Management server, telework management support system, telework management support method and program

Abstract

To prevent an authentication face image of a PC for telework from increasing of a data capacity or from increasing of a load of face authentication processing by selecting the authentication face image according to a working condition at telework working time depending on needs.SOLUTION: A management server that acquires a face image imaged by an imaging apparatus, that performs authentication processing by comparing a first face image acquired for the authentication processing with a third face image selected among a pre-registered plurality of second face images, and that can be connected to an information processing terminal which detects a labor event or a security incident on the basis of the performed authentication processing, groups the plurality of second face images to manage, and selects at least one of a plurality of groups being managed. And the management server transmits the face image in the selected group as the third face image to an information processing apparatus, as the face image performing the authentication processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to management of telework users in telework (remote work). [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, an increasing number of companies are implementing teleworking (remote work) due to the realization of work style reform, business continuity in the event of a disaster, and attention to energy saving measures. The basis for this is the spread of broadband and the development of information security technology.

[0003] When implementing telework, it may be necessary to monitor remote locations to manage the working conditions of telework users (remote workers) and to prevent confidential information leaks due to the operation of information processing devices by impersonating users, but it is extremely difficult for an administrator to constantly monitor telework users (remote workers) and remote locations. For this reason, some telework systems incorporate a function that periodically transmits information about telework users and remote locations to an administrator for monitoring.

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes a mechanism for detecting face areas in an image captured by a camera device, and determining an authentication error if the number of corresponding face areas is 0 or 2 or more, and for performing user authentication if the number of corresponding face areas is 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-211381 A DISCLOSURE OF THEINVENTION [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Teleworking is a flexible way of working that makes effective use of location and time. How the face of a teleworker appears in a photograph varies depending on the work location, the lighting environment of the day, the location of the camera, the direction of the face relative to the camera, etc. (hereafter collectively referred to as teleworking conditions), and the teleworking conditions have a significant impact on the results of identity authentication.

[0007] When using the mechanism provided in Patent Document 1, leaving a desk or a third party peering in can be detected, but if there is only one face area, there is a possibility of erroneous recognition of identity due to differences in how the user appears due to teleworking work conditions. If the accuracy of available face recognition technology is low, a person may be unable to frequently use an information processing device despite being the person in question.

[0008] In order to prevent the above-mentioned erroneous recognition and to improve the accuracy of identity authentication under multiple teleworking conditions, it is possible to register a large number of face images for authentication and perform identity authentication. However, this increases the processing load of authentication processing from a large number of face images for authentication and the data capacity of the face images for authentication, which increases the load on the information processing terminals (telework PCs) used by teleworkers.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention aims to prevent delayed response due to an increase in the data capacity of authentication facial images on a telework PC or an increase in the load of facial recognition processing by allowing a user to select an authentication facial image as needed in accordance with working conditions during telework. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, the information processing device according to the present invention comprises: An acquisition means for acquiring first information regarding an environment when a face is photographed by an imaging means; a setting means for setting second information used for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means in accordance with first information about the environment acquired by the acquisition means; a control means for controlling authentication of a face included in an image captured by the imaging means based on the second information set by the setting means; Equipped with The second information used for face authentication set by the setting means includes information on the orientation of the face to be authenticated. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent an increase in the data capacity of authentication facial images on a telework PC and an increase in the load of facial recognition processing by allowing a user to select an authentication facial image as needed in accordance with working conditions during telework. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of a telework management support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device applicable to a management server 101, a teleworker PC 111, and an administrator PC 121 in an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a telework management support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the overall telework processing of selecting a face image for authentication and transmitting evidence data according to working conditions of the telework management support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a selection process of a face image for authentication according to working conditions of the telework management support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a registration process of evidence data and a usable face image for authentication of a telework management support system in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of updating a face image for authentication of a favorite working condition in the telework management support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a screen on a telework PC on which a user specifies working conditions in an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen for starting telework after updating of the authentication face image in accordance with the working conditions has been completed in the telework management support system of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 10] A figure showing an example of a screen of an image captured during telework in the telework management support system of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] A figure showing an example of a screen of an image captured during telework in the telework management support system of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] A figure showing an example of a screen of an image captured during telework in the telework management support system of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a data table in which user information is registered in the telework management support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a data table in which favorite working condition information is registered in the telework management support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is a diagram showing an example of a data table in which list information of face images for authentication of favorite working conditions is registered in the telework management support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 16] A figure showing an example of a data table in which evidence data information is registered in the telework management support system of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a data table in which available authentication face image information is registered in the telework management support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of data of authentication face image information filtered based on some work conditions (work place and lighting environment) in the telework management support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 19]FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of data of authentication face image information grouped by face direction for the data example of FIG. 18 in the telework management support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of data after the reliability of each piece of authentication face image information for each group is calculated for the data example of FIG. 19 in the telework management support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of data after the data example of FIG. 20 is sorted in descending order according to the reliability of each piece of authentication face image information for each group in the telework management support system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] 11 is a screen image diagram for explaining the process of registering a workplace and a face image for authentication in the telework management support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 23] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for changing telework working conditions while the telework system is in use in the telework management support system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a telework management support system according to the present invention.

[0015] The telework management support system 100 is configured such that one or more management servers 101, one or more teleworker PCs 111, and one or more administrator PCs 121 are connected via the Internet 130.

[0016] The management server 101 is a server that centrally manages information on the presence / absence status of teleworkers, information on working hours, and the like as telework information, and is constructed on a service environment network 104 .

[0017] The teleworker PC 111 and the administrator PC 121 connect to the management server 101 through authentication processing using a user ID and a password, and when the management server 101 receives telework information from the teleworker PC 111, it stores the information in the database of the management server 101. Also, when there is a request from the administrator PC 121 to obtain telework information, the necessary telework information is retrieved from the database of the management server 101.

[0018] The teleworker PC 111 is a terminal that receives applications (declarations) from teleworkers as to whether they are at work or not, and detects whether the teleworker is at his / her desk from images captured by a connected imaging device. It exists on the home / office network 110, and information indicating whether the teleworker is at work or not and whether he / she is at his / her desk is created by a dedicated application and transmitted to the management server 101 via the router 112, the Internet 130, and the router 103.

[0019] The administrator's PC 121 is a terminal for checking telework information and exists on the in-house network 120. To check the telework information, a web management console (which runs on a web browser) is used and the administrator's PC 121 is connected to the management server 101 via router 122, the Internet 130, and router 103.

[0020] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device applicable to the management server 101, the teleworker PC 111, and the administrator PC 121 in the embodiment of the present invention. Since each device has a similar configuration, the same reference numerals will be used for the explanation.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the information processing device has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203, a storage device 204, an input controller 205, an audio input controller 206, a video controller 207, a memory controller 208, and a communication I / F controller 209 connected via a system bus 200.

[0022] The CPU 201 comprehensively controls each device and controller connected to the system bus 200 .

[0023] ROM 202 or storage device 204 holds the BIOS (Basic Input / Output System) and OS (Operating System), which are control programs executed by CPU 201, computer-readable and executable programs for realizing this information processing method, and various necessary data (including data tables).

[0024] The RAM 203 functions as a main memory, a work area, etc., for the CPU 201. The CPU 201 loads programs and the like required for executing processes from the ROM 202 or the storage device 204 into the RAM 203, and executes the loaded programs to realize various operations.

[0025] The input controller 205 controls input from the input device 210. Examples of the input device 210 include a keyboard, a touch panel, and a pointing device such as a mouse.

[0026] When the input device 210 is a touch panel, the user can give various instructions by pressing (touching with a finger or the like) an icon, cursor, or button displayed on the touch panel.

[0027] The touch panel may be a touch panel capable of detecting positions touched by multiple fingers, such as a multi-touch screen.

