the removal of any obstructions between the imaging device and the occupant's face.

6. The vehicle face registration control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the adverse condition determination unit distinguishes and determines a type of the adverse condition as a result of a highlighting of the face image, The notification control unit is a face registration control device for a vehicle that, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to the blown-out highlights, issues at least one of a notification indicating the blown-out highlights and a notification instructing the user to use the sun visor of the vehicle to block external light.

7. The vehicle face registration control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the adverse condition determination unit distinguishes and determines, as a type of adverse condition, whether the facial image of the occupant is captured with a facial orientation outside a specified range, The notification control unit of the vehicle face registration control device issues at least one of a notification indicating that the face image of the occupant has been captured with a face direction outside a specified range, and a notification instructing the occupant to capture the face image with a face direction within a specified range, when the adverse condition determination unit determines that the face image acquired by the face image acquisition unit corresponds to an image captured with a face direction outside a specified range.

8. A vehicle face registration control method for registering a face image used for face authentication of a vehicle occupant, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, a facial image acquisition step of acquiring a facial image of the occupant captured by an imaging device used in the vehicle; a registration step of registering the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step as an authentication image which is a face image used for the face authentication; a bad condition determination step of determining whether the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of bad conditions that are not suitable for the face authentication by distinguishing the types of the bad conditions; a notification control step of, when it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under the adverse condition, issuing at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the face image falls and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition; In the registration step, if it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step does not fall under the adverse conditions, the face image is registered as the authentication image, whereas if it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under the adverse conditions, the face image is not registered as the authentication image, In the adverse condition determining step, the type of the adverse condition is determined by distinguishing whether the occupant is wearing a mask, In the notification control process, when the adverse condition determination process determines that the facial image acquired in the facial image acquisition process corresponds to the occupant wearing a mask, at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing a mask and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the mask is issued.

9. A vehicle face registration control method for registering a face image used for face authentication of a vehicle occupant, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, a facial image acquisition step of acquiring a facial image of the occupant captured by an imaging device used in the vehicle; a registration step of registering the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step as an authentication image which is a face image used for the face authentication; a bad condition determination step of determining whether the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of bad conditions that are not suitable for the face authentication by distinguishing the types of the bad conditions; a notification control step of, when it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under the adverse condition, issuing at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the face image falls and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition; In the registration step, if it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step does not fall under the adverse conditions, the face image is registered as the authentication image, whereas if it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under the adverse conditions, the face image is not registered as the authentication image, In the adverse condition determining step, a type of the adverse condition is determined by distinguishing whether or not the occupant is wearing an article of clothing that covers the occupant's neck, In the notification control process, when the adverse condition determination process determines that the facial image acquired in the facial image acquisition process corresponds to the occupant being wearing an article of clothing that covers the neck, the method performs at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing an article of clothing that covers the neck and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the article of clothing that covers the neck.

10. A vehicle face registration control method for registering a face image used for face authentication of a vehicle occupant, comprising: Executed by at least one processor, a facial image acquisition step of acquiring a facial image of the occupant captured by an imaging device used in the vehicle; a registration step of registering the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step as an authentication image which is a face image used for the face authentication; a bad condition determination step of determining whether the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step corresponds to any one of a plurality of types of bad conditions that are not suitable for the face authentication by distinguishing the types of the bad conditions; a notification control step of, when it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under the adverse condition, issuing at least one of a notification indicating the adverse condition to which the face image falls and a notification indicating a solution to the adverse condition; In the registration step, if it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step does not fall under the adverse conditions, the face image is registered as the authentication image, whereas if it is determined in the adverse condition determination step that the face image acquired in the face image acquisition step falls under the adverse conditions, the face image is not registered as the authentication image, In the adverse condition determining step, the type of the adverse condition is determined by distinguishing whether the occupant is wearing sunglasses, In the notification control process, when the adverse condition discrimination process determines that the facial image acquired in the facial image acquisition process corresponds to the occupant wearing sunglasses, the vehicle face registration control method causes at least one of a notification indicating that the occupant is wearing sunglasses and a notification instructing the occupant to remove the sunglasses to be issued.

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