Control device and control method

Abstract

This control device comprises: an acquisition unit that acquires an image including a facial image region, said image capturing a person who is entering a gate for which whether the person is allowed to pass is determined on the basis of the results of facial matching processing, and said image being captured from the gate exit toward the gate entrance; and a control unit that determines whether to perform facial matching processing for the person on the basis of the illuminance and / or blur of the person, which is detected from the image.

Description

Control device and control method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a control method.

[0002] A technology is being considered that uses face matching processing to manage the entry and exit of people passing through gates installed at stations, airports, etc. Patent Document 1 describes a method of detecting people from images captured around the gate, and determining the control details for each gate based on the feature amounts in the image of the people.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-070850

[0004] There is room for further study on speeding up the facial matching process used to manage the entry and exit of people passing through gates.

[0005] Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure contribute to providing a control device and a control method that realizes high-speed face matching processing used in managing the entry and exit of people passing through a gate.

[0006] A control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes an acquisition unit that acquires an image including a facial image area of ​​a person entering a gate, where passage is determined based on the results of a facial matching process, photographed from the direction from the exit of the gate toward the entrance, and a control unit that determines whether or not to perform the facial matching process on the person based on the illuminance and / or blur of the person detected from the image.

[0007] In a control method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a control device acquires an image including a facial image area of ​​a person entering a gate, where passage is determined based on the results of a facial matching process, photographed from the direction from the exit of the gate toward the entrance, and determines whether or not to perform the facial matching process on the person based on the illuminance and / or blur of the person detected in the image.

[0008] These comprehensive or specific aspects may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a recording medium, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0009] A non-limiting example of the present disclosure can realize high-speed face matching processing used in managing the entry and exit of people passing through a gate.

[0010] Further advantages and benefits of an embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some of the embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them may be provided to obtain one or more identical features.

[0011] FIG. 1 shows an example of ticket gate control using face authentication. FIG. 2 shows an example of the system configuration of a passage management system according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 shows an example of the movement of a person to be verified who intends to pass. FIG. 4 shows an example of the movement of a person to be verified who does not intend to pass.

[0012] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0013] (One embodiment) <Knowledge that led to the present disclosure> Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of ticket gate control using facial recognition. Fig. 1 shows control at a ticket gate installed at a station and control performed by a server. The control at the ticket gate is executed, for example, by a control device connected to the ticket gate. The server also stores information (e.g., facial features) of pre-registered individuals (hereinafter, "registrants") and performs face matching in response to a request from the ticket gate.

[0014] Note that face matching corresponds to a process of comparing the face of a person in an image with the faces of registered persons to identify which of the registered persons the person in the image is. Face authentication corresponds to a process of performing face matching and determining whether or not the registered person identified by face matching is allowed to pass. However, since face matching is performed in face authentication, hereinafter, "face authentication" and "face matching" may be interchangeable.

[0015] A camera is installed in the ticket gate. The camera captures images including the faces of people present around the ticket gate. People present around the ticket gate include people approaching the ticket gate to pass through, people passing around the ticket gate without passing through, people remaining near the ticket gate, and people walking back and forth around the ticket gate.

[0016] The camera takes an image (S11). The camera may take an image all the time, or may take an image only when a person is detected near the ticket gate.

[0017] The control device of the ticket gate detects a face frame in the image captured in S11 (S12). For example, if the captured image includes a human face, the face frame corresponds to a rectangular frame that surrounds the face.

[0018] The control device of the ticket gate performs face matching processing (S13). For example, the control device extracts information to be used in the face matching processing from the face image included in the detected face frame and requests the server to perform face matching by transmitting the extracted information to the server. The control device then obtains a response to the face matching request from the server. Here, the information extracted from the face image included in the detected face frame includes facial features. In addition, the person whose face image is included in the detected face frame will be referred to as the "matching target person" below.

[0019] The server performs face matching in response to the request for face matching from the ticket gate in S13 (S21). For example, the server matches information used for face matching processing (e.g., facial feature amounts) acquired from the ticket gate with information (e.g., facial feature amounts) of registered individuals stored in the server, and identifies which of the registered individuals is the person to be matched.

[0020] In S21, when it is determined that the person to be verified is one of the registered persons, it is determined whether the person to be verified corresponding to the identified registered person has the right to pass (S23). For example, if the identified registered person has purchased a ticket, it is determined that the person to be verified corresponding to the identified registered person has the right to pass.

[0021] In addition, if it is not possible to identify which of the registered persons the person to be compared is, or if it is possible to identify which of the registered persons the person to be compared is, but the identified registered person does not have the right to pass, it is determined that the person to be compared does not have the right to pass.

[0022] The server transmits a response including the result of the face matching performed in S21 to the control device of the ticket gate. For example, the response transmitted from the server to the control device of the ticket gate includes a determination result indicating whether the person being matched has the right to pass.

[0023] After receiving a response to the face matching request from the server, the control device of the ticket gate controls passage through the ticket gate (S14). For example, if the received response includes a determination result that the person being matched has the right to pass, the control device controls to allow passage through the ticket gate. The control to allow passage through the ticket gate includes control to open the doors provided in the passage of the ticket gate and control to output audio and / or display information to notify the person being matched that they have been allowed to pass. Furthermore, if the received response includes a determination result that the person being matched does not have the right to pass, the control device controls to block passage through the ticket gate. The control to block passage through the ticket gate includes control to close the doors provided in the passage of the ticket gate and control to output audio and / or display information to notify the person being matched that they have been prohibited from passing.

[0024] In the ticket gate control using face recognition illustrated in FIG. 1 , if an image captured by a camera contains a person's face image, face matching processing is performed on the face image. In this control, face matching processing is also performed on face images of people who do not actually pass through the ticket gate. A person who does not actually pass through the ticket gate corresponds to a person who has no intention of passing through the ticket gate. Specifically, examples include a person who passes in front of the ticket gate without entering the ticket gate, a person who stops in front of the ticket gate, and a person who enters the ticket gate but then makes a U-turn and leaves the ticket gate. The face matching processing on face images of people who have no intention of passing through the ticket gate increases the processing time for the face matching processing in the ticket gate control.

[0025] For example, performing face matching processing on a facial image of a person who has no intention of passing through a ticket gate may result in unnecessary control to allow or block the person from passing through the ticket gate, even though the person will not actually pass through the ticket gate. For example, if the ticket gate is bidirectional, this unnecessary control may prevent the person from passing through the ticket gate from the side opposite the side where the person who has no intention of passing through the ticket gate is located. Furthermore, this unnecessary control may delay processing (e.g., face matching processing) for a person who has the intention of passing through the ticket gate after the person who has no intention of passing through the ticket gate.

[0026] Furthermore, if control to allow or block the passage of a person who does not actually pass through the ticket gate is performed unnecessarily, there is a possibility that the person will be erroneously charged for passing through the ticket gate. Furthermore, as illustrated in Figure 1, when communication is performed between the control device of the ticket gate and the server, face matching processing is performed on facial images of people who have no intention of passing through the ticket gate, which increases communication traffic.