[0028] When the microphone / speaker 211 operates as a microphone, the voice input controller 206 controls the voice input from the microphone / speaker 211 and is capable of recognizing the voice input from the microphone / speaker 211. When the microphone / speaker 211 operates as a speaker, the voice input controller 206 controls the voice output to the microphone / speaker 211 and is capable of outputting voice to the microphone / speaker 211.

[0029] The video controller 207 controls display on an external output device such as a display 212. The display also includes the display of a notebook computer integrated with the main body. Note that the external output device is not limited to a display, and may be, for example, a projector. In addition, an input device 210 is provided for a device capable of receiving the above-mentioned touch operation.

[0030] The video controller 207 is capable of controlling a video memory (VRAM) for display control, and can use part of the RAM 203 as the video memory area, or can provide a separate dedicated video memory.

[0031] In the present invention, the information processing device has a first video memory area used for display when the user normally uses the information processing device, and a second video memory area used for displaying a predetermined screen by superimposing the display content of the first video memory area. The number of video memory areas is not limited to two, and the information processing device may have multiple video memory areas as long as the resources of the information processing device permit.

[0032] The memory controller 208 controls access to the external memory 213. As the external memory, an external storage device (hard disk) for storing a boot program, various applications, font data, user files, edit files, and various data, a flexible disk (FD), or a compact flash (registered trademark) memory connected to a PCMCIA card slot via an adapter, etc., can be used.

[0033] The communication I / F controller 209 connects to and communicates with external devices via a network 214, and executes communication control processing on the network. For example, communication using TCP / IP, communication using telephone lines such as ISDN, and communication using 3G lines for mobile phones are possible.

[0034] The storage device 204 is a medium for permanently storing information, and is not limited to a storage device such as a hard disk. For example, the storage device 204 may be a medium such as an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0035] It can also be used as a temporary memory area during various processes carried out by the communication terminal in this embodiment.

[0036] The CPU 201 enables display on the display 212 by, for example, executing a process of expanding (rasterizing) an outline font in a display information area in the RAM 203. The CPU 201 also enables a user to give instructions using a mouse cursor (not shown) or the like on the display 212.

[0037] Next, an example of the functional configuration of each device in the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0038] The teleworker PC 111 includes an acquisition unit 311 that acquires a face image, a first authentication unit 312 that performs face authentication, and an event detection unit 313 that detects an event based on the result of authentication.

[0039] The acquisition unit 311 acquires an image of the face of the teleworker and an image of the surrounding environment of the telework from an imaging device provided in or connected to the teleworker PC 111 .

[0040] The first authentication unit 312 compares a facial image selected from pre-registered facial images managed by the management server 101 with the facial image acquired by the acquisition unit 311, and performs authentication processing for the teleworker.

[0041] The event detection unit 313 detects events such as a work event (leaving or sitting down) or a security incident (impersonation or peeking) based on the result of the authentication process by the first authentication unit 312.

[0042] The management server 101 includes a group management unit 301 that groups and manages facial images, a selection unit 302 that selects one from the group, a transmission unit 303 that transmits the facial images of the selected group to the teleworker PC 111, a facial direction ratio acquisition unit 304 that acquires the direction ratio of the facial images, a second authentication unit 305 that performs facial recognition processing in the management server 101, and an accuracy change unit 306 that changes the accuracy of the facial image selected based on the event detection result.

[0043] The group management unit 301 groups pre-registered facial images for authentication based on the workplace where the telework is performed, lighting conditions, the proportion of facial orientation, and the accuracy of the facial image (reliability of detection).

[0044] The selection unit 302 accepts at least one selection from the multiple groups grouped by the group management unit 301 .

[0045] The transmission unit 303 transmits the group of face images selected by the selection unit 302 to the teleworker PC 111.

[0046] The face direction ratio acquisition unit 304 acquires the ratio of the face direction of the face image acquired from the acquisition unit 311 of the teleworker PC 111. The ratio of the face direction may be acquired from the ratio of the face direction of the teleworker in the past, or may be input by the user (804) described later in FIG.

[0047] If authentication is not possible with the first authentication unit 312 of the teleworker PC 111, the second authentication unit 305 acquires a facial image acquired by the acquisition unit 311 of the teleworker PC 111 and performs authentication processing by comparing it with a facial image for authentication that has been registered in advance.

[0048] The certainty change unit 306 changes the certainty (reliability) of the facial images of the group selected by the selection unit 302 based on the result of event detection detected by the authentication process by the second authentication unit 305 and the result from the authentication result transmission unit 323 of the administrator PC 121. The changed certainty is taken into consideration when the group management unit 301 regroups the facial images for authentication.

[0049] The administrator PC 121 includes a face image receiving unit 321 for receiving a face image, a face authentication input accepting unit 322, and an authentication result transmitting unit 323.

[0050] A face image receiving unit 321 receives the face image acquired by the acquisition unit 311 of the teleworker PC 111 at the manager PC 121 .

[0051] The face authentication input receiving unit 322 presents the face image received by the face image receiving unit 321 to the administrator operating the administrator's PC, and receives input from the administrator to confirm whether the teleworker is the real person.

[0052] The authentication result transmission unit 323 transmits the authentication result accepted by the face authentication input acceptance unit 322 to the management server 101 .

[0053] With these configurations, when authenticating whether the user of the teleworker PC 111 is a teleworker, the user can select an authentication facial image that corresponds to the working conditions during teleworking, thereby preventing delayed response due to an increased load on the facial recognition processing of the telework PC.

[0054] In this embodiment, the functions of the group management unit 301 to the accuracy change unit 306 are provided in the management server 101, but it is also possible to configure the manager's PC 121 to have these components, for example.

[0055] Next, with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 4, the overall telework processing of selecting a face image for authentication according to working conditions and transmitting evidence data in the telework management support system according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0056] The processes of steps S401 to S403, S411 to S416, and S419 shown in FIG. 4 are processes in which the CPU 201 of the teleworker PC 111 reads out and executes a predetermined control program.

[0057] Moreover, the processes of steps S404 to S410, S417 to S418, and S420 are processes in which the CPU 201 of the management server 101 reads out and executes a predetermined control program.

[0058] The flowchart in Figure 4 shows the flow of processing that starts when a teleworker operating at a remote location connects to an in-house network from the teleworker PC 111. For example, this is processing that is executed after the teleworker starts a telework application on the teleworker PC 111. Note that in the following flowchart, the application that is started is described as a client-server application for telework, but it may also be a web application for telework. Also, the teleworker PC 111 may start the application as a resident application and perform the subsequent processing in the background.

[0059] First, in step S401, the teleworker PC 111 accepts the login of the teleworker after starting a telework application. The teleworker PC 111 accepts the login with the teleworker's user ID and password. The accepted user ID and password are sent to the management server 101 by communication not shown in Fig. 4, and are compared with the teleworker's information stored in the management server (Fig. 13), and if they match, the login is permitted. The user ID and password are set by the teleworker when the resident application is started for the first time, and the set values ​​may be used thereafter.

[0060] Now, with reference to FIG. 13, an example of a user information management table in the telework management support system of the present invention will be described.

[0061] User information management table 1300 in Figure 13 is a table for managing user information of users who use the telework management support system of the present invention, and includes items such as user ID 1301, name 1302, password 1303, administrator flag 1304, administrator ID 1305, registration date and time 1306, and last login date and time 1307.

[0062] The user ID 1301 is an item for identifying a user who uses the telework management support system of the present invention, and an alphanumeric string is registered therein.

[0063] Name 1302 is an item for recording the name of the user, and the name of the user is registered.

[0064] The password 1303 is an item for user authentication, and the password of the user is registered.

[0065] The administrator flag 1304 is an item indicating whether the user is an administrator. If the user is an administrator, "T (True)" is registered. If the user is not an administrator, "F (False)" is registered.

