Vehicle door control device, method, and program

Abstract

The present invention enables the accurate control of a door which a user wishes to control on the basis of the gaze of the user. A gaze detection means (11) detects the gaze of the user on the basis of an image in which the user is captured. A determination means (12) determines whether the user is looking at a region corresponding to a specific door for at least a prescribed duration on the basis of the detected gaze of the user. An authentication means (13) uses the image in which the user is captured to authenticate the user. A door control means (14) unlocks the specific door if it has been determined that the user has looked at the region corresponding to the specific door for at least the prescribed duration and if the user authentication has been successful.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle door control device, method, and computer-readable medium.

Background Art

[0002] As a related art, Patent Document 1 discloses a smart entry system. In the smart entry system described in Patent Document 1, a user carries an electronic key and approaches the vehicle. An electronic key authentication device disposed inside the vehicle performs wireless communication with the electronic key carried by the user and authenticates the electronic key. Further, a camera disposed inside the vehicle photographs the user carrying the electronic key. The user sends a line of sight to a region corresponding to a door that the user wishes to select among a plurality of regions preset for each door in the vehicle. The arithmetic unit detects the line of sight of the user from the image photographed by the camera, and determines the door selected by the user based on the detected line of sight. The door unlocking device unlocks the door selected by the user.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, the door unlocking device unlocks the door corresponding to the region to which the user sends a line of sight. The user can select a desired door according to which region the user sends a line of sight to. However, the line of sight may vary while the user is walking, and the user may not be able to accurately specify the door to be opened.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, one of the objectives of this disclosure is to provide a vehicle door control device, method, and computer-readable medium that can accurately control the door that the user wants to control based on the user's gaze. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the Disclosure provides, in a first aspect, a vehicle door control device. The vehicle door control device includes gaze detection means for detecting the gaze of a user based on an image of a user attempting to board a vehicle having multiple doors; determination means for determining, based on the detected gaze, whether the user has been looking at an area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or longer; authentication means for authenticating the user using the image; and door control means for unlocking the specific door if it is determined that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to the specific door for a predetermined time or longer and the user has been successfully authenticated.

[0007] This disclosure provides, in a second aspect, a vehicle door control method. The vehicle door method includes detecting the gaze of a user based on an image of a user attempting to board a vehicle having multiple doors, determining whether the user has been looking at an area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or longer based on the detected gaze, authenticating the user using the image, and unlocking the specific door if it is determined that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to the specific door for a predetermined time or longer and the user has been successfully authenticated.

[0008] In a third aspect, this disclosure provides a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium stores a program that causes a processor to execute a process including detecting the gaze of a user based on an image of a user attempting to board a vehicle having multiple doors, determining whether the user has been looking at an area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or longer based on the detected gaze, authenticating the user using the image, and, if it is determined that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to the specific door for a predetermined time or longer, and the user has been successfully authenticated. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] The vehicle door control device, method, and computer-readable medium relating to this disclosure can accurately control the door that the user wants to control based on the user's line of sight. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] A block diagram showing a schematic configuration example of the vehicle door control device relating to this disclosure. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing a vehicle door control device according to the first embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 3] A schematic diagram showing the area where the vehicle and the user's gaze are directed. [Figure 4] A flowchart illustrating the operation procedure of the vehicle's control door system. [Figure 5] A block diagram showing a vehicle control device according to a second embodiment of this disclosure. [Figure 6] A block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the vehicle control system. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Prior to describing embodiments of this disclosure, an overview of this disclosure will be provided. Figure 1 shows a schematic configuration example of a vehicle door control device according to this disclosure. The vehicle door control device 10 includes gaze detection means 11, determination means 12, authentication means 13, and door control means 14.

[0012] The gaze detection means 11 detects the user's gaze based on an image taken of a person, i.e., a user, attempting to board a vehicle with multiple doors. The determination means 12 determines, based on the gaze detected by the gaze detection means 11, whether the user is looking at an area corresponding to a specific door among the multiple doors of the vehicle for a predetermined period of time or longer.

[0013] The authentication means authenticates the user using an image taken of the user attempting to board the vehicle. The door control means unlocks a specific door if it is determined that the user has been looking at that door for a predetermined amount of time and the user has been successfully authenticated.

[0014] In this disclosure, if a user has looked at an area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, and the user has successfully authenticated, the door control means 14 unlocks that specific door. In this disclosure, since the door corresponding to the area the user has looked at for a predetermined period of time or longer is controlled, the possibility of a door other than the one the user wants to open being controlled is reduced. Accordingly, the vehicle door control device 10 according to this disclosure can accurately control the door that the user wants to control based on the user's line of sight.