[0027] Therefore, in this embodiment, a determination is made as to whether or not a person included in an image captured by a camera intends to pass through the ticket gate, and face matching processing is omitted for face images of persons determined to have no intention of passing through the ticket gate. Here, omitting face matching processing refers to general control in which the ticket gate does not perform face matching processing, and includes skipping to the next process without executing the face matching processing function itself, and / or stopping face matching processing that is progressing in parallel with the determination of whether or not there is an intention to pass through. This allows computer resources to be concentrated on face matching processing of persons determined to have an intention to pass through the ticket gate, reducing the processing time of face matching processing in ticket gate control and realizing faster face matching processing.

[0028] In addition, a person's intention to pass through the ticket gate may correspond to the person having a plan to pass through the ticket gate, the person intending to pass through the ticket gate within a specified time, or the probability that the person will pass through the ticket gate is high (e.g., above a threshold).

[0029] Furthermore, a determination that a person intends to pass through the ticket gate corresponds to a determination that a face matching process is to be executed for that person, and a determination that a person does not intend to pass through the ticket gate corresponds to a determination that a face matching process is not to be executed for that person. For example, a determination of whether or not a person intends to pass through corresponds to a determination of whether or not a face matching process is to be executed.

[0030] <Example of System Configuration> Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the passage management system 1 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a camera 10, a control device 20, a server device 30, and a ticket gate 40. The ticket gate 40 is connected to the control device 20 by wire and / or wirelessly. The camera 10 is connected to the control device 20 by wire and / or wirelessly. The server device 30 may be connected to the control device 20 by wire and / or wirelessly, or may be connected via a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0031] A camera 10 is provided in the ticket gate 40. The camera 10 captures an image including, for example, the face of a person present around the ticket gate 40 from a direction from the exit to the entrance of the ticket gate 40 (arrow R in FIG. 2 ). For example, people present around the ticket gate 40 include people who are approaching the ticket gate 40 in an attempt to pass through the ticket gate 40, people who pass around the ticket gate 40 without passing through the ticket gate 40, people who remain around the ticket gate 40, and people who come and go around the ticket gate 40.

[0032] A control device 20 is connected to the ticket gate 40. The control device 20 controls the ticket gate 40 in accordance with the result of face matching processing based on the image captured by the camera 10.

[0033] The control device 20 includes a communication unit 201, an intention determination processing unit 202, a face matching processing unit 203, and a ticket gate control unit 204. Note that the intention determination processing unit 202, the face matching processing unit 203, and the ticket gate control unit 204 may be collectively referred to as a control unit (or a processing unit).

[0034] The communication unit 201 performs communication between the control device 20 and the camera 10, and between the control device 20 and the server device 30. For example, the communication unit 201 acquires a captured image from the camera 10. The communication unit 201 also transmits information indicating a request for face matching to the server device 30, and receives a response to the request for face matching from the server device 30.

[0035] The intention determination processing unit 202 performs face detection processing on the captured image acquired from the camera 10. When a face frame included in the captured image is detected by the face detection processing, the intention determination processing unit 202 detects parameters from the face image within the face frame. The detected parameters are, for example, parameters related to the posture of the person to be verified relative to the ticket gate 40 and / or parameters related to the position of the person to be verified relative to the ticket gate 40.

[0036] The intention determination processing unit 202 performs a passing intention determination process based on the detected parameters, and determines whether or not the person to be matched corresponding to the face frame intends to pass through the ticket gate 40. In other words, the intention determination processing unit 202 determines whether or not to perform face matching processing of the person to be matched corresponding to the face frame based on the parameters detected from the captured image. The passing intention determination process will be described later.

[0037] The face matching processing unit 203 performs face matching processing when the person to be matched corresponding to the face frame intends to pass through the ticket gate 40. For example, the face matching processing unit 203 generates information indicating a request for face matching, including facial feature amounts extracted from the face image of the person to be matched, for the server device 30, and transmits the information to the server device 30 via the communication unit 201.

[0038] The face matching processing unit 203 acquires a response to the request for face matching via the communication unit 201. The response to the request for face matching includes the determination result of the server device 30 as to whether the person to be matched has the right to pass through the ticket gate 40.

[0039] The ticket gate control unit 204 controls the ticket gate 40 depending on whether the person being verified has the right to pass. When the acquired response includes a determination result that the person being verified has the right to pass, the ticket gate control unit 204 performs control to allow the person being verified to pass through the ticket gate 40. The control to allow the person being verified to pass through the ticket gate 40 includes control to open a door provided in the passage of the ticket gate 40 and control to output audio and / or display information to notify the person being verified that they have been permitted to pass. Furthermore, when the acquired response includes a determination result that the person being verified does not have the right to pass, the ticket gate 40 performs control to block passage through the ticket gate 40. The control to block passage through the ticket gate 40 includes control to close a door provided in the passage of the ticket gate 40 and control to output audio and / or display information to notify the person being verified that they have been prohibited from passing.

[0040] The server device 30 includes a storage unit 301, a face matching unit 302, and a communication unit 303. The server device 30 may be a cloud server.

[0041] The storage unit 301 stores information about registrants, including facial images acquired from the registrants in advance. A registrant is a person who registers information in order to receive a service that allows the registrant to pass through the ticket gate 40 based on the results of face matching processing. The registered information includes facial features of the registrant. The storage unit 301 also stores information about whether each registrant has the right to pass.

[0042] The face matching unit 302 receives a face matching request from the control device 20 via the communication unit 203 and performs face matching. The face matching unit 302 matches the facial features of the person to be matched included in the face matching request with the facial features of the registrants stored in the storage unit 301, and calculates a score indicating the degree of similarity between the facial features of the person to be matched and the facial features of the registrants for each registrant. If the highest score is equal to or greater than a threshold, the face matching unit 302 identifies the person to be matched as the registrant corresponding to the highest score. When the face matching unit 302 identifies which of the registrants the person to be matched is, it determines whether the identified registrant has the right of passage. For example, if the identified registrant has purchased a train ticket, it determines that the person to be matched corresponding to the identified registrant has the right of passage.

[0043] In addition, if the face matching unit 302 is unable to identify which of the registered persons the person to be matched is, or if it is able to identify which of the registered persons the person to be matched is but the identified registered person does not have the right of passage, it determines that the person to be matched does not have the right of passage.

[0044] The face matching unit 302 transmits a response including the result of face matching to the control device 20. For example, the response includes a determination result indicating whether or not the person being matched has the right of passage.

[0045] In the system configuration shown in FIG. 2 , the control device 20 and the server device 30 are separate devices, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The control device 20 may be configured integrally with the server device 30. In addition, in the system configuration shown in FIG. 2 , the control device 20 is connected to the ticket gate 40 via a wired or wireless connection, but the control device 20 may be built into the ticket gate 40. In addition, in the passage management system 1 according to this embodiment, some of the configuration shown in FIG. 2 may be omitted, or configuration not shown in FIG. 2 may be added. For example, the ticket gate 40 may be equipped with lighting. The brightness, color, illumination range, illumination angle, etc. of the installed lighting may be fixed or may be controlled by the ticket gate control unit 204 of the control device 20.