[0066] The administrator ID 1305 is an item for indicating the administrator of the user, and the user ID of the administrator of the user is registered in this item. This item can be used only when the administrator flag 1304 is "F (False)".

[0067] The registration date and time 1306 is an item for recording the date and time when the user was registered, and the time when the user was registered is registered.

[0068] The last login date and time 1307 is an item for recording the date and time of the last login, and the time when the user last logged in is registered.

[0069] As described above, when a teleworker logs in, the management server authenticates the user by checking the user ID 1301 and password 1303 in the user information management table 1300. After the user is authenticated, the last login date and time 1307 is updated. Returning to the explanation of FIG. 4.

[0070] In the next step S402, the teleworker PC 111 accepts input of telework working conditions from the teleworker. The teleworker can specify the conditions using a telework working conditions specification screen exemplified in Fig. 8. An example of the telework working conditions specification screen on the teleworker PC 111 of the telework management support system of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8.

[0071] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a screen image for accepting specification of teleworking conditions from a user on the teleworker PC 111 in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0072] The teleworking working conditions designation screen includes a favorite conditions designation 801 , a work location designation 802 , a lighting environment designation 803 , a face direction pattern designation 804 , an OK button 805 , and a cancel button 806 .

[0073] Favorite condition specification 801 is a section for specifying whether to use favorite working conditions (FIG. 14) that have already been registered in the management server 101 or the teleworker PC 111. The favorite working conditions information management table in FIG. 14 will be described.

[0074] FIG. 14 is an example of a favorite working condition information management table possessed by a management server or a teleworker PC 111 in an embodiment of the present invention, and includes the following items: favorite working condition ID 1401, user ID 1402, work location 1403, lighting environment 1404, left-facing face (probability) 1405, frontal face (probability) 1406, and right-facing face (probability) 1407.

[0075] Favorite working condition ID 1401 is a unique item for identifying favorite working condition information in the telework management support system of the present invention.

[0076] In the user ID 1402, the user ID (1301 in FIG. 13) of the teleworker who has set the favorite working condition ID 1401 is registered.

[0077] Work place information input in 2201 in Fig. 22, which will be described later, is registered in the work place 1403. The teleworker selects his / her favorite working conditions using this work place information as a key.

[0078] The lighting environment 1404 stores the lighting environment in the workplace, and holds values ​​such as "sunny" and "not sunny," for example.

[0079] 1405 to 1407 register the probability of face orientation at each workplace.

[0080] With reference to Figures 10 to 12, we will explain an example of a display screen for the "face direction pattern", which is one of the telework working conditions during teleworking in the telework management support system of the present invention, and a face image captured by a camera in the telework management support system.

[0081] 10 shows the case of a face facing left. It consists of 1010 showing the positional relationship between the teleworker and the camera, and a corresponding display screen 1020 of a face image captured by a camera in the telework management support system.

[0082] Reference numeral 1010 denotes a pattern in which the face of a teleworker 1011 is facing slightly to the left of a camera 1014. The camera 1014 is installed on a monitor 1013, and this situation occurs when the teleworker 1011 is looking at another monitor 1012.

[0083] A display screen 1020 showing a face image captured by a camera in a situation corresponding to 1010 shows a teleworker with his face turned to the left.

[0084] 11 shows the case of a face facing forward. It consists of 1110 showing the positional relationship between the teleworker and the camera, and a corresponding display screen 1120 of the face image captured by the camera in the telework management support system.

[0085] Pattern 1110 shows that the face of the teleworker 1111 faces directly ahead toward the camera 1114. In this case, the teleworker 1111 is looking at a monitor 1113 in front of the camera 1114.

[0086] A display screen 1120 showing a face image captured by a camera in a situation corresponding to 1110 shows a teleworker with his / her face facing forward.

[0087] 12 shows the case of a face turned to the right. It consists of 1210 showing the positional relationship between the teleworker and the camera, and a screen 1220 displaying the face image captured by the camera in the corresponding telework management support system.

[0088] Pattern 1220 shows that the face of the teleworker 1211 is facing slightly to the right with respect to the camera 1214. The camera 1214 is attached to the monitor 1213, and such a situation can occur when the teleworker 1211 checks, for example, a document (not shown) placed to the right.

[0089] A display screen 1220 showing a face image captured by a camera in a situation corresponding to 1210 includes the following: The teleworker is photographed facing to the right. Let us return to the explanation of the table in Figure 14.

[0090] The face direction probabilities 1405 to 1407 in FIGS. 10 to 12 may be input by a teleworker in 804 in FIG. 8 described later, or the proportion of past face directions at the same workplace may be measured and the probability may be applied.

[0091] As described above, the favorite working conditions information management table 1400 as shown in Fig. 14 makes it possible to use the "favorite working conditions" (Fig. 14) registered in the management server 101 and the teleworker PC 111. Returning to the explanation of the screen image in Fig. 8,

[0092] As shown in Fig. 8, favorite working conditions can be selected from a drop-down list. When a teleworker specifies favorite conditions 801, the details of the favorite working conditions are automatically set in work location specification 802, lighting environment specification 803, and face direction pattern specification 804. When favorite working conditions are not used, the teleworker specifies the following work location specification 802, lighting environment specification 803, and face direction pattern specification 804 individually.

[0093] The work place specification 802 is a section for specifying a work place. As shown in Fig. 8, an available work place can be selected from a drop-down list. Note that a screen image of the work place registration process will be explained later with reference to Fig. 22.

[0094] Lighting environment designation 803 is a section for designating the lighting environment of the workplace on the working day. As shown in Fig. 8, a check box for "sunny" can be checked.

[0095] Face direction pattern specification 804 is a section for specifying the pattern of the face direction captured by the web camera. As shown in Fig. 8, the composition ratio of the face direction can be selected from each of the drop-down lists of "facing left", "facing forward", and "facing right".

[0096] The OK button 805 is a button for accepting the completion of the specification of the teleworking conditions from the teleworker.

[0097] The cancel button 806 is a button for accepting cancellation of the telework working conditions from the teleworker.

[0098] As described above, a teleworker can specify telework conditions using the screen shown in Fig. 8. Next, a screen image of the process of first registering a work location will be described with reference to Fig. 22.

[0099] Fig. 22 is a screen image diagram for explaining the registration process of a workplace and a face image for authentication in an embodiment of the present invention. Note that the registration process performed in the screen image of Fig. 22 is a process performed before a teleworker starts teleworking, and Fig. 22 is a screen image displayed when initially registering a workplace where the telework working conditions are not set as "favorite working conditions".

[0100] 22, 2201 displays an input field for inputting the place of work. In the case of 2201, the place of work is home, so the teleworker inputs "home". For example, if the place of work is a satellite office, "Office A" can be input. If the teleworker PC 111 has a location information detection function (for example, detection from a GPS function, location information of a mobile phone base station, or location information of a Wi-Fi base station), an input value linked to the detected location by default can be input in the 2201 field.

[0101] An area 2202 is a section for designating the lighting environment at the workplace. As shown in area 2202, for example, a check box for "sunny" can be selected.

[0102] A face image captured to register an authentication face image is displayed in 2203. The authentication face image may be the image 2203 captured at the time when the capture button 2204 is pressed, or, for example, the face may be moved freely for 5 seconds after the capture button is pressed, images of the face movement may be captured periodically, and only the face images usable for authentication may be selected and registered.

[0103] This concludes the explanation of the registration process of the workplace and the face image for authentication using the screen image in FIG. 22, and we will now return to the explanation of the flowchart in FIG.

[0104] Next, in step S403 , the teleworker PC 111 accepts the designation process of the telework working conditions by pressing the OK button 805 from the teleworker, and transmits the telework working conditions to the management server 101 .