[0015] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description and drawings have been omitted and simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation. Furthermore, in each drawing, the same elements and similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations have been omitted where necessary.

[0016] Figure 2 shows a vehicle door control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle door control device 100 includes an occupant detection unit 101, a gaze detection unit 102, a door determination unit 103, a face authentication unit 104, and a door control unit 105. Physically, the vehicle door control device 100 can be configured as a device having, for example, one or more memories and one or more processors. At least a part of the functions of each unit in the vehicle door control device 100 can be realized by one or more processors operating according to instructions read from one or more memories. The vehicle door control device 100 is mounted on a vehicle, for example. The vehicle door control device 100 corresponds to the vehicle door control device 10 shown in FIG. 1.

[0017] The occupant detection unit 101 acquires a camera image from the camera 130. The camera 130 is a camera mounted on the vehicle and configured to capture an area around the vehicle. The camera 130 captures a person attempting to board the vehicle, that is, an occupant, around the vehicle. The occupant of the vehicle is also referred to as a user. The camera 130 may be embedded, for example, in the B pillar of the vehicle, that is, the pillar between the front seat door and the rear seat door.

[0018] Although only one camera 130 is shown in FIG. 2, the number of cameras 130 is not limited to one. The occupant detection unit 101 may acquire camera images from each of a plurality of cameras 130. For example, the occupant detection unit 101 may acquire camera images from a camera that captures the left side area of the vehicle, a camera that captures the right side area of the vehicle, and a camera that captures the rear area of the vehicle, respectively.

[0019] The occupant detection unit 101 detects a user who attempts to board the vehicle using a camera image. The occupant detection unit 101 extracts, for example, a face image or a face region of a person near the vehicle from the camera image. When a face image or a face region is extracted, the occupant detection unit 101 determines that the user has been detected. The gaze detection unit 102 detects the gaze of the user detected by the occupant detection unit 101 based on the camera image. The gaze detection unit 102 detects, for example, the eyes of the user from an image of the face region in the camera image, that is, the face image, and detects the direction in which the user's eyes are facing. Any known algorithm can be used for gaze detection. The gaze detection unit 102 corresponds to the gaze detection means 11 shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] The vehicle has a plurality of doors 150. Also, a plurality of regions corresponding to each of the plurality of doors 150 are set in the vehicle. The door determination unit 103 determines whether the user has looked at the region corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or more based on the gaze of the user detected by the gaze detection unit 102. If the user has looked at the region corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or more, the door determination unit 103 determines that specific door as the door to be controlled. In other words, the door determination unit 103 determines the door corresponding to the region at which the user's gaze has been directed for a predetermined time or more as the door to be controlled. The door determination unit 103 corresponds to the determination means 12 shown in FIG. 1.

[0021] FIG. 3 schematically shows the vehicle and the gaze of the user. In this example, the user approaches the vehicle 200 from the right side of the vehicle 200. The gaze detection unit 102 detects the gaze of the user 210 based on the camera image. When the user 210 wants to open, for example, the front seat door, it is considered that the user looks at the front seat door while approaching the vehicle 200. Also, when the user 210 wants to open the rear seat door, it is considered that the user looks at the rear seat door. When the user 210 wants to open the trunk or the rear hatch, it is considered that the user looks at the trunk or the rear hatch.

[0022] The door determination unit 103 identifies the door that the user 210 wants to open as the door in the direction of their gaze if the user's gaze has been directed towards a specific door for a certain period of time or longer. For example, if the user's gaze has been directed towards the area 211 corresponding to the front passenger door for a predetermined period of time or longer, the door determination unit 103 determines the front passenger door to be controlled. If the user's gaze has been directed towards the area 212 corresponding to the rear passenger door for a predetermined period of time or longer, the door determination unit 103 determines the rear passenger door to be controlled if the user's gaze has been directed towards the area 213 corresponding to the trunk or rear hatch for a predetermined period of time or longer.

[0023] In Figure 3, an example is shown in which a user 210 on the right side of the vehicle 200 opens the right-side door of the vehicle, but this embodiment is not limited to this. Areas corresponding to the right-side door and the left-side door of the vehicle may be set on the right side of the vehicle. In that case, the door determination unit 103 may determine the right-side door or the left-side door as the door to be controlled, depending on the area in which the user's gaze is directed. The door to be controlled is not necessarily limited to one, and the door determination unit 103 may determine multiple doors as the doors to be controlled if the user's gaze is directed towards a certain area for a predetermined time or longer.