[0046] <Example of Passing Intent Determination Process> An example of the passing intent determination process will be described. It is assumed that a person who intends to pass will gradually approach the ticket gate 40. On the other hand, it is assumed that a person who does not intend to pass will remain stationary or move around the ticket gate 40 without approaching the ticket gate 40. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is determined whether or not the person to be verified intends to pass based on parameters related to the position of the person to be verified relative to the ticket gate 40. In other words, in this embodiment, it is determined whether or not to perform face verification processing on the person to be verified based on parameters related to the position of the person to be verified relative to the ticket gate 40. Then, in this embodiment, the control device 20, for example, detects illuminance and / or blur from the face image and determines whether or not the person intends to pass based on changes in illuminance and / or blur.

[0047] 3 is a diagram showing an example of the movement of a person to be verified who intends to pass through. In FIG. 3, images taken by camera 10 installed in ticket gate 40 of a person to be verified who intends to pass through are shown in chronological order.

[0048] 3, as time passes, the person to be verified who intends to pass through approaches the lighting installed in the ticket gate 40, and the illuminance of the facial image increases. Also, as time passes, the person to be verified who intends to pass through approaches the camera 10 installed in the ticket gate 40, and the focus of the camera 10 becomes aligned with the person to be verified, and the blur becomes smaller.

[0049] 4 is a diagram showing an example of the movement of a person to be verified who has no intention of passing through. In FIG. 4, images taken by camera 10 installed in ticket gate 40 when the person to be verified who has no intention of passing through are shown in chronological order.

[0050] 4, a person to be verified who has no intention of passing through does not approach the lighting installed in the ticket gate 40 even as time passes, so the illuminance of the face image does not increase. Also, a person to be verified who has no intention of passing through does not approach the camera 10 installed in the ticket gate 40 even as time passes, so the focus of the camera 10 does not match the person to be verified, and the blur does not decrease.

[0051] 3 and 4, the illuminance and blur differ depending on whether or not there is an intention to pass. Therefore, in this embodiment, for example, the presence or absence of the intention to pass is determined based on the illuminance and / or blur detected from the face image.

[0052] For example, the intention determination processing unit 202 of the control device 20 detects illuminance from the facial image of the person to be verified, and if the illuminance is within a specified range, determines that the person to be verified has the intention to pass, and if the illuminance is not within the specified range, determines that the person to be verified does not have the intention to pass. Alternatively, the intention determination processing unit 202 detects blur from the facial image of the person to be verified, and if the blur is within a specified range, determines that the person to be verified has the intention to pass, and if the blur is not within the specified range, determines that the person to be verified does not have the intention to pass. Alternatively, the intention determination processing unit 202 may detect illuminance and blur, and if the illuminance and / or the blur is within a specified range, determine that the person to be verified has the intention to pass, and if not, determine that the person to be verified does not have the intention to pass. As described above, illuminance increases as one gets closer to the lighting installed in the ticket gate 40, and blur decreases as one gets closer to the camera 10 installed in the ticket gate 40. Therefore, it is preferable to set the range of illuminance values ​​for determining that there is an intention to pass higher than a predetermined threshold, and the range of blur values ​​for determining that there is an intention to pass lower than a predetermined threshold.

[0053] Note that the specified range compared with the illuminance and the specified range compared with the blur may be different. Furthermore, the specified range may be defined by both an upper threshold and a lower threshold, or by only one of the upper threshold and the lower threshold. For example, if the specified range compared with the illuminance is defined by only a lower threshold, the intention determination processing unit 202 determines that the person being compared has an intention to pass if the illuminance is equal to or greater than the lower threshold, and determines that the person being compared has no intention to pass if the illuminance is not equal to or greater than the lower threshold. Note that the narrower the specified range (e.g., the larger the lower threshold and / or the smaller the upper threshold), the stricter the criteria for determining that there is an intention to pass.

[0054] Furthermore, for example, the intention determination processing unit 202 of the control device 20 may determine whether or not there is an intention to pass based on a change in illuminance over time and / or a change in blur over time. For example, the intention determination processing unit 202 determines whether or not there is an intention to pass based on a change in illuminance and / or blur between images captured at multiple points in time.

[0055] For example, when determining whether or not there is an intention to pass based on a change in illuminance, the intention determination processing unit 202 determines that there is an intention to pass if the illuminance of the facial image increases over time, and determines that there is no intention to pass if the illuminance does not increase (i.e., if the illuminance does not change or decreases). Furthermore, when determining whether or not there is an intention to pass based on a change in blur, the intention determination unit 202 determines that there is an intention to pass if the blur of the facial image decreases over time, and determines that there is no intention to pass if the blur does not decrease (i.e., if the blur does not change or increases). Note that there is a risk that minute changes in both illuminance and blur may be detected due to subtle movements of the person and / or detection errors. If such minute changes were reflected in the determination of the intention to pass, the determination result would be unstable. Therefore, changes within a predetermined range that are considered to be errors, etc., may not be used in the determination of the intention to pass. It should be noted that the change in illuminance and the change in blur here do not have to be calculated from the illuminance and blur detected from the images captured by the common camera 10 .

[0056] The intention determination processing unit 202 of the control device 20 may determine whether or not the user intends to pass based on the value of one of the illuminance and the blur and a change in the other. For example, the intention to pass may be determined when the illuminance is within a specified range and the change in the blur meets a predetermined standard. In this case, the change in the illuminance is not taken into account, but the change in the blur is taken into account. In this way, by making a determination that does not consider changes in either the illuminance or the blur but considers changes in the other, it is possible to avoid unstable determination results due to small changes in either the illuminance or the blur, and improve the accuracy of the determination results based on both the illuminance and the blur.

[0057] The specified range used to determine whether or not there is an intention to pass may be set in advance or may be changed dynamically based on the location of the ticket gate 40 (e.g., the brightness around the ticket gate 40, the flow of people around the ticket gate 40) and the performance of the camera 10 (focal length, exposure time, gain, etc.).

[0058] <Processing Flow> Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of face matching processing in this embodiment. The flow shown in Fig. 5 is started, for example, when the operation of the ticket gate 40 starts.

[0059] The camera 10 captures an image of the area around the ticket gate 40 (S101).

[0060] The control device 20 performs face detection processing (S102), which detects whether or not a face frame indicating an area corresponding to a person's face is present in the captured image.

[0061] The control device 20 determines whether or not a face frame has been detected (S103).

[0062] If a face frame is not detected (NO in S103), the control device 20 executes a process without a face frame (S104). In the process without a face frame, for example, a process such as discarding the captured image may be performed. Alternatively, in the process without a face frame, subsequent processes may not be performed. Then, the flow returns to S101.

[0063] If a face frame is detected (YES in S103), the control device 20 performs a passing intention determination process (S105). The passing intention determination process determines whether the person to be matched, who corresponds to the detected face frame, has an intention to pass. The flow of the passing intention determination process will be described later.

[0064] Based on the result of the passing intention determination process, the control device 20 determines whether or not the person to be verified has the intention to pass (S106).

[0065] If it is determined that there is no intention to pass (NO in S106), the control device 20 executes a process for indicating that there is no intention to pass (S107). The process for indicating that there is no intention to pass includes, for example, a process by the control device 20 of recording that the detected face frame is a face frame indicating that there is no intention to pass. Then, the flow returns to S101.