[0105] Next, in step S404, the management server 101 receives the telework working conditions transmitted from the teleworker PC 111 in step S403.

[0106] Next, in step S405, the management server 101 determines whether the telework working conditions received in step S404 match the "favorite working conditions" of the management server 101. If the "favorite working conditions" of the management server 101 match the telework working conditions received from the teleworker PC 111, the process transitions to step S406, and if the two working conditions do not match, the process transitions to step S409.

[0107] When the processing transitions to step S406, the management server 101 refers to the authentication face image update necessity flag 1503 item in the favorite working conditions authentication face image information management table 1500 (Figure 15) and determines whether or not it is necessary to update the authentication face image for the favorite working conditions.

[0108] Now, with reference to FIG. 15, an example of a face image information management table for authentication of favorite working conditions in the telework management support system of the present invention will be described.

[0109] The favorite working conditions authentication facial image information management table 1500 in Figure 15 is a table for managing favorite working conditions information of the telework management support system in the present invention, and consists of items of favorite working conditions ID 1501, authentication facial image list 1502, and authentication facial image update necessity flag 1503.

[0110] Favorite working condition ID 1501 is an item for identifying favorite working condition information in the telework management support system of the present invention, and the favorite working condition ID 1401 item of the favorite working condition information management table 1400 is registered.

[0111] The authentication facial image list 1502 is an item indicating a list of authentication facial images selected according to the preferred working conditions, and a specified number of facial image ID 1701 items in the authentication facial image information management table 1700 (Figure 17) that can be used are registered.

[0112] An example of an authentication face image information management table that can be used in the telework management support system of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

[0113] The usable authentication facial image information management table 1700 in Figure 17 is a table for managing information on facial photo data (authentication facial image) used for facial recognition of teleworkers in the telework management support system of the present invention, and consists of the following items: facial image ID 1701, user ID 1702, path 1703, shooting time 1704, shooting location 1705, lighting environment 1706, facial direction 1707, number of uses 1708, number of misrecognitions 1709, and reliability 1710.

[0114] The face image ID 1701 is an item having a unique value for identifying a face image for authentication in the telework management support system of the present invention, and an alphanumeric string is registered therein.

[0115] The user ID 1702 is an item indicating the user ID of the teleworker corresponding to the authentication face image, and the user ID 1301 item of the user information management table 1300 is registered therein.

[0116] The path 1703 is an item indicating the storage location of the authentication face image, and indicates a folder path name and a file name. The actual face image data is stored in the location specified by this item.

[0117] The photographing time 1704 is an item for recording the time when the authentication face image was photographed, and the time when the authentication face image was photographed is registered.

[0118] The photographing location 1705 is an item for recording the location where the authentication face image was photographed, and the location where the authentication face image was photographed is registered.

[0119] Lighting environment 1706 is an item for recording the lighting environment when the authentication face image was captured, and either "with lighting" or "without lighting" is set.

[0120] The face direction 1707 is an item for recording the face direction of the authentication face image, and is set to one of "facing left," "facing forward," and "facing right." The face direction can be detected by, for example, a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-151394.

[0121] The number of uses 1708 is an item for recording the number of times the authentication face image has been used for face recognition of a teleworker, and a numeric string is registered therein.

[0122] The number of misrecognitions 1709 is an item for recording the number of times misrecognition occurs when the authentication face image is used for face recognition of a teleworker, and a numeric string is registered therein.

[0123] The reliability 1710 is an item for recording the reliability with which the authentication face image can be used for face recognition of a teleworker, and a numeric string is registered in the reliability 1710 item. The value of the reliability 1710 item of the authentication face image varies depending on the value of the number of uses 1708 item, the value of the number of misrecognitions 1709 item, and the settings of the telework working condition group.

[0124] As described above, an appropriate authentication face image can be selected in accordance with various telework work information from the available authentication face image information management table 1700. After the explanation of the table in Fig. 17, we return to the explanation of the table in Fig. 15.

[0125] The authentication face image update necessity flag 1503 in Fig. 15 is an item indicating whether or not it is necessary to update the authentication face image of the teleworker PC 111 the next time the preferred working conditions are used, and either "yes" or "no" is registered. The value of this authentication face image update necessity flag 1503, "yes" or "no", is a value that is set as a result of the decision branch in step S703 in Fig. 7, which is processing in step S420 described later. Having finished the explanation of the table in Fig. 15, we return to the explanation of the flowchart in Fig. 4.

[0126] In step S406 in Fig. 4, the management server 101 refers to the authentication face image update necessity flag 1503 item in Fig. 15 to determine whether or not it is necessary to update the authentication face image for the favorite working condition. If 1503 is set to "necessary," it is necessary to update the authentication face image used for the favorite working condition to a new one. If it is necessary to update the authentication face image for the favorite working condition, proceed to step S408. If it is not necessary to update the authentication face image for the favorite working condition, proceed to step S407.

[0127] When transitioning to processing of step S407, the management server 101 does not need to update the telework working conditions received in step S404 to "favorite working conditions" (i.e., the data held on the teleworker PC 111 side can remain as is), so the authentication face image to be sent from the management server 101 to the teleworker PC 111 is set to Null (i.e., nothing is sent).

[0128] On the other hand, when the process proceeds to step S408, the management server 101 acquires the authentication face image list 1502 item of the favorite working condition from the authentication face image information management table 1500 (FIG. 15) for the favorite working condition. The authentication face image list 1502 for the favorite working condition is set by the process of step S704 in FIG. 7, which is the process in step S420 described later. That is, the authentication face image is set by referring to the authentication face image information management table 1500 for the favorite working condition that is set after the previous teleworking. After the process of step S408 is completed, the authentication face image update necessity flag 1503 is set to "no" and the flag is reset.

[0129] Furthermore, in step S405, if the telework working conditions received in step S404 do not match the "favorite working conditions" of the management server 101, the process proceeds to step S409, where the management server 101 selects an appropriate face image for authentication based on the telework working conditions received in step S404. Details of step S409 will be described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0130] FIG. 5 is an example of a flowchart showing a process of selecting a face image for authentication according to working conditions of the telework management support system in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0131] The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is a process in which the CPU 201 of the management server 101 reads out and executes a predetermined control program.

[0132] The flowchart in FIG. 5 illustrates processing that starts when the processing in step S409 in FIG. 4 or the processing in step S702 in FIG. 7 is executed.

[0133] First, in step S501, the management server 101 filters data from the available authentication face image information management table 1700 that matches the two items of the telework working conditions received in step S404, namely, “work location” and “lighting environment”.

[0134] Here, an example will be described using telework conditions specified as shown in Fig. 8. The "workplace" of the telework conditions shown in Fig. 8 is "home" and the "lighting environment" is "no sunlight". Therefore, data with the "workplace" item being "home" and the "lighting environment" item being "no sunlight" is filtered from the available authentication face image information management table 1700. An example of the resulting data is shown in Fig. 18.

[0135] In step S502, the management server 101 groups the available authentication face images filtered in step S501 according to face poses.

[0136] Here again, an example will be given of the telework working condition "face direction pattern" specified as in Figure 8. As specified in Figure 8, it is necessary to divide into three groups: "facing left", "facing forward", and "facing right". As a result, as shown in Figure 19, the "facing left" group is 1901, with a total of nine data items. The "facing forward" group is 1902, with a total of 18 data items. The "facing right" group is 1903, with a total of three data items.

[0137] In step S503, the management server 101 repeats the process from this point on for each group.

[0138] In step S504, the management server 101 calculates the total number of uses and the total number of misrecognitions for all of the available authentication face images in the group.