[0024] The door detection unit 103 may change the predetermined time according to the orientation of the user's face in the camera image. The ease of eye-line detection, or the accuracy of eye-line detection, may change depending on the orientation of the user's face relative to the camera 130. For example, if the user's face is tilted significantly relative to the camera 130, the accuracy of eye-line direction detection is considered to be lower compared to when the user's face is directly facing the camera 130. The door detection unit 103 may set the predetermined time longer when the user's face is facing a direction in which the accuracy of eye-line direction detection is low, compared to when the user's face is facing a direction in which the accuracy of eye-line direction detection is high.

[0025] Instead of changing the predetermined time according to the orientation of the face, or in addition to doing so, the door determination unit 103 may change the predetermined time according to the distance between the user and the vehicle. In the camera image, the user's image becomes smaller as the distance increases, so it is thought that the ease or accuracy of detecting the direction of gaze decreases as the distance increases. If the distance between the user and the vehicle is long and therefore the accuracy of detecting the direction of gaze is expected to be low, the door determination unit 103 may set the predetermined time to be longer than when the distance is short. The distance between the user and the vehicle may be estimated from the camera image, or it may be measured separately using a distance-measuring sensor such as LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging). When the predetermined time is changed according to the orientation of the face and / or distance, the predetermined time can be appropriately set according to the ease or accuracy of gaze detection which changes according to the orientation of the face and distance. Therefore, it is thought that the door determination unit 103 can more accurately determine the door to be controlled.

[0026] The facial recognition unit 104 authenticates the user detected by the occupant detection unit 101. In this embodiment, the facial recognition unit 104 authenticates the user by facial recognition using the camera image from the camera 130. For example, the facial recognition unit 104 has registered facial images of people who are permitted to board the vehicle, or feature quantities extracted from facial images. The facial recognition unit 104 compares the facial image included in the camera image, or the feature quantities extracted from that facial image, with the registered facial image or feature quantities. The facial recognition unit 104 calculates a matching score that indicates the similarity between the facial image included in the camera image, or the feature quantities extracted from that facial image, and the registered facial image or feature quantities. If the matching score is above a predetermined threshold, the facial recognition unit 104 determines that it has succeeded in facial recognition of the user. The facial recognition unit 104 corresponds to the authentication means 13 shown in Figure 1.

[0027] The door control unit 105 unlocks a specific door if it determines that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to that door for a predetermined amount of time and the user has successfully undergone facial recognition. In other words, if the facial recognition unit 104 successfully performs facial recognition on the user, the door control unit 105 unlocks the door that the door determination unit 103 has determined to be the door to be controlled. The door control unit 105 corresponds to the door control means 14 shown in Figure 1.

[0028] For example, if a user has been looking at the area corresponding to the front door for a predetermined period of time or longer, and the user has successfully undergone facial recognition, the door control unit 105 unlocks the front door. The door control unit 105 may not only unlock the door but also open it. If the door is an electric sliding door, for example, the door control unit 105 sends a control signal to a controller such as an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that controls the electric sliding door, and controls the motor that drives the electric sliding door. If the door is a hinged door, for example, the door control unit 105 may, through some mechanism, leave the door partially closed.

[0029] In this embodiment, when a user approaches the vehicle, the door determination unit 103 may determine whether the user has been looking at the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or longer after the distance between the user and the vehicle has become within a first distance. In other words, the door determination unit 103 may determine the door to be controlled when the user approaches the vehicle to a first distance. Similarly, the facial recognition unit 104 may authenticate the user by facial recognition after the distance between the user and the vehicle has become within a first distance. The determination of the door to be controlled by the door determination unit 103 and the facial recognition by the facial recognition unit 104 may be performed in parallel. Furthermore, the door control unit 105 may control the door after the distance between the user and the vehicle has become within a second distance which is shorter than the first distance.

[0030] For example, the door detection unit 103 and the facial recognition unit 104 may perform door detection and facial recognition, respectively, when the user approaches within 5 meters of the vehicle, and the door control unit 105 may perform door control when the user approaches within 1 meter of the vehicle. In this case, the door detection and facial recognition can be completed before the user approaches the vehicle, and the door can be unlocked after the user has approached the vehicle sufficiently.