[0066] If it is determined that there is an intention to pass (YES in S106), control device 20 requests server device 30 to perform face matching processing (S108).

[0067] The control device 20 acquires a response to the request for face matching processing from the server device 30, and determines whether the person to be matched has the right of passage (S109).

[0068] If the person does not have the right of passage (NO at S109), the control device 20 determines that the person being verified may attempt unauthorized entry (S110).

[0069] If the person has the right to pass (YES in S109), the control device 20 determines that the person being verified has entered normally (S111).

[0070] Next, the passing intention determination process in S105 of FIG. 5 will be described.

[0071] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the passing intention determination process in S105 of FIG.

[0072] The control device 20 performs a face frame tracking process of the detected face frame (S201). In the face frame tracking process, the face frame detected at the current time point is compared with the face frame detected before the current time point, and the elapsed time, which is the difference in detection timing between the two face frames, and the coordinate change of the two face frames are determined. Then, based on the determined elapsed time and / or coordinate change, it is determined whether the two face frames are face frames of the same person to be matched. Note that whether the face frames are of the same person to be matched may be determined using other methods. For example, if the face matching process is performed in parallel with the passage intention determination process, it may be possible to estimate whether the person to be matched is the same by referring to intermediate results of the face matching process.

[0073] The control device 20 detects illuminance and blur from the face image of the currently detected face frame (S202).

[0074] The control device 20 determines whether the illuminance and blur are within a specified range (S203).

[0075] If at least one of the illuminance and the blur is not within the specified range (NO in S203), the process proceeds to S207.

[0076] If both the illuminance and the blur are within the specified ranges (YES in S203), the control device 20 determines whether the currently detected face frame is the same as a face frame that was detected before (S204). This determination is made based on the result of the face frame tracking process in S201.

[0077] If the currently detected face frame is a face frame that was previously detected (YES in S204), in other words, if the currently detected face frame and the previously detected face frame are the face frames of the same person to be matched, the control device 20 determines whether the following conditions are met (S205): the difference in illuminance between the previously detected face frame and the currently detected face frame (hereinafter referred to as the illuminance difference) is within a specified range, and the difference in blur between the previously detected face frame and the currently detected face frame (hereinafter referred to as the blur difference) is within a specified range. Note that the conditions that the difference in illuminance between the previously detected face frame and the currently detected face frame and the difference in blur between the previously detected face frame and the currently detected face frame are within a specified range are hereinafter referred to as the "difference determination condition."

[0078] If the face frame is not one that has already been detected before the current time (NO in S204), or if the judgment condition for the difference is met (YES in S205), the control device 20 judges that the person being matched with the face frame detected at the current time has the intention to pass (S206).

[0079] If at least one of the illuminance and blur is not within the specified range (NO in S203), or if the judgment condition for the difference is not met (NO in S205), the control device 20 judges that the person being matched with the face frame currently detected has no intention of passing (S207).

[0080] Then, the flow shown in FIG. 6 ends, and the control device 20 executes the process of S106 in FIG.

[0081] While FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which face frame tracking processing is performed in S201, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, if a determination based on an illuminance difference and / or a blur difference is not performed, as in the processing of S205, the processing of S201 may be omitted. Furthermore, if the processing of S201 is omitted, the processing of S204 and S205 may also be omitted. In this case, if both the illuminance and the blur are within the specified ranges in S203 (YES in S203), the control device 20 determines that the person to be matched whose face frame is currently detected has an intention to pass. Furthermore, if at least one of the illuminance and the blur is not within the specified ranges (NO in S203), the control device 20 determines that the person to be matched whose face frame is currently detected has no intention to pass (S207).

[0082] 6 shows an example in which illuminance and blur are used as parameters for determining whether a person intends to pass, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. Either illuminance or blur may be used as a parameter for determining whether a person intends to pass, and the other may not be used.

[0083] Although FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which illuminance and blur are used as parameters for determining intent to pass, the use of illuminance and blur may be switched. Alternatively, one of illuminance and blur may be given more importance than the other. For example, in a case in which illuminance is given more importance than blur, if the determination result based on illuminance differs from the determination result based on blur, the determination result based on illuminance is adopted. Furthermore, if the determination result is obtained as a numerical value, such as a probability reflecting the presence or absence of intent to pass (e.g., the probability of passing through the gate within a predetermined time from the current time), the control device 20 may perform the intent to pass determination using a result obtained by combining the determination result based on illuminance and the determination result based on blur. In this case, the control device 20 may combine the two determination results, the determination result based on illuminance and the determination result based on blur, with different weights depending on whether illuminance or blur is given more importance. If the determination result is obtained as a numerical value, such as a probability, the control device 20 may determine that the person intends to pass if the numerical value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, and that the person does not intend to pass if the numerical value is less than the predetermined threshold.

[0084] For example, when the light around the ticket gate 40 is too bright, the illuminance does not change significantly depending on the position of a person around the ticket gate 40. Therefore, when the light around the ticket gate 40 is lower than a predetermined level (e.g., in the evening, at night, on a cloudy day, etc.), the determination result based on illuminance takes precedence over the determination result based on blur. Specifically, of the illuminance and blur, only the illuminance is used to determine the intention to pass, or the two determination results are combined with a weighting that gives the illuminance-based determination result more importance than the blur-based determination result. Note that when the light around the ticket gate 40 is above a predetermined level (e.g., during the day or on a sunny day), the determination result based on blur takes precedence over the determination result based on illuminance. Specifically, of the illuminance and blur, only the blur is used to determine the intention to pass, or the two determination results are combined with a weighting that gives the blur-based determination result more importance than the illuminance-based determination result. Note that the method for detecting the brightness of the light around the ticket gate 40 is not particularly limited. For example, the control device 20 may detect the brightness of the surrounding light from the illuminance of the image captured by the camera 10, or may detect the brightness of the surrounding light using an image captured by a camera taking a bird's-eye view of the ticket gate 40. Alternatively, another device, rather than the control device 20, may detect the brightness of the surrounding light around the ticket gate 40, and the control device 20 may obtain the brightness of the surrounding light from the other device (a sensor that detects brightness).

[0085] For example, because blur reflects the difference between the focal distance and the distance of the person, the same result may be obtained when the person is close to the camera 10 and when the person is far from the camera 10. Therefore, when the distance between the person and the camera 10 is greater than the focal distance, the determination result based on blur is prioritized over the determination result based on illuminance. Specifically, of the illuminance and blur, only the blur may be used to determine the intention to pass, or the two determination results may be combined with a weighting that places greater importance on the determination result based on blur than on the determination result based on illuminance. Furthermore, when the distance between the person and the camera 10 is closer than the focal distance, the determination result based on illuminance is prioritized over the determination result based on blur. Specifically, of the illuminance and blur, only the illuminance may be used to determine the intention to pass, or the two determination results may be combined with a weighting that places greater importance on the determination result based on illuminance than on the determination result based on blur. Note that the distance between the person and the camera 10 may also be determined by means other than blur. For example, the control device 20 may determine the distance between the camera 10 and the position of a part of the person's head using video from a camera capturing an overhead view of the ticket gate 40. The control device 20 may also determine the distance between the person and the camera 10 based on the size of a face frame, etc. In this case, because the image of the person contains blur, the size of the face frame cannot be accurately estimated, which may result in an erroneous determination of the distance between the person and the camera 10. However, in this embodiment, the determination of the intention to pass is performed using illuminance or blur, so the distance between the person and the camera 10 only indirectly affects the determination of the intention to pass. Therefore, errors in the determination of the distance between the person and the camera 10 can be tolerated to a certain extent. The distance between the person and the camera 10 may be determined by a device other than the control device 20, and the control device 20 may acquire the distance determined by that device.