[0139] For example, in the case of the "left facing" group 1901 as shown in FIG. Total number of uses: 20+12+14+25+9+15+30+11+28=164 Total number of false positives: 10+1+7+8+1+3+7+2+4=43 In step S505, the management server 101 determines the rank of the recognition errors for each of all the authentication facial images that can be used in the group. Note that, if the number of recognition errors is the same, the image with the fewer number of uses is ranked higher.

[0140] For example, as shown in FIG. 19, when the data in the "left facing" group 1901 is sorted in descending order by the number of misrecognitions, the result will be as shown in FIG. 20 at 2001. Among them, the data in which the "face image ID" field is "F001" has a "number of misrecognitions" of "10", so its misrecognition rank is set to "1". The data in which the "face image ID" field is "F014" has a "number of misrecognitions" of "8", so its misrecognition rank is set to "2". The data in which the "face image ID" field is "F028" and the data in which the "face image ID" field is "F010" have the same "number of misrecognitions" of "8", so the number of times each is used is also checked. The number of times "F028" is used is "9", and the number of times "F010" is used is "12", so the misrecognition rank of "F028" is set to "8", and the misrecognition rank of "F010" is set to "9".

[0141] The same rule is used to determine the rank order of misrecognition for the data for the other groups. The result for the "facing forward" group is shown in 2002 of FIG. 20. The result for the "facing right" group is shown in 2003 of FIG. 20. In this way, the rank order of misrecognition for each authentication face image is determined.

[0142] In step S506, the management server 101 repeats the process from here for each available authentication face image in the group.

[0143] In step S507, the management server 101 calculates the utilization rate, the individual accuracy rate, and the overall accuracy rate of the available authentication face images in the group.

[0144] For example, as shown in Figure 20, in the case of the "left-facing" group 2001, for "F001", Usage rate: The number of times the applicable facial image for authentication has been used ÷ the total number of times the applicable group has been used =20÷164=0.121951 Individual accuracy rate: (number of times the applicable facial image for authentication is used - the applicable facial image for authentication (Number of times the facial image is misrecognized) / (Number of times the applicable facial image is used for authentication) =(20-10)÷20=0.5 Overall accuracy rate: Number of times the applicable face image for authentication is used - number of times the applicable face image for authentication is used Number of times face images are misrecognized) ÷ (Total number of times the group is used - Number of times the group is used Total number of misrecognitions) = (20-10) ÷ (164-43) = 0.082645 In step S508, the management server 101 calculates and updates the reliability of the available authentication face image from the calculation result in step S507.

[0145] A representative example of a method for calculating the confidence is shown below. There are other methods besides the one described here, and other methods may be used to calculate the confidence.

[0146] Reliability of available face images for authentication = Utilization rate of the available face images for authentication × The individual accuracy rate of the available face image for authentication × the accuracy rate of the available face image for authentication Overall accuracy rate × rank of misrecognition of the applicable face image for authentication × 100 For example, in the case of "F001" in the "left-facing morning" group 2001, as shown in Figure 20, Reliability of "F001": 0.121915 x 0.5 x 0.082645 x 1 x 100 =0.503931 The above result is rounded off to the fourth decimal place, and "0.504" is registered in the "reliability" item of "F001" in the "morning left-facing" group 2001 in Fig. 20. The utilization rate, individual accuracy rate, overall accuracy rate, and reliability of other available authentication face image data (other data in the "left-facing" group 2001, or data in the "front facing" group 2002 and data in the "right-facing" group 2003) are also calculated in a similar manner. The final calculation results for all data in all groups are shown in Fig. 20.

[0147] In step S509, the repeat process of step S506 ends. If there is next data in the group, the data is moved to the next data and the process returns to step S506. If there is no next data in the group, the repeat process ends. The process proceeds to step S510.

[0148] In step S510, the management server 101 sorts the group in descending order of reliability and selects the top few available authentication facial images based on the selection ratio of the group in question, in accordance with the setting value of the "face direction pattern" in the telework working conditions.

[0149] For example, when the data in a group is sorted in descending order based on the reliability calculation results shown in FIG. 20, the result is shown in FIG.

[0150] Here again, we will use the telework working conditions specified in Figure 8 as an example. The settings for the "face direction pattern" item in the telework working conditions shown in Figure 8 are "left facing: 0.3," "front facing: 0.6," and "right facing: 0.1." Therefore, the selection ratio of face directions for each time period is as follows: Left facing: 1×0.3=0.3 Front facing: 1×0.6=0.6 Right facing: 1×0.1=0.1

[0151] Further, assume that "10 face images for authentication are required." In the case of the "left-facing" group 2101, the selection ratio is 0.3, so the top three (10×0.3) available face images for authentication, "F081," "F051," and "F032," are selected from the "left-facing" group 2101. When a similar calculation method is performed for the "front facing" group 2102 and the "right facing" group 2103, the top six (10×0.6) available face images for authentication, "F072," "F056," "F096," "F052," "F011," and "F005," are selected from the "front facing" group 2102. The top one (10×0.1) available face image for authentication, "F006," is selected from the "right facing" group 2103.

[0152] In step S511, the repeat process of step S503 ends. If there is a group after the group, the group is moved to the next group and the process returns to step S503. If there is no group after the group, the repeat process ends and all processes are completed.

[0153] Up to this point, in the telework working conditions shown in Fig. 8, where the "workplace" is "home", the "lighting environment" is "no sunlight", the "face direction pattern" is "left facing 0.3, front facing 0.6, right facing 0.1", and "10 face images required for authentication" are set, the appropriate face image list for authentication can be selected from the example data of the usable face image management table for authentication shown in Fig. 17. The results are "F081", "F051", "F032", "F072", "F056", "F096", "F052", "F011", "F005", and "F006".

[0154] As shown in the flowchart in Fig. 5, even if a certain number of face images are acquired, it is difficult to select an appropriate face image depending on the "workplace", "lighting environment", or the "face direction pattern", which is the ratio of the face direction.

[0155] The procedure for the process of selecting a face image for authentication according to working conditions in the telework management support system according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to Fig. 5. Returning to the description of the flowchart in Fig. 4,

[0156] 4, or the authentication face image list for the favorite working conditions set in step S408 (column 1502 in FIG. 15), is acquired, in the next step S410, the management server 101 transmits the acquired authentication face image list to the teleworker PC 111. Note that if the process proceeds to step S410 after the processing of step S407, the authentication face image list does not contain anything, and null information (Null) is transmitted to the teleworker PC 111.

[0157] Next, in step S411, the teleworker PC 111 receives the authentication face image list transmitted in step S410.

[0158] In the next step S412, the teleworker PC 111 updates the authentication face image list held on the teleworker PC 111 side to the authentication face image list received in step S411. Note that if the process transitions to step S412 after the process of step S407, the authentication face image received is null information (Null), so the authentication face image list is not updated. In other words, if the authentication face image list of the favorite working conditions stored on the management server 101 side has not been changed, no extra load is placed on the network or the teleworker PC 111.

[0159] In the next step S413, the teleworker PC 111 displays a comment "update completed and telework started" like message 901 in Fig. 9 to inform the user that updating of the face image for authentication has been completed. When the teleworker presses an OK button 902, the telework process starts, and the acquisition of captured images starts from a camera (such as 1014 in Fig. 10) connected to or attached to the teleworker PC 111.

[0160] In the next step S414, the teleworker PC 111 monitors whether the teleworker ends the telework management process. If a request to end the telework is received, the process proceeds to step S419. If a request to end the telework is not received, the process proceeds to step S415.

[0161] When the process proceeds to step S415, the teleworker PC 111 periodically monitors the working status of the teleworker and detects events during teleworking, such as labor events such as "sitting at a desk" and "leaving a desk" and security incidents such as "impersonation" and "peeking." The event detection process is disclosed in, for example, JP 2015-103198, which was filed by our company in the past, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0162] When detecting an event, the captured "evidence face image" of the user and the "authentication face image" that is used to determine whether the evidence face image matches the teleworker are stored as evidence data together with the detection result. An example of the evidence data information management table that is generated when an event is detected will be described with reference to Fig. 16.