[0031] Next, the operating procedure will be explained. Figure 4 shows the operating procedure of the vehicle door control device 100. The operating procedure of the vehicle door control device 100 corresponds to the vehicle door control method. The occupant detection unit 101 detects a user around the vehicle based on the camera image from the camera 130 (step S1). The facial recognition unit 104 performs facial recognition on the user detected in step S1 (step S2).

[0032] The gaze detection unit 102 determines whether the distance between the user and the vehicle is within a first distance (step S3). If the gaze detection unit 102 determines in step S3 that the distance between the user and the vehicle is within the first distance, it detects the user's gaze as detected in step S1 (step S4). Steps S2 and S4 may be performed in either order or in parallel. Also, if face recognition fails in step S2, the processing from step S3 onward may be omitted.

[0033] The door determination unit 103 determines, using the gaze detection unit 102, whether the user's gaze has been directed towards the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer (step S5). If, in step S5, it is determined that the user's gaze has not been directed towards the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, the process returns to step S4, where the user's gaze is detected. If, in step S5, it is determined that the user's gaze has been directed towards the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, the door determination unit 103 determines that specific door to be the door to be controlled (step S6).

[0034] The door control unit 105 determines whether the distance between the user and the vehicle is within a second distance (step S7). If the door control unit 105 determines in step S7 that the distance between the user and the vehicle is within a second distance, and facial recognition was successful in step S2, it controls the door determined in step S6 (step S8). In step S8, the door control unit 105 unlocks the door that was determined to be controlled, for example. If facial recognition failed in step S2, the door control unit 105 does not control the door.

[0035] In this embodiment, the gaze detection unit 102 detects the user's gaze, and the door determination unit 103 determines that a door is the door to be controlled if the user's gaze is directed towards an area corresponding to a specific door. The door control unit 105 unlocks the door determined by the door determination unit 103 as the door to be controlled if the user's face is successfully recognized by the face recognition unit 104. In this embodiment, the door corresponding to the area the user has been looking at for a predetermined amount of time is controlled. Therefore, the door determination unit 103 can correctly determine which door the user wants to open, and the door control unit 105 can unlock the door the user wants to open.

[0036] Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Figure 5 shows a vehicle door control device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. The vehicle door control device 100a according to this embodiment has a biometric determination unit 106 in addition to the configuration of the vehicle door control device 100 according to the first embodiment shown in Figure 2. When a user is moving toward a vehicle, the biometric determination unit 106 determines whether the user's face in the camera image is a living face or not, based on the camera image from the camera 130. For example, the biometric determination unit 106 determines whether the user's face in the camera image is an artificial object such as a photograph, or the face of the user himself. The biometric determination unit 106 is also called a biometric determination means.

[0037] For example, when a user walks towards a vehicle, if the user approaches the vehicle while looking at a specific door, the user's line of sight is expected to change in accordance with the change in distance between the user and the vehicle. On the other hand, if a person who does not have the right to use the vehicle approaches the vehicle holding a photograph of the user's face, the user's line of sight detected from the camera image is expected to remain constant even if the distance changes. The biometric detection unit 106 can determine whether the user's face in the camera image is a real face or not based on the change in the moving user's line of sight.

[0038] For example, when a user walks towards a vehicle, the biometric detection unit 106 determines whether the gaze detected by the gaze detection unit 102 has changed in accordance with the change in the distance between the user and the vehicle. Based on the result of this determination, the biometric detection unit 106 determines whether the user's face is a living face. If the user's gaze detected changes in accordance with the user's movement, the biometric detection unit 106 determines that the user's face in the camera image is a living face. If the user's gaze does not change, the biometric detection unit 106 determines that the user's face in the camera image is not a living face.

[0039] Instead of, or in addition to, determining whether the face in the camera image is a living person's face based on changes in gaze, the biological detection unit 106 may determine whether the face in the camera image is a living person's face based on the movement of the user's torso and face in the camera image. For example, the biological detection unit 106 detects the vertical movement of the user's face region in the camera image and the vertical movement of the user's torso region in the camera image. The biological detection unit 106 then determines whether the vertical movement of the face region is linked to the vertical movement of the torso region.

[0040] For example, if a person approaches a vehicle holding up a photograph of the user's face, the camera image may show an unnatural movement where the face area (the photograph) and the torso area (the living body, i.e., the area from the neck down) do not move in conjunction. The biological detection unit 106 determines that the face in the camera image is a living face if the vertical movement of the user's face area in the camera image is synchronized with the vertical movement of the user's torso area in the camera image. The biological detection unit 106 determines that the face in the camera image is not a living face if the vertical movement of the user's face area in the camera image is not synchronized with the vertical movement of the user's torso area in the camera image.