[0086] 6 shows an example in which the illuminance and blur of a face image are used as parameters for determining whether a person intends to pass, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The illuminance and blur of a part other than the face may also be used as parameters for determining whether a person intends to pass.

[0087] Parameters other than illuminance and blur may be used as parameters for determining whether a person intends to pass. For example, at least one of the face direction, a change in the coordinates of the face frame, and a change in the size of the face frame may be used as a parameter for determining whether a person intends to pass. Alternatively, illuminance and / or blur may be used in combination with at least one of the face direction, a change in the coordinates of the face frame, and a change in the size of the face frame. Alternatively, a comprehensive determination may be made in addition to these parameters, taking into account the increase in information that will be obtained in the future or changes in the camera position.

[0088] Fig. 7 is a diagram showing examples of parameters used in determining whether a person intends to pass. Fig. 8 shows, in a table format, cases in which it is determined that there is no intention to pass and cases in which it is determined that there is an intention to pass, for each parameter.

[0089] 7 shows that, with regard to the facial orientation, if the facial orientation of the person to be verified is facing left or right, it is determined that the person has no intention of passing through, and if the facial orientation is facing forward relative to the camera 10, it is determined that the person has the intention of passing through. The facial orientation is an example of a parameter related to the posture of the person to be verified relative to the ticket gate 40.

[0090] 7 shows that, with regard to illuminance, when the illuminance is relatively dark and below a predetermined level, it is determined that the person has no intention to pass, and when the illuminance is relatively bright and above the predetermined level, it is determined that the person has an intention to pass. Illuminance is an example of a parameter related to the position of the person to be verified relative to the ticket gate 40.

[0091] 7 shows that, with regard to the change in the coordinates of the face frame, if the coordinate of the face frame in the Y-axis direction does not change, i.e., the amount of change is zero, it is determined that there is no intention to pass, and if the coordinate of the face frame in the Y-axis direction changes, it is determined that there is an intention to pass. Note that the Y-axis direction corresponds to the vertical direction in the captured image. In other words, if the position of the face frame in the captured image does not change in the vertical direction of the captured image, it is determined that there is no intention to pass, and if there is a change in the vertical direction of the captured image, it is determined that there is an intention to pass. The change in the coordinates of the face frame is an example of a parameter related to the position of the person to be verified relative to the ticket gate 40.

[0092] 7 shows that, with regard to blur, when the blur is at or above a predetermined level, it is determined that the person has no intention of passing through, and when the blur falls below the predetermined level, it is determined that the person has the intention of passing through. Blur is an example of a parameter related to the position of the person being verified relative to the ticket gate 40.

[0093] 7 shows that, with regard to the size of the face frame, if there is no change in the size of the face frame or if the size of the face frame changes in a direction that decreases, it is determined that there is no intention to pass through, and if the size of the face frame changes in a direction that increases, it is determined that there is an intention to pass through. The size of the face frame is an example of a parameter related to the position of the person to be verified relative to the ticket gate 40.

[0094] As described above, in this embodiment, the communication unit 201 of the control device 20 acquires an image including a facial image area of ​​a person entering a ticket gate 40 (an example of a gate), whose passability is determined based on the results of a facial matching process, taken from the direction from the exit of the ticket gate 40 toward the entrance. The intention determination processing unit 202 (an example of a control unit) then determines whether to perform facial matching processing on the person based on parameters (e.g., illuminance and / or blur) related to the person's posture relative to the ticket gate 40 and / or the person's position relative to the ticket gate 40, detected from the image. This configuration determines whether a person included in an image captured by the camera 10 intends to pass through the ticket gate (in other words, whether to perform facial matching), and omits the facial matching process for facial images of people determined not to intend to pass through the ticket gate. This allows computer resources to be concentrated on the facial matching process for people determined to intend to pass through the ticket gate, reducing the processing time for the facial matching process in ticket gate control and realizing faster facial matching processing. Furthermore, the accuracy of face matching can be improved because the targets of face matching processing can be reduced to those who are determined to have the intention of passing through the ticket gate.

[0095] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, by determining an intention to pass based on, for example, illuminance and blur, the determination can be made without using parameters that vary depending on the individual, such as the size of the face of the person being verified, and the accuracy of determining the intention to pass can be improved. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the intention to pass can be determined using parameters that are little affected by items worn by the person being verified (for example, a hat, a mask, or glasses), and the accuracy of determining the intention to pass can be improved.

[0096] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the speed of the face matching process can be increased. Regarding the relationship between the face matching process and the process for determining whether a person intends to pass, a configuration is conceivable in which the process for determining whether a person intends to pass is performed and the face matching process is performed only for those persons determined to have the intention to pass, and a configuration is conceivable in which the face matching process is started independently of the process for determining whether a person intends to pass. In the former case, according to this embodiment, it is possible to estimate a person who intends to pass before that person enters the ticket gate 40, thereby reducing the number of subjects for the face matching process and realizing a speed increase in the face matching process. In the latter case, according to this embodiment, the face matching process can be stopped when it is determined that the person does not intend to pass. Therefore, even if a person determined to have no intention to pass is mistakenly targeted for the face matching process, the consumption of computer resources can be reduced. Therefore, regardless of whether or not the person intends to pass, the process prior to the face matching process and / or part of the face matching process can be started when the person has left the ticket gate 40, thereby realizing a speed increase in the face matching process. In particular, the results of the image capturing and face frame detection processes, which are the pre-processing steps of the face matching process, can be used in both the face matching process and the process of determining whether or not a person intends to pass. Therefore, by starting the pre-processing steps of the face matching process when the person is away from the ticket gate 40, the start of the face matching process after it is determined that there is an intention to pass can also be accelerated.

[0097] Furthermore, in this embodiment, image capture and face frame detection are performed as processes on the ticket gate side (e.g., camera 10 and control device 20), so if the processing related to face matching is stopped at the point of image capture and face frame detection, the control device 20 will not request face matching from the server device 30, thereby reducing the amount of communication between the ticket gate (e.g., control device 20) and the server device 30.

[0098] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, even in cases where the accuracy of the face matching process is reduced when the ticket gate is located in a relatively dark place (for example, inside a subway station) and the face matching process cannot be started early, the processing time for the face matching process in ticket gate control can be reduced, thereby realizing faster face matching processing.

[0099] For example, in a case where the surrounding environment is relatively dark, the changes in illuminance and blur are larger than in a case where the surrounding environment is relatively bright. Therefore, the determination result of the intention to pass is less affected by errors in illuminance or blur, and this embodiment can improve the accuracy of determining the intention to pass, for example, in a case where the surrounding environment is dark, and can achieve faster face matching processing. Note that a case where the surrounding environment is dark is, for example, a case such as a ticket gate at a subway station.