[0163] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a data table in which evidence data information is registered in the telework management support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0164] The evidence data management table 1600 in Figure 16 is a table for managing evidence data information of the telework management support system in the present invention, and includes items such as an evidence ID 1601, a user ID 1602, evidence data storage location 1603, an authentication facial image used 1604, and an identity authentication result 1605.

[0165] The trail ID 1601 is an item for identifying trail data information in the telework management support system of the present invention, and an alphanumeric string is registered therein.

[0166] The user ID 1602 is an item indicating the user ID of the user corresponding to the trail data information, and the user ID 1301 item of the user information management table 1300 is registered therein.

[0167] The evidence data storage destination 1603 is an item indicating the path of the location where the evidence facial image is stored as evidence data, and a folder path is registered therein. This folder path is a path accessible from both the teleworker PC 111 and the management server 101. The evidence data storage destination 1603 is assumed to be the folder path of the evidence facial image, but the evidence facial image file itself may be stored in this table, and the whole table may be transmitted as the evidence facial image when transmitted to the management server 101.

[0168] The face image ID used as the face image for authentication is registered in the used face image for authentication 1604, and the face image ID 1701 item of the authentication face image information management table 1700 available in the teleworker PC 111 is registered.

[0169] The personal authentication result 1605 is an item for recording the event detection result obtained by comparing the face image in the evidence data with the face image for authentication, and one of the following is registered: "sitting at the desk," "leaving the desk," "peeking in," or "impersonation."

[0170] The data for one record in the above table is identified in the process of step S415. Returning to the explanation of the flowchart in FIG.

[0171] The event detection process in step S415 is executed in the background after it is started in step S413 until it is ended in step S414.

[0172] If an event is detected in step S415, the process proceeds to step S416, and the teleworker PC 111 transmits the event detection result detected in step S415 and trail data (one record of the data in FIG. 16) to the management server 101.

[0173] In the next step S417, the management server 101 receives the event detection result and trail data transmitted in step S416.

[0174] In the next step S418, the management server 101 starts a process of re-authentication of the trace face image and a process of registering the trace face image by using the event detection result and the trace data received in step S417. The re-authentication and registration process of the trace face image will be described with reference to FIG.

[0175] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of a registration process of evidence data and a usable face image for authentication in the telework management support system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0176] 6, the CPU 201 of the management server 101 reads and executes a predetermined control program. The CPU 201 of the administrator PC 121 reads and executes a predetermined control program.

[0177] The flowchart in FIG. 6 shows the process that starts when the process transitions to step S418 in FIG.

[0178] First, in step S601 of Fig. 6, the management server 101 performs conditional branching processing based on the event detection result received in step S417. If the received event detection result is "Absent", the process proceeds to step S613, where the information "Absent" and the trace data at the time of absence are registered as evidence data. An example of the registered data is shown in the example on the second line of Fig. 16.

[0179] Also, in step S601, if the event detection result received in step S417 is "sitting" or "peeking in," it has been verified that the photographed users include the teleworker himself, and the process transitions to the next step S610.

[0180] In step S610, the management server 101 increments the number of uses 1708 of the authentication face image used for event detection in step S414 from among the authentication face images (for example, the multiple face images in FIG. 21) held by the teleworker PC 111 by 1. If this number of uses is large relative to the number of false recognitions, the validity (reliability) of the authentication face image is high.

[0181] If "peeking" is determined in step S601, then in the processing of step S610, a command may be sent to the teleworker PC 111 to take security measures, such as issuing a warning such as locking the screen or sounding an error sound, or saving the camera footage as a video.

[0182] After the process of step S610, in step S612, the management server 101 acquires the authenticated evidence face image of the evidence data and stores it as an authentication face image in the management server 101. The stored new authentication face image is used as the authentication face image in step S602 described below.

[0183] Next, in step S613, the management server stores, as evidence data, images captured at the time of teleworker authentication, together with information on whether the worker was “sitting” or “looking in.” Examples of stored data are shown in the first and fourth lines of FIG.

[0184] On the other hand, in step S601, if the event detection result received in step S417 is "spoofing", the process proceeds to step S602.

[0185] In the process proceeding to step S602, the management server 101 acquires the image that could not be authenticated by the teleworker PC 111, and performs a process of authenticating it in the management server 101 as well.

[0186] In step S602, the management server 101 extracts a face area from the captured image received in step S417, and performs identity authentication processing with the authentication face image of the teleworker held by the management server 101. The authentication face images performed in step S602 include many more authentication face images including those held by the teleworker PC 111, and for example, in addition to the face images held by the teleworker PC 111 in Fig. 21, they also include face images saved in step S612 and face images not selected in Fig. 21 (not sent to the teleworker PC 111).

[0187] In step S602, the management server 101 performs authentication processing, and transmits the authentication result to the next step S603.

[0188] In step S603, the management server determines the next process depending on whether the authentication result is "seated" or "spoofing." If the authentication result is "seated," the process proceeds to step S614, and if the authentication result is "spoofing," the process proceeds to step S604.

[0189] When the process proceeds to step S614, that is, when the teleworker is confirmed to be the person through re-authentication by the management server and the authentication result is "seated," this means that the face could not be detected using the authentication face image stored in the teleworker PC 111. Therefore, in step S614, if the result of re-authentication a predetermined number of times or more is "seated," a warning is displayed as to whether there is an error in the telework working conditions of the detected authentication face image, and a process is performed to prompt a change to the telework working conditions. The process of prompting a change to the telework working conditions will be described with reference to FIG. 23.

[0190] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for changing the telework working conditions of the telework management support system while the telework system is being used in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0191] The processing of steps S2301 to S2306 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 23 is processing in which the CPU 201 of the management server 101 reads out and executes a predetermined control program.

[0192] The flowchart in FIG. 23 shows processing that starts when transition is made to the processing of step S614 in FIG.

[0193] First, in step S2301 in Fig. 23, the management server 101 counts the number of times that the authentication result was "seated" in step S603, and determines whether or not the count has reached a predetermined number of times (for example, 10 times). If the count has not reached the predetermined number of times, the process in the flowchart in Fig. 23 ends, and the process returns to the flowchart in Fig. 6.

[0194] On the other hand, in step S2301, if the number of times that the status has been "seated" reaches a predetermined number (for example, 10 times), the process proceeds to step S2302. In step S2302, the management server 101 transmits the name of the favorite working condition (for example, "home" registered in 801) including the authentication face image authenticated during re-authentication in step S602 to the teleworker PC 111, and transmits candidates for which telework working conditions should be changed.

[0195] When the management server 101 transmits to the teleworker PC 111 the name of the preferred working conditions including the authentication facial image authenticated during re-authentication, the teleworker PC 111 accepts from the teleworker whether or not to change the telework working conditions (not shown) and transmits the results of the telework working conditions change to the management server 101.

[0196] In the next step S2303, the management server 101 receives the result of the change of the telework working conditions from the teleworker PC 111.

[0197] Next, in step S2304, the management server 101 judges whether the telework working conditions change result received in step S2303 is changed or left as is, and the subsequent processing is divided according to the judgment result. If the telework working conditions are not changed, the flowchart of Fig. 23 is terminated and the process returns to the flowchart of Fig. 6. On the other hand, if it is judged that the telework working conditions are changed, the process proceeds to step S2305.

[0198] When the process proceeds to step S2305, the management server 101 sets the favorite working conditions changed in step S2304 as the authentication face image list for this process and thereafter. After that, the process proceeds to step S408 in Fig. 4, where an authentication face image is selected, and the processes from step S409 onwards are carried out.