[0041] In this embodiment, the facial recognition unit 104 determines that user authentication has failed if the biometric determination unit 106 determines that the user's face in the camera image is not a biological face. Alternatively, the facial recognition unit 104 does not have to perform facial recognition if the biometric determination unit 106 determines that the user's face in the camera image is not a biological face. In this embodiment, if the biometric determination unit 106 determines that the user's face in the camera image is not a biological face, facial recognition will not be successful in the facial recognition unit 104. For this reason, the door control unit 105 does not perform door control.

[0042] In this embodiment, the biometric detection unit 106 determines whether the user's face in the camera image is a real face. If the biometric detection unit 106 determines that it is not a real face, the facial recognition unit 104 fails to recognize the user's face. This prevents malicious individuals from impersonating the user using the user's facial photograph, thereby improving security. Other effects are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

[0043] Next, the hardware configuration of the vehicle door control device 100 will be described. Figure 6 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the vehicle door control device 100. The vehicle door control device 100 has a processor (CPU: Central Processing Unit) 501, a ROM (read-only memory) 502, and a RAM (random access memory) 503. In the vehicle door control device 100, the processor 501, the ROM 502, and the RAM 503 are interconnected via a bus 504. The vehicle door control device 100 may include other circuits such as peripheral circuits, communication circuits, and interface circuits, although these are not shown in the figure.

[0044] ROM 502 is a non-volatile memory device. A semiconductor memory device, such as a relatively small-capacity flash memory, is used for ROM 502. ROM 502 stores the program executed by the processor 501.

[0045] The above program, when loaded into a computer, includes a set of instructions (or software code) for causing the computer to perform one or more of the functions described in the embodiments. The program may be stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium or a physical storage medium. Examples, but not limited to, include RAM, ROM, flash memory, solid-state drive (SSD) or other memory technologies, Compact Disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), Blu-ray® disc or other optical disc storage, magnetic cassette, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices. The program may be transmitted over a temporary computer-readable medium or a communication medium. Examples, but not limited to, include, a temporary computer-readable medium or a communication medium that includes electrically, optically, acoustically, or otherwise propagating signals.

[0046] RAM503 is a volatile memory device. Various semiconductor memory devices, such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) or SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), can be used for RAM503. RAM503 can be used as an internal buffer for temporarily storing data.

[0047] The processor 501 loads the program stored in the ROM 502 into the RAM 503 and executes the program. By executing the program, the CPU 501 can realize the functions of each part within the vehicle door control device 100.

[0048] Furthermore, the vehicle door control device 100 does not necessarily have to be a single device. The vehicle door control device 100 may be composed of multiple physically separated devices. Also, the vehicle door control device 100 does not necessarily have to have all its functions mounted on the vehicle. For example, in the vehicle door control device 100, at least one of the gaze detection unit 102, the door determination unit 103, and the facial recognition unit 104 may be located outside the vehicle. In that case, the functional unit located on the vehicle and the functional unit located outside the vehicle may transmit and receive information via a wireless communication network.

[0049] Although embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above, and modifications and changes to the embodiments described above, without departing from the spirit of this disclosure, are also included in this disclosure.

[0050] For example, some or all of the above embodiments may also be described as follows, but are not limited to the following.

[0051] [Note 1] A gaze detection means that detects the gaze of a user based on an image taken of a user attempting to board a vehicle with multiple doors, A determination means for determining whether the user is looking at an area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, based on the detected gaze; Authentication means for authenticating the user using the aforementioned image, A vehicle door control device comprising: a door control means for unlocking a specific door if it is determined that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to the specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, and the user has successfully authenticated.

[0052] [Note 2] The vehicle door control device according to Appendix 1, wherein the determination means changes the predetermined time according to the orientation of the user's face in the image.

[0053] [Note 3] The vehicle door control device according to Appendix 1 or 2, wherein the determination means changes the predetermined time according to the distance between the user and the vehicle.

[0054] [Note 4] The determination means determines whether the user has been looking at the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or longer after the distance between the user and the vehicle has become within a first distance. The vehicle door control device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 3, wherein the door control means unlocks the specific door after the distance between the user and the vehicle becomes within a second distance which is shorter than the first distance.

[0055] [Note 5] The authentication means is a vehicle door control device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, which authenticates the user by facial recognition.

[0056] [Note 6] The system further includes a biometric determination means that determines, based on the image, whether the user's face in the image is a living person's face when the user is moving toward the vehicle. The vehicle door control device according to Appendix 5, wherein the authentication means fails to authenticate the user if it is determined that the user's face in the image is not a living face.