[0100] Furthermore, ticket gates using face matching processing are typically equipped with a camera and a light source that illuminates a person to be matched who is passing through the ticket gate. The light source may be configured to at least irradiate light from the exit toward the entrance of the ticket gate. For example, the light source provided in the ticket gate may be a light source that emits directional light, such as a laser beam, or a light source that emits radial light, such as a light bulb. Because this embodiment uses a camera and light source that are typically provided, no additional hardware is required when applying the system according to this embodiment. This reduces the cost required for applying the system according to this embodiment. The light source does not need to be configured as an integral part of the ticket gate. For example, a light source independent of the ticket gate may be installed separately, or may be configured as a window that lets in natural light. In other words, the type and configuration of the light source are not important as long as the light source is configured to irradiate light from the exit toward the entrance of the ticket gate.

[0101] In the above-described embodiment, multiple face frames may be detected in one captured image. When multiple face frames are detected, the face matching process including the above-described pass intention determination process is performed for each of the multiple face frames. By performing the above-described pass intention determination process for each of the multiple face frames, the priority of the face matching process for the multiple face frames can be determined, thereby reducing the processing time of the face matching process in ticket gate control and realizing faster face matching process.

[0102] Although the above-described embodiment shows an example in which one camera 10 is provided, the present disclosure is not limited to this. Multiple cameras 10 may be provided for the ticket gate 40. In this case, parameters used to determine the intention to pass may be detected from images captured by the multiple cameras 10. Then, differences in parameters between the images captured by the multiple cameras 10 may be calculated, and the presence or absence of the intention to pass may be determined based on the calculated differences in parameters.

[0103] In the above-described embodiment, an example has been shown in which the illuminance and blur of a face image are used as parameters for determining whether a person intends to pass, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. The illuminance and blur of a part other than the face may also be used as parameters for determining whether a person intends to pass. Furthermore, the illuminance and blur of a part other than the face and the illuminance and blur of the face image may be used together as parameters for determining whether a person intends to pass.

[0104] The illuminance and blur of the non-face portion of a person included in a single captured image are consistent with the illuminance and blur of the face image of the person. For example, the difference between the illuminance of the non-face portion of a person and the illuminance of the face image of the person is less than a predetermined value. Also, for example, the difference between the blur of the non-face portion of a person and the blur of the face image of the person is less than a predetermined value.

[0105] On the other hand, it is possible that the illuminance and blur of parts other than the faces of different people included in a single photographed image may not be consistent with the illuminance and blur of the face image. For example, if two people included in a single photographed image are person #1 and person #2, the difference in illuminance between the parts other than the face of person #2 and the illuminance of the face image of person #1 is likely to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

[0106] Therefore, whether or not to cut in line at the ticket gate may be determined based on the relationship between the illuminance and blur of parts other than the face and the illuminance and blur of the face image.

[0107] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of cut-in determination. Fig. 8 shows person #1, whose face frame has been detected, and person #2, who cuts in front of person #1, in an image captured by camera 10. Note that person #2 intentionally hides his face, so a face frame is not detected.

[0108] In Figure 8, because the distances from camera 10 are different between the two people, the illuminance of the face image of person #1 is darker than the illuminance of the parts of person #2 other than their face (the upper body in Figure 8). Therefore, the difference in illuminance between the face image of person #1's face frame and the illuminance of the parts of person #2 other than their face may be greater than a predetermined value. In this way, by comparing the illuminance difference with a predetermined value, it is possible to determine whether an interruption has occurred.

[0109] In the above-described embodiment, the method of the passing intention determination process and / or parameters related to the passing intention determination process may be adjusted according to the surrounding environment.

[0110] For example, when the area around the ticket gate 40 is brighter than a predetermined value, the intensity of the light emitted from the illumination onto the area photographed by the camera 10 is adjusted.

[0111] For example, if the area around the ticket gate 40 is brighter than a predetermined value due to artificial lighting, the lighting near the ticket gate 40 is set to a dimmer level because the surrounding brightness is stable.

[0112] For example, if the area around the ticket gate 40 is brighter than a predetermined value due to natural light, the closer the person gets to the ticket gate 40, the greater the influence of the lighting of the ticket gate 40. Therefore, the criteria for determining whether a person has an "intention to pass" are adjusted as follows: - If natural light is backlighting the camera 10, for example, the ticket gate control unit 204 of the control device 20 sets the lighting of the ticket gate 40 to be brighter. As a result, the illuminance of the person increases as the person approaches the ticket gate 40. Using this property, the intention determination processing unit 202 of the control device 20 determines that the person has an intention to pass if it detects that the illuminance of the person is increasing, and determines that the person does not have an intention to pass if it detects that the illuminance of the person is not increasing. - If natural light is direct light from the camera 10, the ticket gate control unit 204 of the control device 20 sets the lighting of the ticket gate 40 to be darker. As a result, the illuminance of the person decreases as the person approaches the ticket gate 40. By utilizing this property, the intention determination processing unit 202 of the control device 20 determines that the person has the intention to pass if it detects that the person's illuminance has decreased, and determines that the person has no intention to pass if it detects that the person's illuminance has not decreased.

[0113] Note that backlighting here indicates that light is shining from behind the person approaching the ticket gate 40 (or camera 10), and frontlighting indicates that light is shining from the direction of camera 10 in the direction of the person approaching the ticket gate 40 (or camera 10).

[0114] Backlight and / or frontlight may be automatically determined based on the brightness of a reference point set in the image, and the criteria for determining whether there is an intention to pass and the brightness of the lighting may be adjusted based on the determination result.

[0115] The evaluation result of the accuracy of the passing intention determination may be corrected based on the criteria for determining whether the vehicle is in front of or behind the light. For example, if an accurate result is obtained with the settings for front light, the criteria for determining whether the vehicle is in front of the light may be made stricter in the case of back light.

[0116] In the above example, the brightness of the lighting at the ticket gate 40 is also adjusted depending on whether backlight or frontlight is occurring, but the adjustment of the lighting may be omitted. However, since adjusting the brightness of the lighting has the effect of making the effects of backlight or frontlight more prominent, adjusting the brightness of the lighting will improve the accuracy of determining the intention to pass.

[0117] Furthermore, the light source that generates backlight or frontlight is not limited to natural light, and backlight or frontlight may occur due to the influence of other light sources, such as light sources in the facility where the ticket gate 40 is installed. In these cases, the presence or absence of the intention to pass may also be determined using the same criteria as above.

[0118] In the above-described embodiment, the face matching process is performed after the determination of the intention to pass, but the face matching process may be started regardless of whether the determination of the intention to pass is completed. In this case, the processing load can be reduced by stopping the face matching process as soon as it is determined that there is no intention to pass.

[0119] For example, if a person enters the inside of the ticket gate 40, the face matching process of the person is forcibly started. The limit position at which the face matching process starts is described as the face matching start limit position. The face matching start limit position is a position at which it is expected that the person will not pass through the ticket gate 40 before face matching is completed. If face matching is started at a position closer to the ticket gate 40 than the face matching start limit position, the person will attempt to pass through the ticket gate 40 before face matching is completed. Note that the determination of whether or not a person has passed the face matching start limit position may be made using a method other than that for determining the intention to pass (for example, a method using a sensor).