[0199] 23, if the accuracy of face recognition for the telework working conditions initially or by default set by the user is poor, the management server 101 can send candidates for changing to appropriate preferred working conditions, thereby supporting the user in selecting appropriate telework working conditions. Returning to the explanation of the flowchart in FIG. 6.

[0200] 6 as a result of the processing in step S614, the process proceeds to the processing in step S609. If the process proceeds to step S609, this means that all of the authentication face images transmitted to the teleworker PC 111 in step S410 have been misrecognized, so in step S609, the management server increments by one the number of misrecognitions 1709 for all of the authentication face images transmitted to the teleworker PC 111 in step S410 (for example, if the data list transmitted to the teleworker PC 111 in step S410 is "F081", "F051", "F032", "F072", "F056", "F096", "F052", "F011", "F005", and "F006", then these 10 pieces of data).

[0201] Next, in step S611, the management server 101 also increments by one the number of times of use 1708 for all the data for which the number of misrecognitions has been increased in step S609.

[0202] As described above, when the teleworker's PC 111 determines that the user is an impersonator and is unable to authenticate the user, but the teleworker is authenticated as the user using data stored on the management server 101, the number of misrecognitions and the number of times the authentication facial images held by the teleworker's PC 111 are used are increased, thereby lowering the reliability of these authentication facial images.

[0203] The process from step S612 onwards is the same as that described above, and therefore the description will be omitted.The process returns to the conditional branch flow of step S603.

[0204] In step S603, if the result of the re-authentication in step S602 is not "seated," that is, if it is determined to be impersonation again, information is sent to the administrator's PC 121 to prompt the teleworker administrator to determine whether or not it is "impersonation."

[0205] If the authentication result is not "seated" in step S603, the management server 101 transmits the evidence face image of the evidence data to the administrator PC 121 in the next step S604.

[0206] In the next step S605, the administrator PC 121 receives and displays the evidence face image from the management server 101, and displays a screen (not shown) that prompts the teleworker's administrator to input whether the user photographed is the teleworker himself / herself.

[0207] Next, the administrator of the teleworker checks the evidence face image displayed on the screen, and inputs a notification to the administrator PC 121 as to whether the teleworker is operating the system himself / herself.

[0208] In the next step S606, the manager's PC 121 transmits to the management server 101 information as to whether the evidence face image input by the teleworker's manager is the "real person" of the teleworker or not.

[0209] Next, in step S607, the management server 101 receives the confirmation result of the evidence face image transmitted from the administrator PC 121.

[0210] Next, in step S608, the process is divided depending on whether the result received in step S607 is that the teleworker is the "principal" person.

[0211] If the result received in step S607 is that the teleworker is the "principal" person, the process proceeds to step S609. The subsequent process is the same as that described above.

[0212] On the other hand, if the result received in step S607 is not the teleworker "principal", the process transitions to step S611, and unlike the case where the teleworker is the "principal", the process of step S609 is not executed and the process transitions to step S611. Since it is not an error that the authentication face image authenticated on the teleworker PC 111 side does not include the teleworker himself, there is no need to increase the number of misrecognitions 1709 in step S609.

[0213] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S608 that the teleworker is not the "principal" person, then in the processing of step S611, a command may be sent to the teleworker's PC 111 to take security measures, such as issuing a warning such as locking the screen or sounding an error sound, or saving the camera footage as a video.

[0214] In the next step S612, if it is determined in step S608 that the teleworker is not the "principal" person, the evidence face image is also not an image of the person, so the process is skipped and the process proceeds to step S613.

[0215] In step S613, the management server stores, as evidence data, the image captured at the time of teleworker authentication, etc., together with the information "impersonation." An example of the stored data is shown in the third line of FIG.

[0216] As described above, the results of the teleworker authentication determined by the teleworker PC 111 are stored in the management server through the processing of the flowchart in Figure 6. Also, even if the teleworker PC 111 determines that the user has impersonated another person, re-authentication can be performed by the management server, thereby preventing inquiries from being sent to the teleworker's administrator one by one. This concludes the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 6, and we will return to the explanation of the flowchart in Figure 4.

[0217] In the flowchart of FIG. 4, after completing the series of processes from step S415 to step S418, when input of the end of telework is received from the teleworker in step S414 (such as pressing the [End Work] button in FIGS. 10 to 12), the teleworker PC 111 transitions to the next step S419.

[0218] In step S419, the teleworker PC 111 logs out the account that was logged in in step S401, and then the process proceeds to step S420.

[0219] In step S420, the management server 101 performs a process of updating the favorite working conditions (combination of authentication face images) in the telework working conditions for which event detection was performed in steps S413 to S418. The authentication face image update process will be described with reference to FIG.

[0220] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process of updating a face image for authentication of a favorite working condition in the telework management support system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0221] The process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is a process in which the CPU 201 of the management server 101 reads out and executes a predetermined control program.

[0222] The flowchart in FIG. 7 shows processing that starts when transition is made to the processing of step S420 in FIG.

[0223] First, in step S701, the management server 101 determines whether the current telework working conditions are favorite working conditions (FIG. 14). If the current telework working conditions are favorite working conditions, the process proceeds to step S702. If the current telework working conditions are not favorite working conditions, the process ends. Whether the working conditions are favorite working conditions is determined in step S402 of the flowchart in FIG. 4 based on whether the teleworker has specified favorite working conditions on the screen of the teleworker PC 111 (specifically, favorite condition specification 801 in FIG. 8).

[0224] When the process proceeds to step S702, the management server 101 performs a process of selecting a face image for authentication according to the current working conditions. The details of this process are the same as the selection process described with reference to FIG.

[0225] In the next step S703, the management server 101 determines whether the authentication face image selected in step S702 matches an existing authentication face image for the favorite working conditions (data in FIG. 14). If the authentication face image selected in step S702 matches an existing authentication face image for the favorite working conditions, the process proceeds to step S705, and if the authentication face image selected in step S702 is different from the existing authentication face image for the favorite working conditions, the process proceeds to step S704.

[0226] When the process proceeds to step S704, the management server 101 performs a process to prepare for updating the authentication face image of the favorite working condition to the authentication face image selected in step S702, and ends the process of this flowchart. The process to prepare for updating the authentication face image will be described with reference to FIG. 15.

[0227] The first row in FIG. 15 is an example of a table that holds data for updating an authentication face image. In the authentication face image list 1502 in the first row, a face image ID 1701, which is the ID of the authentication face image selected in the process of step S702, is registered. If the next teleworker designation is the same favorite working condition, in step S408, the favorite working condition is updated to the authentication face image in the authentication face image list 1502. In addition, in order to record that the authentication face image needs to be updated in the next setting, the authentication face image update necessity flag 1503 is set to "necessary". If the authentication face image update necessity flag 1503 is set to "necessary", in step S406, it is determined that the favorite working condition needs to be updated. Returning to the explanation of the flowchart in FIG. 7.

[0228] 7, when the process proceeds to step S705, the management server 101 executes a process for not updating the authentication face image of the favorite working condition, and ends the process of this flowchart. The process for not updating the authentication face image will be described with reference to FIG. 15.

[0229] 15 shows an example of the authentication face image information management table in the case where the authentication face image is not updated. By registering "No" in the authentication face image update necessity flag 1503 in the second or third row, it is indicated in step S406 that the favorite working conditions do not need to be updated, and as a result, the process proceeds to step S407, and the authentication face image is not updated. As described above, the authentication face image list 1502 and the authentication face image update necessity flag 1503 in the authentication face image information management table 1500 can be used to set whether or not to update the authentication face image the next time the preferred working conditions are used.