[0057] [Note 7] The vehicle door control device according to Appendix 6, wherein the biometric determination means determines whether the detected line of sight has changed in accordance with a change in the distance between the user and the vehicle, and determines whether the user's face in the image is a living face based on the result of this determination.

[0058] [Note 8] The vehicle door control device according to Appendix 6 or 7, wherein the biological determination means determines whether the user's face in the image is a living person's face based on the movement of the user's torso in the image and the movement of the user's face in the image.

[0059] [Note 9] The vehicle door control device according to Appendix 8, wherein the biological determination means determines whether the vertical movement of the user's face region in the image is linked to the vertical movement of the user's torso region in the image, and determines whether the user's face in the image is the face of a living person based on the result of this determination.

[0060] [Note 10] Based on an image of a user attempting to board a vehicle with multiple doors, the system detects the user's gaze. Based on the detected gaze, it is determined whether the user has been looking at the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer. The user is authenticated using the aforementioned image. A vehicle door control method comprising unlocking the specific door if it is determined that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to the specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, and the user has successfully authenticated.

[0061] [Note 11] Based on an image of a user attempting to board a vehicle with multiple doors, the system detects the user's gaze. Based on the detected gaze, it is determined whether the user has been looking at the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer. The user is authenticated using the aforementioned image. A non-temporary computer-readable medium that stores a program causing a processor to execute a process including unlocking the specific door when it is determined that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to the specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, and the user has successfully authenticated. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10: Vehicle door control device 11: Eye-tracking means 12: Judgment means 13: Authentication methods 14: Door control means 100: Vehicle door control device 101: Crew detection unit 102: Eye-tracking unit 103: Door detection unit 104: Facial Recognition Department 105: Door Control Unit 106: Biological determination unit 130: Camera 150: Door 200: Vehicles 210: User 211~213: Area 501: Processor 502:ROM 503:RAM 504: Bus

Claims

1. A gaze detection means that detects the gaze of a user based on an image taken of a user attempting to board a vehicle with multiple doors, A determination means for determining whether the user is looking at an area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, based on the detected gaze; Authentication means for authenticating the user using the aforementioned image, The system includes a door control means that unlocks the specific door if it is determined that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to the specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, and the user has successfully authenticated. The determination means determines whether the user has been looking at the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or longer after the distance between the user and the vehicle has become within a first distance. The door control means is a vehicle door control device that unlocks a specific door after the distance between the user and the vehicle becomes within a second distance which is shorter than the first distance.

2. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1, wherein the determination means changes the predetermined time according to the orientation of the user's face in the image.

3. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the determination means changes the predetermined time according to the distance between the user and the vehicle.

4. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the authentication means authenticates the user by facial recognition.

5. The system further includes a biometric determination means that determines, based on the image, whether the user's face in the image is a living person's face when the user is moving toward the vehicle. The vehicle door control device according to claim 1, wherein the authentication means fails to authenticate the user if it is determined that the user's face in the image is not a living face.

6. The vehicle door control device according to claim 5, wherein the biometric determination means determines whether the detected line of sight has changed in accordance with a change in the distance between the user and the vehicle, and determines whether the user's face in the image is a living face based on the result of the determination.

7. The vehicle door control device according to claim 5, wherein the biological determination means determines whether the user's face in the image is a living person's face based on the movement of the user's torso in the image and the movement of the user's face in the image.

8. Based on an image of a user attempting to board a vehicle with multiple doors, the system detects the user's gaze. After the distance between the user and the vehicle becomes within a first distance, it is determined, based on the detected line of sight, whether the user has been looking at the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or longer. The user is authenticated using the aforementioned image. A vehicle door control method comprising: if it is determined that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to the specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, and the user has been successfully authenticated, the lock on the specific door is released after the distance between the user and the vehicle becomes within a second distance which is shorter than the first distance.

9. Based on an image of a user attempting to board a vehicle with multiple doors, the system detects the user's gaze. After the distance between the user and the vehicle becomes within a first distance, it is determined, based on the detected line of sight, whether the user has been looking at the area corresponding to a specific door for a predetermined time or longer. The user is authenticated using the aforementioned image. A program that causes a processor to perform a process including unlocking the specific door after it is determined that the user has been looking at the area corresponding to the specific door for a predetermined period of time or longer, and the user has successfully authenticated, and the distance between the user and the vehicle has become within a second distance which is shorter than the first distance.

Images