[0120] If the person has entered the face matching start limit position without completing the determination of the intention to pass, there is a high possibility that the determination of the intention to pass has failed. Therefore, if the person has entered the face matching start limit position, the control device 20 may continue the face matching process to the end even if the determination of the intention to pass is subsequently obtained.

[0121] Furthermore, the control device 20 may start pre-processing of the face matching process and / or part of the face matching process from a position (e.g., the face matching start position) before the face matching start limit position. In this case, pre-processing of the face matching process and / or part of the face matching process is started when the person approaches the face matching start position. For example, image capture and face frame detection are started as pre-processing of the face matching process. While the results of the image capture and face frame detection processes can be used to determine whether the person intends to pass, the processes after the image capture and face frame detection are likely to be unnecessary if the person does not intend to pass. Therefore, the processes after the image capture and face frame detection may be started only when the person approaches the face matching start limit position or when it is determined that the person intends to pass. The face matching start position may be adjusted according to the ambient brightness. For example, the face matching start position may be closer to the ticket gate 40 because the brighter the ambient brightness, the more accurate and faster face matching can be performed.

[0122] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the face matching start position and brightness. Fig. 9 shows three cases when the ticket gate 40 is viewed from above. The "bright case" in Fig. 9 corresponds to a case where the ambient brightness is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, and the "dark case" in Fig. 9 corresponds to a case where the ambient brightness is below the predetermined level. In each of the three cases, the left side shows a state where the person is heading toward the ticket gate 40, i.e., a state where the person has an intention to pass through, and the right side shows a state where the person is not heading toward the ticket gate 40, i.e., a state where the person has no intention to pass through.

[0123] Cases 1 and 2 in FIG. 9 are "dark cases." In the "dark case," the face matching start position is set farther from the ticket gate 40 than in the "bright case." In this case, the control device 20 performs image capture and face frame detection processing on persons who have passed through the face matching start position, and determines whether or not the person intends to pass based on the results of the processing. This makes it possible to exclude persons who do not intend to pass (the person on the right in case 2) from the face matching processing. This reduces the possibility of unnecessary face matching processing. In other words, the determination of whether or not the person intends to pass according to this embodiment has the effect of reducing the processing load, particularly in the "dark case."

[0124] On the other hand, in the "bright case," the face matching process can be completed in a short time, and therefore, by moving the face matching start position closer to the ticket gate 40, it is possible to exclude people who have no intention of passing so that they are not the target of the face matching process in the first place. In such a case, even if the process of determining whether or not to pass is performed, it is unlikely that a result will be obtained before the person reaches the face matching start limit position, so it is possible not to perform the determination of whether or not to pass.

[0125] The face matching start position may also be the position at which the face matching process starts. That is, the image capture and face frame detection processes may be completed before the person reaches the face matching start position. In this way, the control device 20 can determine whether the person has reached the face matching start position using the results of face frame detection, eliminating the need for additional sensors to estimate the person's position (e.g., the distance between the person and the camera 10). In this case, the face matching process may be performed only on people determined to have an intention to pass based on the results of image capture and face frame detection. This allows the people subjected to the heavy face matching process to be limited to those determined to have an intention to pass. Furthermore, in this case, the face matching start position may be adjustable by adjusting the criteria for determining an intention to pass. For example, as shown in FIG. 9 , the brighter the surroundings, the stricter the criteria for determining an intention to pass, and the face matching start position may be moved closer to the ticket gate 40. In this case, as shown in Case 2, the face matching process for people who have an intention to pass is performed at a position closer to the ticket gate 40 than the face matching start position. Note that when the criteria for determining that a person has an intention to pass are made stricter, the criteria for determining that a person has an intention to pass may be, for example, a higher illuminance value, a lower blur value, or a larger change in illuminance or blur. For example, in a case where the intention determination processing unit 202 of the control device 20 determines that the person to be verified has an intention to pass when the illuminance is equal to or greater than a threshold, the criteria for determining that a person has an intention to pass may be made stricter by increasing the threshold value compared with the illuminance. In this way, it becomes less likely that an intention to pass will be determined unless the person is closer to the ticket gate 40.

[0126] When the criteria for determining that there is an intention to pass are made stricter, the position where the face matching process starts (face matching start position) moves closer to the ticket gate 40. In such a case, the face authentication start position can be moved closer to the ticket gate 40 by moving the focus of the camera 10 closer to the ticket gate 40 or shortening the exposure time. Note that when making these adjustments, the brightness of the face in the captured image also changes, so control may be performed to emphasize the determination result of the intention to pass based on blur.

[0127] Note that a process may be added to avoid errors in the control of the ticket gate 40, including errors in the face matching process. For example, the accuracy of the determination of the intention to pass may be evaluated based on the rate at which people whose face matching has started near the authentication start position actually pass through the ticket gate 40. For example, if the rate at which people whose face matching has started pass through the ticket gate 40 is lower than a threshold, an alert may be issued to prompt readjustment of the ticket gate 40.

[0128] Although the above-described embodiment has been described using a ticket gate at a station as an example, the present disclosure is not limited to a ticket gate at a station. The present disclosure may also be applied to a gate installed at an airport, an office, or the like other than a station, which allows entry of specific persons and blocks entry of persons other than the specific persons. The present disclosure may also be applied to a gate that does not have a door that restricts the passage of people.

[0129] In the above-described embodiment, when a configuration for determining an intention to pass based on a change in illuminance or blur is employed, if there is no change in illuminance or blur, it may be determined that the person has an intention to pass or that they do not have an intention to pass. Such a situation occurs, for example, when a person is standing still. For example, if a person has an intention to pass, they may stop to create distance from a person ahead or for other reasons. Also, if a person does not have an intention to pass, they may stop to observe the ticket gate or for other reasons. Therefore, if there is no change in illuminance or blur that would suggest a stop, it may be determined that the person has an intention to pass or that they do not have an intention to pass, depending on the intention of the operator who manages the passage management system including the ticket gate. Furthermore, a determination result indicating a stop may be provided, and it may be determined that the person has an intention to pass or that they do not have an intention to pass. Furthermore, a determination result indicating a stop may be provided, and one of three determination results may be obtained: a determination result of an intention to pass, a determination result of no intention to pass, or a determination result of a stop. In this case, for a person determined to have stopped, additional information may be used to determine whether to treat the person as having an intention to pass or as not having an intention to pass. For example, if there is ample processing capacity in the current overall system (e.g., if the load on the face matching process is less than a predetermined level), the person may be treated as having an intention to pass even when they have stopped, whereas if there is not enough processing capacity in the current overall system (e.g., if the load on the face matching process is equal to or greater than a predetermined level), the person may be treated as not having an intention to pass. Note that "no change in illuminance or blur" may be considered to mean a change in illuminance or blur within a predetermined range.

[0130] The present disclosure may be applied to a gateless passage management system. For example, in a case where movement from a first point through a second point to a third point is permitted for a specific person but not permitted for anyone other than the specific person, whether or not the specific person intends to move to the third point may be determined based on parameters detected from an image captured of the first point from the second point.

[0131] The present disclosure can be realized in software, hardware, or software in conjunction with hardware.