[0230] Through the above processing, the present invention reduces the processing load of face recognition on the teleworker's PC 111 and solves the problem of the teleworker being unable to use the teleworker's PC 111 due to an error in the face recognition processing by using a method for meaningfully selecting a face image for authentication based on the teleworking conditions from the teleworker's face image which changes depending on the teleworking conditions.

[0231] Although one embodiment has been described above, the present invention can be embodied, for example, as a system, an apparatus, a method, a program, a recording medium, etc. Specifically, the present invention may be applied to a system composed of multiple devices, or may be applied to an apparatus composed of a single device.

[0232] Moreover, the program in the present invention is a program that enables a computer to execute the processing methods of the flowcharts shown in Figures 4 to 7, and the storage medium of the present invention stores a program that enables a computer to execute the processing methods of Figures 4 to 7. The program in the present invention may be a program for each processing method of each device in Figures 4 to 7.

[0233] As described above, it goes without saying that the object of the present invention can be achieved by supplying a recording medium on which a program that realizes the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments is recorded to a system or device, and having the computer (or CPU or MPU) of that system or device read and execute the program stored on the recording medium.

[0234] In this case, the program itself read out from the recording medium will realize the novel functions of the present invention, and the recording medium on which the program is recorded will constitute the present invention.

[0235] Examples of recording media for supplying the program include flexible disks, hard disks, optical disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, DVD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, non-volatile memory cards, ROMs, EEPROMs, silicon disks, etc.

[0236] Furthermore, it goes without saying that the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments are not only realized by the computer executing a program it has read, but also includes cases where an OS (operating system) running on the computer performs some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program, and the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments are realized through that processing.

[0237] Furthermore, it goes without saying that this also includes cases where a program read from a recording medium is written into a memory provided on a function expansion board inserted into a computer or a function expansion unit connected to a computer, and then a CPU or the like provided on the function expansion board or function expansion unit performs some or all of the actual processing based on the instructions of the program code, thereby realizing the functions of the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0238] The present invention may be applied to a system consisting of multiple devices, or to an apparatus consisting of a single device. Needless to say, the present invention can also be applied to a case where the object of the present invention is achieved by supplying a program to a system or apparatus. In this case, the effect of the present invention can be enjoyed by the system or apparatus by reading a recording medium storing a program for achieving the present invention into the system or apparatus.

[0239] Furthermore, by downloading and reading a program for achieving the present invention from a server, database, etc. on a network using a communication program, the system or device can enjoy the effects of the present invention. Note that the present invention also includes configurations that combine the above-mentioned embodiments and their modified examples. [Explanation of symbols]

[0240] 101 Management Server 111 Teleworker PC 121 Administrator PC

Claims

1. An acquisition means for acquiring first information regarding an environment when a face is photographed by an imaging means; a setting means for setting second information used for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means in accordance with first information related to the environment acquired by the acquisition means; a control means for controlling authentication of a face included in an image captured by the imaging means based on the second information set by the setting means; Equipped with The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second information used for face authentication set by the setting means includes information on the orientation of the face to be authenticated.

2. The method further includes a management means for classifying and managing the authentication image used for the authentication based on the orientation of the face appearing in the authentication image, The information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that the second information is information for identifying which classification of authentication images to use for authenticating the specific face, among the authentication images classified and managed by the management means.

3. The device further includes a receiving means for receiving an input of information regarding a face direction, 3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring means acquires the information accepted by the accepting means.

4. 4. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the accepting unit accepts an input of a ratio of the face direction.

5. 5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the acquiring means acquires the information regarding the face direction from a ratio of face directions in images previously captured by the imaging means.

6. 6. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the direction of the face changes depending on the position of a monitor that the person to be photographed looks at, relative to the image capturing means.

7. An acquisition means for acquiring first information related to a lighting environment when a face is photographed by an imaging means; a setting means for setting second information used for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means in accordance with first information on the lighting environment acquired by the acquisition means; a control means for controlling authentication of a face included in an image captured by the imaging means based on the second information set by the setting means; An information processing system comprising:

8. 8. The information processing system according to claim 7, wherein the information on the lighting environment is information on whether there is sunlight or not.

9. An acquisition means for acquiring first information regarding an environment when a face is photographed by an imaging means; a setting means for setting second information used for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means in accordance with first information related to the environment acquired by the acquisition means; a control means for controlling authentication of a face included in an image captured by the imaging means based on the second information set by the setting means; Equipped with The information processing system is characterized in that, if the face is not authenticated in the authentication process based on the second information, the control means controls the authentication of the face using an image of the face that was previously captured by the imaging means and authenticated.

10. The method further includes a recording unit configured to record a combination of the first information related to the environment previously acquired by the acquiring unit and the second information used for authenticating a specific face previously set by the setting unit, The information processing system according to claim 9, characterized in that when the specific face is authenticated a predetermined number of times or more by the authentication process performed by the control means using an image previously captured by the imaging means and authenticated, the recording means records the image used in the authentication process as the second information.

11. An acquisition means for acquiring first information regarding an environment when a face is photographed by an imaging means; a setting means for setting second information used for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means in accordance with first information related to the environment acquired by the acquisition means; a control means for controlling authentication of a face included in an image captured by the imaging means based on the second information set by the setting means; Equipped with The control means controls to register fourth information depending on whether or not a face different from the specific face is detected in an image captured by the imaging means through authentication processing based on the second information set by the setting means.

12. 12. The information processing system according to claim 11, wherein the fourth information is information indicating at least one of peeping and spoofing.

13. 13. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first information includes information on a location where a face is photographed by the imaging device.

14. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the second information is information to be compared for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means, and the setting means sets the second information by changing the information to be compared.

15. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the setting means sets, as the second information, authentication data selected from among a plurality of authentication data based on the first information acquired by the acquisition means.

16. 16. The information processing system according to claim 15, wherein the authentication data is authentication face image data.

17. The information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that the control means controls to register third information depending on whether or not the specific face is recognized to be present in the image captured by the imaging means.

18. 18. The information processing system according to claim 17, wherein the third information is information indicating whether the person is absent or present at their desk.

19. An acquisition step of acquiring first information about an environment when a face is photographed by an imaging means; a setting step of setting second information used for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means in accordance with first information about the environment acquired by the acquisition step; a control step of controlling to perform authentication of a face included in an image captured by the imaging means based on the second information set by the setting step; Equipped with A method for controlling an information processing system, wherein the second information used for face authentication set in the setting step includes information on the orientation of the face to be authenticated.

20. An acquisition step of acquiring first information related to a lighting environment when a face is photographed by an imaging means; a setting step of setting second information used for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means in accordance with first information on the lighting environment acquired by the acquisition step; a control step of controlling to perform authentication of a face included in an image captured by the imaging means based on the second information set by the setting step; 13. A method for controlling an information processing system comprising:

21. An acquisition step of acquiring first information about an environment when a face is photographed by an imaging means; a setting step of setting second information used for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means in accordance with first information about the environment acquired by the acquisition step; a control step of controlling to perform authentication of a face included in an image captured by the imaging means based on the second information set by the setting step; Equipped with The control step is a control method for an information processing system, characterized in that if the face is not authenticated by the authentication process based on the second information, the control step controls so as to authenticate the face using an image of a face that was previously photographed by the imaging means and authenticated.

22. An acquisition step of acquiring first information about an environment when a face is photographed by an imaging means; a setting step of setting second information used for authenticating a specific face from an image captured by the imaging means in accordance with first information about the environment acquired by the acquisition step; a control step of controlling to perform authentication of a face included in an image captured by the imaging means based on the second information set by the setting step; Equipped with A control method for an information processing system, characterized in that the control step controls to register fourth information depending on whether or not a face different from the specific face is detected in an image captured by the imaging means through authentication processing based on the second information set by the setting step.

23. A program for causing at least one computer to function as each of the means of the information processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

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