[0132] Each functional block used in the description of the above embodiments may be partially or entirely realized as an LSI, which is an integrated circuit, and each process described in the above embodiments may be partially or entirely controlled by a single LSI or a combination of LSIs. The LSI may be composed of individual chips, or may be composed of a single chip that includes some or all of the functional blocks. The LSI may have data input and output. Depending on the degree of integration, the LSI may also be called an IC, system LSI, super LSI, or ultra LSI.

[0133] The integrated circuit method is not limited to LSI, and may be realized by a dedicated circuit, a general-purpose processor, or a dedicated processor. Also, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or a reconfigurable processor that can reconfigure the connections and settings of circuit cells within the LSI, may be used. The present disclosure may be realized as digital processing or analog processing.

[0134] Furthermore, if an integrated circuit technology that can replace LSI emerges due to advances in semiconductor technology or other derivative technologies, it is natural that such technology may be used to integrate functional blocks. The application of biotechnology, etc. is also a possibility.

[0135] The present disclosure may be implemented in any type of apparatus, device, or system (collectively referred to as a communications apparatus) that has a communications function. The communications apparatus may include a radio transceiver and processing / control circuitry. The radio transceiver may include a receiver and a transmitter, or both functions. The radio transceiver (transmitter and receiver) may include a radio frequency (RF) module and one or more antennas. The RF module may include an amplifier, an RF modulator / demodulator, or the like. Non-limiting examples of communication devices include telephones (e.g., cell phones, smartphones), tablets, personal computers (PCs) (e.g., laptops, desktops, notebooks), cameras (e.g., digital still / video cameras), digital players (e.g., digital audio / video players), wearable devices (e.g., wearable cameras, smartwatches, tracking devices), game consoles, digital book readers, telehealth / telemedicine devices, communication-enabled vehicles or mobile transportation (e.g., cars, airplanes, ships), and combinations of the above devices.

[0136] The communication devices are not limited to portable or mobile devices, but also include any kind of non-portable or fixed equipment, devices, and systems, such as smart home devices (such as home appliances, lighting equipment, smart meters or measuring devices, control panels, etc.), vending machines, and any other "things" that may exist on an IoT (Internet of Things) network.

[0137] In recent years, in the field of IoT (Internet of Things) technology, CPS (Cyber ​​Physical Systems) has been attracting attention as a new concept that creates new added value by linking information between physical space and cyberspace. This CPS concept can also be adopted in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0138] That is, as a basic configuration of a CPS, for example, an edge server located in physical space and a cloud server located in cyberspace can be connected via a network, and processing can be distributed and performed by processors installed on both servers. Here, it is preferable that each piece of processing data generated in the edge server or cloud server is generated on a standardized platform, and the use of such a standardized platform can improve the efficiency of building a system including a variety of sensor groups and IoT application software.

[0139] Communications include data communications via cellular systems, wireless LAN systems, communication satellite systems, and the like, as well as data communications via combinations of these.

[0140] A communications apparatus also includes devices such as controllers and sensors connected or coupled to a communications device that performs the communications functions described in this disclosure, such as controllers and sensors that generate control and data signals used by the communications device to perform the communications functions of the communications apparatus.

[0141] The communication apparatus also includes infrastructure facilities, such as base stations, access points, and any other apparatus, device, or system that communicates with or controls the various apparatuses listed above, but are not limited to these.

[0142] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components of the above-described embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the disclosure.

[0143] Although specific examples of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the claims. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and alterations of the specific examples exemplified above.

[0144] The disclosures of the specification, drawings and abstract contained in Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-098354, filed on June 15, 2023, are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0145] An embodiment of the present disclosure is suitable for a face authentication system.

[0146] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Passage management system 10 Camera 20 Control device 30 Server device 40 Ticket gate 201 Communication unit 202 Intention determination processing unit 203 Face matching processing unit 204 Ticket gate control unit 301 Storage unit 302 Face matching unit 303 Communication unit

Claims

1. A control device comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires an image including a facial image area of ​​a person entering a gate, where passage or non-passage is determined based on the results of a facial matching process, photographed from the direction from the exit of the gate toward the entrance, and a control unit that determines whether or not to perform the facial matching process of the person based on the illuminance and / or blur of the person detected in the image.

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the person is illuminated by a light source that emits light in a direction from the exit to the entrance of the gate, and the control unit determines whether or not to perform the face matching process of the person based on changes in the illuminance detected from each of the images taken at multiple points in time between the images.

3. The control device of claim 2, wherein the control unit determines to perform face matching processing of the person when the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at a later time is higher than the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at an earlier time, and determines not to perform face matching processing of the person when the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at the later time is lower than the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at the earlier time.

4. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the light source is a light provided at the gate, the person is further illuminated by light surrounding the gate, and the control unit determines to perform face matching processing of the person when the surrounding light is backlit against the person and when the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at a later time is higher than the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at an earlier time, and determines not to perform face matching processing of the person when the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at the later time is lower than the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at the earlier time.

5. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the light source is a light provided in the gate, and the control unit controls the light to be brighter when the surrounding light is backlit relative to the person than when the surrounding light is not backlit relative to the person.

6. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the light source is a light provided at the gate, and the person is further illuminated by light surrounding the gate, and the control unit determines to perform face matching processing of the person when the surrounding light is direct light on the person and when the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at a later time is lower than the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at an earlier time, and determines not to perform face matching processing of the person when the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at the later time is higher than the illuminance of the person detected from the image taken at the earlier time.

7. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the light source is a light provided at the gate, and the control unit controls the brightness of the light to be lower when the surrounding light is in direct sunlight relative to the person than when the surrounding light is not in direct sunlight relative to the person.

8. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines whether or not to perform the face matching process of the person based on the illuminance and the blur of the person, and when the brightness around the gate is at or above a predetermined level, the control unit controls the determination so that the determination result based on the blur is given priority over the determination result based on the illuminance.

9. The control device of claim 2, wherein the control unit further acquires the distance between the person and a camera that captured an image including the face image area, the control unit determines whether or not to perform the face matching process of the person based on the illuminance and the blur of the person, and when the distance is shorter than a predetermined threshold, the control unit controls the determination so that a determination result based on the blur is given priority over a determination result based on the illuminance.

10. The control device according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit determines that the face matching process of the person is to be performed, the control unit performs the face matching process to identify the person using the face image area, and when the control unit determines that the face matching process of the person is not to be performed, the control unit omits the face matching process of the person.

11. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit further determines whether or not to perform the face matching process of the person based on at least one of the position, size, and orientation of the person's face of the face image area contained in the image.

12. The control device described in claim 1, wherein a reference position for determining whether or not to perform the face matching process of the person when the brightness of the area around the gate is equal to or higher than a predetermined level is closer to the gate than a reference position for determining whether or not to perform the face matching process of the person when the brightness of the area around the gate is less than the predetermined level.

13. A control method in which a control device acquires an image including a facial image area of ​​a person entering a gate, where passage or non-passage is determined based on the results of facial matching processing, photographing the person from the direction from the exit of the gate toward the entrance, and determines whether or not to perform the facial matching processing of the person based on the illuminance and / or blur of the person detected in the image.

Images